View Full Version : Wild bear? Or just an animal?
higuy111
11-15-2016, 17:31
Hello adventurers! I believe, that most of you have had some experience with wild beasts...
I think it's quite normal to encounter with a wild animal once in a while, especially when you're in the woods. It never bothered me. I always enjoy the feeling that there is some non-human company with me.
However, I heard stories from some people very close to me, how they encountered baby hogs while peacefully following the pathway.
If you had a pleasure of meeting a company of baby hogs, you should know what might happen next. (A mother).
My question is: have you ever 'met' anything dangerous while hiking and being on a trail?
My question is: have you ever 'met' anything dangerous while hiking and being on a trail?
yup.,........
have had encounters with the most dangerous animals out there----humans.........
(oh, and some bears and hogs)
saltysack
11-15-2016, 19:00
No need to fear animals....if you hear banjos......RUN!!
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Sandy of PA
11-15-2016, 20:05
Loose dogs, with no owners in sight, followed by ticks. Those are to most fearsome animals on the trail.
trailmovin
11-15-2016, 20:23
Getting mother on one side of the trail and cubs on the other, can get you a mock charge...that will get your attention
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jjozgrunt
11-15-2016, 20:37
Saltwater crocodile on a water crossing, wild buffalo, close encounter with a cassowary and they are dangerous, pigs by the dozen, followed twice by a pack of wild dogs, snakes, spiders, scorpions, ticks and leeches. I love the Australian bush.:D
Looking forward to seeing a black bear, moose, your tame snakes, squirrels and any other animals I haven't seen before, too many to name.
I forgot Mosquitos, had malaria twice in Madagascar. Nasty little things.
A wild bear is not just an animal?
nsherry61
11-15-2016, 21:21
Hmm. Let's see . . .
Rattle snakes on a few occasions:
- once I walked by one about 16 inches from my left elbow walking east along a cliff on the Rogue River Trail in Oregon. The rattle snake was trying to crawl away and was not threatening at tall.
- Once at a trail intersection (actually at the base of the pile of rocks the held the sign) in Hell's Canyon, on the Oregon side, huge, rattling like crazy, heard it, saw it, walked around it, surprisingly, the dog didn't even show the least bit of curiosity.
Black bears on several occasions:
- 11 black bears in 8 hour of hiking along a ridge-line in the south central part of the Olympics in Washington. For most of a rainy day, every corner we walked around there was another black bear eating berries. There was never more than one in any location. Every time they saw us, they paused, maybe stood up on their hind legs, then took off running. Ended up camping for the night with a black bear visible up the valley from us since there didn't seem to be anyplace to camp without bears.
- Other black bear incidences while on trail were at too much of a distance to be of note.
Cougar: on the same trip as the black bears above, my wife and I were "stalked" by a cougar for about 20 minutes. Then we didn't see it again, thank goodness. The wildlife in the Olympics really is truly amazing!! Watched a cougar feed on a elk in the Redwoods in N. California one day, but that was from the car.
Grizzlies: Have no idea how many encounters I've had, having spend two seasons in Denali National Park. Most were from vehicles. But two encounters of note:
1) Sow and two spring cubs from about 30 ft away. Buddy and I rounded a corner on a trail having seen plenty of fresh bear sign and thus having been making lots of noise. The sow looked up at us. We nearly wet our pants. The cubs looked up at us and started walking toward us out of apparent curiosity. The mom went back to eating berries. I guess we weren't seen as much of of a threat as we walked backwards for a couple hundred yards until we felt safer.
2) Walking along the tundra by myself, I came within about 75 yards of a sleeping boar grizzly. I don't think it ever knew I was there. I walked way around it, dropping out of sight into a stream gully and kept going.
Saw a wolverine one day in Denali, never close enough to be considered an encounter.
Moose: Several times from a reasonably safe distance. Generally saw each other and ignored each other.
Bison in Yellowstone and near Saskatoon Canada. Never close enough to be an issue. Just walked around them from a safe distance.
Bull Elk in breading season driving a bunch of cows across the trail about 30 yards in front of a friend and I. Again in the Olympics.
People: Too often. Never met one that was aggressive enough to be a problem.
Alligators while canoeing in the Okefenokee swamp and various trails around south Florida. Scary as anything, but they always ignored us.
Ticks, every day in New England. Permethrin does wonders!! Haven't been infected by anything harmful yet.
Bees: Don't bother me. Not dangerous for me.
