I agree about people. Wherever the pictures were taken, that's a heck of a gator.

Hi all. This is my first post. I had a "wildlife" encounter a long time ago. It was footprints, and I still don't know what they were. It wasn't bigfoot or anything, but perhaps you folks might have some insight. Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong spot. I found this website because I have been interested in strange creatures and footprints ever since I saw the prints described below.

In the winter of approximately 1977, my friend and I were exploring a creek area in northern new jersey behind an elementary school. It had snowed the night before and there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. I saw a series of tracks that meandered through the woods, generally following the creek. The tracks were arc shaped, about 5 inches in diameter, and looked like a round horse-shoe. The center was not compressed. It was as if someone took a thick-walled coffee can, cut a notch out of it, and pressed it into the snow. The tracks were all single-line, not side by side, and they were spaced about a foot and a half apart. No idea what they were. The only thing I could think of was maybe rabbit tracks that melted in a wierd way. But it would be odd that all the tracks melted the same way and formed this round arc. We followed the tracks for about a half a mile, and they kept going.

Any ideas would be appreciated,
Pinto

Sorry I can't offer some assist, Pinto, but I had to say, WOW, that is a big gator.... and thanks, JayleeD for finding the skinny on that picture.

I don't know where your grandpa lives, but I had a good friend tell me when he was out hunting last year he swears he saw a black panther (WA State - Colville Nat Forest) so he reported it to the Ranger District who supposedly told him that they have had other reports and from their knowledge and Fish and Games's this was probably an exotic cats bought as a cub and when they grow and begin to be a problem for the owner, they dump the exotic cats in the wilderness area's. I could buy that........... We have two exotic cat habitats in a 50 mile radius.

Howdy folks,

That deer/gator photo is GREAT! Thanks BSF...made me kinda homesick. I grew up in South Carolina...on the edge of the Wateree River swamp. When I was a kid, gator's were RARE...I mean really rare. As I grew older...they became more and more plentiful...and then, plenty BIG! When they had full protection, and the habitat to do so...the population snapped back. I love those creatures...nothing like watching one of the remaining holdovers from the dinosaur days.

Maybe that's why I had the urge to become a Green Amphibious monster myself...by enlisting in the Marines.

By the way...you guys and gals ROCK(if it's ok for someone very nearly 40 to say such a thing). I love reading each and every expression of free speach on this entire forum...right, wrong or indifferent...who cares and who's to judge?

Watching from the sidelines...and now posting here and there. :wink:

Welcome to the BFF's, Gunny.

gunny,

Welcome, hope you enjoy it here, I have.

Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan-
Wildlife seen on hikes/hunting trips:
1. Bobcat or Lynx not sure which
2. Bald Eagles, Vultures, Red tail hawks, Owls, Osprey
3. GB Herons
4. Minks, Turtles (snappers, painted), Newts of 2 different varieties
5. Loons, Bufflehead Ducks, Mallards, Redhead Ducks, Mergansers, Cormorants.
6. Some sort of land turtle (Just east of Tippee dam) about 9" carapace
7. Birds- standard stuff- robins, blackbirds, crows, chicadees, goldfinches, woodpeckers, flickers etc...
8. Whitetail Deer

NOTE: Michigan DNR has stated that the Cougar or Mountain Lion has been extinct in Michigan for many years. However, there have been recent sitings, and there is even an ongoing study which is testing scat found on lake Michigan dunes to determine a DNA base of a population, to see if in fact there is a breeding population of Cougars. There is also a report of a horse getting mauled by a cougar. If the DNR is correct, then we have to find something else capable of mauling a horse here in N. Michigan.

Yesterday, South Dakota Game Fish and Parks personnel had to kill a mountain lion that had been sighted and eventually cornered in an area within the city limits of Rapid City. If interested...the story is on the Rapid City Journal website. Sorry, I didn't think to cut and paste a link...but a google search will find it.

later friends,

I was almost struck by a huge flying rattlesnake today. The hawk was startled by someone coming the other way and flew straight at me with the snake hanging down below. I tried to get a picture but the hawk was not able to gain altitude so I was a bit distracted.

Pictures of a Pileated Woodpecker in Northern Idaho. It was pretty cool to sit and watch it tear apart this stump and it did it in record time. :popcorn2:

Click to view attachmentClick to view attachmentClick to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Great shots, Squatcher.

