Your favorite wildlife encounters and wi shlist

“Happened:

1. Snorkeling with Manatees in Crystal River, FL...

2. Timberland Rattler (endangered species) slithering harmlessy across my path at Harriman State Park, NY.

3. Coyotes coming within a dozen feet at Joshua Tree National Park.

4. Seeing a moose in Maine (though it was from the car).

Would like to happen:

1. See a black bear in the wild. And if ever in Alaska, see a Grizzly (from a safe distance).

2. See a moose in the wild (not from a car).

I wish I had an exciting story to go along with some of the above, but the truth is I don't. But I'm sure some of you do. What are they?”

“My favorites are:

-An eagle grabbing a fish out of the water.
-spotting a coyote.
-Watching bears grazing on a mountainside.
-Seeing a heard of elk.
-Seeing a baby elk nursery in the Olympics.
-Wild goats on mountainsides, real close up, maybe 10 yards away from them.”

“1)Had a nice Griz show up on my sandbar during lunch on a gravel bar in Alaska last summer; that was neat (since he left and elected not to eat us).

2) Had a standoff with a huge mountaingoat on a trail in Montana a couple of years ago--he was not interested in stepping aside and lettting us pass.”

“wakeing up in the morning after sleeping under the stars to find cyotee prints circling me in the sand not even a foot away...and i hadent even woken!

getting closs to the 6oo pound elf for a picture "just a little closer" my buds said...so im like 5 feet away and it starts moving and i run...they snap a pic of me running with this elk moving towards me and a sign in the back that says "Do Not Approach Elk On Foot."”

“Humpback whales in Maui.

Griz's in Denali.

Moose in my backyard, Fairbanks.

Thousands of elk in the Jackson Hole refuge.

Bison in the Tanana River drainage, AK.

Fox dancing with my Golden Retriever in the moonlight.

Coyote hunting in the snow in Yellowstone.

Spruce grouse bursting out of the bushes XC skiing at night. Heartstopper.”

“Four of us spent six days in Quetico and only two of us saw a moose cow being chased by a bull moose during rutting season. Wish I had been one of the two. They were paddling when they heard a tremendous splash and the cow swims like mad not fifteen feet from their canoe. Then another bigger splash and out of the woods comes this enormous bull with only one thing on his mind. He left waves that really rocked the canoe. When they reached the brush on the other side, my friends said it sounded like the bull got what he was after.”

“Wolfs, I’d like to see wolfs. There is a good chance it will happen. The wolfs introduced to Idaho are multiplying and spreading rapidly.

Seen and enjoyed eagles, bears, lions of the mountain type, moose, yotes, elk, bison, cowboys and the usual western warm and fuzzy critters. I enjoy observing wildlife behavior more that just seeing them the way you do in a zoo.

I do not want to see a polar bear. I read some place that if you see a polar bear on the ice and you don’t have a gun, its already to late, your lunch. ;) Polar bears do have an affinity for sweet peas. To capture a polar bear you dig a hole in the ice and sprinkle sweet peas around the hole. When the bear comes to take a pea you kick him in the ice hole.”

“I have seen Pine Martins
I have seen Pork-u-pines...:)
I have seen Wolves,Fox,Egales

I could go on and on.....


I wish I could see a black bear real close.

I wish I could interact with wolves becuase they are my favorite animal.I wish I could swim with river otters.I wish I could swim with whales.

Thats about it.”

“1. Black Bear--twice on the same trip, in the Porkies in the UP. One was a cub that was curious about our dinner. The other was a male that stole our brownies...and a good bunch more of our food before he bit into the pepper canister in our spice kit. That was all in a trailside camp spot on an escarpment (not a lot of room to run away).

2. Had to stare down a moose who started down the opposite end of a plank walk over a pretty nasty looking swamp in Isle Royale. We were about 25 feet apart.

