Wildlife Encounters Report
07-14-17, 07:19 AM
#26
Cantankerous Old Fart
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: On the Tundra of Northern NY State, almost Canada eh?
Posts: 188
Bikes: TBD
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Originally Posted by mrodgers
If I came here to post every time I saw a deer, I'd be constantly on here. But....
Allegheny River Trail (ART), I was riding through the barriers one evening at dusk when I glanced over and saw a goat on the hill side. Where the heck did a goat come from? That's when I heard the snort right beside the trail and a deer ran up the hillside. The "goat" was an albino deer. Not my first or 10th time seeing an albino deer being in Pennsylvania, but still a rare treat.
See black snakes all the time on the trails. Accidentally ran over a copperhead, they're all over Emlenton at the beginning of the ART.
I've yet to encounter a bear. August we're camping along the Pine Creek Trail and all I read about is all the rattlesnakes. 45 years of playing in the Allegheny National Forest and I've never seen a rattlesnake. Looking forward to that.
Allegheny River Trail (ART), I was riding through the barriers one evening at dusk when I glanced over and saw a goat on the hill side. Where the heck did a goat come from? That's when I heard the snort right beside the trail and a deer ran up the hillside. The "goat" was an albino deer. Not my first or 10th time seeing an albino deer being in Pennsylvania, but still a rare treat.
See black snakes all the time on the trails. Accidentally ran over a copperhead, they're all over Emlenton at the beginning of the ART.
I've yet to encounter a bear. August we're camping along the Pine Creek Trail and all I read about is all the rattlesnakes. 45 years of playing in the Allegheny National Forest and I've never seen a rattlesnake. Looking forward to that.
We called them Swamp rattlers.
Last edited by XCSKIBUM; 07-16-17 at 05:02 AM.
07-14-17, 07:54 AM
#27
Senior Member
i've ridden through time square in manhattan (NYC) many many times and at each intersection, you would see 200-300 people walking across the street at every single light. this is the craziest wildlife i've come across on my bike 
07-16-17, 07:26 AM
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Lewisville, TX
Posts: 658
Bikes: 1976 Motobecane Grand Touring, 2013 Fuji Absolute 2.1 hybrid, 2000 Mongoose S2000 MTB, 2009 Schwinn Jaguar beach cruiser
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Liked 178 Times
in
96 Posts
Got to see a really large bald eagle perched on a power pole before it flew off during my morning ride along the shore of Lewisville Lake. Made my day!
07-16-17, 03:43 PM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: St. Petersburg, Fl
Posts: 935
Bikes: I'm a Flatbar Guy
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 356 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Was riding the St. Marks Trail which is a little south of Tallahassee FL, it goes through a wildlife protected area. I was about 10 miles in when I saw a head of a cat, thought it was a stray, and was saying, "hi kitty kitty" then it turned and realized it was a big cat. By time I rode close enough, I knew it wasn't a house cat, it was a Bobcat, and it scared the crap out of me. I just rode passed him as fast as I could, he just laid there and watched me. Thank god he wasn't rabid.
07-17-17, 04:24 PM
#31
Newbie
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
This morning while riding the rail trail, I saw a small long-tailed animal about 200 feet ahead in the middle of the trail. I slowed, thinking at first that it was a fox kit or small bobcat, but as I got closer I realized it was a common domestic tabby cat. Darn thing arched its back, stood its ground then came at me threateningly as I swerved around it. Made me wonder if it may have been rabid, though it just seemed mad at the world.
07-17-17, 06:00 PM
#32
Newbie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Kansas
Posts: 50
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
1 Post
I mostly see the usual stuff- deer, fox, armadillo, racoon, rabbit, etc. I had a bobcat shoot across the road only a few feet in front of my bike. That was amazing! The one that freaked me out was a young mountain lion that was on the trail. It studied me for a bit then took off. My first thought was "where are the parents." I got off my bike and slowly backtracked for a bit, then turned around and went back to the car. We have mountain lions in Kansas but there's been no official proof of them breeding.
