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cmh6476

What wildlife do you encounter?

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I have a groundhog under my shed. I leave it be. 

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Don't know about the rest of the country, but the deer population in Florida/Alabama/Georgia has gotten out of control IMO.  Scary driving down two-lane roads at night. Herds of them everywhere. I don't know what the bag limit is, but it needs to be raised.

For that matter, they could completely lift the ban on killing gators.  Way too many. Every river, lake, and retention pond has 'em, though they rarely hurt people.  Just scary walking with kids or dogs around a shoreline.

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I live close to the outskirts of my town so I see deer all the time. They're in my backyard pretty much every day. I've also seen black bears a few times whilst out hiking.

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I have a pond and a number of fruit bearing trees on my property so it attracts a great deal of wildlife.  I see Eagles, hawks, Great Horned owls, turkeys and all manner of smaller birds.  We get deer and antelope, fox, coyote, and raccoons galore.  During the warm months i bike and kayak the nearby reservior so add all manner of water foul and wading birds, not to mention beaver, muskrats, and the occassional bobcat. during the summer i am in the hills rafting or kayaking every weekend adn have not gone a summer without seeing many moose, elk black bear and at least one mountain lion as well as many big horn sheep and one, only one mountain goat.

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Living near a desert mountain preserve, we regularly see coyotes, javelina (smelly boars), roadrunners, quail, and hawks.  Less frequent are vultures and owls; we had a baby owl perched in a tree last spring.  We have bobcats -- my wife has seen them, but I never have.

We also have poisonous things like scorpions, rattlesnakes, and black widows (haven't seen black widows at this house).

A few seasonal things I enjoy:

- Every spring when the quail eggs hatch, I love seeing the dad, mom, and 8-10 teeny tiny quail walking (running for the babies) in a straight line.

- We are in the migration path for monarch butterflies, and our yard had milkweed which is like heroin to them, so twice a year for a few months we get a bunch of them in our yard.

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20 hours ago, DonS said:

I never get tired of seeing random bald eagles.  'Murica b1tches!

Aside from all the focking bunnies and squirrels in our backyard I've been lucky enough to see an occasional coyote, bobcat, and even a deer.  The deer was the biggest surprise. 

Those things are huge lol.  They have been coming back locally in Ohio.  Have several nests.   Beautiful birds.

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1 minute ago, Cloaca du jour said:

Those things are huge lol.  They have been coming back locally in Ohio.  Have several nests.   Beautiful birds.

I hope the Haitians Biden and Harris let in don’t start eating them. 

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1 minute ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I hope the Haitians Biden and Harris let in don’t start eating them. 

Springfield is N of me..no Haitians.  We have an abundance of check cashing places...auto parts stores and vape shops.

Large  population of Mexican americans...like 3 restaurants in 3 square miles.

 

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Where I live now deer, rabbits and squirrels daily (I would trap the rabbits and eat them, but I don't know how to dress one). Falcons, occasionally a bald eagle or fox, possum, skunks, raccoons, and wild turkey are around.

In NorCal I saw bear on a few occasions, but regularly saw bobcat and heard coyotes all the damn time, though rarely saw one. Seeing the bears was badass. I was just jeeping down a trail smoking a pinchie and all of a sudden, there was a mom and 2 cubs about 500 yards out. I stopped and watched for a few minutes while the cubs sort of played around and mama kept watch. Then they walked back into the forest. Coming across a rattlesnake while hiking with friends and their young child was a good time, too. 

I was in central AZ in May once and we were walking drunkenly back to our campsite at night. Everywhere the flashlight went were little glowing dots reflecting the light back. I asked a local the next day and he said it was a seasonal desert spider hatching. Never saw one of the spiders, just their glowing eyes. Eerie AF. 

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56 minutes ago, Cloaca du jour said:

Those things are huge lol.  They have been coming back locally in Ohio.  Have several nests.   Beautiful birds.

For several years there was an osprey nest in a cell tower near our neighborhood.   

One year a pair were either fighting or getting it on.  Either way they got their talons tangled up and came crashing down in our backyard.  I was trying to decide whether I should help them out when they managed to free themselves. Not wanting to get too close to those big sharp talons definitely gave me pause!

One immediately flew off but the other one ended up hanging out for several minutes.  Definitely cool seeing it so up close.  :thumbsup:

 

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I saw Rusty a few times gnawing on some road kill off of a Texas highway. :dunno:

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1 hour ago, Fnord said:

Where I live now deer, rabbits and squirrels daily (I would trap the rabbits and eat them, but I don't know how to dress one). Falcons, occasionally a bald eagle or fox, possum, skunks, raccoons, and wild turkey are around.

In NorCal I saw bear on a few occasions, but regularly saw bobcat and heard coyotes all the damn time, though rarely saw one. Seeing the bears was badass. I was just jeeping down a trail smoking a pinchie and all of a sudden, there was a mom and 2 cubs about 500 yards out. I stopped and watched for a few minutes while the cubs sort of played around and mama kept watch. Then they walked back into the forest. Coming across a rattlesnake while hiking with friends and their young child was a good time, too. 