3. Watched dolphins surf in Malibu.

4. Had a seal surface 2 feet from my surfboard about a month ago.

5. Had loons surface about 10 feet from my canoe once.

The others I'd like to see:
1. Otters
2. Wolves
3. Griz

Don't wanna see:
1. any snake”

“Have seen:

Elk, deer, Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, Coyote, Moose, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, River Otters, Bald & Golden Eagles, Ouzles in the water, Buffalo, and many other smaller creatures.”

“Did I tell you all how Wyoming sucks and is the crappiest place inthe U.S. to live?

Don't come on the MontanaPalooza, you would probably hate it.”

“good try Chief,,,,,next time be a little more subtle,,,,LOL”

“I love to view wildlife!
Things I've seen in the wild...

Bald Eagle...way cool
Golden Eagle
Black Bear...many times
Deer...countless times
Bison
Pronghorn Antelope
Moose
Weasel
Opossum
Gray Squirel
Chipmunk
Blue Grouse...flew up in my wifes face , she just about died.
Yellow Bellied Marmots
Pika
Bobcat
Grey Fox
Red Fox
Kit Fox
Coyotes
Racoon
Ringtail
Skunk
Civit
Beaver
Muskrat
Red Tail Hawk
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret...landed in my backyard and tried to eat my Koi.
Ravens...every trip
Rattle Snakes
King Snakes
Rubber Boa
Various lizards ( blue belly, bluntnose leopard, alligator)
Sea otters
Whale Shark
Bat Ray
Sea Lions
Probably more but my head hurts :)


I want to see a...
Mountain Lion /Puma / Cougar ....they're my favorite animal and I have yet to see one in the wild. I have seen signs all around ...I know they're there .....just haven't spotted one yet!

Bighorn Sheep.....maybe if I hang out in the Eastern Sierra more ...I'll get to see one!”

“Grizzlies in Canada. The first one I met when he nuzzled my elbow while I was sitting at a table in a shelter. Got the world record for broad jump from a sitting position! Many more around my tent at nights. One in my tent, but fortunately, I slept through it. Found a stuff sack with my girlfriend's bathing suit in it 200 yards downstream with teeth marks in it!

A cougar ran in front of my car just down the road from my house. Saw another cougar several years later grab a cat sunning across the road. Lunch on the run!

More black bear than I can count wandering around the house.

Moose in the front yard.

Coyotes in the garden, howling on summer nights.

Zillions of wild turkeys.

Bald eagle in the road picking at a cow's head - must've stolen it from a butchering at a local farm.

Driving through the buffalo in Alberta in a Kharmann Ghia. Damned things were three times as big as my car.

Eastern Diamondback on the AT in MA. He didn't wanna move.

Canoeing with moose in Algonquin. Big and totally unpredictable.

Mule deer wandering in and out of camp in Olympic. The biggest raccoon I ever saw raiding camp there one night. Lots of marmots.

Bobcat walking down the road in front of the house one winter morn.

A fisher catching a skunk just up the road.

One of my dogs fell through ice and got attacked by a beaver. Took 20 stitches to sew him back up.This same dog saved one our roosters many years ago. A hawk was trying to make off with the bird, which was a tad too heavy for it to lift. The dog grabbed a leg of the rooster as the hawk tried to lift off, and there was a brief but interesting tug of war. The dog won, the rooster survived.

Just this fall, a big barred owl flew right up to the back porch, grabbed a mole, and flew to a nearby branch where he flicked his head up and swallowed it whole.

Lots of hummingbirds all summer, flitting around the house. They're really neat to watch. We have blue herons nesting nearby and they fly over from time to time.”

“Favorites:
Watching the sunset from cliffs above the Pacific near San Quintin, Baja, my wife and I observed a pod of dolphins surfing the breakers. When the sun got low enough the dolphins were backlit by the sun through the waves. Very cool!

Watched an enormous Chuckwalla for the better part of 30 minutes in Organ Pipe Cactus NM.

