Walking/running and wildlife
chelsmaee7
Posts: 115 Member
Spring might eventually be coming where I live, we got snow today but it looks like it should warm up next week! I have a treadmill but I feel extremely bored and have a hard time staying on it for any significant amount of time but I'm lucky enough to live on nearly 100 acres of private land with a trail that's about a mile to get to the railroad tracks where I usually turn around. Living in the country though means we have a lot of animals around like Bears, coyotes, wolves, and the occasional mountain lion sighting. I've never seen anything other than deer and coyotes on the land but never when I've gone on walks on the trail but I'm still nervous about going by myself. I tried to bring my dog for a run once but he stopped right in front of me and I went flying over him lol
Has anyone ever had an encounter with a wild animal while walking/running?
Has anyone ever had an encounter with a wild animal while walking/running?
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Plenty of times. They run away, really fast.0
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Yup im in the country... not quite as secluded as u mind. Ive run into deer foxes and a skunk. Skunk was my biggest worry! That and a huge owl that just stared at me..creepy bugger lol0
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jenncornelsen wrote: »Yup im in the country... not quite as secluded as u mind. Ive run into deer foxes and a skunk. Skunk was my biggest worry! That and a huge owl that just stared at me..creepy bugger lol
I took a walk with my son the other day and a bat kept flying at us.. I ran but he was like "come here bat! It's just a fruit bat, it won't suck your blood" hahah I think my biggest fear is butterflies chasing me though.. I'm terrified of them but I would get a very good,fast run in!
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chelsmaee7 wrote: »Has anyone ever had an encounter with a wild animal while walking/running?
Pademelons
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no, but i had a black bear come up behind me once when i was sitting at the top of a hill sketching. I felt it breathe on me lol. I'm not actually sure it saw me as a "person" though, i was very still. I turned around and stood up, and it did a backflip and ran away! When i volunteered at a wildlife refuge as a trail walker, there were packs of feral dogs that were occasionally known to circle the boy scouts bus. I always walked with a big stick! never needed it though. Just know most animals are shy, and if they hear noise made by humans coming, they generally will stay hidden or run away.0
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I was running down the main road near my old place, down past a suburban mall, at about 5am, and a grey kangaroo comes bounding up in the opposite direction on the footpath. I just nodded at her like she was a fellow jogger and kept going.
I really wish I was exaggerating.. but well... 'straya.0 -
chelsmaee7 wrote: »Has anyone ever had an encounter with a wild animal while walking/running?
Pademelons
And echidnas
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I live in a small town and run along trails and bush quite often the most I've run into is this spring my dog went NUTS into panic about a goose....a goose that was walking along minding its own business. Other than that any rumblings or wildlife has either been normal tiny creatures or headed the other way any time I got close. I've had much more issues with loose dogs, not wild, just loose. The other day got chased by a bull mastiff attached by chain to a cinder block down one of ours streets. Can't even imagine if it hadn't been slowed down what it would have done to my pooch.
My drawn out point would be, I'd be much more worried about random bad encounters from a city or town issues than from wildlife.0 -
Sure. Bears, elk, deer. A cougar once, maybe twice.
Mostly they're more worried about you than you are about them.0 -
Not any large animals, thank goodness. In late summer we get a lot of toads (or frogs?) coming out at night. They like to sit on the sidewalks all over the neighborhood at dusk. If I'm running I keep an eye out to dodge them because stepping on a toad feels very gross.
Other than that, it's mostly rabbits. I keep an eye out for them because if my dogs see them they'll give chase and I'd prefer not to be surprised by the tug on the leash. And I'd rather not have to deal with a dead rabbit.0 -
savvyfantastic wrote: »I was running down the main road near my old place, down past a suburban mall, at about 5am, and a grey kangaroo comes bounding up in the opposite direction on the footpath. I just nodded at her like she was a fellow jogger and kept going.
I really wish I was exaggerating.. but well... 'straya.
I might just have a heart attack right then and there if I saw a kangaroo!0 -
It generally sounds like I most likely won't get eaten if I go run alone lol I wish it would just stop snowing so I could get out there! I did check the trail itself for tracks this past weekend but only found a few deer tracks.0
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That is awesome.savvyfantastic wrote:I was running down the main road near my old place, down past a suburban mall, at about 5am,
and a grey kangaroo comes bounding up in the opposite direction on the footpath.
I just nodded at her like she was a fellow jogger and kept going.
I really wish I was exaggerating... but well... 'straya.
As for other, more harmful wildlife (including the feral 2-legged varieties), yes, they'll usually run if you are confident
and don't act scared. But if they don't, be prepared to protect yourself by stopping them. Figure out what tools you're
comfortable carrying & using, and if there are any laws which infringe your right to do so (depending on where you
live & run/walk).
Personally, I carry a pistol if I'm walking in the city. There are too many criminals who might think I look like an easy mark.0 -
I live in an area with similar wildlife, have only run into bear and cougar on horse back, never on foot.
