Walking/running and wildlife

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chelsmaee7
chelsmaee7 Posts: 115 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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?
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  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Plenty of times. They run away, really fast.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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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 lol
  • chelsmaee7
    chelsmaee7 Posts: 115 Member
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    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Plenty of times. They run away, really fast.

    I ran into a bear when I was younger and it ran as fast as I did lol but I always worry about running into a bear with cubs or wolves! I grew up in the woods so I don't know why I'm even scared lol
  • chelsmaee7
    chelsmaee7 Posts: 115 Member
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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!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,202 Member
    edited April 2015
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    chelsmaee7 wrote: »
    Has anyone ever had an encounter with a wild animal while walking/running?

    Pademelons :)

  • marmaladepixie
    marmaladepixie Posts: 83 Member
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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.
  • savvyfantastic
    savvyfantastic Posts: 112 Member
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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.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,202 Member
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    Machka9 wrote: »
    chelsmaee7 wrote: »
    Has anyone ever had an encounter with a wild animal while walking/running?

    Pademelons :)

    And echidnas

  • maroonmango211
    maroonmango211 Posts: 908 Member
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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.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Sure. Bears, elk, deer. A cougar once, maybe twice.

    Mostly they're more worried about you than you are about them.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    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.
  • chelsmaee7
    chelsmaee7 Posts: 115 Member
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    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!
  • chelsmaee7
    chelsmaee7 Posts: 115 Member
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    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.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    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.
    That is awesome.

    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.
  • corsayre8
    corsayre8 Posts: 551 Member
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    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.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    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.
  • Camarose79
    Camarose79 Posts: 86 Member
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    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...
  • chelsmaee7
    chelsmaee7 Posts: 115 Member
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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.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
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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.
  • UpinAlaska
    UpinAlaska Posts: 1 Member
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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!

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