07-17-17, 06:06 PM
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: St. Petersburg, Fl
Posts: 935
Bikes: I'm a Flatbar Guy
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 356 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Originally Posted by Swampledge
This morning while riding the rail trail, I saw a small long-tailed animal about 200 feet ahead in the middle of the trail. I slowed, thinking at first that it was a fox kit or small bobcat, but as I got closer I realized it was a common domestic tabby cat. Darn thing arched its back, stood its ground then came at me threateningly as I swerved around it. Made me wonder if it may have been rabid, though it just seemed mad at the world.
07-17-17, 08:10 PM
#34
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 9
Bikes: 2017 Roam2 2018 Toughroad SLR2 2015 Diamondback AxisXE
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Went out after a heavy downpour today; it got dark on the way back and there were so many frogs and toads hopping all over the trail tried my best not to flatten any.
07-17-17, 10:30 PM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Posts: 3,198
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 136 Post(s)
Liked 22 Times
in
15 Posts
I was biking last winter and biking up to a hiking trail. Not many houses. As I was coming up around one of the corners there was a coyote about 100 m ahead of me. I stopped. Like the couple of other coyotes I've seen while hiking, the bugger stared at me for an uncomfortable amount of time. Then it trotted off into the woods along the side of the road. I failed to get my phone out before he/she left. Coyotes are creepy the way they stare at you.
07-18-17, 04:09 PM
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: St. Petersburg, Fl
Posts: 935
Bikes: I'm a Flatbar Guy
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 356 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Originally Posted by a1penguin
Coyotes are creepy the way they stare at you.
07-18-17, 07:44 PM
#37
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Carbondale, CO
Posts: 15
Bikes: 0 (working on that)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Was riding on Saturday between Carbondale, CO and Basalt, CO on the Rio Grande bike path and came across a mother black bear and two cubs that decided the bike path was their domain. We gave them their space and they simply meandered along the path for about a quarter mile then wondered off into the brush. After the ride, my Garmin told me my average speed was well below average, but it was worth it!
RLS
RLS
07-18-17, 10:12 PM
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Posts: 3,198
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 136 Post(s)
Liked 22 Times
in
15 Posts
Originally Posted by Scooty Puff Jr
That's because they're sizing you up and figuring out if you're worth the trouble to make you a meal. 100m is a good distance, but I wouldn't hesitate to turn back.
07-19-17, 07:09 PM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: St. Petersburg, Fl
Posts: 935
Bikes: I'm a Flatbar Guy
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 356 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Originally Posted by RLSinGS
Was riding on Saturday between Carbondale, CO and Basalt, CO on the Rio Grande bike path and came across a mother black bear and two cubs that decided the bike path was their domain. We gave them their space and they simply meandered along the path for about a quarter mile then wondered off into the brush. After the ride, my Garmin told me my average speed was well below average, but it was worth it!
RLS
RLS
07-20-17, 09:00 PM
#41
Mostly Harmless
Today I saw five deer in the first six miles of my ride. One was a fawn and its mother, the rest were solitary. After that first five deer, I later saw two more on the same ride for a total of seven deer spotted on my 40 mile ride.
After I saw that first five deer, the rest of the ride I held back on the downhills. I was thinking about how bad it would suck to broadside a deer at speed.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a weasel. It was the only weasel I've ever seen in the wild.
After I saw that first five deer, the rest of the ride I held back on the downhills. I was thinking about how bad it would suck to broadside a deer at speed.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a weasel. It was the only weasel I've ever seen in the wild.
07-21-17, 12:22 AM
#42
Interocitor Command
Back in the '90s I was riding an old trail not far from my house and a fox jumped out in front of me. It startled me for a second, but he was gone in a flash.
A couple of years ago I saw a deer by my old grade school. That was kind of bizarre as it's in the burbs.
A couple of days ago I saw some type of hawk (looked similar to a vulture) eating some road kill not too far from my old grade school. It was a pretty big bird.
Living in or near my yard right now are a groundhog, a couple of possums, chipmunks and a racoon or two. I saw the groundhog on my deck through the kitchen window the other day. Very cute.
