Has anyone ever had a potentially fatal encounter with wildlife?

[Louie Detroit]

I'm talking any animal, insect or plant.

Ever had a nasty vehicular collision with a deer, moose, bison or elk?

Ever been bitten by a poisonous snake, Gila monster, spider or attacked by a swarm of poisonous insects? Stalked by a large Cougar? Attacked by a protective mama bear? Ever had a gigantic Python or Anaconda try to put the squeeze on you?

How about plants, ever burned some poison ivy/oak/sumac in a fire pit and had severe medical problems afterwards?

What about someone in another country, ever been chased by a Black Mamba, Cobra, Rhino, Hippo, Elephant or Giraffe? Ever been bitten by a Komodo Dragon?

With all the adventurers and world traveling ballers here I'm guessing there are some entertaining anecdotes to be shared. :seasix:

Here are some charts of data related to the topic:

[GTOguy]

Had a huge diamondback rattler wind up and get ready to strike me when I was in Nevada camped out. Have encountered many others, but this guy was all set. I backed away very slowly. He was fat, long, and pissed off.
Had a black bear stick its head in my tent in the early '70's backpacking in Yosemite. That was interesting.
Deer hunting 20 years ago in the Sierras, I was walking back to my base camp and there were mountain lion tracks in my footprints from my initial scout. It had been stalking me. Never heard a thing. The next day, while relieving myself, a wasp or hornet stung me on the back of the scrotum which caused so much pain and swelling the hunt was instantly over. I had the float the gears all the way home to the Bay Area because I couldn't push in the clutch pedal.
Nothing fatal, though.

[Bill]

I was in a very deep, almost dry ditch with very steep sides, clearing a pipeline exposure so I could examine the condition of the interfaces (the coating and stability of the walls of the ditch) I hit a nest of wasps and was legitimately stung probably a hundred times, maybe more. The walls were so steep, I probably wouldn't have been able to get out if not for help from my coworker, who helped pull me out (and got stung himself for his trouble). I think I was close to going into shock and had them take me to an urgent care. The urgent care treated me and then kept me for probably a couple of hours to observe before they let me go.

Had I not gotten out of that ditch and continued to be stung, I suspect I would have died right there. Serious stuff. Every so often farmers or ranchers in Texas get killed from bee or wasp swarms.

[Louie Detroit]

I was in a very deep, almost dry ditch with very steep sides, clearing a pipeline exposure so I could examine the condition of the interfaces (the coating and stability of the walls of the ditch) I hit a nest of wasps and was legitimately stung probably a hundred times, maybe more. The walls were so steep, I probably wouldn't have been able to get out if not for help from my coworker, who helped pull me out (and got stung himself for his trouble). I think I was close to going into shock and had them take me to an urgent care. The urgent care treated me and then kept me for probably a couple of hours to observe before they let me go.

Had I not gotten out of that ditch and continued to be stung, I suspect I would have died right there. Serious stuff. Every so often farmers or ranchers in Texas get killed from bee or wasp swarms.

Your coworker was a stand up dude! I'm guessing ex-military? :seasix:

[Rodnok1]

My cousin was extremely allergic to wasps... She was camping with us and no eppy pen back in 70s. Wasp got her on thumb, Dad put belt under armpit within a minute for a tourniquet as arm was twice size as normal to elbow already. They took off to closest hospital 30 minutes away IIRC. She lived but they said it was close. We were all around 10 years old.
We ran across a moma bear and her cubs once... Lots of trees to climb saved us as she was unhappy.

[Bill]

Your coworker was a stand up dude! I'm guessing ex-military? :seasix:


Not military. Thankfully, he only was stung once....on the bottom lip, which swelled up bigly. We were back to work the next day as if nothing had happened, but had I been by myself, it could very well have gone badly.

[MidLifeinMI]

Several years ago, I decided to drive my daughter to HS one morning. I was going to have her drive for some practice (she just got her learner's permit), but she didn't feel like it that morning. As a result, I drove the "nicer" car, which was a nearly-new conversion van.

Less than a mile from the house, while I was doing 55 on a 2-lane country road, a buck came out of the local golf course at a full run. It tried to jump over the hood of the van, but didn't make it - antler came through the windshield in front of me, and the deer got gutted on the side mirror. Everyone in the van was covered in glass shards, but nobody got hurt (van was undriveable, but fixable).