Mosquitoes: In spite of being in malaria areas a few times, I've never been sickened by any mosquito-born ailments.
GoldenBear
11-15-2016, 23:38
> have you ever 'met' anything dangerous while hiking and being on a trail?
Was hiking alone in the Superstition Wilderness in Arizona.
Saw a rattlesnake coiled like this:
http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/44/50/00/9601068/7/rawImage.jpg
with its rattle making its VERY distinct sound. (Note that this is NOT the snake I saw, but it was coiled like that)
Froze stiff, with my only thought being, "Mr Snake, there's one thing both of us DEFINITELY agree on -- I should NOT move any closer to you!"
Within a few seconds it slithered off the trail, after which I VERY carefully walked past it.
In terms of human fatalities, mosquitoes are BY FAR the most deadly animals on this planet
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmZPa_gIYAERm4r.jpg:large
and I've encountered more of those than I EVER want to remember.
No need to fear animals....if you hear banjos......RUN!!
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There may not be very many here who understand. Grinning.
Wayne
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Must have canceled that AZT trip hey?
Encounters with wildlife, both benign and dangerous, are a huge part of a fulfilling backcountry experience.
We've had multiple rattlesnake encounters, including almost stepping on a 4' Timber Rattler along the shore of Fontana Lake as I stepped over a log. My son and I once saw a group of pigs run across a small creek and then we realized a young piglet had his back leg stuck between two rocks and couldn't follow. I wanted to free that little guy, but momma was just across the creek popping her jaws at me from about 25' away...we let nature take its course on that one.
We've had enough black bear encounters that I don't count anymore, but one bear that stands out was a 300-400 pound grizzly walking just behind our tent as we held our breath in the Yellowstone backcountry. On that same trip, down in the Lamar valley, I rounded a corner on the trail and stopped about 50' short of two massive bull Bison who were sizing each other up. We snuck back up the hill a bit and had an amazing show as they fought for about 20 minutes. The next morning we listened to wolves howling nearby as we awoke before sunrise...amazing!
My son once stirred up a nest of Yellowjackets and that led to all of us being sore for a few days.
But the only time I've ever been genuinely worried was an encounter with a hiker who just didn't seem stable. He gave my wife and I a vibe we didn't like, so we politely packed up and moved on.
Got stalked by horses on my last trip, and cows seem to be pretty dangerous nowadays here, but both dont count as wild animals.
Propably the most dangerous encounter I ever had was with a flock of shepard dogs in Crete. I was prepared and carried a massive club, was encirceled by the ducked-down ear-back dogs, luckily had back cover by a rock, but lost all hope when one dog had the clever idea to crouch up the rock to get me from behind - at this point the shephard arrived and blew two or three of them a kick in the arse that they litterally flew through the air, the rest of them fled into the hut and got locked in. I got invited to a delicious breakfast by the shephards then.
In the desert the only poisonous animal I ever saw was this nice black guy:
37008
nsherry61
11-16-2016, 12:01
. . . In terms of human fatalities, mosquitoes are BY FAR the most deadly animals on this planet
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmZPa_gIYAERm4r.jpg:large . . .
I love that graphic. Bears don't even make it into the top 15! Of course, neither do moose or bison.
Feral Bill
11-16-2016, 12:29
Most memorably, at Denali and on foot, a golden blonde grizzly with 3 matching cubs walked by about 50 feet from me. Beautiful beasts, too. The headlines never read "BEARS IGNORE TOURISTS, WANDER OFF INTO THE BRUSH".
I love that graphic. Bears don't even make it into the top 15! Of course, neither do moose or bison.
I wonder where the wolf fatalities occur? This is from a Backpacker magazine article:
"Wolves are wisely mistrustful of humans and avoid contact,” says Gaillard, brushing his teeth inside the tent and telling me what I already know: There has never been a documented case of a wolf fatally attacking a human in U.S. history." - See more at: http://www.backpacker.com/trips/wyoming/yellowstone-national-park/destination-nowhere/5/#bp=0/img1
Wayne
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swisscross
11-16-2016, 13:02
I love that graphic. Bears don't even make it into the top 15! Of course, neither do moose or bison.
Fresh water snails???
Saltwater crocodile on a water crossing, wild buffalo, close encounter with a cassowary and they are dangerous, pigs by the dozen, followed twice by a pack of wild dogs, snakes, spiders, scorpions, ticks and leeches. I love the Australian bush.
Being followed by a pack of wild spiders just freaks me out!
