Running with wildlife

I hit a groundhog on my bike last week.

Yes, let that set in.

I ...hit....a....groundhog.  Big sucker.  I almost crashed.  I was totally aero, and the little punk came out of the weeds into the bike path.  Before I could even react, I did the "thump, thump" and was planning my fall.  I never fell, thank goodness, and I went back to check on the little daredevil and never found him. 

Needless to say I am more careful on the stretch of the cycle path.

We have bears, lions, bees, rattlesnakes, gila monsters and angry pig-bears with poor eyesight and rotten dispositions.

Basically, they want nothing to do with us. If you stink and make a lot of noise they'll avoid you. The sensory capabilities of animals is tuned such that they know we are coming long before we will ever see them, and they exit the area. There are chance encounters, and with the exception of black bears- where you are in trouble- simply heading back the other way will generally neutralize the situation.

lol, I was inches away from taking out a rabbit in a similar scenario.

Fortunately in Nebraska Deer and Rabbits are about the only thing we have to worry about.  The Mosquito's can be brutal at times.

From a safety standpoint I really don't know what advice to give.  I would imagine the same advice for any type of hiking or trail walking would suffice.  So, if you can easily carry bear spray, whistle, baton, or whatever I would say that's good advice.

Ultimately though, I think it's your call on how comfortable you are out there.

You forgot the killer bees.  I've never been as suprised on a run as when I was in the national park running the trails and came across the danger - killer bees sign.  I wonder if all the animals know the parks are all closed right now? 

Where in Alaska are you?

I lived there as a child and remember that those moose can be mean and scary. I don't blame you for giving those things wide berth.  Although we had a mom who came back to our neighborhood every year and got to the point that we could hand feed it.  We didn't have a bear problem in the city as far as I can remember (I lived in Anchorage) but we do occasionally get black bears down here on the Front Range in Colorado and certainly in the mountains.  I've never really thought about what I would do if I found one while running.  Are you talking about blacks or kodiaks? 

I had a bunny try to take me down pushed on my foot for 10 feet or so.....

I'd have been a lot more freaked out if he had been a "White Rabbit".

I usually have deer cross the road when I'm running in the early morning.   Last year I had a few Woodcock buzz by my head on the same stretch of road.  Kinda freaky.  We have black bear but I'm not too concerned with them.

To the OP, I wonder if a bear bell would work.  Of course that could also be called a dinner bell I guess.

I imagine bear spray or perhaps a bear bell around the neck so they can hear you coming are the best options other than running during a time of day where they aren't as active (and that's no guarantee).  I'll probably be heading to northern Michigan to visit my dad sometime this summer and I've had the thought of getting a run in while I'm there, but there are black bears there too. He had a couple get into his bird feeder a couple of springs ago.  I imagine if I stayed on the roads away from the forested areas it would be fine, but venturing out alone like that can be iffy.

As for where I live.  Not a ton to worry about other than what might jump in front of me on the bike trail while biking. I had a close call with a raccoon in that situation once.  There are coyotes around, though I've never seen one myself.  One guy's dog (looked a lot like a pit bull) got loose while I was on a run and chased me for about 100 yards or so before he considered me far enough away, then turned around and went home.  Boy that scared the bejesus out of me.

Dolphins this morning.  But they stayed in their water and I stayed on my running path

Also skunks on the trails early mornings

Here in the Deep South I have to worry about pit bulls that have been raised to fight in illegal dog fighting. Even with all the cash their owner are earning in these illegal operations, they somehow still can't afford fences. So when the dogs aren't being ran to death on treadmills, they are out in their yards without a fence, without a leash, bored and ready to chase and attack anything that comes by.

I avoid all neighborhoods/area where I know they are there, but even on my usual routes, I carry a Taurus ACP .380 with hallow points in my SPI Belt along with my weapons permit. On my Sunday long run, my husband rides alongside me on his hybrid bike with his S&W M&P .40 with hallow points in his shoulder harness with 2 extra mags along with his weapons permit. My husband is in the Army and I pray that we get orders the hell out of here so I can feel safe again.