Sipping on cold beer with my brother one September evening, as bull elk bugled and challenged one another all around us in Grand Teton NP.

Waking up to fresh mountain goat tracks between the sleeping bags on a Scout trip years ago in the Mission Mtns.

Hoping for:
Mountain lion
Howling wolves
Trogon”

“Wow I guess I am backpacking in the wrong part of the world.”

“Wildlife seen http://community.webshots.com/album/15290425RdYiaFNpbg

Black bears (Sierras, lots of them, up close)
Bighorn Sheep (Eastern Sierras, Joshua Tree, AZ)
lots of deer (all over)
Skunk (AZ)
Ringtail cat (AZ)
Elk (AZ & CA)
Kit Fox (Eastern Sierras)
Eagle (Panamints, AZ)
Snakes (all kinds, all over)
Pine Marten (Mt Whitney, CA)
Ptarmigan (Eastern Sierras)
Coyote (all over)
fox (Lassen, CA)
Grouse/quail (Sierras)
Boars (Catalina Island, CA)
Buffalo (Catalina Island, CA)
Marmot (gazillions in Sierras)
Pika (Sierras)
Racoon (Sierras)
Owl (all over)
Wild turkeys (UT)
Bats (all over)
Wild Horses (NV)

Would like to see:
Mountain Lion or any BIG cat (from a distance)
Moose (maybe Montanapalooza)”

“Snow Nymph you are going to Montana trip.I am too I can't wait to meet you and everyone else.”

“Favorite was watching the otters playing in the river, must have watched them for almost 2 hours, had to make camp after dark. Tied for number two, black bear walking past my tarp at about 8AM on a late start morning, beaver working on dam.”

“Mike,
Looking forward to Montana! Got a new pack and love it! There should a lot of wildlife out there....besides us.”

“forgot caribou, many times. Once a small herd stayed the winter in and around Fairbanks, wild caribou.

many AK beaver

mosquitoes in AK rank as wildlife.

many Chum, Silver, King and Pink Salmon runs.

eagles and eagles

more caribou

wolf crossing the highway

snow geese

canada geese

Bosce del Apache bird refuge, coyote hunting snow geese at dusk. feasting and gorging, hundreds or a thousand birds on the ground.

sand hill crane, many many every summer around Fairbanks

rare bighorn, once very close during and winter snowstorm complete with thunder and lightening.

cottonmouth, copper and coral snakes

Timber, Diamond Back, and Pygmy rattle snakes

lots of other snakes, one around my wrist in the dark.

bottlenose dolphins, several times very close as a kid in FL.

gators”

“Wildlife seen Wildlife encounters

list is a few posts above”

“My favorite encounter was watching a hawk and some other bird fighting in the air above a lake in Pa. It went on for about 25 minutes, then they finally called it a draw and went their separate ways.

Florida Panther
Key Deer
Bald Eagle
shark (too close for comfort!)
Red foxes with babies
Sandhill Cranes
wild boar
alligator
manatees
HUGE rattle snake
Indigo snake
California Condor

Would love to see an elephant and a humpback whale”

“bongofreak, I had a bear encounter on the Porkies escarpment, too. Hiking out solo on a Fourth of July, blueberries all around, cliff to one side of the trail, heavy undergrowth on the slope to the other side, and clearly a blackie pushing through the entwining vegetation that the trail disappeared into just ahead. A blast of my Acme Thunderer sent it crashing up hill and almost deafened me (though I could hear my heart beat for quite awhile).

See lots of eagles in these parts. Most memorable was strolling out to the back 40 on my wife's family farm in the U.P. and seeing 7 or 8 eagles take off one by one from the far corner of the field, where it turned out some hunter had gutted a bear. I always like to think the eagles had gathered to dispatch the bear entrails in a more fitting way than simply being dumped next to a bait pile (that had been illegally placed on the property).

