Guest gadgetgurl Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 What is it that so terrifies me about cougars now? I mean, other than I'm getting old and weenie? Gah, they seem like they are EVERYWHERE now. In my 'hood, up against a mountain that recently burned, I will see tracks down in the streets when out walking the dog, my neighbors have sightings, and the only defense I have is maybe a cellphone, a pretty foolish hound, and that I'm not too bad with a rock. When I was a kid, I would spot them on the hills and point and say "cool" or something. What's wrong with me? Its not like the what-sounds-like 400 coyotes that roam around in small packs culling the feral cats scare me in the least--I'm too big for them, and again a decent shot with a rock. We have two well-behaved bears, one slightly charred. Have not seen one myself, but the rangers keep track. I haven't been looking that hard. So anyway, after thinking about that question way too much, I'm going to go with "sighting" instead of "encounter" with a BF. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'll be in the Sierras this weekend. Not too deep in though. Now I want to stay in my car! I'm shopping for trailcams in another tab so I can put it up at home and see if anything terrifying is in the yard at night. This is the level of paranoia going through me now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cervelo Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Or could it Bearanoia! I just love that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sallaranda Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 What is it that so terrifies me about cougars now? I mean, other than I'm getting old and weenie? Gah, they seem like they are EVERYWHERE now. In my 'hood, up against a mountain that recently burned, I will see tracks down in the streets when out walking the dog, my neighbors have sightings, and the only defense I have is maybe a cellphone, a pretty foolish hound, and that I'm not too bad with a rock. When I was a kid, I would spot them on the hills and point and say "cool" or something. What's wrong with me? Its not like the what-sounds-like 400 coyotes that roam around in small packs culling the feral cats scare me in the least--I'm too big for them, and again a decent shot with a rock. We have two well-behaved bears, one slightly charred. Have not seen one myself, but the rangers keep track. I haven't been looking that hard. So anyway, after thinking about that question way too much, I'm going to go with "sighting" instead of "encounter" with a BF. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'll be in the Sierras this weekend. Not too deep in though. Now I want to stay in my car! I'm shopping for trailcams in another tab so I can put it up at home and see if anything terrifying is in the yard at night. This is the level of paranoia going through me now. The thing with cougars, is that once you put up a fight for about 15 seconds, it will take off. I suspect Sasquatch will behave similarly, but a human's ability to actually put up a fight against a Sasquatch is what I question. Get attacked by a black bear, punch and kick as much as possible. Get attacked by a Grizzly? Fetal position and pray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Back on topic we go. 1. What is the closest experience that you have had that could prepare you for it? Pls no mother in-law jokes. I don't believe there is really anything that can prepare you for this, but I've seen bears and wolves and moose and deer and elk in the wild. So I have a "visual memory" template of some stuff to compare to. 2. Hows your heart? and overall condition. could you make it back to the car or cabin and not get lost? Great. Good. I've got a backtrack that I wear when off trail. It has an arrow. I go that way. If that fails (and it hasn't yet) then I have a map and a compass. Rusty with those, so follow the water down if all else fails. Or climb a tree. 3. Would you panic or freeze up in a confrontation with a bear or cougar if unarmed? now what about at night? I have learned the hard way that I'm not a freezer. I've seen people who freeze. My mind goes into "hyperdrive" in dangerous situations. There is always a course of action available. Good..bad...indifferent or ugly, there is always something to ACT on. Sometimes picking up a camera and pretending that your hind brain didn't just get scrambled is what you act on. I am very very proud of those three pictures that didn't show anything. I have to admit that there was one particular very non Bigfoot related situation where a part of my mind said "We should really start panicking and freaking out." and another one said "Don't worry, we can always do that later. Let's try this now." I'm still alive so I guess it worked out okay... JMO Tracker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tracker Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Your from Oregon. Hey that's a great place to feel alive when in the woods at night and listening to all the night sounds around you. Say hi to Autumn for me, Tracker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gadgetgurl Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 The thing with cougars, is that once you put up a fight for about 15 seconds, it will take off. I suspect Sasquatch will behave similarly, but a human's ability to actually put up a fight against a Sasquatch is what I question. Get attacked by a black bear, punch and kick as much as possible. Get attacked by a Grizzly? Fetal position and pray. That actually makes me feel better, Sallaranda, thank you. I'm pretty sure I can do that. Black bears don't freak me out like cougars. Grizzlies freak me out, because I am perfectly rational. Sasquatch. I'm trying to decide how long I would be frozen, trying to process seeing something that isn't supposed to exist. I mean, I've had a gun held to my head and not panicked--I do better with a head-on threat than some sneaky cat getting the jump on me. If I was crept up on by Sassie? Well I think the ball's in his/her court there. Like a Grizzly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Knuck Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I wonder what would happen if you somehow found a way to make yourself smell of female gorilla/chimpanzee/orangutan pheromones, and you went out into the forest alone.... Well, if you're a guy, I might suggest you pack the K-Y!-Knuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Your from Oregon. Hey that's a great place to feel alive when in the woods at night and listening to all the night sounds around you. Say hi to Autumn for me, Tracker Ya, It's a GREAT place. I'm lucky, and I even remember that when I'm out in the boonies at o'dark AM wondering if that was REALLY an owl that just yowled so hard it woke me up.. Owls can be LOUD around here, so it's like a game of percentages that I play on a semi-regular basis. Mostly the odds let me just nestle down and go back to sleep... I have never met Autumn, but I did see her present Enoch at the OSS. The first one. It was actually quite entertaining. I'm probably not going to the second one. Too much money for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sallaranda Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 That actually makes me feel better, Sallaranda, thank you. I'm pretty sure I can do that. Black bears don't freak me out like cougars. Grizzlies freak me out, because I am perfectly rational. Sasquatch. I'm trying to decide how long I would be frozen, trying to process seeing something that isn't supposed to exist. No problem. The reason I know this is because I have been attacked by a cougar. I'm not a particularly big or strong person, but a couple jabs to the cougar and my reluctance to go down was all it took for the feline to take off. My most severe injury was caused by the claws, not the teeth. For me personally, having seen a Sasquatch, I know my reaction was much different than my cougar attack. I was miles away from the beast but I was frozen still and my body's response was highly ineffective. It was a pretty emotional reaction that I wasn't expecting. Had I been closer to the creature, I do not think I would have been able to fight/flee. I mean, I've had a gun held to my head and not panicked--I do better with a head-on threat than some sneaky cat getting the jump on me. If I was crept up on by Sassie? Well I think the ball's in his/her court there. Like a Grizzly. Like a Grizzly, only 10fold. Grizzly's are very much the masters of their domain, and other than potentially Sasquatch is the most dominant animal in its environment. I can only begin to imagine the way Sasquatch has mastered and dominated its domain. Take a human, give it incredible size, strength, razor sharp teeth, and the desire to kill. That's what a Sasquatch is. In my opinion, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tracker Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Ya, It's a GREAT place. I'm lucky, and I even remember that when I'm out in the boonies at o'dark AM wondering if that was REALLY an owl that just yowled so hard it woke me up.. Owls can be LOUD around here, so it's like a game of percentages that I play on a semi-regular basis. Mostly the odds let me just nestle down and go back to sleep... I have never met Autumn, but I did see her present Enoch at the OSS. The first one. It was actually quite entertaining. I'm probably not going to the second one. Too much money for me. I am trying to remember if i hiked there or in Washington state? One of them i just drove through because of an early fall snowstorm in the mts. What do they charge $ to attend those? Hey do you know if the prima donnas in this trade get paid for speaking at conferences? I thought it was volunteer with free accomdations or something? Gees i must be cheap and easy because I've done that for some free beers and meal before. Hey I really like Autumn but I've never read her book. I was an old member on her site before it got big. I left when she was prego and constantly talked about her baby on her Bf site. Sorry but it was too girly for my liking, my baby this my baby that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tracker Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) Another point I wanted to bring up is, as scary or intimidating as it is to see one up close. Sometimes you run into more than one of them like 2 or 3 or even a family group while out hiking. IMO sometimes they behave different under those circumstances. From the reports we have they seem to be more deffensive or territorial under those conditions. So be carefull and watch out Edited April 21, 2011 by tracker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oonjerah Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Sure, but would prefer a close range encounter to be when I'm hunting something else and chosen to take my 338 Mag that day. Would I shoot? probably not if the monkee stayed in neutral. If it showed aggression?, well the 338 mag was devised specifically to put the skids on the biggest & most dangerous game in North America. We might well get some questions answered if that unlikely day ever came... I have long held the position that we humans are genetically imprinted to fear large predators, even if we have never encountered them in our largely urban existence. The idiots that don't have been getting culled out for as long as we have been around. Google "Timothy Treadwell" if you want to see an example of a large predator/human cull candidate story. The people who have been scared spitless by a close up encounter with a monkee are just showing good natural survival instinct, IMO... Timothy Treadwell Incident--A Full Report and Examination, Night of the Grizzly http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/Tim_Treadwell.html "Bears in Katmai National Park typically begin to den sometime in October or November and go into hyperphagia in early September, as they try to gain as much weight as possible prior to denning by mass feeding." Pilot Willy Fulton dropped Tim & Amie off in the Park on Sep 29. He returned to pick them up on Oct 6 ... too late. Tim knew better; Amie didn't. The old bear that killed them was scrawny, unable to catch fish and game, I'd guess. Treadwell truly earned the Darwin Award for 2003. But he wasn't nominated for it. I feel bad for Amie. Survival goes to the strongest, fastest, smartest ... and those who know what to fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 do I really want to have an encounter with a bigfoot? Yes and no. Yes, I would like to know for sure, just for myself. I'd love to be able to collect actual evidence. No, because I would never go out into the woods again, I'd never go camping again, I'd never go hiking again and I'd never sleep soundly again. Not sure it's worth that. I don't want fear to run my life and I am afraid of bigfoot, having heard one or two a couple of times I think. If it happens by chance I want to be prepared, but if not, I won't be disappointed and I'll get to enjoy my hikes and outdoorsy adventures. So, yes and no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Strong bump oonjerah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Good point, Bipedalist. Just my opinion but I would far less want to encounter a 'small" (say, my 5'9" height or smaller) than a large or adult one. here is my reasoning... First the unreasonable: The creepiness factor of facing something my size that is shaped approximately human but clearly isn't. A horror story cornerstone that dates back to lord alone know when. When I was a kid watching Creature Feature on Saturdays to me the scariest monsters were the human sized ones such as Lon Chaney Jr as the Wolfman, who were human/human sized but at the same time something terrifyingly not human... The reasonable: My sized or smaller would seem to indicate an adolescent or younger booger. Long outdoors/hunting experience has taught me that the young of large game but particularly predators are to be avoided as one may soon be evading or trying to repel protective beyond fear instinct adults. We all know how problematic adolescents of any species are when out on their own and pushing boundaries. I would much prefer a Class A encounter to be with an adult as it might be a bit more predictable in it's unpredictability... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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