GoldenBear
11-16-2016, 15:16
The vector for schistosomiasis is snails, just like the vector for malaria is mosquitoes.
Info on this disease:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs115/en/
The scientific estimates for annual deaths from these vectors
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001706X03000299
is far higher than the chart indicates.
As Bill Gates notes, however, "Shark Week" will get a LOT more viewers than "Snail Week."
higuy111
11-16-2016, 16:47
Okay, I'm curious, carry on..
yup.,........
have had encounters with the most dangerous animals out there----humans.........
(oh, and some bears and hogs)
Do
higuy111
11-16-2016, 16:47
Just to clarify... What do you mean exactly? ;D
higuy111
11-16-2016, 16:49
Loose dogs, with no owners in sight, followed by ticks. Those are to most fearsome animals on the trail.
Do you mean this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick ? :/
higuy111
11-16-2016, 16:52
Saltwater crocodile on a water crossing, wild buffalo, close encounter with a cassowary and they are dangerous, pigs by the dozen, followed twice by a pack of wild dogs, snakes, spiders, scorpions, ticks and leeches. I love the Australian bush.:D
Looking forward to seeing a black bear, moose, your tame snakes, squirrels and any other animals I haven't seen before, too many to name.
I forgot Mosquitos, had malaria twice in Madagascar. Nasty little things.
I think out of all the animals you named here, squirrels are by far the most dangerous. So be careful.
higuy111
11-16-2016, 17:00
Thank you for a very detailed reply. I'm glad that I've read this. Have you ever had an urge to touch or pet any of those wild animals? I mean the ones with fur. Or your brain shuts down all the functions except the ones responsible for survival and getting out alive?
I know, it's a weird question
Hmm. Let's see . . .
Rattle snakes on a few occasions:
- once I walked by one about 16 inches from my left elbow walking east along a cliff on the Rogue River Trail in Oregon. The rattle snake was trying to crawl away and was not threatening at tall.
- Once at a trail intersection (actually at the base of the pile of rocks the held the sign) in Hell's Canyon, on the Oregon side, huge, rattling like crazy, heard it, saw it, walked around it, surprisingly, the dog didn't even show the least bit of curiosity.
Black bears on several occasions:
- 11 black bears in 8 hour of hiking along a ridge-line in the south central part of the Olympics in Washington. For most of a rainy day, every corner we walked around there was another black bear eating berries. There was never more than one in any location. Every time they saw us, they paused, maybe stood up on their hind legs, then took off running. Ended up camping for the night with a black bear visible up the valley from us since there didn't seem to be anyplace to camp without bears.
- Other black bear incidences while on trail were at too much of a distance to be of note.
Cougar: on the same trip as the black bears above, my wife and I were "stalked" by a cougar for about 20 minutes. Then we didn't see it again, thank goodness. The wildlife in the Olympics really is truly amazing!! Watched a cougar feed on a elk in the Redwoods in N. California one day, but that was from the car.
Grizzlies: Have no idea how many encounters I've had, having spend two seasons in Denali National Park. Most were from vehicles. But two encounters of note:
1) Sow and two spring cubs from about 30 ft away. Buddy and I rounded a corner on a trail having seen plenty of fresh bear sign and thus having been making lots of noise. The sow looked up at us. We nearly wet our pants. The cubs looked up at us and started walking toward us out of apparent curiosity. The mom went back to eating berries. I guess we weren't seen as much of of a threat as we walked backwards for a couple hundred yards until we felt safer.
2) Walking along the tundra by myself, I came within about 75 yards of a sleeping boar grizzly. I don't think it ever knew I was there. I walked way around it, dropping out of sight into a stream gully and kept going.
Saw a wolverine one day in Denali, never close enough to be considered an encounter.
Moose: Several times from a reasonably safe distance. Generally saw each other and ignored each other.
Bison in Yellowstone and near Saskatoon Canada. Never close enough to be an issue. Just walked around them from a safe distance.
Bull Elk in breading season driving a bunch of cows across the trail about 30 yards in front of a friend and I. Again in the Olympics.
People: Too often. Never met one that was aggressive enough to be a problem.
Alligators while canoeing in the Okefenokee swamp and various trails around south Florida. Scary as anything, but they always ignored us.
Ticks, every day in New England. Permethrin does wonders!! Haven't been infected by anything harmful yet.
Bees: Don't bother me. Not dangerous for me.