All I could think of is if my daughter was driving that morning, we would have been in the smaller car (Chevy Lumina), and the deer would have come through the windshield into her lap. Glad for a little extra iron protection that morning.

[Torqaholic]

Whipped open the door to exit a garage when something dropped in front of my face so close I could hear and feel the wind of it falling. Looked down to see a full grown coral snake at my feet. If I'd been a bit faster it would have landed on my head, lucky for me the door opened inward.

Stubbed the top of my foot on a huge shark while treading water 100 yards offshore. The thing was solid and did not budge when kicked. Never saw it but nothing else that gets that large feels like shark skin to my knowledge, it's living sandpaper. That was a one long swim to exit the water!

Out bowhunting when I was 12. Sitting in a bush watching a clearing when something large came crashing through the woods towards me. Out into the clearing steps Cujo. Held my breath as it stopped and looked around, it decided to change direction and I decided that was enough hunting for one day.

[Grey Ghost]

A local woman (gorgeous) was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider and didn't really know it. A day or two later she scratched the area and got some rare infection from it. Blood clots, weeks in the hosp., ICU, close to death with organ failure, etc...she lost both hands and feet. She is alive, but nothing like she was before the bite.

[DJ_Critterus]

Wild life? just a couple of liberals.... and Mudslimes.

[Anjdog2003]

I finally killed a Grizzly with my pee shooter

[6spdC6]

We almost lost our son to Poison Ivy when he was 6 years old.

Its a little involved but it goes like this. My wife was pregnant and very close to her due time and she caught a nasty dose of Poison Ivy. She got it all over her legs and other places. Had to go to the hospital and they did their magic.

A couple days later she gave birth, all was normal and well.:hurray:

When our son was 6 he got Poison Ivy and it went near all over his body. His condition got very grave (he was given the Catholic Last rites) as none of the treatments seem to lower his high fever or combat the Poison Ivy. He was in intensive care for close to 2 week but he managed to pull through. Talking with our doctors who never saw a case this bad the consensus of opinion is that when my wife got the PI so close to his delivery time they he picked up something in the woman to baby blood exchange. When he caught PI years later it real came out big time.

Since then he (now 45) has learned what to watch out for and knows by his doctors orders if he ever gets PI again to imidetely check in to the nearest hospital.
We, son and us have a couple copies of his medical history but so far he has not been affected by PI.

[GTOguy]

I finally killed a Grizzly with my pee shooter

THAT"S IT! StorytellerStealth is Commander McBragg from the Saturday mornings long ago in my childhood.
McBragg was a pompous, arrogant upper-class snob who told whoppers to anybody in his captive audience.

Exactly like STS. Only, instead of a pipe, my bet is STS smokes cuban cigars.

71488

[Steve_R]

I finally killed a Grizzly with my pee shooter

He’s a bad ass. :yesnod:

[GTOguy]

He’s a bad ass. :yesnod:

He DOES actually resemble Big Foot, although he's a lot less hairy and has blue eyes. The length of his limbs and scale of his body are about right, though!:seasix:

[sublime1996525]

I’ve encountered rattle snakes and scorpions. I’ve seen bears, moose, and bison in the wild. Thankfully I’ve never seen a mountain lion but encounters in Utah are becoming more and more common.

[04 commemorative]

Nope

[Louie Detroit]

Nope

Hey, thanks for the intriguing input. If you can bust out with a good story your shit would still be welcome. :seasix:

[04 commemorative]

Don't hold your breath :lol:

OP asked a question and that was my answer :seasix:

[69L46]

Have had multiple encounters with black bears here, but fortunately they are rather skittish and usually run off quickly.

Far more concerned about encountering the 'wildlife' in any large city these days than any outdoor critter.

[LisaJohn]

I had hammerhead sharks swimming around me one time (that I know about).

[GTOguy]

My favorite cigar store in Victoria, Canada, has an excellent selection of Cuban cigars with Cohiba Behike being my favorite.:yesnod:

I KNEW it!!

:rofl:

[Steve_R]

I KNEW it!!

:rofl:

Was he FOS in high school, or is that a recent development?

[Anjdog2003]

Was he FOS in high school, or is that a recent development?




That starts at an early age and then you become a Democrat.

[GTOguy]

Was he FOS in high school, or is that a recent development?

Didn't really know him. He was an autoshop guy who pretty much kept to himself. Not loud, not boastful, just another kid. Clearly he developed into what he is now, lucky for us.

