Newsflash, Wild Animals Can Be Dangerous!

[Mojo-NC]

I just read the story about the elderly lady from CA who got too close to a bison in Yellowstone National Park and was gored by the magnificent animal. She had to be airlifted to a hospital. All I can say is to never underestimate the ignorance of people.

It reminded me of an incident years ago at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was driving the Cades Cove loop and spotted a large black bear sow and her cubs along a tree line across this pasture; the bears were about 100 yards away. I pulled over and got out my camera for some pictures. The people behind me stopped too, but they all stopped right in the middle of the road and got out of their cars. This one guy climbed the fence, and walked about half-way out across the field towards the bears to take his pictures. If that bear had charged, he would have had nowhere to go and I would have gotten some really good pictures of the incident. Fortunately for him, nothing happened, and the bears went back into the woods.

What risky/stupid things have you witnessed involving potentially dangerous wild animals?

[jfishpa]

I can think of 2 , back in the late 70`s there was a dump near camp, if we were bored we would go and watch the black bears feed. Guy gets out of his car with a camera and gets within 25 ft of a sow with her cubs, we were waiting for her to charge but she just simply left. In northern Ontario while on a fishing trip one of my buddies decide to get a close look at a full grown moose , chased it thru the woods but came back unharmed. we hadn`t even had a beer yet so he was sober just crazy.

[Sportdog]

1971, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Lawton Oklahoma. I was parked at a place called the Grotto where they held a Nativity Re-enactment In December each year. The parking lot had roughly 15 cars in it. There was a herd of about 50 Bison feeding 50 yards from the parking lot. I walked from my car to within 30 yards of a mother and her calf. I wanted a pic of them looking my way so I stamped my foot to get them to raise up. BAD IDEA!!! While looking through my camera lens I heard thundering hooves. I looked up to see the herd bull bearing down on me. I turned and ran as fast as those 21 year old legs could carry me. By the time I got to the lot I could feel hot breath on my neck, zinging and zagging around several cars, much to the dismay of their owners, he gave up. I was so shaken I could barely stand!!! Dumb, Dumb, Dumb me!!! Etched in my mind like it was yesterday. I was being watched over from above that day for sure.

[Skeeter175]

I was in Yellowstone a couple summers ago. I could hardly stand to watch, but people were trying to get pictures of their kids with elk.

[Custom Eyes]

Spending at least 100+ days out on state land per year, we've had a few interesting encounters. Scariest by far was with a black bear and her cubs. Fiancée' and I were sitting on the quads last year enjoying a beverage in a DNR elk habitat, getting ready to watch the sunset. Out of the corner of our eye, we both saw something small and black run into an area with brush. Thinking it was a racoon, she wanted to go take it's picture. As soon as we rounded the corner of the brush, there's 3 black bear cubs staring at us less than 50 yards away. Upon eye contact, all 3 scurried up a tree. I knew we were in trouble then. YEP! Here comes mom, not looking too thrilled about her frightened cubs. I immediately started slowly walking backwards and told her to do the same, with thoughts of what I was going to do if the bear broke into full stride at us. I snapped a quick pic or two while walking, but she stood right there, trying to take a video of mamma bear. lol Thought for sure I was going to watch her get mauled. Luckily the bear was more concerned about her cubs and after coming in a ways, turned back and went to check on her cubs. If you look at the one pic with her turned sideways, you can see the cubs up in the white pine, hugging the trunk.

Another close one was in a different DNR elk habitat. This one was with an elk. Just got dark out, waiting for the stars to come out, and from over 100 yards away, all you could hear was hooves galloping at us. We couldn't see what it was, but we kept hearing it come at us, turn away, gallop back and then come closer and closer each time, basically running circles. On the last pass, it came in within 100', stopped, and started stomping. We could see it that time. It was a probably year or two old elk with a nasty attitude. Not full size yet, but much bigger than a deer. It stomped, snorted, and expressed it's displeasure with us being there, then took off into the woods.

Then we had this big ole elk in the pic that we ran into while morel hunting. Came around a patch of trees and there he is, grazing away. He looked at us and could give two hoots less. Just went about his chewing.

[gbin]

On our honeymoon tour of a variety of national parks over 30 years ago, my wife nearly throttled me in Glacier NP by grabbing the camera strapped around my neck as I was in the process of leaping out of our vehicle to photograph a cinnamon-phase black bear just off the road beside me, and I was sorely tempted to clobber her in Yellowstone NP when she tried to slip off of our hiking trail and sidle up to an elk cow with a young calf for some closer pictures of them. Spouses can be dangerous, too!

Gerry

[Peckhead]

I guided fly fishermen in YNP for twenty years, bison always nailed a couple folks a year. There was one instance where a bison chased a Chinese kid around a tree about ten times.

The funniest thing I ever saw was a bull elk chasing three Mennonites down the road and on past us. Have no idea what the backstory was but it was hilarious to watch.

[Bugler]

It's not just the wildlife that draws the stupidity out of people. I was at some national parks in Utah which had significant cliffs and deep drops. Chinese tourists were getting off of their large buses and going around or under the barriers of these cliffs just to get selfies of themselves without a fence behind them.

[Mojo-NC]

Originally Posted by Bugler

It's not just the wildlife that draws the stupidity out of people. I was at some national parks in Utah which had significant cliffs and deep drops. Chinese tourists were getting off of their large buses and going around or under the barriers of these cliffs just to get selfies of themselves without a fence behind them.

Agreed. Wading in the pools above waterfalls is what really sends chills up my spine. There was a story a few years ago about a young woman at Yosemite who was wading in the pool above Vernal Falls to take a picture when she slipped and fell into the water. Two of her friends tried to save her and all three ended up going over the 317' falls. I can't imagine anything worse than those few seconds while the water is taking you towards the edge of the falls...

[Misdirection]

Originally Posted by Mojo-NC

Agreed. Wading in the pools above waterfalls is what really sends chills up my spine. There was a story a few years ago about a young woman at Yosemite who was wading in the pool above Vernal Falls to take a picture when she slipped and fell into the water. Two of her friends tried to save her and all three ended up going over the 317' falls. I can't imagine anything worse than those few seconds while the water is taking you towards the edge of the falls...

I think those few seconds after you go over the falls might be worse!

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