anyone ever encounter wild animals

Three deer the other night but nothing dangerous. Take care all, Greg

 

I was riding on the local track yesterday in Sydney's Northwest and a large black cat darted across the track and disappeared into the bush.

Way too big to be a domestic cat. Thought I was seeing things. from head to tail it was over 4ft. I have never seen a feral cat that large and sleek looking. It was totally black all over and to me it looked like a panther. I have heard about sightings on the Blue mountains previously but not near Dural.

 

westgate park in melbourne two weeks back - 2 snakes seen on the dirt crits course...

 

The usual Aussie thing- snakes, kangaroos, snakes, wallabies, snakes...you get the picture.
Spinning up a hill near the end of a 54 km trip and go off the track to get around a fallen tree. As I come back onto the track (I'm concentrating where the front wheel is going at this stage) I look up to see a brown snake 1 meter in front of the wheel. Hit the brakes, but yikes!,forgot to unclip so over I go. The snake went left and I fell left, but fortunately it was faster than my fall.
Interesting chart to see how toxic these critters are at
http://www.barefootbushman.com/venoms.htm
My brown snake is no. 2 on the list. They deserve a lot of respect.
Halcyon

 

On the trail I ride, mountain lion warning signs are posted every few miles. I have not WANTED to see one; hence, my speed used to exceed my fitness! I have since slowed down. A few weeks ago I had a close call with a--sorry, not a mountain lion--a bobcat. I was making a sharp left turn on the trail and he/she saw me and took off in front of me across the trail and disappeared. I'm not sure who was more surprised. I see a lot of wild turkeys. I love the low-flying Canadian geese on my dusk rides. Well, sorry, nothing shocking in my post, but I had to write. This was my first post. Virgin post you could say...

 

Welcome the forum. What's a bobcat? kinda like a mtn lion? we don't have them here in Au Bobcats are earthmoving machinery here.

 

small wild cat. only slightly larger than a housecat. we've got a few on our ranch. as well as mt lions, bears, wild pigs, turkey, rattle snakes. saw a hawk get a mouse on sat. that was cool.

 

wow, looks like a domestic cat on steriods. but more hair.

 

think 'Feral Cat'.
if you've had experience with these suckers, you'll have an idea of a bobcat. similar in size.

anyone seen a puma in the grampians yet??

 

Just deer, rabbits squirrels...
If I can sneak my bike into the zoo I'll change my response to anacondas, crocs, and gorillas.

 

here in the uk the only thing i ever see are squirrels, foxes, badgers ,game birds etc. Though there is apparently a panther on the loose in my county.

 

Hi Olly wheres your county, should i be on the look out here in yorkshire !!

 

its Rutland and Leicestershire, there's stuff about sightings in the local newspapers all the time.
Though there's also apparently some in Yorkshire!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series4/index_big_cats_yorkshire_lincolnshire_sightings.shtml

 

I ws making a turn onto a street I know quite well`and ran into a flock of seagulls dining out side in a dumpster. While I was trying to avoid running over the two on the ground this big goomer flew off the top of the dumster right into the side of my helmet! You might be able to imagine being hit in the head with a dead 2 to 3 pound chicken from the store, but try to imagine some one banging you in the head with a loud feathers flapping Live chicken! It almost knocked me off the bike. Hitchcock was right the Birds Is Coming.

 

I have seen, but not been run into by, deer, rabbits, squirrels, an occasional pheasant, hawks, and owls.

I have run over ducks a couple of times. Only once did it actually kill the duck though. I have been attacked by Canada geese on a couple of occasions. Those things are dangerous. Wings in the face hurt. I managed to avoid being bitten though. Not really sure that's what it was trying to do. They'll chase you too.

 

I got nailed by a dropbear once. I've got a few scars, but I lived. Life is good.

 

^ no way. btw what are drop bears?

 

There are a number of varieties, ranging in size from the size of a domestic cat to just slightly bigger than an adult male human. They are known for their dense fur coat, which is usually uniform in shade but varies in overall colour from grey to white. Their favourite launching point is from the limbs of mature eucalypts. Its predatory instincts.are the stuff of legend.

I believe a large white one was recently the subject of a public service advertisement featuring a small group of females camping in the wilderness beneath a large eucalypt. It is vital to avoid camping beneath the limbs of these trees. They are known as “widowmakers” for good reason. Fortunately the women managed to avid serious injury.

 

We have quite a few mule deer in our area and at times they will run along side (about 20 feet away) coming down a fast section. Have seen several fox, tons of rabbits, mountain lion signage although have never seen any on the trail (have seen a couple while driving through the neighborhood), plenty of bear dropings in the fall.

The best for me was while I was on a nice climb and trying to set a new PB, I came around a corner to find a bull elk right in the middle of the trail. He was massive and started to trot off up the trail. I had forgotten about him thinking I had scared him off only to find him still in the trail around the next bend. He took off again and I thought for sure that was the last of him. When I came around the third corner, he was standing up hill about 30 feet staring at me while I continued to grind past. Was a very cool experience. I did set a new PB and thought that next time I should probably be a little more cautious. If he decided to charge me, I would have been toast.

 

Yes, you learn when you're pretty young down here in Oz to look out for those drop bears.