Close Encounters of the 4-Legged Kind

[Wind Knot]

The other day, I was fishing in the evening at a local pond.  Activity was average, and it was close to dark.  I was fishing off the bank, surrounded by a little bit of woods.  Suddenly I heard some leaves rustle behind me.  "Oh, it's just some squirrels," I naively thought to myself.  As the strange beast continued kicking around leaves, I finally turned around, meeting it face to face.  To my surprise, I found two average-size deer about 10 yards back.  They were completely still, no longer making a sound.  I figured they were just passing through, so I continued fishing.  But as soon as my eyes left them, they started moving again.  I spun around to face them again, and to my horror, they were about 10 feet closer to me, completely still.  I was nervous, having heard stories of deer attacking people.  At this point, they were within 15 feet of me, and due to my position on the bank, with trees surrounding me, they had basically cornered me.  I naturally began shouting profanity at the two creatures standing before me, but they hardly seemed phased.  Living in a suburb, they were probably thinking to themselves, "When is this guy going to throw us corn?"  Being a person of a shorter stature I tried to make myself as big as possible.  One of the demonic duo stamped its hoof and snorted.  Likewise, I began lunging at them and stomping my feet until they got the message and calmly wandered off.

This was not the first time I have had experiences like this.  My neighborhood has a major deer problem due to all the people who leave food out and the lack of hunters.  (It is a suburb after all.)

I want to know about any of your unusual experiences with wild animals, dangerous or not!

[5fishlimit]

I feel your pain. The deer around my neighborhood will literally come up to the back door, and have very little fear of humans. Everybody complains about them, but then get angry when the city decides to begin culling them. 

[Gundog]

Probably the most scared I was happened on a hiking trip by myself. I was about 4 miles back in the woods and I saw something running parallel to me about 50 feet to my right. I didn't get a good look at what it was because of the brush. I keep hiking but kept getting that creepy feeling that something was watching me. As I got to a clearing in the bushes I saw what was watching me. A pack of dogs. They formed a broken line in front of me. I slowly took off my pack and turned around and tried not to run. I kept looking back and the further I got from where the dogs were the quicker I moved. I didn't feel safe till I got back to my car.

[Wind Knot]

7 minutes ago, Gundog said:

Probably the most scared I was happened on a hiking trip by myself. I was about 4 miles back in the woods and I saw something running parallel to me about 50 feet to my right. I didn't get a good look at what it was because of the brush. I keep hiking but kept getting that creepy feeling that something was watching me. As I got to a clearing in the bushes I saw what was watching me. A pack of dogs. They formed a broken line in front of me. I slowly took off my pack and turned around and tried not to run. I kept looking back and the further I got from where the dogs were the quicker I moved. I didn't feel safe till I got back to my car.

That had to have been terrifying! 

 

2 hours ago, 5fishlimit said:

I feel your pain. The deer around my neighborhood will literally come up to the back door, and have very little fear of humans. Everybody complains about them, but then get angry when the city decides to begin culling them. 

Well I'll be, a fellow Strongsvillian!  I guess we literally have the same problem!

[dwh4784]

I was out picking morel mushrooms in the woods once, totally silent out. All of a sudden something starts crashing out of a tree nearby and takes off through the woods. Had to have been a bear or cougar. I hightailed it back to the truck and was done for that day. I don't ever feel comfortable doing that without at least a group of 5 or so after that. You need to be making a lot of noise.

Not me but my uncle was elk hunting several years ago, he walked through fresh snow up a ridge just before daylight and sat for awhile. Later that morning he walked back down and there were cougar tracks in his boot prints going UP the ridge. No idea how close it ever really was, but he said that was about the most eerie thing he'd ever experienced.

[Bluebasser86]

I was pheasant hunting in western KS with a couple buddies and we had just walked a corn stubble field that had a thick tree line with tall grass on the other side of it. When we were walking back I was watching the ground for signs of birds when there plain as day were big cat tracks that followed right along side of where one of us had walked. Followed it back a ways and found they had come from the tree line, followed along for about 20 yards, then gone back to the tree line. I was pretty much done bird hunting at that point and we were watching over our shoulders the whole way back to the trucks. We told the guy who owned the property and he said he'd seen a young cougar around, which are some of the most dangerous ones. 