My wife and I were driving along the road between St. Germain and Eagle River where the Wisconsin River comes close to the highway. We pulled off when we saw an eagle flapping on the opposite bank. Got out for a better look and it turned out the eagle had grabbed a muskie or pike that was nearly as big as it was, and try as it might, the bird couldn't lift off. He did his darndest, but could only drag it a few feet along the shallows and shore in a lot of thrashing and wing beating.

Top encounter, though, was on Isle Royale when, as with vyxtryx and elk, my brother and I spot a bull moose just off the trail. He maneuvers around for better photos, can't see the cow and calf the bull is guarding (the rut was starting), takes one step too close and is charged by the bull. He fell @$$ over teakettle trying to run the other way in the thimbleberry bushes -- the moose came to a halt right where he had been standing. He said it looked REALLY big in his viewfinder.

Hope to see a cougar someday.”

“What's an ouzle?”

“i guess i have my big story, the polar bears on the bay, check out the whole thing here http://geocities.com/camp_menogyn17/NarrativeEssay2.txt
others:
Moose
Caribou... that was wild
Them damn kestrels ;)
Eagles, real close
i guess that's all the big ones”

“Sharks
rays
dolphins
basking-shark,.. way kool critter
gators
bears, black and grizzer
buffalo
mustangs
moose
elk
wild hogs
deer, white tail, sitka and mule
Pronghorned Antelope
sheep,.. big horn and mountain goat
cats,... bob and cougar
red wolf
cyotoe
beaver
raccoons
opossums
otters
prairie dogs
porcupine
coypoo,.. or nutra
mink
chipmunks
fox,... red and grey
owls,..horned, barn and screech
eagles,.. bald and gloden
hawlks,..sparrow, red tailed, fish and goss
cranes, sandhill
Herons,.. blue, white and great blue
igerets
snipe
wild turkey
geese,. white, or snowy, speckeled, canada and greater canada
ducks, gadwal, pintail, mallards blue winged teal
coots
quail, pheasents, greater and lesser grouse, prairie -chickens, wood-cocks, doves,.. to many birds to mention,.LOL
snakes,.. water, cotton mouth, copperhead, blue racer, whip, black, chicken, king, hog natter, or puff adder, green, rat, diamond, velvet tail, piggmy, timber and cane
lizzards a plenty
mud-puppies, or nutes
and more freakin` fish that you can shake a stick at!LOL

But best of all, I got what I thought was a glimpse at bigfoot!

Prolly not,...LOL”

“Bigfoot - I have a good friend who's a member of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. I went with him on a hunt once, though nothing was found on that hunt, it was interesting. Not sure if I believe, but my friend puts up a good argument. He has audiotapes of alleged bigfoot howls that he's recorded himself (in the Adirondacks and somewhere in Pennslyvania).”

“I got chased by an angry badger when I was a kid. Does that count?”

“That's probably worse!”

“Artex,.. my brother and best friend and two men from the next camp all swear they saw bigfoot two years later in the span of two weeks, we did go back and see foot prints each time, but no pictures.

I didn`t see it good, I just knew it wasn`t anything I had ever seen before, there was to much brush between us, but it was big dark and harry and could move much faster than me. I wish I had been closer to it.

Oh, I had the nick,.. Big Foot long before that too!LOL”

“I saw a momma black bear and two cubs last fall. It was withing 2 mile of Ruidoso, NM. I never see them in the wilderness.

I never want to see a cougar or a grizzly bear.

I would like to see bighorn sheep butting heads and a sasquatch.”

“Has anyone mentioned javelins? Had a bunch of 'em walk through camp in Big Bend.

Otherwise... bears, elk, moose, buffalo, dolphins, wild horses, porcupines. Heard wolves howling a bunch, one within a few dozen yards.

Been buzzed by several bald eagles. One time I was about to get on I-75 south of Detroit. But I caught sight of a bald eagle out of the corner of my eye. Stopped at a U-Haul place and watched it swoop about over an old gravel pit. Hundreds of cars passed by oblivious to the incongruous display.”