[Anjdog2003]

I remember smoking a Cohiba Behike Cuban Cigar at $450 each and drinking a bottle of Brandy Louis XIII Black Pearl at 65,000 a bottle while i was down in Australia on a paddle board fishing for the Great White Sharks. I did get a few bites and never spelled a drop. Did get my cigar a little wet but i had a box of 25 in my hotel room :yesnod:






super

[Big bob]

Hmm proud of smoking fake cigars.:D The real ones come ten per box.:rofl:

[Anjdog2003]

Hmm proud of smoking fake cigars.:D The real ones come 25 per box.:rofl:





fixt

[Big bob]

Wrong

[Dan47]

I was renovating an older property with really small bathrooms, one of which had a vent pipe terminating in the room. I went in to take a piss and caught movement in my peripheral vison, to the right. Spotted the biggest sewer rat I've ever seen in my life and nearly shit and died. :yesnod:

Giant Sewer Rat - YouTube

[ratflinger]

Last time I checked scorpions and spiders weren't animals

[Anjdog2003]

The test line used for Great white shark gives you a hell of a workout, but i've learned to battle them with a can opener :yesnod:



tahnks

[GTOguy]

The test line used for Great white shark gives you a hell of a workout.:yesnod:


Oh HELL yeah!

71499

[LATB]

I had hammerhead sharks swimming around me one time (that I know about).

Getting in the water offshore of Destin on a slick calm day, you can see so deep in the blue water the Gulf is like a bottomless aquarium.

And everything swimming is higher on the food chain than I.
Literal sea monsters everywhere. :willy:

One of the most terrifying experiences of my life.

[GTOguy]

When we were down in Mexico in '94 everything we caught had teeth...sharp teeth. And those eels were mean as HELL.

[LATB]

The whole gulf coast is full of fish with big teeth and jellyfish that sting you when swimming.

Indeed.

You want to know what’s terrifying? A freaking giant sea turtle the size of a refrigerator swimming at you :willy:

[Steve_R]

Indeed.

You want to know what’s terrifying? A freaking giant sea turtle the size of a refrigerator swimming at you :willy:

.

[LisaJohn]

Getting in the water offshore of Destin on a slick calm day, you can see so deep in the blue water the Gulf is like a bottomless aquarium.

And everything swimming is higher on the food chain than I.
Literal sea monsters everywhere. :willy:

One of the most terrifying experiences of my life.

Yes, we were in Destin. We were only standing in knee deep water.

[LATB]

Yes, we were in Destin. We were only standing in knee deep water.

From the higher floors in the condos, you can see large schools of hammerheads cruising the beach almost daily.

Sometimes hundreds of them. And often dangerously close to swimmers. It’s amazing that there aren’t many attacks.

[Steve_R]

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF), there has never been a fatal hammerhead shark attack on a human. The ISAF covers all recorded shark attacks from the 1500s to current times. It is the only reliable, scientifically vetted, comprehensive report of shark attacks on humans. According to the ISAF, there have been a grand total of 16 nonfatal hammerhead attacks on humans in all the time humans have spent swimming in the world’s oceans.

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-why-hammerhead-sharks-have-never-killed-a-human/

[Louie Detroit]

Last time I checked scorpions and spiders weren't animals

Please read "I'm talking any animal, insect or plant" in my original post #1.

[Louie Detroit]

Indeed.

You want to know what’s terrifying? A freaking giant sea turtle the size of a refrigerator swimming at you :willy:

What kind of fridge are you talking? :)

[NEED-A-VETTE]

I thought my neighbor’s cat jumped up on my back patio railing. So, I was about to open the door to give him some pets. It was a bobcat. He didn’t stay. :funny:

71508

[Torqaholic]

Have had hawks and owls swoop down and flare in front of my face a few times. Usually happens so fast there's no time for a reaction but the first time this happened (as a young teen) I experienced a shadow blotting out the Sun as the sound of rushing air approached. Had no idea what was happening. Instinctively reacted by ducking halfway to the ground as I fired a round of 3" buckshot above my head. When I straightened up and turned around I saw an owl with 6 foot wingspan flying away raining feathers from its belly. Holy crap those things are tough!

[Yadkin]

We have numerous bears around here so typically hike with at least one other person. When I do hike alone I carry a pistol.

[Strats-N-Vettes]

We have numerous bears around here so typically hike with at least one other person. When I do hike alone I carry a pistol.