[Sam]

I had been hearing "strange" noises from around my three plastic trash cans behind my house and a two days later decided to look into each can. Don't know why I thought of doing that but I opened all three lids and looked in.

And there it was! A big, fat raccoon.

I threw the trash can on its side and watch the raccoon waddle off under my shed.

Poor thing somehow got into the plastic trash can and could not get out.

Also have had snakes and beavers visit me in my boat but they did not try to get in the boat.

We have deer all over the place at my house and when they are in my field when I am in the garage or driveway they pay no attention to me. They are really used to people.

[deaknh03]

I was walking thru a semi dried up swamp with very tall, thick grass, taller than me. I was working as a civil engineer at the time, and was bushwacking a path thru the grass with my machete. Suddenly, I stop as I come to a 10' round clearing, and laying down is an enormous moose. He/she jumps and is 2' from my face, both of us frozen for a split second. I turn and run, yelling into my walkie talkie to my workmate, who is 1000 yards or so away. Pretty frightening but exciting at the same time.

[A-Jay]

We may never see it - but it's always there - Lurking in the shadows . . . .  .

A-Jay

[flyfisher]

Fishing a small mountain stream in VA i was about 3-4 miles in.  I was kneeling down getting set up to work the next pool and i see two black bear cubs probably 10-15 yards upstream.  I didn't see the mama at first but about a minute later she came trudging along.  They crossed the creek and kept going on their merry way and i kept on fishing.  I wasn't really scared per se but it definitely made me think about what I would do if she decided she didn't want me  near her or her cubs.

[iabass8]

You nancy. I put the the big one in a headlock, punch him in the nose and toss him into the pond. the other one will take me to taco bell.

 

A friend and I were wading a trout stream up in SW wisconsin and we saw a wolf 30 yards away. we turned back after I about wet myself in fear. I will go fist-to-cuff with a deer but I don't have an answer for a wolf.

[Scott F]

My wife and I were hiking in Custer State Park in South Dakota (near Mt. Rushmore) when we came across a heard of bison blocking the trail. We waited for a little while to see if they would move, but they stayed right there. I doubted they would move if I tried to pass and didn't want to get too close to one that might not want me invading his space, so we turned back the way we came. The bad news was that a second heard was now blocking our way out. We were surrounded.  The good news was that the second heard were moving and gradually moved off so we could get back to the car. We continued to explore the park, but stayed safely in the car after that.

[flyfisher]

we need Big Bill for this thread....

[Bluebasser86]

Had a very interesting one just last night. My MIL and wife were planning on having a bonfire and making s'mores and enjoying the cooler weather. My wife was running to the store to get their supplies with our son and my MIL had a roaring bonfire going next to our shop. I got a migraine and was about to go to bed to sleep it off when my wife was leaving when she asked me to leave my .22 pistol with my MIL in case there were any coyotes out there. I had the shop bay door open, all the lights on (which lights the outside up like a rock concert), and my MIL has this fire the size of my car going behind the shop, no coyote is coming within half a mile of our house but I took it and showed her how to use it real quick and go in to go to bed. I'm just about asleep when my phone rings and it's my MIL. Irritated that she didn't just come inside to ask me for whatever it much be she's looking for, I was shocked when she starts yelling "There's a coyote out here trying to get me!". She'd grabbed the gun and got into her car and said it was still out there right in front of her car. I grabbed my .40 Glock and ran to the deck and sure enough, a big, healthy looking coyote was pacing the tree line 20' in front of her car. It's a good 50-60 yards to the tree line from our deck, I know guys who can make that shot with a Glock, but I'm not one of them. Ran back in and grabbed the only other thing I have, my scoped 30.06 I use for deer. Chambered a round and ran back out, got the crosshairs on him right as he got out of her headlights and I couldn't see him anymore. I tried kissing him back and my MIL said he was right next to my shop staring and growling at her car but it wouldn't come back out where I could see it. Sling my gun and grab the Glock and headed down the stairs to see if he wanted to be brave enough to try coming after me. She said as soon as I started crunching through the gravel he started trotting back towards our pond. The whole time this was all going on the rest of the pack was right across our driveway going nuts howling and yipping. I had her park her car and told her to go inside, closed the shop up and walked back in right when he started howling just inside the tree line again. 

