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Your encounters with wildlife

myDeaconmyhand said:
3. A couple years ago my friends and I were on a boat near Emerald Isle and about 500 yds from shore we found a huge school of Bluefish or Shad. Two of us jumped right in the middle of it, and it was pretty awesome. There were probably thousands of them in the school, but I never felt one touch me.
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whoa, what were you thinking? bluefish are pretty aggressive and can fuck you up (e.g., take off a finger or toe), esp. when traveling in a school or frenzy (google "bluefish blitz"). we made everyone get out of the water when schools went by while lifeguarding out on long island...
 
we were fishing 40 miles off the coast of the outer banks this past 4th of july weekend, and a pod of about 10 dolphins swam right next to the boat for 3-4 minutes. we were leaning over the side, and coming a foot from being able to touch them. one of the coolest things i've ever experienced.
 
Just opened my garage door and a huge male deer came strolling out. I guess he wandered in while it was open then got stuck in there once the door closed. He didn't even run out, just walked out, looked at me, then kept walking to the woods.
 
NYCDeac said:
whoa, what were you thinking? bluefish are pretty aggressive and can fuck you up (e.g., take off a finger or toe), esp. when traveling in a school or frenzy (google "bluefish blitz"). we made everyone get out of the water when schools went by while lifeguarding out on long island...
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I've never heard of that before. I looked up some videos of "Bluefish Blitz", the school we swam with/in wasn't jumping and being aggressive like those examples. I'll know better next time, I guess.:plos:
 
My mom and I came face to face with a 7 foot reef shark snorkeling in the Bahamas. She started to do exactly the wrong thing and panic, but I almost crushed her hand and got her to calm down and we watched it swim right past. I didn't tell her that at the time I was terrified it was a tiger shark.

Snorkled through a school of around 100 tarpon (big ones too) one time at a large reef. That was pertty intimidating, but really cool, as I knew they wouldn't hurt me. Also swam with a big school of spotted eagle rays, which are some of the coolest creatures on earth.

Went on a snowmobile excursion way out in the wilderness outside Jackson Hole and saw Bald Eagles, Big Horn Sheep, Elk, and Moose all in their natural habitats. That was something I'll never forget.
 
myDeaconmyhand said:
I've never heard of that before. I looked up some videos of "Bluefish Blitz", the school we swam with/in wasn't jumping and being aggressive like those examples. I'll know better next time, I guess.:plos:
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Haha there's a reason you need a wire lead when fishing for them.
 
Most of my encounters involve the water: have caught a copperhead while fly fishing on the Davidson River (intentionally snagged it); came face to face with a school of barracuda while diving in the Keys (clearing my mask and began to surface); hooked into an alligator while pond fishing at Pawley's Island Plantation.

Even better--my dad had some unreal wildlife encounters while serving a tour in Vietnam. I'm talking a cobra, a tiger, and a monitor lizard!!
 
myDeaconmyhand said:
I've never heard of that before. I looked up some videos of "Bluefish Blitz", the school we swam with/in wasn't jumping and being aggressive like those examples. I'll know better next time, I guess.:plos:
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just looking out for you, brother, just looking out....
 
Been bitten on the left hand by a small copperhead, bitten on the right hand by a black widow, bitten on the heel by a black snake, stung on the leg by a Portuguese man o war.

Nature can bite me.
 
drew said:
Been bitten on the left hand by a small copperhead, bitten on the right hand by a black widow, bitten on the heel by a black snake, stung on the leg by a Portuguese man o war.

Nature can bite me.
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Seriously?
 
My wife and I were kayaking out from a neighborhood canal into the inter-coastal waterway in Ft. Pierce, FL. It was low tide and the area we were paddling over was only about four feet deep at the time. It was just as calm and peaceful as can be when all of a sudden the water under us started churning like crazy and we were literally lifted up off the surface of the water.

We had paddled over top of a couple of manatees. Usually we'd see them when they came up to breathe, but their color makes them hard to see when you're sitting at water level in a kayak and these two were completely submerged. I guess in the shallow water they freaked with us paddling right over top of them. It was a miracle that we weren't swamped, but neither my wife nor I went in.
 
when I was stationed in California, the base was near the Monterey Bay and not far from Big Sur so even though the base was surrounded by residential areas wildlife would make its way onto the base every now and then. The thing is, though, most military bases are considered Federal Reservations so the wildlife is protected and can only be moved if it poses a danger. Well this fox started coming around regularly and the gate guards began leaving food for him near the gate. He eventually got comfortable and took to roaming around the base, which was pretty small. It was very common during our afternoon workout sessions for him to come down to the field where we worked out and he'd just sit on the side of the track and watch us. It was a little weird at first to get used to this fox just chilling there watching us as we ran by him.

I didn't experience this personally (thank god) but while stationed in Alaska we were giving the new soldiers a briefing at the beginning of summer about the dangers they could face while roaming around Alaska during their off duty time. We mentioned that they needed to stay away from the moose at all cost and not make any loud noises or sudden movements. The soldiers started laughing thinking it was us overreacting. Then one of the other briefers spoke up about a time when he was driving back from Denali National forest one weekend with a friend and they came across a bull moose standing in the middle of the highway blocking the road. The driver of the car started honking his horn trying to get the moose to move out of the way. The moose just turned, looked at them, then proceeded to attack the car. No one in the car was injured but the car was totaled.
 
I forgot one.

I live on the edge of town in the mountains of Southern Arizona so I occasionally see wildlife while driving home from work. Usually, though, thye stay out of the apartment complex i live in. One night a few months ago I stepped outside to have a cigarette and saw three javelina about 50 feet from my patio. It think it was a mother, father, and child based on their size. The two smaller ones ran away when they saw me but the big one just stood there and stared at me for a second. After a few seconds he just dipped his head to the ground, grabbed something, then looked back at me. He just kept staring at me while crunching something in his mouth (I could her the crunching and grinding). The thing is my apartment complex has no grass, just dirt and rocks (even though it's in the mountains it's still southern Arizona and a desert). I'm pretty sure he was staring me down while chewing rocks. He definitely won the badass contest, though, cause I quickly put out my cigarette and went back inside.
 
Not a personal story, but this guy I know, Noah, claims he used to have a big ass ship and once put two of every animal on Earth onto it. Says the smell was horrific and he spent most of his time hiding in the ship's casino. I've seen much crazier shit, so I tend to believe him. Besides, my dad says its true.

I myself have always been more inclined to hang out with domesticated animals, particularly lambs. I've always wanted to go on safari.
 
I've been struck by a rattlesnake (shot him). I've had a emerge bear and lay down on the green as I hit my approach shot at a golf course near Cashiers, NC. I've been very close to coyotes...saw a wild turkey attack and nearly kill a coyote gamecock style. Caught a baby raccoon as a kid. I was run over by a wild hog while hiking (subsequently killed him). Had a cottonmouth moccasin attack me in a jon boat (killed him with paddle) and shot an alligator to prevent him from doing the same (not sure if I killed him).
 
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