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DEL.ICIO.USHave you had a Man vs. Wild encounter?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have you ever seen a bear in the woods while hiking or trout fishing in north Georgia? Was it no big deal? Or did it scare the heck out of you?
The state DNR sent out a press release late in the week reporting that a black bear was spotted in Roswell, and that, obviously, local residents were concerned.
It’s no surprise a bear was seen in the ‘burbs, especially this time of year, when young male bears on their own for the first time begin roaming to establish their own territories. That sometimes mean they stumble into urbanized areas. If left alone, the bears will eventually return to their traditional range.
“If a black bear is sighted passing through an area, the best thing to do is to leave it alone,” said Adam Hammond, WRD wildlife biologist. “Residents should never approach a bear and never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Even worse, attempting to ‘tree’ or corner a bear in a certain area often compromises both the safety and welfare of the bear and the safety of the residents in the surrounding area.”
This got me thinking about wildlife encounters that outdoors enthusiasts have. I’ve never really some across a wildlife situation that I thought was dangerous.
Earlier this month, me and my 10-year-old participated in a Scout camping weekend near Clayton and were awaken by a bear, whose roar echoed through the woods. The animal roared three or four times, and while it was a bit unsettling, it really was no big deal.
I’ve surprised a few poisonous snakes over the years, and I had strange staredown with a raccoon that had me getting my fishing pole ready to use to swat it. But that’s about it.
Not exactly Man vs. Wild, huh?
So, what about you? Do you have a story, whether scary or funny, to tell about a wild encounter?
Comments
By D. Crockett
May 9, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
I killed me a bar when I was only three.
By Omar
May 9, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
I went camping once at Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham and was awakened in the wee hours by a coyote sniffing the tent just a few inches from my head. Another time while hiking on Fort Mountain in Murray County, I heard something large crashing through brush not too far from me. Might have been a deer, might have been a black bear. But it was so thick I never did see what it was. And, best of all, once while spending six months working in Northern California, I heard something shaking the sliding glass door at the rear of my apartment. It was a mountain lion pawing at it.
By Bdaughtry
May 12, 2008 8:55 AM | Link to this
3 weeks ago, while turkey hunting at our farm in Sumter County, I was stalked by a red fox. I was set up in a hedge row with my decoy 10 yards away from me in the edge of a field. The wind was in my face. The young fox stepped out of the woods about 30 yards from my hen decoy and when I clucked, the fox crouched down and took several steps towards the decoy. I clucked again, and the fox turned his attention in my direction and continued his stalk until he got about 10 yards away at which time I had enjoyed enough of that and waved at the fox. The fox then turned and went back into the woods.
By ChampDawg
May 12, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
“Man vs. Wild” refers to surviving in the wild— man against nature for food and shelter without the comforts of any modern convieniences. It has nothing to do with encountering and being close to wild animals.
Please devote this column to something we all care about… hunting and fishing. Nobody cares about a scout trip.
By Scott Bernarde
May 12, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this
How many of y’all have seen coyotes in the metro.
I’ve seen two now. One near Jimmy Carter Blvd. just recently and another in the Killian Hill Road area.
By Windknot
May 13, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this
In Eastern Gwinnett, I see many more foxes (red) than coyotes.