Did you hear the "pecker" and follow the sound to get the photos?

Hey Huntster,

That was fairly softwood, decomp'ed, no sound, was hiking into a white pine plantation to do some thinning, stopped for an adjustment break and noticed movement as he was darting all over that stump (I assume he found an ant nest). That PW didn't even care that we were there, normally they are skittish, I took quite a few pics from afar, didn't want to disturb his activity (meal). It sure was a beautiful bird.

Here is a pic of an elk standing off the road in March near Revelstoke B.C.

Click to view attachment

I guess that shoots my theory all to Hell that woodpeckers are easy to find by the noise.

I always found them after they started pecking.



Looks like a great find.

Big bird? The woodpeckers we have up here are fairly small ones.

Hunster,

Oh, you can definitely hear a pileated when they are on a solid surface, this was just a rotted out stump, I have video somewhere of an even larger pileated tapping on an aspen in my backyard. This one was I'd guess about 15", the one I have on video is much closer to 20 inches. Check out this link for the sound of a pileated, you would have no problem finding it in the woods .
Pileated Woodpecker

All we have here in Alaska are small "peckers". None go over 10" in length total, although we have them all year, even in winter. I feed them suet in the winter. They love it!

I hear them all over in the woods, year round. It's like a little jackhammer out there. Sometimes several are at it at the same time.

I can only imagine the sound of a big "pecker" hammering away.

This morning I went mountainbiking in De Soto National Forest in South Mississippi. The trail came to an end due to the debris from the storm. I stayed back and my friend walked down the trail to see if it cleared up. Everything was cut cut but not cleared. He yells come see. So I walked over and he says you hear that? No. You don't hear that? All I hear is a locust. Locust? no. Look! On the side of the trail one of the bigest rattlesnake coiled up and rattlin I ever seen. He was pissed. My friend walked by him twice before he noticed it. He threw a stick at it and when the snake struck venom sprayed the air. Time to go home. Just could not get into the ride the rest of the day. Trails were messed up so we had to cut it short anyhow. It was also the one day I did not bring my camera. I wish I had it with me.

Haven't seen too much exotic.
Black Bears (Smokies)
Coyotes (shot a few)
Red/gray foxes
Bobcats
Rattlers/Copperheads
Elk
Bald Eagles
Hawks (one that was almost solid white)
Owls
Turkeys
Muskrat/otters/beaver
Woodpeckers (downy/pileated)
Skunks
Ducks/geese
Porpoise/dolphin
Shark (small)
Osprey
Just your typical stuff in TN and Outer Banks in NC

Jetez la vache!

I realize that this event had come and gone, but why did your friend throw a stick at the snake? From what you described, the animal was just trying to ambush prey and regulate its body temperature. Most people who are envenomated by snakes have provoked them.

This weeked, I found 18 black racer eggs under a large piece of driftwood along the shoreline of a reservior!

OK it's slow here at home today, so here's one.

This happened back when I still lived in the boonies across from game preserve. My son mentioned it in a different conversation not long ago and here it is. Nothing spectacular, just a little different.

Driving in our pickup, usual normal morning to school and work. About a mile from our driveway, my son and I just talking about stuff, when all of a sudden we see a deer come flying out the preserve, hit the middle of the road and scrambled up the bar ditch headed for a pasture on our right hand side. The deer just didn't have enough oomph to make it over the barb wire fence. I had stopped to watch by this time and I saw it get tangled in the barb wire. The poor thing had landed on its nose with feet hung on the top row of barb wire. It was really thrashing around making all kinds of noises, you could tell it was panicked. In 2 seconds I decided to jump out, I checked the bed for tools, found a pair of pliers and figured I could maybe cut it loose. I climbed up the embankment a few feet then realized I would have to keep my head away from its feet. When I got close to a place I put the pliers on the wire, deer still with its nose in the dirt, and tried to cut it. I could not cut the wire. I then just yelled at it, hoping it would just shake the wire off its legs. It finally did after me yelling and shaking the wire. It took off like a shot and that is the end of the story.

I realize that this event had come and gone, but why did your friend throw a stick at the snake? From what you described, the animal was just trying to ambush prey and regulate its body temperature. Most people who are envenomated by snakes have provoked them.