“Had some racoons attempt a MI2 stunt with my bag of food.”

“Bigfoot - my friend's audio recordings are similiar to the ones here: Sasquatch

I really want to do an overnight hunt with him soon. He sets up speakers in the middle of nowhere and blasts recordings of screams... and gets answering screams back, (which he swears couldn't be other people out in the woods doing the same as him, can apparently tell by the acoustics).”

“That sounds kool, but all I heard was brush breaking and it wasn`t runing away on all fours either,.. that`s what shook me up! That`s the one thing that stuck in my mind and I had to ask myself over and over what could do something like that? I never thought about it being bigfoot until, we saw the foot prints in the leaves. What ever it was smelled awful too, but that could have been stale stump water I smelled and I might have seen a shadow racing away from me too,.. No, it was something, I just don`t know what!”

“Yeah, my friend talks about that stench all the time.. it's a tell-tale sign with just about every closer encounter. He claims to have smelled it several times.

Just looked into the bfro.net website some, and noticed there've been a couple of sightings up near the area of Maine where I'm likely moving to.. I'll have to check it out!”

“Moose
Bighorn Sheep
Rams
Black Bear
Porcupine
Red Fox
Skunks
Deer
Owl
Bald Eagles
Bobcat
Right Whale
Elk
Turkeys
Pika
Ptarmigan (think thats what it was moving like a chicken? With chicks)
Coyote
Opossums
Raccoons
Pileated Woodpeckers
Buffalo
Many different squirrels
Marmots”

“Sharks (Bahamas)
Barracudda (Bahamas)
Gators (Tosohatchee - FNST)
Rattlers (Blue Springs)
Cottonmouths (Wekiva Springs)
Coral Snake (ONF ECT)

Those were probably the most exciting. I also love seeing deer families, otters playing and owls lookin' around.

I would love to see black, grizzly and polar bears in the wild someday as well as a moose.”

“Several folks have mentioned otters. They are a real joy to see in the wild, which is one of the benefits of being a paddler in the U.P., where I've had my encounters. Came around a bend on the Brule once and there was a whole family playing in the water - a big one took up guard, looking us right in the eye, while the others vanished underwater. Then he slipped away. After we passed the spot, he popped up again and gave us a bark or two of good riddance.”

“Been fortunate, seen lots...the best though....

Mountain lions in Lassen (been close enough to touch them)

Black bears (actually touched one, not on purpose though, not recomended)

Wolves...I know, there are no "natural" wolves in CA...the key phrase is "natural" (the rangers know about them)

Gorilla holding her baby (I used to live overseas)

Biggest pest, that $%&@# fox in Lassen....Snow Nymph, it is still going in tents and stealing food, now while your in the tent!

I want to see a wolverine, the rangers suspect that there are some up here, even have cameras and fur traps out.”

“Going down the Rifle River in Michigan, we came around a bend and caught what I think was a whopping crane on the bank of the river. It turned to look at us and it had a huge fish in it's mouth. It let us get up closer to it, then took off in the air with a wing span that took my breath away. Then, about an hour and half down the river, something huge jumped outta the trees next to the bank. It was the first Bald Eagle I had ever seen in my life. We floated in silence as this beautiful bird flew down the river to another spot. Wing span had to be at least 6 foot. When it flew, you could hear the sound it made flapping it's wings. We were all quite down the river as the Eagle did this two more times. I really has a moment. Ever since that year (about 6 years ago), we have seen this family of Eagles grow. Last year, we wittnessed the yougest male (I think) in a different part of the river.

I can see now why the Bald Eagle is one of our national symbols!”

