Last Friday I rode past a skunk that was about 3 feet from me. Really glad I didn't get sprayed. I've kicked up rabbits and passed deer from about 30 feet. What have you come across on your commute?

Roadkill, or alive...?

Best was a flock of turkeys crossing a bike/ped path through the woods. Must have been a couple dozen of them. They weren't impressed that I was rushing on my commute, so I stopped for a few minutes to let them cross un-harassed.

Several deer, turkeys, rough grouse, skunks, raccoons, rabbits, feral cats, and one fox with what I presumed was a fresh rabbit in his mouth.

I regularly see coyotes along some parts of my commuting route early in the morning. A lot of other wildlife too, rabbits, racoons, possums, skunks, geese, ducks, squirrels and we also have white tailed deer living in the wooded ravines.

Early morning at a provincial park as I'm riding. I look up and see the rear end of a brownish animal galloping the same direction on the roadway maybe 30 feet in front. Way too big to be a dog, I thought, and way too silent. Then it dawned on me: it's a deer. And as quickly as it appeared it darted off into the woods and disappeared. Way cool, I thought.

Woodchucks pretty much every day, standing by the side of the road and getting spooked by me as I ride by. Deer, including ones that have run in front of me and run alongside me. I've had hawks and owls fly alongside me day and night. Some kind of bird decided to attack my helmet every day for a month a few years back. Coyotes, they're usually very shy. Raccoons don't care about me much. Skunks, occasionally, I just steer clear of them. Cats and dogs, once in a while, though honestly I see more woodchucks than cats and dogs combined on my route. Sandhill cranes, pretty much every day. Canada geese are like friggin' flies around here. Frogs, snapping turtles, snakes, all once or twice a week.

Deer, Fox, Coyote, Racoons, Polecats, Skunks, lots of rabbits and prarie dogs, possum, and ground hogs, all sorts of birds, most notably hawks and owls...I think I saw a bobcat one morning while taking a leak, but it was a fleeting sighting, so I am not sure.

It's been many years since I cycle commuted daily, but when I was stationed in Southern California I'd often see critters near dawn and dusk - quail, deer, skunks, etc. At Camp Pendleton it was very common to encounter coyotes, and occasionally large owls would swoop very close. Owls can be a far more dangerous threat than coyotes, but rarely attack humans. I was more worried about the feral dog packs than the purebred coyotes. I'd hear the feral dogs and occasionally see them at a distance, but never up close.

geese, rabbits, squirrels, deer. various road kill critters i.e. opossums, squirrels, birds, a skunk.

I had a squirrel jump into my rear wheel and go thunk thunk thunk against my frame. I thought he was dead, as he didn't move for a while. Then he got up and walked away.

Be careful of Canada Geese in mating season, March. They are very aggressive then and also when they have their goslings.

I've had black snakes cross my path.

I once got a bee in my bonnet. I ripped the helmet off my head in a panic, didn't pay attention to my trajectory, and rammed into a parked car. Didn't get hurt. It was silly of me, because I'm normally not afraid of bees. I panicked because I feared it would be worse while I was riding.

I've had deer run right in front of me. They're dumber than squirrels. But does that count, because I don't commute where there are deer?

Expected some pictures and was disappointed. Ran up on this lil feller on the MUP one day on the way to work.



He was not all that happy that I was so close. It took him a minute to even come out that far.

Javelina, coyote, and a rattlesnake out in Arizona.

Four turkeys at once this summer and a few snakes, one of which I managed to photograph.
I spooked some deer on a couple of night rides as well - and they spooked me too.

I see elk from time to time when I ride through the forest preserve in Elk Grove Village. There's a herd of them there that the developers put in after people kept pointing out there weren't any elk in the town.

Once saw a fox running at night.

Fox, deer, turtles, and a few snakes.

I was riding a local rail trail a few weeks ago, and had a deer jump through the hedge right in front of me. It ran down the trail a few yards, then jumped back through the hedge.

Last month when I was riding on the Erie Canalway Trail, a Great Blue Heron landed in the canal right across from me when I stopped to have a sandwich. It's wingspan had to be at least 5'. It was huge.

turkeys, skunk, fox, deer, bald eagle, blue heron, racoons, rabbits, canadian geese, swans, cows, Lama, chickens, ducks, dogs and cats

My most common area to see animals is along a fire road and the nearby lake, near dawn or dusk, as the season allows. Deer and turkeys and vultures and squirrels and geese, all the time. Hawks and snakes and egret fairly often. Migratory waterfowl seasonally. Otters. A couple of bobcats, one kitfox and one owl. Bats hunting around the street lights.

Deer are like vermin around here, so I see at least one on 70% of my commutes. Turkeys are increasingly numerous. Bunnies, especially early morning in the dark, are everywhere. Hawks are plentiful, and for some reason nearer to or on the ground whenever it's rainy. Great Blue Herons, White Egrets, White Pelicans, Sandhill Cranes, the occasional Baldie. A week ago I had something jump into and rebound off my spokes. It was night, so no idea what it was. Saw a Gray Fox some time ago. Didn't realize till reading about it that this is not just a color phase. The Gray Fox is the only member of the Canine family that climbs trees. No kidding.

I’ve come close to deer, foxes, raccoons, rabbits, possums, squirrels, chipmunks, a skunk, turtles, snakes, Egress, and once I was actually being charged by a runaway cow that the Amish were attempting to capture (though not with much luck as that cow was enjoying its freedom)! My rides tend to provide plenty of interesting things to see.

Foxes are spectacular. I once saw a pair of young red foxes play-fighting on a grassy field! And yes, I was on my bike.

I still haven't seen a coyote in the wild. I'd love to. I hear them at night every so often at our country place. I also saw a grey fox there, though I was on foot at the time. He stopped in the middle of the road and wouldn't budge until I got close.

I had a badger trot alongside me in a dark park for about 50m. I don't think he noticed me.

I saw a ground hog climb a tree earlier this year, didn't know they would climb trees. I saw a bear this year, sort of on a ride.......it was crossing my front yard when I was coming out of my shop putting my bike up. I had a deer run along the road in front of me for about 100 yards late one afternoon, along a corn field. I saw one dead rattle snake in the road this year, not many rattle snakes around here. I see turkey and small game daily, don't really take note of them.

I regularly see rabbits, osprey, and the occasional coyote. When I see the coyotes I always wonder how fast those suckers can run.

I once saw an osprey sitting on a guardrail eating a fresh fish. Pretty cool.

Saw a bald eagle on Saturday a few miles from home. Not far from White River, where they are not uncommon in central Indiana in recent years. It was circling overhead and then settled onto a high branch in a tree near the road, where they was roadkill that may have caught it's eye. I went back to take a somewhat closer look.