I've lived around the things my whole life, never have I seen one be that brazen. I always kind of chuckled when someone gets nervous when they start howling around our place, I guess I'll take it much more serious now.  To give an idea how close this all took place to my house, the fire was right on the other side of the trashcan in this picture and the coyote was outside of the treeline several feet in the taller grass when I first came out. The picture was taken from our deck almost exactly where I was standing trying to get a shot off.

[A-Jay]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Had a very interesting one just last night. My MIL and wife were planning on having a bonfire and making s'mores and enjoying the cooler weather. My wife was running to the store to get their supplies with our son and my MIL had a roaring bonfire going next to our shop. I got a migraine and was about to go to bed to sleep it off when my wife was leaving when she asked me to leave my .22 pistol with my MIL in case there were any coyotes out there. I had the shop bay door open, all the lights on (which lights the outside up like a rock concert), and my MIL has this fire the size of my car going behind the shop, no coyote is coming within half a mile of our house but I took it and showed her how to use it real quick and go in to go to bed. I'm just about asleep when my phone rings and it's my MIL. Irritated that she didn't just come inside to ask me for whatever it much be she's looking for, I was shocked when she starts yelling "There's a coyote out here trying to get me!". She'd grabbed the gun and got into her car and said it was still out there right in front of her car. I grabbed my .40 Glock and ran to the deck and sure enough, a big, healthy looking coyote was pacing the tree line 20' in front of her car. It's a good 50-60 yards to the tree line from our deck, I know guys who can make that shot with a Glock, but I'm not one of them. Ran back in and grabbed the only other thing I have, my scoped 30.06 I use for deer. Chambered a round and ran back out, got the crosshairs on him right as he got out of her headlights and I couldn't see him anymore. I tried kissing him back and my MIL said he was right next to my shop staring and growling at her car but it wouldn't come back out where I could see it. Sling my gun and grab the Glock and headed down the stairs to see if he wanted to be brave enough to try coming after me. She said as soon as I started crunching through the gravel he started trotting back towards our pond. The whole time this was all going on the rest of the pack was right across our driveway going nuts howling and yipping. I had her park her car and told her to go inside, closed the shop up and walked back in right when he started howling just inside the tree line again. 

I've lived around the things my whole life, never have I seen one be that brazen. I always kind of chuckled when someone gets nervous when they start howling around our place, I guess I'll take it much more serious now.  To give an idea how close this all took place to my house, the fire was right on the other side of the trashcan in this picture and the coyote was outside of the treeline several feet in the taller grass when I first came out. The picture was taken from our deck almost exactly where I was standing trying to get a shot off.

Glad everyone (humans & pets) are OK ~ We have them here as well.   Since you're new to the neighborhood, they may have been just coming in to check you out.  And if that property was vacant for a while, the Canine crew may have been passing by there regularly.   You're right though, they usually avoid humans at all costs.  They do come in and take small pets from time to time.  Happens here to those who do not take the fact they live in the woods seriously, which makes one part of the food chain.    Which part is up to us.  

Stay Safe

A-Jay

[Bluebasser86]

15 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Glad everyone (humans & pets) are OK ~ We have them here as well.   Since you're new to the neighborhood, they may have been just coming in to check you out.  And if that property was vacant for a while, the Canine crew may have been passing by there regularly.   You're right though, they usually avoid humans at all costs.  They do come in and take small pets from time to time.  Happens here to those who do not take the fact they live in the woods seriously, which makes one part of the food chain.    Which part is up to us.  

