Wolves, Coyotes, Mountain Lions and Bigfoot

[2.0]

Once I get my freedom from caregiving and can start my hiking adventures, including a NOBO AT thru, I would like to venture into some of the great National Parks, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite among others. I understand the rules about dealing with bears and have read up on them quite a bit from other hiker experiences. What I don't know about is dealing with other large predators in other areas outside of the AT. The mountain lion supposedly is fairly elusive and rarely seen, but the wolves probably concern me the most. And I am not referring to the predator LoneWolf of Whiteblaze.

Any insight and experiences with these predators and any other aggressive mammals like Mule Deer or Elk in rut season would be appreciated. I am not sure what season I may be going to the western parks yet. Thanks.

[SMSP]

Definitely be cautious of Bigfoot.

SMSP

[Kel, the "Stickman"]

...and the Warraghiyagey!

[Old Hiker]

...and the Warraghiyagey!

Doesn't exist. Have it on great authority: WhiteBlaze.net or some such web site. They had to close the discussion down, as there has been no evidence of said beastie.

[Gray Blazer]

From my experience, you have nothing to worry about from Big Foot. Now with Mule Deer or Warrrrgys rutting I have no idea. I would say don't get too close.

[4eyedbuzzard]

...and the Warraghiyagey!

Doesn't exist. Have it on great authority: WhiteBlaze.net or some such web site. They had to close the discussion down, as there has been no evidence of said beastie.

It was murder she wrote.

[jerseydave]

There was a video floating around out there in webdom somewhere........

A buck was beating the crap out of a guy that simply got too close at the wrong time..... don't remember all of the particulars, but I do remember the women behind the viewfinder thought it was extremely fun AT FIRST, but it got serious pretty quick...... the thing did a job on him.

I would have to imagine the threat level with all animals climbs significantly during mating season as well as the obvious sow with cubs scenario.

No personal experience here, but from what I understand, wolves are opportunists and most likely wouldn't be the major threat to your wellbeing unless you happened to be the "easiest" meal to acquire at the time.

[Shutterbug]

Once I get my freedom from caregiving and can start my hiking adventures, including a NOBO AT thru, I would like to venture into some of the great National Parks, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite among others. I understand the rules about dealing with bears and have read up on them quite a bit from other hiker experiences. What I don't know about is dealing with other large predators in other areas outside of the AT. The mountain lion supposedly is fairly elusive and rarely seen, but the wolves probably concern me the most. And I am not referring to the predator LoneWolf of Whiteblaze.

Any insight and experiences with these predators and any other aggressive mammals like Mule Deer or Elk in rut season would be appreciated. I am not sure what season I may be going to the western parks yet. Thanks.

Wild life encounters are a great part of the outdoor experience. Give them proper respect and they will not bother you. The important thing is to have a telephoto lense on your camera.

Three times I have felt threatened. All three were similar. I walked up on a sleeping moose. When it jumped up, it ran in my direction. The same thing happened with a javelina and a mountain goat.

The only one that has aggressively come after me was a rattle snake.

[randyg45]

I walked up on a sleeping moose.

The closest I ever came to getting seriously injured in the woods was a cow moose with a calf. Narrow trail through thick brush, miles from where I should have been according to the plan I had left with my wife (hiking from Jackson Wy to Lander Wy, a lot of it bushwhacking). They seemed to get up under my feet- and ran the other way.

For the OP- it's my understanding there may never have been a fatal wolf attack in NA. I saw plenty of tracks in Yellowstone (and maybe in the Winds), but I never saw one in the woods. Never heard one- and hiked the Lamar River just to try. Maybe next time!

[GoldenBear]

1. Wolf attacks on humans in the wild are so rare in North America that they make national news

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35913715/ns/us_news-life/

and people argue whether they happen a few times a century or a few times a decade.

http://www.aws.vcn.com/wolf_attacks_on_humans.html

2. Coyote attacks are similarly rare

http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/coyote_attacks.html

3. Cougar attacks are more common, but still quite rare.

http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks_nonca.html
http://www.cougarinfo.org/attacks3.htm

Summing up, more people are killed and injured in the wild by human hunters than by any other mammal -- it just doesn't make national news unless the hunter is the Vice President. So, logically, you should fear the presence of hunters FAR more than wolves, cougars, or coyotes.

For all three non-human predators, what you have to do is convince the animal that eating you is not worth the trouble involved in killing you -- that means FIGHTING BACK with EVERYTHING at your disposal. Rocks, sticks, a pen (yes, a wife saved her husband by a stabbing a pen in a cougar's eye). Just keep punching, kicking, and hitting the beast till it gives up. You may well come out bloodied and in need of major surgery, but you'll likely survive.

By FAR the most deadly animal you'll face in the wild is the mosquito. Attacks by these animals result in hundreds of deaths in the USA every year.

[Old Hiker]

It was murder she wrote.

Niiiii-agra falls. Slooooowly, I turned. Step by step, inch by inch............

[couscous]

The biggest threats are usually the smallest. Most animal related fatalities in the U.S.A. are probably still from hornet, bee & wasp stings. (carry an EpiPen if you know you are allergic) The only animal-caused fatality in Yosemite National Park was a child who was gored by a deer after his parents told him to go stand by the deer so they could take a picture. (give all wildlife their space) BigFoot is busy being a poster boy for the LNT organization.. not bothering anyone.

[2.0]

Thank you all for your responses...even the smart@ss ones.

