[bitingback]

OK...so i'm a noob rider, riding every weekend at lake saltonstall in CT...for the most part i'm out there by myself. and as i get deeper into the woods...i always get freaked by the possibility of running into a wild animal and what i would do.



has anyone had any experiences or suggestions.



i've been told by the RWA that own the land that there can be black bear, wild cats and coyotes...coyotes being the more common and threatening of the group.

 

[JRogers]

Yeah, the best advice is not to worry about it. I have been riding, hiking, camping and backpacking and rarely see animals more threatening that chipmunks and garden snakes. The whole "they are just as afraid of you" thing is completely true. Prevention is the best option- make your presence known in the woods , let people know you went for a ride, etc. If you see something that could threaten you, it's best just to keep your distance and go the other way. The chances of even seeing a threatening animal are pretty small, the chances of getting close to it are smaller and the chances of being attacked are utterly remote.

 

[LordOpie]

You won't see a bear. They'll hear you and stay away.

I got lucky once and saw a 4' black bear about 30 feet away. He just stood there staring at me as I stared at him. I won. He ran away.

 

[jcook90]

yesterday i was riding in westwoods in CT and saw a deer. They always like move and u see them in your peripheral vision and tend to freak out. Saw some black bears at diablo, that was kinda scarier. Anything short of a bear thats not rabid really dont do anything to you, they just run (deer run real fast too)

 

[Jozz]

I once had a Mountain Lion starring at me 20 feet away on PorcRim a couple of years ago... it was growling... It was scary.

Saw fresh Grizzly poop on a remote BC trail... less scary, but by no means pleasant!

Made 6-7 Elks run for their lives on 401 in CB.

Rode by a 6ft long snake in Sedona

Popped a chipmunk eye out in Bear Brooke Park in NH, poor fellow got caught in my front wheel...

A few dozen deer sightings over the years...

Thats about it!

Just take the appropriate measure when riding in places that are known for having wild (dangerous) animals.

J.

 

[cannondalejunky]

i saw a black bear cub near one of the trails at whistler while going up the lift...that was pretty cool

 

[Dartman]

i saw a black bear cub near one of the trails at whistler while going up the lift...that was pretty cool

That's probably one of the most dangerous encounters you could have. Mothers are frightfully protective of their young.

 

[giantrider89]

well i'm surely no expert, but most anything besides a mother bear^^^^ and a mountain lion will run away, but usually you wont see the mountain lion until it grabs you by the neck from behind......

if you do encounter something dangerous that doesn't run away, you should keep your bike in between you and the threat.....the rest you just play my ear :biggrin:

 

[stevew]

I have great confidence you could annoy any wild animal to death.

 

[bitingback]

I have great confidence you could annoy any wild animal to death.

thanks...but you still seem to be alive. :huh:

 

[Westy]

I'd be more concerned about animals around the home. Spiders in your bed or shoes, rats coming out of the toilet, bats, birds getting in the house and pecking your eyes out. Poisonous snakes, rabid possums, bears, and rabbits with bad dispositions.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

 

[stevew]

thanks...but you still seem to be alive. :huh:

I see ridephoto is keeping you busy, trolling for posts in emails and such.

 

[moff_quigley]

Like has been said the bears will run, feral cats will haul tail also. Unless you come across a pack of coyotes you needn't worry about them either. A single 'yote is a spineless creature.

There's a mountain lion "family" (ie reports of more than one) that lives in and around one of the trail systems just southwest of Kansas City and there's yet to be a reported close call or otherwise. Bobcats live in my favorite trail system, but I've yet to actually see one.

 

[bitingback]

I see ridephoto is keeping you busy, trolling for posts in emails and such.

and i see you have no value to add to this thread but bashing. thanks for the tip.

 

[LordOpie]

and i see you have no value to add to this thread but bashing. thanks for the tip.

What do you say to a woman with two black eyes?

Nothing, you told her twice already.

 

[narlus]

You won't see a bear. They'll hear you and stay away.

i've come across bear twice; once in downieville (chimney rock trail, and it was two cubs - we made some noise and scared 'em off...never did see momma bear), and once in moab (flat pass).