Mosquitoes: In spite of being in malaria areas a few times, I've never been sickened by any mosquito-born ailments.
higuy111
11-16-2016, 17:03
How much time would it take for one to die from a bite of the rattlesnake?
higuy111
11-16-2016, 17:07
It's strange that humans can frighten us more than rattlesnakes or crocodiles.
Encounters with wildlife, both benign and dangerous, are a huge part of a fulfilling backcountry experience.
We've had multiple rattlesnake encounters, including almost stepping on a 4' Timber Rattler along the shore of Fontana Lake as I stepped over a log. My son and I once saw a group of pigs run across a small creek and then we realized a young piglet had his back leg stuck between two rocks and couldn't follow. I wanted to free that little guy, but momma was just across the creek popping her jaws at me from about 25' away...we let nature take its course on that one.
We've had enough black bear encounters that I don't count anymore, but one bear that stands out was a 300-400 pound grizzly walking just behind our tent as we held our breath in the Yellowstone backcountry. On that same trip, down in the Lamar valley, I rounded a corner on the trail and stopped about 50' short of two massive bull Bison who were sizing each other up. We snuck back up the hill a bit and had an amazing show as they fought for about 20 minutes. The next morning we listened to wolves howling nearby as we awoke before sunrise...amazing!
My son once stirred up a nest of Yellowjackets and that led to all of us being sore for a few days.
But the only time I've ever been genuinely worried was an encounter with a hiker who just didn't seem stable. He gave my wife and I a vibe we didn't like, so we politely packed up and moved on.
nsherry61
11-16-2016, 17:17
Thank you for a very detailed reply. I'm glad that I've read this. Have you ever had an urge to touch or pet any of those wild animals? I mean the ones with fur. Or your brain shuts down all the functions except the ones responsible for survival and getting out alive? . . .
I'm not one to get too stressed about seeing big scary animals having grown up with farm animals, riding horses, and playing in the woods. I think that with education, exposure, and responsible caution wildlife is more awesome than scary.
As a human, of course I'd love to touch, pet, wrestle, ride, and play with pretty much all of them, furry or not. I imagine robbing banks or killing hated political figures, or making love to beautiful women I don't know too, but I don't really ever plan on following through on any of it at this point in my life.
As for cute and fuzzy . . . I worked in a zoo nursery at one point in time, and one of our jobs was playing with a couple of new spring black bear cubs getting them used to being around people and teaching them not to climb our legs. Cute baby black bear fur feels more like a wire brush than anything soft and fuzzy, and wow talk about strong. Those little buggers were probably only 10 or 15 lbs, the size of a cute puppy from a larger dog breed. And when they wrapped their legs around you to try and climb you, it was all we could do to unwrap their legs. They were powerful beyond reason. I would guess that at 50 lbs they would be able to out wrestle a normal human! I can't imagine the strength of an adult. I would be little more than a rag doll by comparison.
GoldenBear
11-16-2016, 18:09
> How much time would it take for one to die from a bite of the rattlesnake?
https://www.cuteness.com/article/fast-can-rattlesnake-bite-kill
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/snakebite/page7_em.htm#snakebite_prognosis
The best way to survive a snake bite is to avoid one in the first place. Meaning, steer clear of snakes when you see them.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2729691
If bitten, remember that a snake bite, at least in North America, is rarely a death sentence from the venom. That's because
1) At least 25% of all bites result in no venom injection.
2) Even the deadliest venom from North America snakes is designed to kill rodents, not humans.
3) Anti-venom medicine is quite effective in negating the toxins -- *IF* you quickly get to an emergency facility.
Thus, it should be no surprise that most people who die after a snake bite do so, not from the venom, but from shock. Indeed, some people have died after a snake bit without any venom in them!
If the bite victim even begins to experience symptoms of shock
http://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-shock/basics/art-20056620
Thus, REMAINING CALM (I know -- easier said than done) is your best first aid.
If you can get to an emergency facility within an hour of the bite, either alone or with help from your companions, then (pretty much) you have very little to worry about.
http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/snakebite-treatment
Even if you can't get to a doctor that quickly, get to one as soon as you can. Don't delay even a minute!
BTW, this is one of those times that you DO phone 911. Remember, of course, that a place with rattlesnakes may not be a place with cell phone service!
If you're alone and can neither get to a such a facility or phone for help, then you should
1) NOT use the cut & suck method -- it's been removed from treatment recommendations for decades.
2) constrict -- but DO NOT stop -- the flow of blood between the bite and the rest of the body.
3) wash out the wound like you would any other.