I don't really have many fears, but I do respect nature and wildlife and would prefer to give them their space and privacy and would rather view from a far distance than stalk one just to get a picture. I hope to not have any face to snout encounters and know to stand my ground in certain situations, back away in others and fight to my last breath if so needed, hopefully not. Even though I know a few people have been stalked and attacked by wildlife, I would guess most attacks were due to human error...either by trying to feed them, leaving food exposed, trying to get to close to them for a picture or countless other stupid human behaviors.

I just wasn't sure about wolves or wolfpacks and how aggressive they could be since I have never been in their territories. Thank you for letting me know the are rarely a problem. I have had one incounter with a coyote when I startled one while clearing brush along side the business I was at. We both stopped dead in our tracks, stared at each in other for about 5 seconds (trying to figure out who we each were) and then he or she took off like a dog after a tennis ball.

What about mountain lions/cougars? Use the same methods as an encounter with a bear? Make noise? Intimidate them? Play dead?

To be honest I would be more concerned about ticks, rattle snakes hidden under leaves and stink bugs invading my sleeping bag...as these are more likely encounters with wildlife than the big game predators.

[Odd Man Out]

I was in Yellowstone NP about 12 years ago for a family vacation. The most dangerous encounter I witnessed was when a Bison was just a few feet off the boardwalk at one of the thermal features (I think it was Mud Volcano). Anyway, there were dozens of tourons (that's a cross between tourists and morons) walking by taking pictures, even though the Bison was acting very agitated. I guess the tourons hadn't seen the posters that were plastered all over the park warning about getting too close to Bison. I wish I had a copy of the poster. It had this very amateurish drawing (as if done by a first grader) of a Bison goring a guy in the stomach.

Not sure why anyone would be afraid of a wolf.

[LoneRidgeRunner]

I was in Yellowstone NP about 12 years ago for a family vacation. The most dangerous encounter I witnessed was when a Bison was just a few feet off the boardwalk at one of the thermal features (I think it was Mud Volcano). Anyway, there were dozens of tourons (that's a cross between tourists and morons) walking by taking pictures, even though the Bison was acting very agitated. I guess the tourons hadn't seen the posters that were plastered all over the park warning about getting too close to Bison. I wish I had a copy of the poster. It had this very amateurish drawing (as if done by a first grader) of a Bison goring a guy in the stomach.

Not sure why anyone would be afraid of a wolf.

There hes NEVER been a documented case of a Wolf attack on a human being..Only in the movies. Deer attacks are very rare as are attacks by Elk and Moose but of those 3 the Moose has the reputation of being the most likely to attack when in rut. In Maine once a rutting Bull Moose charged a freight train. The moose lost and is now dead.
Sow black bears with cubs USUALLY only do "bluff" charges but they say a surprised Grizzly with cubs will almost always attack. A good solution to not being attacked by bears (of any species) is don't surprise them. A good way to avoid surprising them is to wear a "bear bell", which is just a small bell of any kind that will jingle when you walk so they are aware of your presence before you step on one of her cubs which will piss her off.

[Shutterbug]

What about mountain lions/cougars? Use the same methods as an encounter with a bear? Make noise? Intimidate them? Play dead?

Don't worry about mountain lions. They only attack when they are hungry.

Seriously, seeing a mountain lion in the wild is a rare thing. I have seen only three. One of them stalked me for about an hour. I assume that he was just curious. He kept peeking at me from the ridges along the trail.

The only occasion of a mountain lion attacking a hiker that I know of was in Roxborough State Park near Denver. The hiker had a dog with him and the lion went after the dog. The hiker was injured attempting to save the dog.

There was also an incident near Boulder, Co a couple of years ago, when a mountain lion killed a jogger.

Bottom line -- it is highly improbable that you will be attacked by a mountain lion. If you are, fight back and pray.

[Skidsteer]

I was in Yellowstone NP about 12 years ago for a family vacation. The most dangerous encounter I witnessed was when a Bison was just a few feet off the boardwalk at one of the thermal features (I think it was Mud Volcano). Anyway, there were dozens of tourons (that's a cross between tourists and morons) walking by taking pictures, even though the Bison was acting very agitated. I guess the tourons hadn't seen the posters that were plastered all over the park warning about getting too close to Bison. I wish I had a copy of the poster. It had this very amateurish drawing (as if done by a first grader) of a Bison goring a guy in the stomach.

Not sure why anyone would be afraid of a wolf.

http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00001zU..ig92ik/s

What I don't understand is why photo embedding is disabled in the Wildlife forum.

[Wise Old Owl]

There was a video floating around out there in webdom somewhere........

A buck was beating the crap out of a guy that simply got too close at the wrong time..... don't remember all of the particulars, but I do remember the women behind the viewfinder thought it was extremely fun AT FIRST, but it got serious pretty quick...... the thing did a job on him.

I would have to imagine the threat level with all animals climbs significantly during mating season as well as the obvious sow with cubs scenario.

No personal experience here, but from what I understand, wolves are opportunists and most likely wouldn't be the major threat to your wellbeing unless you happened to be the "easiest" meal to acquire at the time.

The moron was covered in doe urine......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNGGbozilko

[jerseydave]

The moron was covered in doe urine......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNGGbozilko

That's the video I was talking about, there was a link down the bottom to another, longer version. I don't know if it was edited or not, but I remember the woman laughing when the ordeal first started. He got his arse kicked.

Sorry to wander off topic.
Back to the original subject.

>>>>>>
Any insight and experiences with these predators and any other aggressive mammals like Mule Deer or Elk in rut season would be appreciated. I am not sure what season I may be going to the western parks yet.
<<<<<<

[DrRichardCranium]

What about R.O.U.S.s?