Big Animals - what to do in the event

[LABBIT]

What you guys do when you encounter big animals, things like grizzly bears, wild cats, etc

For me it is cobra's, monitor lizards, wild boar, tigers and elephants.

The lizards, wild board and other small mammals normally run away when they see/hear you.

The cobra's, just make sure your the 1st rider to ride over it.

Tigers and elephants I have not yet seen. But I am told tigers will run off when they hear you, and elephants you need to go back, wait or find another way around.

[JSanfilippo]

I ran over a rattlesnake once, I made sure to get the hell out of there on the quickness just to be on the safe side. Wild boars, deer, coyotes, foxes all seem to run off when they hear bikes comin there way. Bears are less shy, especially if their young are near by

[dominic888]

Most of the big animals I had encountered just run away. Riding over snakes are pretty common during summer, no big deal as long as you are wearing boots and riding fast. ?

[PigPenKLX450]

I have a question i dont know much about snakes but i hate them and i was wondering i have never come across a snake yet while i am riding put if it struck and it struck at your boot would you get bit or would it not go through.

[Dirtbikingpunk16]

I don't think you would have to worry about that

If you are going slow enough to see the snake you can stop before you get to it.

If you are flying there is no way the snake would be able to strike you, probably not even your bike

Now that would stink if one of it's fangs got stunk in your tire. ?

[akeldamach]

hehe, last big animal i came across was a herd of about 15 elk. lets just say chasing them down the trails is very fun.

as for the dangerous kinds of big animals, i figure they are more afraid of me than i of them. so just rev that engine and make yourself look scary! ?

[Ufdah]

I know here in Alaska we do have to worry about the big animals. Every year there are death due to bear and moose. In fact a couple years ago there was a guy who was trampled to death my a moose in the University parking lot. Usually the moose just run away though, it's the bears that are a little less predictable. I have a frind from church that bought a new Trek Full suspension bike and was riding up a mountain trail and ran across a baby bear in the trail. He knew that mom had to be close so he turned his bike around and started to pedal back down the trail. Right after he started pedaling he said he could hear the bushes rustling and the thump of bear paws running tward him. He kicked it into high gear and said the bear chased him over 500ft before stopping. When it was all said and done he was talking about how good of a commercial it would have been for Trek to be able to claim their bike can outrun bears on mountain trails.

I actually carry a 2" barrel .45 Long Colt when riding in the woods for just that occasion. Usually they do just turn and run but if there are young around you'de better be really fast or be ready to defend yourself.

[bikedude127]

My ridin bud, CRFMitch, ran across a bear one day while riding trail here in WA. The bear took one look, turned and split.

Once while riding together in the same area, we saw what we thought to be a bobcat. But after we thougth about it, we realized that it had a tail and was a young cougar. Luckily it took off as well.

I just dont want to run into BIGFOOT. ?

[clayster89]

hahaha when we ride on the ranches cows are running through the trails its pretty cool ??

[2PLY]

hehe, last big animal i came across was a herd of about 15 elk. lets just say chasing them down the trails is very fun.

as for the dangerous kinds of big animals, i figure they are more afraid of me than i of them. so just rev that engine and make yourself look scary! ?

Oh man!! Be careful about chasing the Elk... If they decide they can't shake you, they might just turn around and take you on.. You DON'T want that!! They can take you out much faster than you can get your bike turned around.

I've seen videos of Moose trampling people to death.. they are FAST!!

Here is one close Moose encounter video clip I downloaded (about 4.3 megabytes)

BadAssMoose

[MxJeWeL]

I have come across cougars, bobcats, bears (brown and black)and moose, they usually take off. In the spring, If I am riding in deep woods I carry a can of bear spray in my pack just in case I am stopped somewhere and a bear decides to visit....BULLS scare me the most...especially when I have to stop to open and close a gate.... They just stand there glaring with pulsating nostrils, I worry they might charge........They don't like Honda's too much. :lol:Those bulls have some humongous knackers, I would be a grump too if I had to carry those things around all day. I feel like a red target for those animals....

?

[2PLY]

Knackers?!? ?? That wasn't "knickers" right? that wouldn't make sense.. I love our Canadian neighbors! Our version of English would get pretty dry without the help we get from our Northern Neighbors.

[Supplicate]

Oh man!! Be careful about chasing the Elk... If they decide they can't shake you, they might just turn around and take you on.. You DON'T want that!! They can take you out much faster than you can get your bike turned around.

exactly.

we were riding a couple years ago and thought that a moose had split from the trail because we scared it. Turns out it had just gone off trail a dozen feet or so and paralleled it until it decided we were getting to close and turned around and charged us. Thankfully the trail was open ahead so we all just gassed it and got away, but that bastid was covering ground coming right at the lead rider of the group.

we rarely run into bears or anything around here, but moose, elk, deer, and antelope are pretty much an every ride occurance. And deer are no fun when they suddenly decide to cross the trail five feet in front of you when your going WFO.

[PigPenKLX450]

I wonder if anyone has been bombing along on a trail and hit a deer or a cow or what ever and if the bike got more damaged or the animal that they hit.

[MattFisher]

I've hit a bunch of animals over the years.

Biggest would be a cow, I was haulin' the mail on my old RM400, saw the big milk machine in the trail and slid sideways into it. Hit it parallel, just hard enough to make my foot sore. I was doing 50+ when I saw the cow, there was lots of time for the critter to move, but did she? Not until after we got close and personal. Then she trotted off, unharmed.

Same bike, putting along a gravel road. About a 4' snake, thought it might be a rattler, so I gassed it. It hooked on the knobbies, and was flung back OVER me. So I ran it over again. When I got turned around it was gone. Funny thing now, my son asked me the other day if a snake could get caught in the tire and be able to bite him. I told him that probably wouldn't happen...

The scariest was having a Pheasant rise up along side the trail and hit me square in the chest. That really took my breath away, just shocked me.

[Dan_from_HB]

I wonder if anyone has been bombing along on a trail and hit a deer or a cow or what ever and if the bike got more damaged or the animal that they hit.

I nearly hit a cow while racing in Mexico. She came from behind a fence, and bolted across a dirt road in front of me just when I was ready to pass in front of her at about 60. I wound up passing behind her and only missed by about 2 ft. That was a close one!

[Dan_from_HB]

hehe, last big animal i came across was a herd of about 15 elk. lets just say chasing them down the trails is very fun.

as for the dangerous kinds of big animals, i figure they are more afraid of me than i of them. so just rev that engine and make yourself look scary! ?

Just like a few others said before, elk ARE dangerous big animals. I once rode with some guys that were charged by a bull elk. Their riding ability was the only thing that saved their butts. Had they been slower, he would have caught them really quickly. They can do some serious damage, even if you have your helmet on.

[Hotsauce99]

I know i may sound a lil mean, but in a place where theres an abundance of animals that can rip your face off wouldnt be smart to carry a .357 mag on the trails? yea you guessed it im a republican

[MattFisher]

I know i may sound a lil mean, but in a place where theres an abundance of animals that can rip your face off wouldnt be smart to carry a .357 mag on the trails? yea you guessed it im a republican

In Massachusetts? Are you lost? You must feel like a Christian in a room full of Muslums. ? You evil conservative.

[JakeAcab]

The only animals I have ever came close with is snakes and Ive ran over tons of those. They just pop out of no where