Maybe a first

[Pilot]

Let's introduce a little sanity here.

I am not some anti-gun nut. I have a .357, a 12 gauge, a 30-'06 and a .22LR.

This incident is so isolated that I doubt that any of you have heard of any coyote attacks on adults before. Nothing to go get your elephant gun for.

And the notion that one must always be armed in the woods is just way over-reacting for most areas. If the area has bears or cougars, maybe, if one is really nervous. But almost all the time, the critter will avoid you. If you don't have a gun, go ahead and go out to the woods anyway; enjoy yourself, the chances of getting killed in a traffic accident driving out there are a lot greater than the chances of being attacked by some wild predator.

I have 25 years working in the woods and we live on 10 acres of forest, adjacent to another 10 acres of timber, less than a mile from the Mt. Hood National forest with a mix of farm and forest all around. No predator has ever threatened me. They have always run when the saw me, including the bear that was on the other end of the log I stepped up on. We both turned around and went our separate ways.

Oh yes, there was one incident, involving a rottwieller, owned by a nutcase who threatened to kill me if I hurt his dog, but the dog was only a threatening me. I was more concerned about his owner.

[dave1949]

Originally Posted by Pilot

Let's introduce a little sanity here.

Isn't that asking a lot?

But seriously, your point well taken. I see coyote tracks and scat often out in our woods, had some run down the trail once in the middle of the night not 10' feet from the tent I was in. I am sure they knew I was there, they were yipping as they went by.

Our dogs have a ongoing contest to see if they or the coyotes can pee on the most places along the trails.

We've only actually seen a coyote once, it took off in the other direction.
Dave.

[dmccarty]

While being attacked by a critter in the woods is not likely it does happen and its not just bears, wolves, or coyotes. A forester I know was tread by wild dogs. I know of people being killed by wild dogs in the woods it does not happen often but it happens enough.

Just in my county we have had quite a few rabid animals attack people. Just last week a rabid cat bit a bunch of people. A few months back, two rabid foxes bit people one of which was a kid at a daycare center. A couple weeks ago a rabid Bobcat bit a person. You sure don't see many Bobcats much less have one attack someone. The most surprising was a rabid beaver that bit a couple of kids who were swimming a few years ago.

We had a coyote on our land at least one time that I saw it. It had very little fear of humans. It either moved on or someone shot it since I have not seen any sign of it since then.

And the biggest threat in my area is two legged critters poaching on my land.

Later,
Dan

[tallyho8]

I'm used to seeing the cattle egrets looking for insects swarming behind my tractor when I'm bush hogging but I was quite surprised a while back to see a coyote running behind my tractor looking for a tasty treat that I stirred up.

[Jstpssng]

Originally Posted by Pilot

Let's introduce a little sanity here.

I am not some anti-gun nut. I have a .357, a 12 gauge, a 30-'06 and a .22LR.

This incident is so isolated that I doubt that any of you have heard of any coyote attacks on adults before. Nothing to go get your elephant gun for.

And the notion that one must always be armed in the woods is just way over-reacting for most areas. If the area has bears or cougars, maybe, if one is really nervous. But almost all the time, the critter will avoid you. If you don't have a gun, go ahead and go out to the woods anyway; enjoy yourself, the chances of getting killed in a traffic accident driving out there are a lot greater than the chances of being attacked by some wild predator.

I have 25 years working in the woods and we live on 10 acres of forest, adjacent to another 10 acres of timber, less than a mile from the Mt. Hood National forest with a mix of farm and forest all around. No predator has ever threatened me. They have always run when the saw me, including the bear that was on the other end of the log I stepped up on. We both turned around and went our separate ways.

Oh yes, there was one incident, involving a rottwieller, owned by a nutcase who threatened to kill me if I hurt his dog, but the dog was only a threatening me. I was more concerned about his owner.

As a forester I'm in the woods every day. In the past 30 years I've had a few close encounters with wildlife; once with a NH moose who apparently had a calf nearby; twice she charged to within 17 feet from me. Last year I had an even closer encounter with a bear, who got POed at me because my dog ran passed her. I've been laying out stream buffers and had coyotes feeding on the rabbits that I was kicking out to them.

But the incident rate is so low, that I don't worry about it. I'm much more concerned about stupid things like slipping on the ice, finding a hidden slough hole in January, or falling off a log and not being able to get back to my truck. (That's why I carry a locater beacon.)