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  1. #1
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    Default What was your favorite Trail animal encounter?

    And no, other hikers do not count as 'animals' although....we have all known a few.

    Mine is probably the early August morning, solo walking (0630) NOBO in Maine along a lakeside, still wisps of fog drifting up. I heard a noise in the bushes to the right up the slope and thought I had spooked up a deer. I stopped and waited and then a very large BEAVER jumped up on a stump about 3-5 feet away. I never knew they were so big. He had to be over 30 pounds. Glistening, hair looking so heavy, greasy and stiff it was like a porcupine. Nasty hugh yellow teeth. We both stared then I remembered my camera and of course the beaver then took off into the lake 10 feet to the left of me. I have a great shot of the V shape swimming away. But in my mind I will always have that image of just me and nature's glory. I felt sorry for the hikers that were still back lingering over their coffee back at camp.

  2. #2
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    This one.

    The bear walked right up to us. We had to talk to it to make it go around.
    If you find yourself in a fair fight; your tactics suck.

  3. #3

    Default Stover Creek Black Bear

    Howdy -

    My favorite wildlife encounter on my 2008 NOBO Thru-Hike was on DAY ONE. Got into Stover Creek at about 5:00pm - sat down to eat dinner and out of no where - a HUGE black bear approaches the shelter.

    Gave us all a rush of excitement. The bear stuck around for almost an hour. Snapped some nice pics.

    I remember going to sleep later that night and thinking "damn, this is gonna be a hell of a journey". Guess what? It was!

    Attachment 5179

  4. #4
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    in the shennys i had a frog the size of a fist jump out right in front of me onto the trail...it had a 1 ta 2 foot rattle snake attached to its back left leg...i watched the snake sink its teeth into the frog, let go and slither away...the frog just sat in front of me stunned and filled with venom...it began to bloat up and i carefully removed it from my path with a long stick, as to not get any of what he had on me...who knows, maybe they go for the jugular at that point...

    it was cool because of the adrenaline rush i got from the situation...that was hardcore nature...at least for me...

  5. #5
    Registered User Tennessee Viking's Avatar
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    This was a few years ago on Bays Mtn in Tennessee. I was walking up Front Hollow Road to the lake, and over the rise I see a mama bear and 2 cubs. The cubs jumped up the trees, and I ran backwards for about 100 yards. Luckily mama didn't see me. I ended up walking an old logging road down the mountain with about 30 minutes to get back up and get my car before the park closed.
    ''Tennessee Viking'
    Mountains to Sea Trail Hiker & Maintainer
    Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer

  6. #6
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    This one was pretty cool too.
    If you find yourself in a fair fight; your tactics suck.

  7. #7
    Registered User Tennessee Viking's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sheepdog View Post
    this One Was Pretty Cool Too.
    Mad Deer!
    ''Tennessee Viking'
    Mountains to Sea Trail Hiker & Maintainer
    Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer

  8. #8
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    I was about 30 feet from him. He took a jump right at me (when I took the picture) landed about 15 feet away, and then bounded off to the right. At first I thought I was toast. It was at the snp near a shelter.
    If you find yourself in a fair fight; your tactics suck.

  9. #9
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    a fisher cat killing a rabbit when i came around a corner in maine

  10. #10
    Registered User Roots's Avatar
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    Bears are always amazing but my favorite encounter was with a yearling deer. We were hiking Massie Gap to Damascus. I can't remember the exact area but we were hiking along when Gungho stopped and said "LOOK!!!" Up ahead was the deer. He was so intrigued with us. He would walk slowly toward us and stop. Gungho finally scared him off since he was in the middle of the trail. We started hiking again and I turned back to look and he was following us. He didn't follow long. What amazed us was how puzzled he looked to see us. It was nature at it's most pure.
    HAPPY TRAILS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD HIKE!

  11. #11
    Section Hiker 500 miles smokymtnsteve's Avatar
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    psychotic deer
    "I'd rather kill a man than a snake. Not because I love snakes or hate men. It is a question, rather, of proportion." Edward Abbey

  12. #12

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    A Black Rat Snake and a Copperhead in a fight to the death falling off a rock ledge and landing at my feet.
    [COLOR="Blue"]Hokey Pokey [/COLOR]

  13. #13
    CDT - 2013, PCT - 2009, AT - 1300 miles done burger's Avatar
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    Amid all the bears and deer and other big animals, my most memorable encounter was when a red squirrel ran across my foot while I was hiking in southern Maine. It's not often you get to touch a wild animal (er, one gets to touch you).

  14. #14
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    Default Who moves first?

    My best encounter came, not on my thru, but on a small section the year after. I was doing the jaunt from Dutch Haus to Bear's den and it was just before I arrived in Waynesboro.

