Attacked and prusued by a wild animal in the Whites

[peakbagger]

I had one of my odder wildlife encounters yesterday on the Carter Range yesterday. While hiking we came upon male spruce grouse. Their habitat is up on the spruce fir ridges and seem to prefer to hang out along hiking trails. They are usually quite mellow although occasionally a female with have chicks and will stake out a section of trail and get aggressive. Our initial encounter was typical, the grouse just walked off the trail into the woods. About a minute later the grouse went into full attack mode, pecking at my hiking boots from behind me furiously and getting under foot. This bird was serious and persisted. I was used my hiking poles to shoo it away but it kept coming back. We easily hiked about 200 feet or so until getting out of its territory. It would be easy to inadvertently hurt the bird by stepping on it so I hope it mellows out or finds a better spot but expect it will be problem this year.

The young males stake out territory and they seem to have a preferred territory that consists of an open area, like a trail bed surrounded by a somewhat open spruce/fir with closed canopy. This spot of trail looked just about ideal and I expect this bachelor grouse took offense to any interlopers walking through his pad. I expect the bird gets reinforcement from hikers as the bird attacks and the hikers run away.

There are prior trail reports from earlier in the winter that the same bird was guarding this territory so barring a predator dealing with it I expect that it may continue its reign of terror. They were species of concern in the region at one point but I don't know their current status.

[SouthMark]

I was attacked by one in Maine several years ago.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[egilbe]

As far as I know, Spruce Grouse are still a protected species, but I seem to see more of them then Ruffed Grouse, which can be hunted.

[mandolindave]

Ummph... learn something new every day. I was hiking on my homemade trail, and was THRILLED to see what I think was Grouse, only after being scared the heck out of. It was smaller than a pigeon, so I just looked it up. THEY GET BIG. I must have encountered a young one. I also saw a Ring Necked Pheasant, and always see Wild Turkey. I'm ignorant when it comes to the big picture, and hunters probably would call me a hypocrite because I eat meat. But I think the government has got it right when it comes to the protected species thing. In the old days hikers used to fish and snare. Which would have been cool for hungry hikers before there was a Deli around every other bend.

My point is that….I am kinda proud of the bird for kicking some hiker butt.

[peakbagger]

AMC once had an article in their magazine that there were less than 100 in NH or some other ridiculously small number, the local hikers including myself speculated that we had personally met most of them. There were some very predictable spots in the whites were they could be found routinely and there is a lot more of spruce and fir stands on numerous trail less summits. Of course it could be that combination of the spruce/fir habitat with a trail corridor going through it are what attracts them to establish territories.

Reminds me of the problem AMC had years ago, they were researching locations of rare alpine flowering plants along the above treeline sections of the AT. They were even transplanting isolated clumps to other locations. They found a new patch of a particularly rare plant that was thriving is a new location. The problem was the new colony was immediately downstream of the leaking septic tank of the Lake of the Crowds hut. (I never did find out how they handled it but I did note recently that there is federal schedule of proposed actions to replace the failing leachfield of the Lake of the Clouds hut.)

[Odd Man Out]

I've been "attacked" by Red Wing Blackbirds (they don't like lawn mowers near their nest), a mule deer (in my defense he was in the middle of town next to the sidewalk - it was only a bluff charge), a prarie dog (he climbed up on to the road where I was standing and started nibbling the toe of my boot), a swan (that was scary - they are big and nasty), and a feral donkey (OK, that was my fault - I used and apple core to get him to reach his head in the car passenger side window just so I could scare the crap out of my wife).

[rafe]

I've heard them drumming at close range and observed females right on the trail doing the "broken wing" act. In that same general neighborhood, just north of Mt. Moriah.

[rocketsocks]

There's old birds and bold birds, but it many old bold ones, a fox 'll get em or he'll end op in a pot.

[egilbe]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MVfiIp3QGs4

in the woods, it sounds like a deep bass engine trying to start and sputtering out. First time I heard it on the Grafton Notch loop trail, it was at night and I was trying to figure out who was trying to start a diesel tractor that time of night. While trying to identify birds by their calls by listening to YouTube videos, I ran across the ruffed grouse and had an Aha! moment.

[coach lou]

On the trail once in The Bob Marshall....a grouse was in the middle of the trail, my buddy tried to kick a stone at it to shoo it away. Boink....right in the head..........grouse does taste like chicken!

