Commuting - Ran over a squirrel today...bad karma?

So I was riding along a multi-use path with a wall on one side and chain-link fence on the other. The squirrel saw me coming and ran towards the wall. Dead end. He darts the other way and hesitates at the small openings of the fence. Worst choice of its life: it darts back into the path, and directly under my tires. I look back and see it flopping around, so I turn around to check on it. Fortunately the little guy looks stunned but not seriously injured. That was the largest living thing I've run over so far. To make matters worse, it started snowing big time on the way home. Glasses fogging up, snow pounding my retinas, brakes becoming worthless in the wet. What a day.

you should be happy you didn't suck it up into the front fork and endoed.
Rabbits are bigger and worse

Oof. I feel for you. It happened to me a couple months ago:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=343800

I bought a squirrel feeder and filled it with peanuts and pumpkin seeds to help my squirrel karma..

Pictures, we need pictures

you should be happy you didn't suck it up into the front fork and endoed.
Rabbits are bigger and worse

The squirrel should be happy about you. With a tandem the stoker just calls out "Hey! warn me about the bumps!", the squirrel, not so talkative after that. ;)

ps: I actually saw this happen with a loaded touring tandem.... the squirrel never had a chance. :eek:

Yeah I hit a squirrel once on my way home. Ran over it's neck with my back wheel and left it flopping in the road. I uh...killed it after that cause I felt back about leaving it like it was. Thinking back that's prolly the biggest animal that i've ever killed. Never went hunting and wasn't one of those kids that shot birds.

Chickens are worse - takes forever to get them out of the spokes.

Chickens are worse - takes forever to get them out of the spokes.

Feathers everywhere?

Feathers everywhere?

Yeah, and worse. Shall we just say that the glue that held it all together was disgusting. :rolleyes:

Never went hunting and wasn't one of those kids that shot birds.


I had a slingshot when I was a kid. It was one of those bada** ones with the arm brace. I shot at birds for two summers without hitting anything. Then, out of pure luck, I hit one midflight and dropped it. I felt bad.
Incidentally, has anyone ever heard of the black squirrel's idea of survival of the fittest? I think it's probably just a myth, but I've been told by more than one old-timer that they will "de-nut" other breeds to keep them from procreating!:eek:

don't worry, it won't be the last thing under wheel.

This summer I took out one squirrel (chain ring suicide), speedbumped a racoon and *just* missed a striped cat at 0-dark thirty on my way into work. Actually, the skunk and I BOTH missed (thankfully!) with plenty of close calls with three of his cousins.

I just *know* I'm getting skunked next summer...

I hate to break it to you but if you ran it over it's probably going to die if it hasn't already. It isn't your fault, and if it is an invasive species consider your self a conservationist, the native critters will thank you.

Many years ago, squirrels declared squirrel jihad against cyclists. Any squirrel that dies in an effort to bring down a cyclist becomes a squirrel martyr and goes to squirrel heaven. Right now that squirrel ran over is playing muskrat love with 72 squirrel virgins.

Not bad Karma, just a slow squirrel.
You're helping weed out the squirrels that can't avoid bike wheels.

Incidentally, has anyone ever heard of the black squirrel's idea of survival of the fittest? I think it's probably just a myth, but I've been told by more than one old-timer that they will "de-nut" other breeds to keep them from procreating!

They've also been known to de-nut cyclists who hit them to keep them from procreating.
Very bad juju for u.

Sounds like the squirrel had some bad karma, actually. :D

well the only thing you did wrong is you didn't take it home and make squirrel casserole. If ya kill it, ya got to grill it. Not doing so is bad karma.

Consider it karmic justice for the many bikers who've spilled because of squirrels doing everything from running through the spokes to playing chicken in front of the wheel to scaring the bejeezus out of you by running at you full-tilt through the leaves on the side of a trail (I kid you now, I thought there was a shark under there!!!!).

well the only thing you did wrong is you didn't take it home and make squirrel casserole. If ya kill it, ya got to grill it. Not doing so is bad karma.

I've actually done this and would do it again. People (mostly rednecks nowadays) do eat squirrels and they are actually quite tasty, though a little small.

I ran over a dog once and broke its leg. The dog didn't really deserve it, but the owner deserved the vet bill.

Pictures, we need pictures

http://www.lizziesue.com/blog/uploaded_images/Squirrel-Original-708188.jpg

/Obligatory

Squirrels do make the best pot pies.

I would definitely avoid that Squirrel.

you should be happy you didn't suck it up into the front fork and endoed.
Rabbits are bigger and worse

I had a raccoon cut in front of me from behind bridge support Thursday night. Stopped my front wheel cold. I didn't stop, at least not until after I hit the ground and rolled. The raccoon got up and ran away. And I was riding a heavy, old Chicago Schwinn, and I'm no lightweight myself. Tough critters.

My wife and I were riding on a local greenway last summer, when a squirrel decided to play chicken with me and run just in front of my front tire. I would go left and the squirrel would go left, I would go right and the squirrel would go right, all the time ringing my bell at it... After what seemed like fifty yards of this, I finally got mad and sped up to try and run this crazy squirrel over… It must have decided that this wasn’t any fun anymore (cruiser 26x 2.125 tires) because it finally dove off the side of the trail. My wife was laughing so hard I thought she was going to fall off her bike and wreck.

"Squirrels are rats with good PR" Not sure who said it first, but I agree. Kill all you want. I have noticed an astonishing number of dead squirrels over the past two weeks. Van Maren/Dewey is littered with them. It's like slalom riding in the bike lane trying to avoid the carcasses. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but there are a lot of them who have met their Maker recently.

Ran over a squirrel today...bad karma?

Sorry to hear that.

Bad K for the squirrel... :eek:

rodents=karma-free

I had one run into the front wheel of my folder on a steep downhill. I came screaming out of the fog- thuckata, thuckata, thuckata- with squirrel guts and fur flying as I passed the commuters waiting for the bus. I think a few of them tossed their coffee and donuts after that display.:(

Could always be worse. I came across this picture a few months ago...

Been Thre squashed that.
The squirrel went under my wheel in a typical Dirty Harry Move, 'do ya feel Lucky?'

Well he survived but was squirming around a bit.

I ran over a cat a nite lats January.
I thought it was a plastic bag blowing across the road and worried it would et caught up in my wheel.
Well when I hit the bag I went over hard. Bike okay, Ass Not, Cat Don't know.
I was sure it was a cat because after I got my really busted butt together and was fixing my headlight I saw fur on my front wheel.

Now I own 2 cats and avoid plasic blowing bags at Nite.

Rob

I heard his buddies are pissed

http://i17.tinypic.com/qyuy5g.jpg

It was the tree rats' Karma to be run over. You were the servant of Evolution in squashing it.

rodents=karma-free
Plus, I think Karma involves willingness to commit a certain act, maybe even a desire.

So, you actually wanted the squirrel dead? Hmmmm?

:D

I have not run over a squirrel on a bike, but have killed two by car. You can't tell how many you have NOT killed by using a bike instead of a car. You might have payed back squirrel-dom many times.

We all can do only what we can. Be sure to keep a screen or other cover on the vent to the clothes dryer.

Worst choice of its life
Dare I say, *last* choice of it's life? A brain fart is not a good way to exit Earth. Sorry squirrell.