    Early in the AM and I rounded a corner and there, on the trail ahead of me was a medium sized bear. I stopped and stared waiting for him to run off as they usually do but this time it was different. He just stood there .. stood there and looked at me as I looked at him. Time seems to slow when you are in an encounter like this but it did seem like it was a while before I made made my next move. That thought and move was to back the hell up because he was bigger and badder and was nor moving!

    I backed up slowly while "badass" watched me, all the while thinking I was going to be breakfast. I was so convinced that HE should run away, not me .. goes to show you who is on top of the food chain at that moment!

    Anyway, I backed out of sight , waited a few, and then moved forward again ... there he was, still hanging out ... Now I had places to go and Badass was hindering my progress so I decided to take action .. I yelled and slapped my poles together, making lots of noise. Badass stood there, looking at me (as I am thinking, "Oh crap" now he is pissed) when with wha looked like a toss of the head and a shrug as if to say, "You are not worth my time", he wandered off the trail ...

    All in all it was a pretty cool encounter

  15. #15
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    On the FT in Etoniah Creek State Forest I ran two bear cubs up their respective trees. I could hear the mother rooting around so I got from in between the 2 cubs and then waited for her to appear so I could take her pic. When she stuck her head out of the bushes 20 yards in front of me I turned on the camera. As soon as the camera went on she wheeled and was out of there.

    The wildlife encounter I most regret is not getting the pics of fresh bigfoot prints in the sandy jeep road in the same FT area. I was shocked and anxious that he/she was watching me that I did not think to get out my camera and take pics. I thought that any moment he/she would jump me so I skedadled.
    I'm not really a hiker, I just play one on White Blaze.

  16. #16

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    Bear in Yosemite that walked into camp, saw humans, then proceeded to turn its head and look another direction as it blindly walked into camp.

  17. #17

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    In '02 on the peak of South Marshall Mountain in the Shenandoah's, after watching a bright red sun that appeared to be blinking become obscured by the clouds, Miles and I were resting on a rock when a HUGE bear appeared on the trail. Slowly, it lumbered up the trail. You could see the fat rolls on the bear's shoulders shift when the it threw its weight forward. For at least a minute the bear slowly made its way toward us up the trail. Looking back, I doubt it knew we were there cos when it got within 20 feet of us, I let out a nervous chuckle and the bear cut straight into the woods. And if that wasn't enough, within seconds, a massive buck with a huge rack crossed the trail and followed the exact path the bear took into the trees. The psychedelic sunset, big ol' bear and huge buck in about a 20 minute stretch.
    Yahtzee

  18. #18
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    Default

    I was on the PCT in Oregon when 3 bears came down the hill in front of me, and onto the trail. I had stopped b/c I saw the dark shapes coming through the trees after hearing them walking, and assumed they were cows moving this slowly and noisily. It appeared to be a female, her yearling, and her cub.

    The yearling jumped on the female trying to get her to play, while the small cub just sat beside the trail watching them. The female finally got irritated with the yearling, and growling softly, bit him on the head.

    The yearling turned and started walking towards me, finally noticing me and lifting it's head to try and get my scent. The wind was blowing towards me, which is why I suspect they did not realize I was standing directly behind them. As the yearling got a little too close for comfort, I finally spoke. The female wheeled around, and the yearling froze in it's tracks. They both stared for a moment and took off up the hill as the cub flew straight up a tree next to me.

    I moved around the tree to try and get some pictures, while trying to watch for mom. She realized the little one had not followed, and worked her way back down the hill, where she raised herself up on a log on with her front legs and watched me for a moment. I backed up quickly, and she started making a grunting/growling type of noise. Baby came down the tree, and immediately went up the next tree. Mom repeated the call, and this time he came down and went to her, where they proceeded to lope back up the hill.

    That was by far the most amazing animal encounter I have experienced, and the first time I have really seen bears interact with each other. In hindsight I was probably too close, but it just happened so quickly, and was truely an amazing experience.

  19. #19

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    I am always very happy to see human females. Not only are they very beautiful but sometimes you can go for days without seeing one.

  20. #20

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    My favorite encounter was because of circumstance. It was back in July I was supposed to do a 3 day 34 mile hike of the Warner Trail near my hometown and 3 hours into the hike I sliced my finger with my knife requiring stitches. (Still can't feel that finger. Severed nerve)

    So... long story short, we were running out of the woods. Me bleeding with a gauze wrapped finger, both hands over my head my left hand cut, my right hand holding my bear whistle (Orange one with long rope) that was being used as a tourniquet (sp)

    When out of no where we came around a corner and there was this huge white tail deer about 8'-10' to the left of us. Marje and I both stopped in our tracks and I said "Wow, that's nice." and as I said that the deer figured the situation out and took one leap and was gone into the under brush.

    Then we started running again. But for 2 seconds all time stopped and the Deer, Marje and I were staring at the whites of each others eyes. No time for a camera, nor the hands to use it but we have a great mental picture of that situation, we talked about it the whole time I was at the hospital

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