I'd feel a lot less confident with out my dog, and wouldn't leave him behind. But I also spent the time teaching him trail etiquette. Always on leash in the beginning, quick correction every time he started crossing in front of me. And I was never afraid to bump him out of the way. Not kick, but every time he would get in my path he would get a full leg push and a sharp direction to "MOVE". One off leash, he was taught what was an appropriate distance to trot ahead or fall behind, to never go around a corner out of site, to stop and wait if he heard someone else approaching, to never chace another animal and always COME the first time called. It took time, but is well worth it to know he is not jeopardizing my safety and that I can trust him in any situation.0 -
i used to see kangaroos quite often when I went for walks in the quarries down the end of my folks' street, it wasn't even that country!
One time I was walking and felt something hit my head and realised that the koala which was less than half a metre above me on a branch had just crapped on me. Lil' bugger.0 -
Maybe you could attach a bell to your shoes? That way animals will hear you coming and take off! Or. It might backfire and draw them out of curiosity...0
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As for other, more harmful wildlife (including the feral 2-legged varieties), yes, they'll usually run if you are confident
and don't act scared. But if they don't, be prepared to protect yourself by stopping them. Figure out what tools you're
comfortable carrying & using, and if there are any laws which infringe your right to do so (depending on where you
live & run/walk).
Personally, I carry a pistol if I'm walking in the city. There are too many criminals who might think I look like an easy mark. [/quote]
I do own a handgun which I occasionally bring when I'm just taking a walk with my son. It's just extremely heavy and has a larger barrel so it is hard to carry in a holster without my pants trying to fall off lol and it would be impossible to put it on the shorts I wear when I run. I've looked into things like bear mace but it seemed to have pretty mixed reviews on how well it actually works when you're trying to stop an animals protecting babies and other situations where an animals might actually attack you.
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Nothing exciting like kangaroos. I see plenty of bunnies, occasional raccoons, deer and coyotes. I've seen a few seals when running near the water. The wildlife doesn't startle me as much as off leash dogs though.0
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I live in Alaska and run, ride and live around many wild animals including black and grizzly bears, wolves and moose. I will usually carry bear spray with me in the summer if I venture very far from home. Despite what many have heard, bear spray has actually proven to be MORE effective than firearms during bear attacks. Plus it's non lethal, light weight, and will work on any type of animal. That said, wild animals almost always skedaddle when they encounter people. There is lots of big talk about bear attacks but they are exceedingly rare. A much bigger risk is not getting your exercise, getting unhealthy and dying of obesity related diseases. You are lucky to live around all that wildlife. Just go run and enjoy it!0
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chelsmaee7 wrote: »Has anyone ever had an encounter with a wild animal while walking/running?
Pademelons
And echidnas
And more ... scene while walking, cycling, and otherwise being out and about ...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157623280801300/0 -
Around here we just have garden variety deer, rabbits, squirrels, and loose dogs. The biggest danger is that they'll dart in front of my bike when I'm going 20 mph. That wouldn't end well.
While trail running in other locales, however, I've come face to face (came around a turn and, oh, hello!) with a Gila monster, a porcupine, and a black bear. Obviously not all in the same trip, lol. Every time, the have been 100% uninterested in me and went about their business with just a quick hiss or snarl.
The skunk that rubbed up against my leg in the dark like a cat, now that was scary...0 -
Generally animals are more scared of people than the person is of the animal. I jog at night and in the dark have not come across anything more than deer or opossums so far.0
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To be honest, you should be more worried about snakes than the rest of what you listed. The other animals can hear and avoid you. Snakes on the other hand...you will most likely run up on them before they can get out of the way.
When it turns spring then they become active and are kinda on the move until they get their bearings to stay away from more high traffic areas. So yeah, when you are not worrying about a grizzly mauling then you should keep your eyes on the trail or else you can join the lucky club of runners who have had to jump a snake at the last minute bc they weren't paying attention. You should take care to avoid all snakes but you really need to be informed of those that can cause harm and what to do if you are bitten. Most people do the exact opposite of what you really need to do bc they watch too many movies.
YEAHH TRAILRUNNING!!!0 -
Nothing other than skunks and an occasional deer. What about a bear bell?0
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I've seen black bear, deer, elk and other wild critters while running trails without issue.
The only animals I have had a problem with are dogs. Owners go in the woods and unleash the monsters. I have had face to face standoffs and have been chased by man's best friend. Most owners aren't even apologetic for the animal's behavior.
One time I yanked the leash out of an owner's hand as I got tangled in their extra long leash. The dog was on one side of the trail and the inattentive owner was on the other side. I didn't see the leash until it was on my legs.
I really like the trails in national parks because they normally don't allow dogs on trails.0 -
Bobcat, coyote, chupacabra, skunks, deer, wild pigs, cows, snakes, armadillo, possum, squirrels, ducks, geese, dog, cat, horse, and much much more.
They're all scared of you and want to get away from you. It's true.0 -
Wow reading the above posts makes me realise how boring it is in England. I get excited when I see a Roe deer or a Fox never mind Black Bears and Kangaroo's you lucky people. 0
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The strangest animal I have ran into was a very tame donkey on trail in Germany.0
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I was running on a trail, turned a corner and almost literally ran right into a huge momma moose and her 2 babies. She wasn't scared and started to walk towards me; she only stopped when I started to slowly back up. It was a bit scary.0
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