Stay Safe

A-Jay

This coyote came out of the trees growling at my MIL according to her. There's a house within 100 yards of us on the other side of the treeline (south), and several houses within the block to our north. The neighbors to the south have chickens and a large mutt that patrols the area and 2 houses to the north is the Undersheriff for the county whose German Shepard patrols basically the whole block during the day. I was afraid it was going to be one of those two dogs and my MIL was going to end up shooting them. There's been people living in the area for quite some time, so the coyotes know people are here and apparently aren't afraid. Our Golden stays inside unless we're outside and I always check outside at night before I let her our. I did this more for skunks than anything but I guess now I have to be on the lookout for yotes too. We have 2 young cats that we were trying to get used to being outside so they could be critter control, but I don't think we'll end up keeping them now, since they'll probably just end up coyote food. Easier to give them to someone else than find them scattered around the yard like I've seen happen a few times before when I was growing up.

 My wife is pretty shaken up over it but at least she gets to park inside in the garage instead of having to walk to the car in the dark like I do each night. I've enlisted the help of several avid predator hunters to see if they can curb the population a bit. I was thinking that my deer had disappeared off my trail camera because I had the pasture mowed, now I'm thinking there may be a different culprit. 

[Bankbeater]

Deer, foxes, coyotes, and racoons in my neighborhood. When I head to southern Mo. to fish streams I keep my eyes open for bears.

[Senko lover]

Clayton, somebody needs to tell those coyotes they messin with the wrong man! Haha 

[Gundog]

51 minutes ago, Senko lover said:

Clayton, somebody needs to tell those coyotes they messin with the wrong man! Haha 

A 308 speaks every language loudly.   Here kitty, kitty.

[soflabasser]

Almost ran over a deer a couple months back.This deer didn't want to leave the middle of the road and I had to stop my car and honk my horn for it to leave,which it did at a very slow pace.

[lakeannaangler]

Last week I was in my kayak  fishing the pools below fast current when a bear started swimming across the river and almost ran into me. That was pretty scary. Then there is deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, wild dogs, coyotes and snakes. Yesterday my brother was outside practicing with his squirrel call and all of a sudden a whole pack of coyotes started howling back at him.

[Nice_Bass]

interesting yote story.  To me, it sounds like you have a transient coyote meeting your resident pack which would be why a healthy animal is that close to your family home...it was safer there than with the local pack nearby (but was caught between a rock and a hard place)...  That, or this may be a newly displaced juvenile from that pack still sticking to the outskirts of the rest of the animals.   I think most of what we hear on deer predation is mostly anecdotal at best from what I have looked into however during fawning I think there will be more of an avoidance by deer to coyotes than any other time of the year.  Obviously we are not in that stage right now.  My guess is you are correct with the pasture mowed as there may be better cover with mast offerings. 

[buzzed bait]

i used to deer hunt a lot as a kid.  sometimes interested me, sometimes not!  i was hunting a ladder stand on my uncle's honey hole because he had broken his leg and said i could use his spot til he healed up.  i had been there a couple hours and was just dead tired and dozing off.  i decided it was best to climb down and take a nap on the ground instead of falling out of the stand.  i was waiting on my dad to come back through and pick me up on the four wheeler.  i woke up abruptly while on the ground almost in a panic state and when i opened my eyes there was an 8 point buck standing less than 10 feet from me!  i tried to slip the gun up and get him, but he took off like a lightning bolt when i went to move my arm.

never heard the end of it from my dad or uncle!

[Ratherbfishing]

I was wading an almost crystal clear creek in about 3.5 feet of water when a beaver swam right past me.  It wasn't more than about a foot from my legs.  That's my closest "brush" with wildlife.

[JustJames]

I also had some scary/funny experience. My friend and I used to do ninja fishing for catfish at a golf court pond accross the street from my house. This golf court hold a ton of catfish a lot are small but there are some good quality like 10 lbs one too.

One night @ around 2:00AM while we were fishing we started hearing some noise near by. We kept looking and looking while the fish also bite pretty d**n good. The noise keep coming closer and closer so I told my friend prepare to run. All the sudden, I heard that noise right behind me, I turn around and saw two raccoons came out from brush near by. We kept loughing ourself for awhile but those raccoons wouldnt go anywhere. My friend even took a closeup picture with one of the raccoon until I have to told him those raccons are dangerous if you got bitten or scratch you might have to go to hospital for vaccine.

now those raccoon wouldnt go anywhere and tried to steal our stinky bait shrimp and mackerel. We tried with our fishing rod, flash light even abit lound noise until we give up ourself and walked back home.