 

[TreeSaw]

Not really worried about them. I know they're there and it doesn't deter me from riding. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I did the 24 hours of Allamuchy in NJ. The photographer had a "close encounter with a black bear" but it didn't phase me...I still rode during the night and day without really thinking about it.

 

[TreeSaw]

Oh, and Instigator nearly jumped a black bear cub at Diablo a few years back when he skied over a tabletop.

 

[Rip]

Wild animals don't scare me.

Graphics does.

 

[Skookum]

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=3481144&page=2

Attacks aside, people in the woods scare me more than animals, heck we are animals really... And it's common knowledge that anything feeling threatened will attack if it has nowhere to flee. But if you win the lame lottery of getting attacked there's not much you can do to survive unless you have pals to help you out, because we are hairless apes and whimpy ones at that.

There's a vast difference between fear and respect. Learn yourself by researching link on the net and learn the habits and be prepared in the event you have an encounter.

We have only worked our way up to the top of the food chain only because of our brain not our brawn. And yes an animal may decide to eat us, it's super rare, but it happens.

Also if you're worried about this on the East Coast you'd never be able to ride in B.C. with Grizzly, Black Bear, Moose, Cougar, Wolf....

 

[bitingback]

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=3481144&page=2

Attacks aside, people in the woods scare me more than animals, heck we are animals really... And it's common knowledge that anything feeling threatened will attack if it has nowhere to flee. But if you win the lame lottery of getting attacked there's not much you can do to survive unless you have pals to help you out, because we are hairless apes and whimpy ones at that.

There's a vast difference between fear and respect. Learn yourself by researching link on the net and learn the habits and be prepared in the event you have an encounter.

We have only worked our way up to the top of the food chain only because of our brain not our brawn. And yes an animal may decide to eat us, it's super rare, but it happens.

Also if you're worried about this on the East Coast you'd never be able to ride in B.C. with Grizzly, Black Bear, Moose, Cougar, Wolf....

hehehe....he said Cougar


actually i'll be moving to TX hopefully soon...apparently no real big animals to worry about there...occassional wolves i hear...but a ton of copperhead snakes that DO try and attack many riders i know there.

 

[MMike]

When I first saw this thread, I didn't notice the "and" in the title...I thought "this oughtta be good"....

But I'm afraid of aardvarks, armadillos, bears, boars, cats, bats, dawgs, hawgs, stoats, goats, yaks, tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, giraffes, octopuses, rhinoceroses, moose....and especially rabbits.

 

[loco-gringo]

hehehe....he said Cougar


actually i'll be moving to TX hopefully soon...apparently no real big animals to worry about there...occassional wolves i hear...but a ton of copperhead snakes that DO try and attack many riders i know there.

We have tons of rattlesnakes here. We also have several mountain lions and panthers that are seen from time to time. Copperheads and Coral snakes are also pretty common. I've not seen anyone die, but there are signs about cougars at my most local trail.

 

[loco-gringo]

Wild animals don't scare me.

Graphics does.

You see, sh*t like this makes you know better than her. Just a little more boring.

 

[MMike]

You see, sh*t like this makes you know better than her. Just a little more boring.

He knows better than her?

 

[Quanz56]

last week I came within 5 feet of smashing into a deer. And then 20-25 feet down the trail I almost hit the same one again. And I guess a lot of people in my area have close encounters with turkeys.

Never heard of anyone actually hitting anything though.

 

[Westy]

last week I came within 5 feet of smashing into a deer. And then 20-25 feet down the trail I almost hit the same one again. And I guess a lot of people in my area have close encounters with turkeys.

Never heard of anyone actually hitting anything though.

I've almost hit a bear and have a friend who went OTB after clipping a pedal on a bear's ass.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

I once had a Mountain Lion starring at me 20 feet away on PorcRim a couple of years ago... it was growling... It was scary.

Saw fresh Grizzly poop on a remote BC trail... less scary, but by no means pleasant!

Made 6-7 Elks run for their lives on 401 in CB.