“laqtis, what color was that bird on the Rifle? Whoopers are white with a red top knot and a fairly short bill. If it was blueish gray in the body and had a white face and a thicker, longer, dagger-like yellow bill, it was a Great Blue Heron, the largest heron. The fact that it was eating a large fish* says it was probably a Great Blue, which would make sense along the Rifle, which is far outside the contemporary range of whooping cranes. Great Blues are magnificent bird and I've had many, many encounters with them on U.P. and L.P. streams and rivers - 6 ft. wingspread unfolds and they lift off. The other possibility is a white heron that has come into Michigan as its range has expanded, the common egret. It isn't quite as large as the Great Blue, but still about 40" tall. In the South, there is a color varient of the Great Blue, the Great White, which looks like a big egret. If the neck is "S" shape while flying, it's a heron. If both neck and legs are stretched out straight, it's a crane. Wisconsin is a major area for sandhills, so I see them fairly often after they return north.

*Whoopers do eat minnows, crabs, leeches, small rodents and birds. Sandhill cranes eat mostly grain, with snails and worms as a minor supplement, so that isn't a likely suspect.”

“It was a great Blue than. Frickin' beautiful. I would guess that he/she stood about 3 1/2 to 4 foot tall. It caught us all by suprise. I had never seen these birds on this river before (I've been doing this river for about 6 years up to that point), but until then we had large, drunken groups going down the river. Prolly skeert them before. What's cool is that I do this river every year at Memorial Day weekend and I like to see the progress of the birdie families. We see them every year now and it kinda puts my circle back in order for the year. Every year I see them, I feel like I hit the Lotto!

I think everyone should have an experiance in the woods/wild/outdoors in general. I think that it would make most people stop and think about how things really are around us in life.”

“laqtis, I used to have a T-shirt from the canoe outfitter over on the Chippewa River west of Mt. Pleasant on M-20 that had a really nice screen print of a Great Blue on it. Was my favorite T for a long time. Really represents wild rivers and marshes here in the north country. If you ever get over to Wisconsin, you can visit the Horicon Marsh and use the telescope to view the giant heron rookery out in the marsh. Very cool.”

“Artex, I wish you luck in seeing one, but try as I might I`ve never been lucky enough to. Just the one time and it happened so fast that I didn`t know what to make of it.

It was some years later that there was talk of the Foulk monster and the encounters there started up. That`s about 70, or 80 miles from where we had our run-ins with something.

Weyerhauser, however you spell it came in and cut out large tracts of timber where we`d seen something and that ended it for us.

Those tracts of land are growing back up now and with that I have hopes that we/I might again have another chance encounter, if not I`ll always wonder what it was that shook me up so much that cold fall day.

Best of luck, you`ll need it!”

“NOnickNAME, an ouzel, also known as an American Dipper, is small grey bird common to the mountains of the western US. It is usually seen along fast-moving streams where it hops along the rocks, bobbing (or dipping), and diving under water to catch insects, larvae, etc. It is the only US songbird that routinely swims. Very entertaining critters to watch.

Snownymph, nice wildlife photos! I especially like the rodent hitting the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. My wife also enjoyed it (she's going to use the photo as a screensaver), but she assures me it is a woodrat, not a mouse. She kind of an expert. Thanks for sharing.”

“Gad darn it...saw 2 chipmunks, 1 racoon and a couple of grey jays...I gotta hang out with you guys/gals...but than again, maybe not...sharks, rattlers, grizzles and bigfoot?...eeek.

"..pic of me running with this elk moving towards me.."...vyxtryx

Vyxtryx, you gotta post that photo!!!

Mtn Gal...that's cute, kick a polar bear in the ice hole while he's taking a pea...lol.”

“I saw a copperhead catch a fish on the white river in Arkansas. I took my eyes off of it to get out my camera and the little fella bugged out.”

“There was, in fact, a pair of whooping cranes that spent the summer in Michigan last year. They hung out on the grounds of the Michigan Peat Company, which is, I think, in central lower Michigan. First sighting in Michigan in about 100 years.

I love the sandhill cranes. I was out hiking in Waterloo SRA today and heard a few. Prehistoric sound. And there is nothing cooler than watching thousands fly in 20 feet over your head at night during fall migration.”