We decided to throw a stick at the snake to get him on his way. I wanted to see him move out the way. I wanted to see how long it was as it moved across the ground. I did say throw. Not kill. Even though if I had a pistol the snake would have been shot. I killed a cottonmouth here at work a couple of months ago but I also let at least a dozen other snakes go as I watched then slither on by. All other were harmless snakes. There is a water hole here that is always full of snakes that I check out on a daily basis. Same ones for the most part each day. There are 4 red rat snakes that like to hang out there along with a fairly large ribbon snake.

Must......not.......say......anything.......the......joke......is.......too.....
...easy......

dav

:doh: You know I really tried to stay away from that cause I knew someone else would have their say :wink:

Can you post photos of the snakes that you encounter?

Thanks!

I can handle just about anything from the wild but the baboons would have to go, do they cause any wildlife displacement or put any stress on the enviroment of notice.just curious if they cause any trouble or are they noticeble.first i have heard of this.Did you feed the ferral human LOL.

:wink:

This was in the back yard the other day next to the "junk" pile (spare parts)Click to view attachment
notice the calf at her feet probably no more than 2-4 days old.

In Kenai. Good stuff.

Fishing yet?

They were looking for a carburetor weren't they?

Keep salt back there too?

Cheers

Alex

Nah, no salt...she's just after a new exhaust.

No Salmon fishing yet....but, I have been tearing up the trout over at Sport Lake. I guess the run is reeeeaallyy slow right now. Probably won't even bother until next weekend.

I just got back from a short trip to our research area, hindsight is 20-20-I could be in the ER right now. Walking along the trail with my brother after a rain shower , he stops dead in his tracks. I turned around and he's pointing at my sandaled feet[stupid-yes] and not 12 inches away is a 2 foot long copperhead aiming my way with its head in the S coil to strike! No harm done this time and we all went our own ways.It was getting close to dusk and I was focusing on the woods ahead instead of the ground in front of me.

Are they very venomous? We don't have them here but we do have some rattlesnakes.

Funny how we get singleminded about the adventures sometimes.

Glad to hear that you weren't bitten!

Cheers

Alex

Heading up to my sighting area this weekend and plan to try and catch some more moose and maybe some black bears that seem to frequent the hwy ditches alot at this time of year and maybe one of the elusive grizzlies that are in the area.I have seen 1 griz here in the last 3 years.Of course will be looking for the big guy or girl tooooo!!!!

Hey, tuffyy.

I remember when you first came here you said you didn't want to run into the Big Guy again. Sounds like you've got the bug now 'eh? lol

Good Squatchin'. Hope you see him/her again and DON'T FORGET YER CAMERA! LOL

Yesterday, I literally ran into a deer while out walking....I don't know which one of us was surprised the most!
I was watching the progress of a new house going up in the neighborhood, not really paying much attention to the surrounding wood lots, I was walking on the side of the road and felt the bump of something on my arm then the immediate sound of expelled air, very loud, the chesnut blur of something crashing back into the woods, I froze, heart hammering, the deer froze just inside the woodline and we stared at each other in shock and surprise....Lol That got the old heart pumping!
But it's probably another good example of how much wildlife is not seen, the difference of a few seconds and I would probably not even known that deer was there I was so intent on the progress of that new house.

Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

I just happened to be working on a job out in the woods (inspecting some building product that had failed) and lo and behold, this guy walked behind me and I was filming the job.

Took some stills:

Yeah the bug has set in and now I plan to see if anything can be caught on camera,offcourse a little jittery.I would like to snap a shot or two or three and if the critter moved in my direction I would make like a squatch and book it!!!I know the odds of seeing another are really tiny but I will be listening for sounds and looking for some evidence that these animals are in the area.There is alot of unexplored bush in this region so I wont be treading to far on my own....

...Just got my digital pics on my computer.....FINALLY!
Anyway here's a squirrely black bear we had around camp a few years back and a cow moose that snuck up on me the same year. She walked by me about 50 feet away and I never heard a thing. Can't believe it. I guess I was really into my book. The last pic is near where I've had some Squatchy experiences (no where near the other pics, no moose there). In the river photo you can understand why seeing something is so difficult. The bush is REALLY thick.