I was in central AZ in May once and we were walking drunkenly back to our campsite at night. Everywhere the flashlight went were little glowing dots reflecting the light back. I asked a local the next day and he said it was a seasonal desert spider hatching. Never saw one of the spiders, just their glowing eyes. Eerie AF. 

Take a que from Bugs ... 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Engorgeous George said:

Take a que from Bugs ... 

 

 

Brb.... 

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 I was visiting the Grand Canyon with family. Got up the first morning early to get some coffee and a biscuit. Started walking on the trail to get a better view from the rim. There was a mom,dad, and daughter who was no older than seven. They stopped and I caught up with them. There was a two plus thousand pound moose standing in the middle of trail. Was no more than fifteen feet away from it.  The little girl walks up right up to him/her and sticks out her hand with cheese puffs, and the moose happily accepts. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. When she ran out of cheese puffs, they walked around. I did the same and lightly pet its side. I caught up with the family and asked why would you allow a forty pound child even approach such a large wild animal? Dad: We’ve been doing it for three days now.

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2 minutes ago, BunnysBastatrds said:

 I was visiting the Grand Canyon with family. Got up the first morning early to get some coffee and a biscuit. Started walking on the trail to get a better view from the rim. There was a mom,dad, and daughter who was no older than seven. They stopped and I caught up with them. There was a two plus thousand pound moose standing in the middle of trail. Was no more than fifteen feet away from it.  The little girl walks up right up to him/her and sticks out her hand with cheese puffs, and the moose happily accepts. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. When she ran out of cheese puffs, they walked around. I did the same and lightly pet its side. I caught up with the family and asked why would you allow a forty pound child even approach such a large wild animal? Dad: We’ve been doing it for three days now.

An ex and I were hiking in the woods in northern MN years ago. We literally came around a blind corner and there was a moose about 10 feet away. Scared the hell out of us, but it just looked at us, blinked a few times, and ambled away. We've also seen them in the Boundary Waters, though not as close up.

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If we are talking in the wild, where you expect to see critters, a few cool stories (to me at least 😂) come to mind.

Was in Yellowstone Park in late 90’s and went on a hike where they said Grizzlies were active. Buddy and I came around corner and there was a big carcass with a huge rib cage that was gnarled on. Was not exactly fresh but wasn’t old either. We got the fock out of dodge. That hike was over. Paid a little more attention to the bear warnings after that.

My dad and I backpacked in Olympic Park. When we showed up to get the permit they required bear canisters for food. I didn’t want to mess with it but pops insisted. We saw multiple bear the whole hike. Including one morning where we woke up to Roosevelt Elk on a hillside across from where we camped. They all disappeared pretty quickly and a bear came meandering through shortly after. They completely ignored us for the most part.

On another trip to same park, Mountain Goats were everywhere. They would come right up to you. Wherever you took a pee they would immediately run over to eat the plants you peed on. 

Final one was backpacking in Mexico Copper Canyon area. Me and my buddy were really not properly prepared for this. We planned on hiking between two remote towns. Was supposed to take a few days. We had excellent maps and gear but counted on there being actual marked trails. That was not the case or there were many trials all branching out at many junctions. We got sort of lost on one of the days and came across a pot field on this hillside. We were trying to hustle out of here and came upon a couple kids who I think were working the pot fields looking at us like we were insane. We were.

A ton of crazy stuff happened in those few days but this one was the most memorable.

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One of the birds in my area not already mentioned is the Peregrine Falcon.  Badazz birds they are.

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Do pigeons count? 🕊️🕊️ Asking for a friend. 

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44 minutes ago, Fnord said:

An ex and I were hiking in the woods in northern MN years ago. We literally came around a blind corner and there was a moose about 10 feet away. Scared the hell out of us, but it just looked at us, blinked a few times, and ambled away. We've also seen them in the Boundary Waters, though not as close up.

I miss the BWCA.  I had a belligerent moose swim after me for over a mile once while up there.  Was fzairly close to Knife lake Dorothy's place if you are familiar with her.  (Maybe not as she has been gone maybe 40 years or more now.  Damn she made good root beer.)

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A family of beavers moved into my back yard and turned a little babbling brook into a focking lake.  The building of that dam was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen. I thought it peaked out when it hit about 4 feet tall.  That was only the beginning.  A year later it was about 15 feet tall.  Incredible.

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38 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

Final one was backpacking in Mexico Copper Canyon area. Me and my buddy were really not properly prepared for this. We planned on hiking between two remote towns. Was supposed to take a few days. We had excellent maps and gear but counted on there being actual marked trails. That was not the case or there were many trials all branching out at many junctions. We got sort of lost on one of the days and came across a pot field on this hillside. We were trying to hustle out of here and came upon a couple kids who I think were working the pot fields looking at us like we were insane. We were.

A ton of crazy stuff happened in those few days but this one was the most memorable.

Did you roll up a fresh one?

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1 minute ago, Patented Phil said:

Did you roll up a fresh one?

We were too busy crapping our pants. That being said I don’t remember seeing any buds…leafy ditch weed 😂

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On 1/13/2025 at 6:12 PM, cmh6476 said:

Whether on hunting or fishing excursions, commuting or just occasionally in your backyard?