Oh, shoot, I just remembered this story.   That'll wake you up.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/26/bicyclist-going-45-mph-hits-bear-boulder-county/

Maybe some kind of mini air-horn you could clip on your shorts or put in a camelbak?

Had some wise A$$ kids install a train horn on their VW bug and blast it right next to me when I was running one day. Scared the you-know-what out of me (they thought it was hilarious....and I guess it was a little funny).

Wonder if it might have the same kind of effect on a bear or moose.

[Hijack] I was running in my little town one day last year and didn't realize the train was coming a couple of blocks over.  Just as it was about even with me it blew it's horn.  I nearly peed myself.   I doubt I would react well to a car doing that to me.  [/Hijack]

That's awesome. 

Small firearm for me.  Old running partner used to carry a small revolver - pulled it out on a couple of occasions but never fired it, due to coyotes circling; one would 'distract' the group jogging up ahead, and when we turned around there were 4-5 tailing us.  They were more interested in the dogs for sure, but it still felt nice to have.  She carried it in a running waist pack - something akin to this: http://www.backcountry.com/store/review/200067859/Nice-Waist-Option-in-a-camelBACK-world.html

Besides coyotes a-plenty, I've also spotted a mountain lion in my area (at night), a lynx the size of my golden retriever, a couple large badgers, and scattered backpacks/mexican blankets on my regular trail running route, so a small revolver is something my husband really wants me to carry, at least for jogging purposes, and I'm not opposed to carrying one.  Me vs. a mountain lion would be bad news.  Apparently badgers can be fierce.  My glock 40 is a bit much to be lugging around.

Do you need to worry about the bears - are they black bears or some other more aggressive variety?

When I was training for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN I was training on the Gunflint Trail about 10-15 miles from Canada.  I'd see moose and black bears on my runs.  I never did carry anything.  The best advice I got about what do with moose is if they chase you, run behind a tree.  Moose can't turn as fast as us so the quick turns you can make, the easier you can get away.  They always seemed to be scared of me though.  I'd be running on a two lane road that got cliffed out on both sides sometimes and they be in front me.  If I just kept running, they started running away from me.

Bear are a different beast.  I only saw a couple of them.  The one time I saw one early on, I just crossed to the other side of the road, made myself as big as I could, and yelled a lot.  The other time I saw one way too late and I got too close.  I just didn't make eye contact and kept the same distance until he started to move off into the woods.

It's a wild world out there, be careful folks!

I love it how you mentioned "the wild kind", would be really funny if an old lady who had the hots for you was hiding in the woods behind your house.

Only coyotes, javelina, rattlesnakes, and bobcats out here. I've been told there are mountain lions but never seen one. Coyotes very rarely attack adults (as in, it's virtually unheard of even though the locals would have you think it happens all the time). We have bear and elk too, but they almost as rare as a coyote attack.

I have 2 Rhodesian ridgebacks that I jog with either together or separately most of the time, but I don't worry about jogging alone either. No guns, spray, etc. If I were worried about the wildlife, I'd carry a bell or at least some keys that make a bit of noise as I run. Also, some sort of pepper or bear spray. I've heard that most handguns aren't very effective against a charging bear, but don't have any first-hand experience. I think being loud and letting the wildlife know you are there would be a good bet. They don't want to mess with us any more than we do with them.

I like how you specify "the wild kind" of cougar.  Gotta watch out for those hot 40-year old women, too.  That's a whole 'nother kind of wildlife.

Sorry, just saw that someone beat me to it.

Thanks, I'm thinking about upgrading to a sub-compact 9mm, but love how small the ACP is and its so light, it weighs about the same as my Droid X phone, only a 6-round clip though, which can be a disadvantage.

We have Cougars, Bears, Owls, Hawks, Roadrunners and Coyotes.  I've been attacked (dove at) by Owls and Hawks.

The Bears around here are homeless looking and pathetic.  They're black bears and not the mean kind.

I see Coyotes all the time, and even 'raced' one that ended up on the road.  Coyotes are harmless but if you ever see an empty ACME box, steer clear!