A couple of years ago I saw a deer by my old grade school. That was kind of bizarre as it's in the burbs.
A couple of days ago I saw some type of hawk (looked similar to a vulture) eating some road kill not too far from my old grade school. It was a pretty big bird.
Living in or near my yard right now are a groundhog, a couple of possums, chipmunks and a racoon or two. I saw the groundhog on my deck through the kitchen window the other day. Very cute.
07-29-17, 05:59 PM
#43
Junior Member
This thread caught my attention last week, and today I had an encounter to contribute.
This morning my girlfriend and I were riding south on the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath. I had lead and approached an odd looking branch laying across 3/4 of the path. As I got right up on it, I realized it was a large Northern black racer snake. I yelled back to the GF to watch out. Though she mistook "Snake" for "Stick". Not taking much concern, yet sticking hard right to avoid the obstacle she continued. Once she got right up on it, she figured it out. Screams were heard from trailhead to trailhead as she just barely missed running it over. She bailed off the path, jumped off the bike, bike tumbled, and she ran freaking out. Twas a beautiful sight.
This morning my girlfriend and I were riding south on the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath. I had lead and approached an odd looking branch laying across 3/4 of the path. As I got right up on it, I realized it was a large Northern black racer snake. I yelled back to the GF to watch out. Though she mistook "Snake" for "Stick". Not taking much concern, yet sticking hard right to avoid the obstacle she continued. Once she got right up on it, she figured it out. Screams were heard from trailhead to trailhead as she just barely missed running it over. She bailed off the path, jumped off the bike, bike tumbled, and she ran freaking out. Twas a beautiful sight.
07-29-17, 06:03 PM
#44
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: 961' 42.28° N, 83.78° W (A2)
Posts: 2,344
Bikes: Mongoose Selous, Trek DS
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 941 Post(s)
Liked 319 Times
in
189 Posts
Originally Posted by Karmajack
This thread caught my attention last week, and today I had an encounter to contribute.
This morning my girlfriend and I were riding south on the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath. I had lead and approached an odd looking branch laying across 3/4 of the path. As I got right up on it, I realized it was a large Northern black racer snake. I yelled back to the GF to watch out. Though she mistook "Snake" for "Stick". Not taking much concern, yet sticking hard right to avoid the obstacle she continued. Once she got right up on it, she figured it out. Screams were heard from trailhead to trailhead as she just barely missed running it over. She bailed off the path, jumped off the bike, bike tumbled, and she ran freaking out. Twas a beautiful sight.
This morning my girlfriend and I were riding south on the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath. I had lead and approached an odd looking branch laying across 3/4 of the path. As I got right up on it, I realized it was a large Northern black racer snake. I yelled back to the GF to watch out. Though she mistook "Snake" for "Stick". Not taking much concern, yet sticking hard right to avoid the obstacle she continued. Once she got right up on it, she figured it out. Screams were heard from trailhead to trailhead as she just barely missed running it over. She bailed off the path, jumped off the bike, bike tumbled, and she ran freaking out. Twas a beautiful sight.
07-30-17, 10:47 PM
#45
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 11
Bikes: Cannondale Quick 4
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Lately I've been seeing a lot of turtles and snakes along the bike paths along with the usual chipmunks and bunnies, but today I saw turkeys and not long after, a coyote! A woman who was walking the trail warned me that she thought she saw one not too far back, and about a minute later I rode right past it not far from the trail and it ran off into the woods
08-02-17, 08:52 AM
#49
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 28,767
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4985 Post(s)
Liked 3,111 Times
in
2,063 Posts
Cape Cod Canal?
08-02-17, 05:32 PM
#50
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Endicott, NY
Posts: 385
Bikes: Electra Loft 7i, Fuji Crosstown 2.5, Gravity Liberty FB, Schwinn Voyageur
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 57 Post(s)
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
Originally Posted by castmasterflash
^ thanks! carrying a 30lb fish and two tackle bags on the back of the bike does actually feel like too heavy a payload for that frame...