Rode by a 6ft long snake in Sedona

Popped a chipmunk eye out in Bear Brooke Park in NH, poor fellow got caught in my front wheel...

A few dozen deer sightings over the years...

Thats about it!

Just take the appropriate measure when riding in places that are known for having wild (dangerous) animals.

J.

Oh damn! I am always a bit freaked by that stuff when i am in MOAB where were you on porcy? Was it in the lps area? When we were riding that last year i definately had that in the back of my mind. The mt lions are the scariest i hate thinking about them.

Riding in BC freaks me out a bit, especially parts on the shore, those woods are so tight running int a grizzly wouldnt be that hard and you have nowhere to go....Whistler had bear sh1t all over the place on garbanzo, i kept expecting to run into one...


Here in PA i have had a bunch of close encounters with deer and turkey almost running into me...

 

[loco-gringo]

He knows better than her?

Crap. Well, he likely does know better than her.

 

[brungeman]

marsupials scare me cause there fast!

 

[BurlyShirley]

I saw 1 bear in washington and 6 more in Whistler over the summer. I dont know how you could really be "scared" of them. They run away when they see you. I see lots of deer, fox, squirrel, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat etc. around where I live. Bears are supposedly around in the south, but I havent seen one yet. Snakes are fairly harmless as long as you dont mess with them. I fear only nests bees and broken femurs on solo rides.

and gay rapist rednecks I guess.

 

[I Are Baboon]

I think wasps are the only type of Connecticut wildlife you need to worry about on our trails.

Rich assholes on golf carts don't count.

 

[TreeSaw]

I think wasps are the only type of Connecticut wildlife you need to worry about on our trails.

Rich assholes on golf carts don't count.

Oh yeah...ground bees! They have been TERRIBLE this year!

 

[Greyhound]

marsupials scare me cause there fast!

<<Christopher Walken voice>>
Frankenstein never scared me.......

 

[bitingback]

Rich assholes on golf carts don't count.

though we have a lot of those in these parts.

 

[Reactor]

Generally you don't see the wild animal. Either it leaves you alone, the last thing you feel is claws ripping your flesh as it leaps on you from behind. On the few ocassions you do see a wild animal don't approach and wait for it to leave.

You can't out-run most wild animals on a mountain bike, so it's pointless to try. Most wild animals don't have the same concept of size as we do. If it looks like you are going to be attacked (and it's not a bunch of frat boyz) raise your arms and make a lot of noise. It usually scares them off or at least gets you good ranking on youtube . If it's a frat boys, complain about having a bad HPV infection, the herps, or other STD.

 

[bitingback]

Generally you don't see the wild animal. Either it leaves you alone, the last thing you feel is claws ripping your flesh as it leaps on you from behind. On the few ocassions you do see a wild animal don't approach and wait for it to leave.

You can't out-run most wild animals on a mountain bike, so it's pointless to try. Most wild animals don't have the same concept of size as we do. If it looks like you are going to be attacked (and it's not a bunch of frat boyz) raise your arms and make a lot of noise. It usually scares them off or at least gets you good ranking on youtube . If it's a frat boys, complain about having a bad HPV infection, the herps, or other STD.

i see someone is in better spirits.



mmmm...frat boys. (instigator)

 

[Reactor]

i see someone is in better spirits.



mmmm...frat boys. (instigator)

Tired and sore, but feeling a little better. And take it from somone who worked at a university in the dim past, stay away from the fratboys.

 

[Sherpa]

Tired and sore, but feeling a little better. And take it from somone who worked at a university in the dim past, stay away from the fratboys.

Why?5

 

[Slugman]

I've been hit by a deer (spooked it as it was asleep near the trail - jumped up and ran next to me before cutting me off), came face to face with a moose (he looked at me and just kept walking), Seen packs of coyotes (some of which followed us briefly) and came upon a Bear and her cub (that one scared me&#8230.

Only thing to do is keep your distance and let them get away - they don't want to attack you.

Reactor's advice is good - make yourself look bigger, one dude once suggested that you pick your bike up over your head to make yourself that much bigger. He also figured if the animal still charged - you could use it like a weapon... it's a theory.