Cougars, & Snakes & Bears Oh My!

[IrishIroamed]

Just curious (again - sorry ) - - -

I do some hiking in the SP's in IL, but there aren't any bears. There are minimal poisonous snakes around here (though I did see a diamond back at the stable where I used to ride - he came in with a load of hay - ugh).

The questions are
How scary is it to hike in an area you don't know? What precautions do you take? And what about weather? You get some warnings (5 days to a few weeks) for hurricanes, so you can plan an exit, but what about tornadoes, floods, etc?

Hope I'm not being overly cautious or a scaredy cat.

[BarbaraRose]

Do your homework to find out what kind of wildlife is in the area where you will be hiking and what to do if you come in close contact with something. Pepper spray or bear spray in areas with bears. Black bears are not too much of a threat. Grizzlies are another matter (don't play dead! ). For snakes and/or spiders, don't put your hands anywhere you can't see (behind rocks, logs, etc). Know which snakes/spiders are poisonous and what they look like, in case you do get bit so they can give you the right treatment for that particular snake. Cougars are pretty elusive but what ever you do, DON'T RUN!! They will automatically chase you and you won't get far. Just look as big as you can and throw things at them.
Don't leave food around, especially at night.

When I lived in California, I did quite a bit of hiking and some camping and even tho there are warnings all over about rattlesnakes and cougars, I never saw any signs of either. And I only saw one coyote (crossing a road), so they generally stay hidden. Just be aware of your surroundings and enjoy the scenery!

For weather, get a portable weather radio to keep with you so you can always check the weather where you are. Common sense is useful here. Don't hang out in low areas after a heavy rain, don't wash the roof of your RV during a lightning storm, don't stay in your RV if there is a tornado coming, etc. Be prepared, not scared.

[Bethers]

You really will have to become comfortable about it on your own - we all have different comfort levels. I hike regularly now on paths bears are on or near without fear of them. I have a very healthy respect for them, though. And if I see other PEOPLE doing things they shouldn't near any wildlife, I get out of there. THAT's when I get scared. Like last summer when I took two folks visiting Valdez to see some bears. They were taking pictures from a healthy distance when a man (who was there with his wife and 2 very young children) started throwing stones at the bear. We left and I did tell animal control. I also told that man he was putting the lives of his children on the line. That's plain stupidity. And why was he doing this? The bear had discovered where he was keeping his fishing bait and was eating it. I called that a very enterprising bear. Luckily this story didn't have a sad ending, but easily could have. And had the bear attacked (and in all honestly, had a person thrown rocks at another man, you know there would have been a fight) - even had the man and family survived, the bear would have been put down.

I walk in these areas and talk to my dog most of the time - you want wildlife to hear you well in advance. So, I talk to Peaches. She listens, too!

If it's a state park, or national, or anywhere really with someone I can ask, I get information on what I might expect on the trails, etc.

I lived all my life in tornado country and don't really let them bother me - kind of like people in California don't worry about earthquakes. I am somewhat fatalistic about tornados. Not that I say you or others should be ... if they are a concern, learn where the shelters are and get yourself a weather radio (they drive me insane - have gotten rid of two that have been given to me). Do what you need to to make YOU comfortable.

You aren't being a scaredy cat or overly cautious. I thought I'd be more nervous or afraid boondocking in the middle of nowhere - I actually feel safer then than I do in most Walmarts that many choose. We are each different, and over time learn what works for us.

[JudyJB]

In the desert, I tend to stay on trails so I can see where I am stepping so I don't step on a snake. I also look where I put my hands. I don't hike through the woods at all.

Ask at ranger stations and entrances to parks about what animals are lurking about.

[JoanE]

I'm one of those scared people. I only go with someone else, not alone.

[mitch5252]

..
Timely article - http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/19/us/bear-attacks/index.html?hpt=hp_c3
..

[dayspring39]

I had read about the Michigan bear attack so glad the girl is ok... When we lived in Florida my husband and I took a long walk through an overgrown area along a lake... yikes there was a snake... I am not knowledgeable about the kinds of snakes... it was trying to get to the water... needless to say after I stomped my feet for about five minutes before I got enough courage to cross its path... never went that way again...
I am basically a chicken how else can one survive these days...
Kathleen

[VickieP]

I read a story the other day, can't remember where it happened, but a man and his dog walked out of their house and a bear attacked the man. The lady grabbed a shotgun, but didn't know how to load it. She used the shotgun to hit the bear over the head several times, till it released her husband and ran off.

[mitch5252]

I read a story the other day, can't remember where it happened, but a man and his dog walked out of their house and a bear attacked the man. The lady grabbed a shotgun, but didn't know how to load it. She used the shotgun to hit the bear over the head several times, till it released her husband and ran off.

..
Well, thank goodness she didn't know how to load it - shotgun would have killed the bear and the hubby!
..

[Bethers]

That's actually a good article on the bear attacks. Why am I surprised? It's a sign there is still good journalism out there.

I'm more scared of snakes. My close encounters with rattlers were in Wisconsin and Alabama. Don't think they are only in the desert.

[VickieP]

I read a story the other day, can't remember where it happened, but a man and his dog walked out of their house and a bear attacked the man. The lady grabbed a shotgun, but didn't know how to load it. She used the shotgun to hit the bear over the head several times, till it released her husband and ran off.

..
Well, thank goodness she didn't know how to load it - shotgun would have killed the bear and the hubby!
..

True, but she could have just fired it away from them to scare the bear off, Dufus.

[BarbaraRose]

That was a good article.

Playing "dead" with a black bear usually works, but not with grizzlies. They will just eat you if you lie there. In grizzly territory, it is best to go in groups or make noise with bells, etc. I would never camp in a tent in grizzly territory.

[Bethers]

Grizzlies are not that aggressive, Barbie. IF they attack, yes you handle it differently, but most do not attack - or we'd be reading story after story about them and deaths, etc. My closest encounter with a bear was a grizzly - I wasn't looking for it - would prefer it not happen again - but was a text book happening, with the bear being as shocked to see me as me him/her - and the grizzly ran away quickly. And that was with Peaches with me. Had that bear wanted to attack I would have been in trouble - as, of course, I would have first protected Peaches.

We really need to be more afraid of fellow people than we do wildlife.

[dpf]

Beth, do you still have the pictures of the bear that was the peeping Tom looking into your camper....the one that answered the age old question....does a bear.........

[Bethers]

Beth, do you still have the pictures of the bear that was the peeping Tom looking into your camper....the one that answered the age old question....does a bear.........

Here's one of the pics:


And here's the whole story:
http://ontheroadwithbeth.com/blog/2009/ ... ing-drive/