This isn't wildlife, I just thought I'd show you the other side of the mountain from where I've had my experiences. Just up the river here is a hotbed of activity. One of my buddies saw BF here. Many people have gone missing here over the years. Recently some hikers had rocks thrown at them. This is NOT a place people enter willy nilly to chuck some rocks.


Here is some stuff on the area written by Ken K who I believe here is known as Bushman.

Here's a pic my son took of the last batch of Robins in the back yard.

Saw this eland last week in S. Africa.
Very cool animals.
Found lots of tracks (no BF) and many stone tools also (all were left where found). :new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

Here's one of the tools.

Last week while shed hunting down around Grants, NM. I was walking through some dense cedar's and pinon's and came to a small box canyon. I noticed my border collie start to sniff the air and a few seconds later caught a wiff of what must have been a mountain lion and her two cubs. While sitting down on a rock to check out the canyon I caught a glimpse of some movement in the opposite side of the canyon. A couple seconds later a rather large and healthy looking mother and her two cubs went scrambling up the opposite canyon wall. Apparently having caught my scent along with my two dogs. Only the third time I have ever seen a cougar, let alone three at once! :new_thumbsupsmileyanim: Anyway, the dogs and I sat there and watched them scale the canyon wall for the next few minutes and watched them walk of into the cedar's on the far side of the canyon. What a great day even though I went home empty handed.

I saw Dolphins yesterday in the Gulf of Thailand & then saw a Monitor Lizard about 4 ft long cross the Road..

We have a Family of Monitors in a River near to our House. The biggest is aound about 6/7 foot..

I see many different Snakes on a weekly basis &, on the Island that i live, the biggest recorded King Cobra in Thailand was was captured 4 years ago..

I saw a flying Lizard glide from one tree to another about a month ago which was just out of sheer luck..

I bought a Slow Loris a while back from a Hunter that would have sold it on in order to release it again & it ended up biting my Friend costings him about 100 bucks in Doctors bills !!

It was hysterical though..

A friend of mine also has a type of Armadillo called a Pongolin drink from his Pool on a regular basisi but i haven't actually seen one yet.

I do fancy seeing a BF though one day.... :laugh:

I dont feel so bad about my back yard now !! Great pics you guys

I got bit by a Goose!

Man, great pics and stories guys!!!!

Okay, I got a pretty "unique" wildlife story!

This occured while taking care of "nature's business", in the number two category.

Okay, well, I was at a spike camp and had to go. So, I did just that.

While taking care of said natures business, I get the feeling something is watching me, and you know, that's just not cool!

Anyhow, so I take a look over my left shoulder and see this big long tail, and it's attached to a big blonde colored butt!

I quickly turn to look over my right shoulder to see a very large Mountain Lion staring me right in the eyes, no more than 15 feet away from me.

So, here I am, doing "the deed" with a very large carnivore approximately 15 feet behind me. Kind of something you don't want to happen - EVER!

Anyhow, I am looking into it's eyes, and thinking to myself - well, okay, I won't say what I was thinking cuz it was nothing but cuss words!!! Something in the way of: "HOLY SH*¤!" No pun intended!

Well, it is just staring at me and seems to give me this look like, "No prob, bro, just passin by - sorry for botherin' you." And, walked off down the trail.

I finish up and that's it. BUT, I did notice afterwards that I had chosen a spot right next to a pretty well used game trail, so from now on, I don't do that.

It was a great experience - the closest I've ever been to a Mountain Lion, and I'm serious about that look. We made eye contact and it just kind of looked at me like everything was cool - no worries. And walked right off!!!

I have other stories about deer and elk coming up to me in the wild, but this one is my personal best!!

Have a good one!

Møøp

This is Larry. Larry lives in my wife's flower bed at the front of the house. Why name him Larry? Because to name him Sammy or Sonny or Jake would be plain silly!
Larry appears to me to be a garter snake. My wife says I am wrong, that he is a ribbon snake. Whatever.
One thing for sure, Larry is 100 times more afraid of us than we are of him!

I used to keep Garter Snakes & Larry looks very similar to my old friend Norman !!! :icon_cry:

RIP Big Norm, you're still in my thoughts daily !!! :wink:

This is a brown barn spider. Web was on my porch. This guy is about the size of a quarter.