[illabelle]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MVfiIp3QGs4

in the woods, it sounds like a deep bass engine trying to start and sputtering out. First time I heard it on the Grafton Notch loop trail, it was at night and I was trying to figure out who was trying to start a diesel tractor that time of night. While trying to identify birds by their calls by listening to YouTube videos, I ran across the ruffed grouse and had an Aha! moment.

Wow, thanks for that clip! Amazing and weird bird.

[Pringles]

Last year in Yellowstone, I had a blue grouse doing a display on the far side of the road from a pullout. So I parked, got out of my car and walked to the side of the car closest to the bird. I didn't cross the road, I could still touch the car. That thing made a b-line for my ankles. I walked back to the driver's side of the car, trying to avoid stepping on the deranged little bird, and gently closed the door so I wouldn't catch him in the door. I turned to look at him, on the ground outside the car, and he had jumped up on the window frame (the window was open). From the distance of 5 inches, he was glaring at me. With one hand I turned on the car, so I could roll up the window, and while wondering if pushing a bird was some kind of a national park offense, I pushed him off the window. About that time, the car was running and I could roll up the window. About five seconds later, the window was closed, and I looked up, and there was my nemesis, on the windshield wiper, staring me down. I was laughing the whole time, though in hind sight, if he had decided to use his feet to scratch at my face, things wouldn't have ended so well -- for him -- I think. Even now, I remember the warm, soft feel of his breast as I pushed him out the window. Everybody goes to Yellowstone to see the wolves and the bears, but I'm tellin' ya, it's the grouse, chipmunks and gray jay's that'll get you.

[rickb]

AMC once had an article in their magazine that there were less than 100 in NH or some other ridiculously small number, the local hikers including myself speculated that we had personally met most of them.

Well said!

[Miel]

On the trail once in The Bob Marshall....a grouse was in the middle of the trail, my buddy tried to kick a stone at it to shoo it away. Boink....right in the head..........grouse does taste like chicken!

And animal abuse is a good thing, why?

I've been chased by wild turkeys all over, country, city (a group of them has taken up residence in my very asphalt city). They are brave. But I'd neither kick them nor throw rocks at them. I realize you can't cross the street to avoid such animals on a trail, but there has to be a better way than harming them.

Respect all nature. You aren't being mauled by a mountain lion in this case.

[Miel]

Last year in Yellowstone, I had a blue grouse doing a display on the far side of the road from a pullout. So I parked, got out of my car and walked to the side of the car closest to the bird. I didn't cross the road, I could still touch the car. That thing made a b-line for my ankles. I walked back to the driver's side of the car, trying to avoid stepping on the deranged little bird, and gently closed the door so I wouldn't catch him in the door. I turned to look at him, on the ground outside the car, and he had jumped up on the window frame (the window was open). From the distance of 5 inches, he was glaring at me. With one hand I turned on the car, so I could roll up the window, and while wondering if pushing a bird was some kind of a national park offense, I pushed him off the window. About that time, the car was running and I could roll up the window. About five seconds later, the window was closed, and I looked up, and there was my nemesis, on the windshield wiper, staring me down. I was laughing the whole time, though in hind sight, if he had decided to use his feet to scratch at my face, things wouldn't have ended so well -- for him -- I think. Even now, I remember the warm, soft feel of his breast as I pushed him out the window. Everybody goes to Yellowstone to see the wolves and the bears, but I'm tellin' ya, it's the grouse, chipmunks and gray jay's that'll get you.

A camel once tried to eat my arm. Fortunately Dad was there to pull me free.

[coach lou]

Relax..........it was just a thing that happened

[rocketsocks]

And animal abuse is a good thing, why?

I've been chased by wild turkeys all over, country, city (a group of them has taken up residence in my very asphalt city). They are brave. But I'd neither kick them nor throw rocks at them. I realize you can't cross the street to avoid such animals on a trail, but there has to be a better way than harming them.

Respect all nature. You aren't being mauled by a mountain lion in this case.

i can't help but wonder just how many critters you've mauled underfoot while pursuing the chosen activity of hiking.

[Traveler]

Think of the newts underfoot!

[egilbe]

How do we know we aren't tormenting the spiders when they weave their web across the trail? The worms, ants, centipedes and millipedes that are crushed by the millions. The horror.

[Miel]

How do we know we aren't tormenting the spiders when they weave their web across the trail? The worms, ants, centipedes and millipedes that are crushed by the millions. The horror.

Specious arguments by you and your friend. And you and your chum know it.

Sophistry.