4) get to a spot where you can spend several hours. Then make yourself warm & comfortable.
5) wait it out, keeping yourself hydrated. No, the effects of a toxin are not pleasant, but it's also (almost certainly) not enough to kill you.
If you were smart enough to notify someone where you would be hiking, and when to contact authorities if you don't make contact, then simply wait until you're found.
If you just HAD to prove yourself by hiking without the VERY simple safety precaution above, then it may be a day or so before you'll be able to get out on your own. It will NOT be fun!
Moosling
11-17-2016, 07:57
Can't list them all but if we are going for drama I woke up to a Bull moose stomping around and snorting right outside my tent on the Allahash wilderness waterway in Maine. Had my tent door unzipped slightly and as I sat up to get a look and made just enough noise that I caught just a glimpse of him charging off into the woods. It was rutting season (end of September).
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higuy111
11-19-2016, 10:58
I'm not one to get too stressed about seeing big scary animals having grown up with farm animals, riding horses, and playing in the woods. I think that with education, exposure, and responsible caution wildlife is more awesome than scary.
As a human, of course I'd love to touch, pet, wrestle, ride, and play with pretty much all of them, furry or not. I imagine robbing banks or killing hated political figures, or making love to beautiful women I don't know too, but I don't really ever plan on following through on any of it at this point in my life.
As for cute and fuzzy . . . I worked in a zoo nursery at one point in time, and one of our jobs was playing with a couple of new spring black bear cubs getting them used to being around people and teaching them not to climb our legs. Cute baby black bear fur feels more like a wire brush than anything soft and fuzzy, and wow talk about strong. Those little buggers were probably only 10 or 15 lbs, the size of a cute puppy from a larger dog breed. And when they wrapped their legs around you to try and climb you, it was all we could do to unwrap their legs. They were powerful beyond reason. I would guess that at 50 lbs they would be able to out wrestle a normal human! I can't imagine the strength of an adult. I would be little more than a rag doll by comparison.
Sometimes I imagine robbing trains like a cowboy or hunting down the ones who try to rob them. I never thought that a baby black bear could feel like a wire brush! :D That's a very creative description.
And I never knew that they are so powerful. I won't try to wrestle them in the future.
Oh, and about the snakes and other scaly things, it's not fear it's just a highly unpleasant feeling.
higuy111
11-19-2016, 11:23
> How much time would it take for one to die from a bite of the rattlesnake?
https://www.cuteness.com/article/fast-can-rattlesnake-bite-kill
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/snakebite/page7_em.htm#snakebite_prognosis
The best way to survive a snake bite is to avoid one in the first place. Meaning, steer clear of snakes when you see them.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2729691
If bitten, remember that a snake bite, at least in North America, is rarely a death sentence from the venom. That's because
1) At least 25% of all bites result in no venom injection.
2) Even the deadliest venom from North America snakes is designed to kill rodents, not humans.
3) Anti-venom medicine is quite effective in negating the toxins -- *IF* you quickly get to an emergency facility.
Thus, it should be no surprise that most people who die after a snake bite do so, not from the venom, but from shock. Indeed, some people have died after a snake bit without any venom in them!
If the bite victim even begins to experience symptoms of shock
http://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-shock/basics/art-20056620
Thus, REMAINING CALM (I know -- easier said than done) is your best first aid.
If you can get to an emergency facility within an hour of the bite, either alone or with help from your companions, then (pretty much) you have very little to worry about.
http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/snakebite-treatment
Even if you can't get to a doctor that quickly, get to one as soon as you can. Don't delay even a minute!
BTW, this is one of those times that you DO phone 911. Remember, of course, that a place with rattlesnakes may not be a place with cell phone service!
If you're alone and can neither get to a such a facility or phone for help, then you should
1) NOT use the cut & suck method -- it's been removed from treatment recommendations for decades.
2) constrict -- but DO NOT stop -- the flow of blood between the bite and the rest of the body.
3) wash out the wound like you would any other.
4) get to a spot where you can spend several hours. Then make yourself warm & comfortable.
5) wait it out, keeping yourself hydrated. No, the effects of a toxin are not pleasant, but it's also (almost certainly) not enough to kill you.
If you were smart enough to notify someone where you would be hiking, and when to contact authorities if you don't make contact, then simply wait until you're found.
If you just HAD to prove yourself by hiking without the VERY simple safety precaution above, then it may be a day or so before you'll be able to get out on your own. It will NOT be fun!
Thank you for the how-to-survive-a-nope manual!