It's a very rainy Saturday today. You know what's funny? I thought yesterday was Wednesday...time just means very little to me these days! Anyway, I'm grateful for the rain because it keeps the loud weekender neighbours in the city! I was walking the dogs and wanted to stop to take a picture of them (as usual!) and they all suddenly stopped and looked in one direction. They heard something...
We were kind of at the end of the line for now because both trails turned into rivers overnight. I don't walk in this part of the woods too often because it gets kind of wild, though the snowmobile trails make nice walking trails in the summer. It was so quiet! I noticed even the birds stopped chirping...usually a sign of a predator near. The dogs kept staring and listening and I was staring and listening too! It was quite early, about 6:15am. I then heard some ruffling and what I thought was a growl. At that point all three started barking. That was my cue to take the reigns and hurry back to the road! I admit, I had that pit of fear in my stomach, and I don't get that often when I'm in the woods. I think that I'll stick to the trail that isn't so deep in the woods from now on!
Oh, you can be sure there be wild beasties out there! (Most often it turns out to be a rambunctious chipmunk, but even that can sound like a wild buffalo tromping through the woods!)
ReplyDeleteWe have a small hay field where deer come to graze. My husband has a clear view of the scene from his upstairs office. A couple of mornings ago there were 4-5 deer out there, heads down in the new greenery, when all of a sudden, he said it was like a deer explosion. They all immediately scattered as if they had been shoot out of a gun. He continued watching wondering what was going on when a full 10 seconds later, a brush wolf (coyote) came trotting up around the curve of the driveway heading toward the hay field. Like your dogs, the deer obviously have a keen sense of hearing (or some other radar!) that we humans don't!
YIKES! what do you think it was? a bear?
ReplyDeleteHi Mama Pea :) Those chipmunks do make a lot of ruffle...but I never get that gut instinct that I got this morning! The deer scare the bleep out of me when they gallop away too! The dogs definitely heard the beast before I did...but that growl kind of scared me and it felt really too close for comfort! I remember bumping into a coyote once and it just kind of stared at me, I was on my bike, so I gently turned around and biked away with eyes in the back of my head!!
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce :)) Well, the bears don't usually come down this south, they're more north of where I am. There was a second lynx spotting the other day, so it could have been that. When I got home, I looked up "lynx growl" on You Tube and it sounded close to what I heard. I'm sure once the dogs started barking it ran away. It could have been a mom protecting her cub? Anyway, I admit to being a little deep in the woods so I'll stay away from now on.
ReplyDeleteWell, look on the bright side. If you get gobbled up by a bear, someone will make a movie about you!
ReplyDeleteIf you live in bear country, you really need to be careful. Not just in the woods. I've walked up on them around my buildings here in broad daylight.
Lol Harry, is that how I'll achieve my fame? ;) Luckily this isn't, or shouldn't be, bear country. I'm a little lower in the Laurentian mountains and sightings here are rare. They stick mostly to the northern mountains.
ReplyDeleteRain - we have bears, coywolves, bobcats, moose, deer, etc. etc. here on the island. but we have never had any problem with any of them. your dogs are your security defense. if they start growling - you high-tail it out of there like you did! and also, pay attention to the birds...if the birds take off all at the same time - something is coming or is around. i have seen our birds all fly off and then 10 mins later a car goes up the road. the birds and the cats are my first layer of security. you know what my second layer is.
ReplyDeletestay safe and give those beautiful dogs a big kiss and hug from me! sending love. your friend,
kymber
Probably just a bigfoot, you should have done a couple of tree knocks!
ReplyDeleteHi Kymber :) Oh yes, my gut is another layer of security for me too. Sometimes the forest critters surprise me but this morning I felt threatened so I knew it was time to leave! I'll give the dogs many hugs and kisses for you!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Gill :) Oh yes, I always forget about Bigfoot!! :) I thought the tree knocking attracted them though! :)
ReplyDeleteOh my! That was an adventure! My goats will all do that sometimes - just stop stark still, all facing the same direction, just staring off somewhere. It's a little unnerving to not know what it is, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh :)) Yes, it was unnerving. I'm sure the goats sense something that makes them feel nervous is out there...I felt a little exposed! I have to take precautions and I think the big one is just not using that trail, it really goes deep into the woods and probably not a good idea if I'm on foot, or don't have a weapon!