With the bald eagle display it reminded me that just a couple weeks ago just a mile or two from my house is a bean field and saw a bald eagle and a young eagle just out in the field probably having dinner. That was pretty cool. 

 

On 1/13/2025 at 6:15 PM, DonS said:

I never get tired of seeing random bald eagles.  'Murica b1tches!

Aside from all the focking bunnies and squirrels in our backyard I've been lucky enough to see an occasional coyote, bobcat, and even a deer.  The deer was the biggest surprise. 

While beautiful and “AMERICA” there is a reason they were almost extinct.  They are devouring fish more so than a coyote eating fawns.

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I live in the middle of my 45 acre property in PA.  IF the animal exists in the state I’ve seen it in its natural habitat.

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On 1/13/2025 at 6:26 PM, TheNewGirl said:

As a trail runner; bald eagles, bobcats, and mountain lions mostly. A friend of mine has seen a bear but I haven't.  Oh and deer and wild turkeys. They are "endangered" around here, so there will be huge flocks of turkeys in neighborhoods. 
 

Wow - that's cool and a little scary.  Back in my hunting days, I came across bobcat tracks, never have gotten to see one.  I heard a bear once, heard it huffing and another hunter said it walked about 30 feet behind my tree stand, but it was still dark and I couldn't see behind the tree so I never saw it.  Deer and turkeys are about all I see now that I live in a city. 

How far away were the mountain lions?  I read stories of them attacking trail runners, so that has to be a little scary.  

Also, that bear ruined that tree stand for the rest of the weekend, by taking a big crap right under.  OMG, that smell was so bad.  

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On 1/13/2025 at 6:12 PM, cmh6476 said:

Whether on hunting or fishing excursions, commuting or just occasionally in your backyard?

With the bald eagle display it reminded me that just a couple weeks ago just a mile or two from my house is a bean field and saw a bald eagle and a young eagle just out in the field probably having dinner. That was pretty cool. 

I encounter snakes all the freaking time. I am not afraid of them and living in michigan you have to work to get bit by a venomous snake. I also have a nesting pair of bald eagles not far from where I kayak/fish. I have got a few pics of them over the years but they are smart and leave as soon as they see a human approaching them. 

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There is a large alligator snapper in the reservoir I kayak on routinely.  They are not native to Colorado so it is interesting to see it.  I have seen it maybe a half dozen times over the last  two years.

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In my area, deer now roam around like geese. 15 years ago you did not see nearly as many in your yard and they were afraid of people and cars. Not anymore. It's like they wait to cross the road like geese instead of darting in front of your car. Seeing a deer eating foliage in the yard is no longer a "wow look at the deer". 

a lot of foxes as well. 

Nothing too unusual... I go crabbing pretty frequently in the spring, summer and fall. Tend to get a lot of blowfish and even an occasional flounder inside the traps.

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49 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

In my area, deer now roam around like geese. 15 years ago you did not see nearly as many in your yard and they were afraid of people and cars. Not anymore. It's like they wait to cross the road like geese instead of darting in front of your car. Seeing a deer eating foliage in the yard is no longer a "wow look at the deer". 

a lot of foxes as well. 

Nothing too unusual... I go crabbing pretty frequently in the spring, summer and fall. Tend to get a lot of blowfish and even an occasional flounder inside the traps.

Say, about those blowfish ... uh, .... nevermind.

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On 1/14/2025 at 3:43 PM, DonS said:

For several years there was an osprey nest in a cell tower near our neighborhood.   

One year a pair were either fighting or getting it on.  Either way they got their talons tangled up and came crashing down in our backyard.  I was trying to decide whether I should help them out when they managed to free themselves. Not wanting to get too close to those big sharp talons definitely gave me pause!

One immediately flew off but the other one ended up hanging out for several minutes.  Definitely cool seeing it so up close.  :thumbsup:

 

Cool stuff right there!!

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I didn’t read the thread but in North Carolina, late July thru August the mosquitos look like moths, sound like a helicopter, and bite like a baby gator. 

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1 hour ago, KSB2424 said:

I didn’t read the thread but in North Carolina, late July thru August the mosquitos look like moths, sound like a helicopter, and bite like a baby gator. 

Chiggers are worse. 

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1 hour ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Chiggers are worse. 

You rolling down hills and playing in the grass?

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19 minutes ago, cmh6476 said:

You rolling down hills and playing in the grass?

I did. You must be a house cat 

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On 1/14/2025 at 11:11 AM, Hardcore troubadour said:

I have a groundhog under my shed. I leave it be. 

 If you decide to bring it to it’s natural habitat, when you drive it there, let it sit in your lap and tell it not to drive angry. 

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I'm an avid Hunter and co-owner of a Ranch in Georgia and one in Texas. 

I've seen it all come through there. 

Can't grill it till ya kill it. 

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In the urban area of NJ:

mice, rats, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, falcons, deer, rabbits

 in urban area of Georgia:

 the same as above but also turtles, geese, ducks, snakes, salamander-gecko things, frogs, hawks, possums, all types of beautiful birds

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I saw a lot of NAHA’s in the Bronx. 

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