ReplyDeleteIn our parts, we have the threat of wild coyote. Then after, that it's the black bear, which has been spotted moving closer into our state from surrounding states. For now, it's simply raccoons, fox, wild turkeys and ground hogs. We had a ground hog in the yard the other day. I snapped a photo and sent it to Hubby asking if he wanted ground hog for dinner. And yes, we've both eaten it too. That ground hog was off before I could grab a .22 and shoot it though.
ReplyDeleteSure sounds scary to me. I guess I am of the faint of heart! How long have you lived in that area? Glad you were okay. Nancy
ReplyDeleteHi Kristina :) When we move more in the woods, I'm planning a weapons course and getting my permit so I can have some kind of protection. I've only seen a bear once close by and it was big enough to scare me!
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy :) I've been living in this area for 16 years. The lynx are new around here though, they used to only be more north. You have to respect the wildlife, most of the time they get scared too! The danger is coming upon them suddenly though. So far, I've been okay, just got a little terrified once in a while!! :) Keeps me on my toes :)
ReplyDeleteIf the dogs say go, it is time to go.
ReplyDeleteYou're very right TB! :)
ReplyDelete"it's a samsquanch ricky " 😏😏
ReplyDeleteLol Nik...It's been too long since I watched that. I have to start that series over again, just to get my vocabulary right lol! ;)
ReplyDeleteHa ha ... we just wqtched the newest season on Netflix ... gotta fuckin love those boys 😆
Deletebahahahahah! we have watched every season of trailer park boys about a thousand times! how can a show get funnier the more you watch it??? i don't know.
ReplyDeletebut if you get the chance - find "the increasingly poor decisions of todd margaret". i honestly thought that show would kill me. laughed so hard at every show that i had to pause every 30 seconds. oh how i love todd margaret!!! xoxoxo
Oh boy!!! Good thing you had the dogs with you! When we go up to our cottage its in bear country. And I always have at least one dog with me when walking. And bear bells. Both the dogs and ourselves wear them. I have a disgustingly heightened fear of bears and am never really enjoying myself when out at the cottage because of the bears. And it doesn't help knowing that the one path the bears take is right through our property.
ReplyDeleteI wish it was Wednesday....closer to Friday!! :)
Just catching up after a super busy weekend....
Hi Kymber :) I looked up that show, and I was a big fan of Arrested Development so I think it's up my alley, I'll check it out because I love David Cross and Will Arnett! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Dianna :))
ReplyDeleteI have bear bell actually, thanks for making me remember! When I lived more north in the early 2000's, there were black bears roaming the woods outside my house. One winter morning I stumbled on a cub under my back deck and the bears continually tried to eat the garbage bins. I bought the bear bell for my pug Winston back in the day because he loved to run in the woods and I wanted to make sure he was safe. I should attach it to my back pack when I go out with the dogs, though all 4 of us make a lot of noise!!
Oh gosh, I just looked at the calendar, it's Monday isn't it? I have to say I feel for you, I remember my office/working days and it was not the life I wanted to be leading, that's for sure.
oh Rain - if you liked arrested development and will and david - yoU will scream over todd margaret. i can't wait to hear about what you think of it!
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know Kymber :)
ReplyDeleteBears are my biggest fear but although we have them here I have only seen one. In Iowa we had coyotes but I had dogs so it was never a problem. Deer in rutting season can be pretty scary here too as I walk in the woods and we have lots of deer. So glad all worked out. I always tell people that my dogs are my 'early warning system' and they are! So glad you got out of the woods safely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sam :) I think the dogs are the best protectors I have in the woods. I've heard crazy stories about moose in rutting season too, but the moose are a little more East of us so that's not a worry. I've been in the woods every morning since this incident...I even decided to go back to that same spot with the dogs and we were fine. Charlie wears a bear bell now though! She loves it!
ReplyDelete