I run into extremely violent wildlife every year. :yesnod:
So;
I started to open carry rifles and shotguns in the hood woods.
Many many deer and ducks have been taught a lesson...:woohoo:

[Burro (He/Haw)]

Have had hawks and owls swoop down and flare in front of my face a few times. Usually happens so fast there's no time for a reaction but the first time this happened (as a young teen) I experienced a shadow blotting out the Sun as the sound of rushing air approached. Had no idea what was happening. Instinctively reacted by ducking halfway to the ground as I fired a round of 3" buckshot above my head. When I straightened up and turned around I saw an owl with 6 foot wingspan flying away raining feathers from its belly. Holy crap those things are tough!

You’d never hear an Owl coming. Absolutely silent fliers.

[Burro (He/Haw)]

I’ve lost track of how many deer encounters I’ve had on my MC. They don’t even scare me at this point they just piss me TF off.

A friend of mine has a theory. When you see one, aim for it. By the time you get there he’ll have moved. I didn’t say it was a sound theory but it is a theory.

:Jeff '79:

[Louie Detroit]

You’d never hear an Owl coming. Absolutely silent fliers.

Yup

Fly By Night - YouTube

[Louie Detroit]

I thought my neighbor’s cat jumped up on my back patio railing. So, I was about to open the door to give him some pets. It was a bobcat. He didn’t stay. :funny:

71508

If that bobcat prowls your neighborhood on the regular along with the neighbors cat, pretty soon there will only be one of them. I hope you've warned your neighbor they need to convert a friend to indoors mode only. :)

[Rodnok1]

I thought my neighbor’s cat jumped up on my back patio railing. So, I was about to open the door to give him some pets. It was a bobcat. He didn’t stay. :funny:

71508

You may need glasses or get your script checked... :leaving:

[DJ_Critterus]

Cougar..... late night at a bar. Scared the pants right off me.

[Louie Detroit]

Cougar..... late night at a bar. Scared the pants right off me.

I put that wiseass joke hook into my OP, thanks for finding it. :shots:

[DJ_Critterus]

I put that wiseass joke hook into my OP, thanks for finding it. :shots:

:cheers:

[NEED-A-VETTE]

If that bobcat prowls your neighborhood on the regular along with the neighbors cat, pretty soon there will only be one of them. I hope you've warned your neighbor they need to convert a friend to indoors mode only. :)

Bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes. All on a regular basis. Plus bears, too…but they’re not eating cats.

Anyhow, the neighbors are most definitely aware but let him out anyhow. :shrug: It does bother me and I’m sure there will come a day I won’t see him any longer. :nonod:

You may need glasses or get your script checked... :leaving:

:funny:

I saw him out of the corner of my eye and just recognized the shape as being a cat, I guess. :funnier: I’ve seen bobcats in my yard before but I’ve never seen them jump on the railing. He came to get a drink from the birdbath that’s installed on the railing. They are notoriously shy. :angel:

[Rodnok1]

Maybe it was all the paint on windows why couldn't tell what it was....

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Maybe it was all the paint on windows why couldn't tell what it was....

:funny: :funny: :funny:

[Bill]

From the higher floors in the condos, you can see large schools of gay hammerheads cruising the beach almost daily.

Sometimes hundreds of them. And often dangerously close to swimmers. It’s amazing that there aren’t many attacks.

Same view from the Pelosi mansion, it appears.


:leaving:

[Torqaholic]

You’d never hear an Owl coming. Absolutely silent fliers.

Didn't say I heard the owl flying, said I heard rushing air. Moving air makes noise, the faster and larger something is the more air it displaces. Wave your hand near your ear, the hand is absolutely silent, but you can hear the displaced air as it hits your ear :yesnod:

That owl displaced a lot of air. No idea how close it got but it was about my height when I saw it flying away. Pretty sure had I not ducked it would have nailed me.

[sublime1996525]

Last time I checked scorpions and spiders weren't animals

Yes they are…you should look up that definition.

[Big bob]

And if I read the title right it said wildlife. :D

[Louie Detroit]

I was working at a new job where I had to commute on I-96 from Lansing to Detroit for a few months. Somewhere around Fowlerville a derr jumped out and trashed the car in front of me. Missed me by just a few seconds.

[Torqaholic]

Deer are assholes. Especially attracted to new vehicles. Was on my way to work late afternoon, week old pickup truck, not driving very fast. Saw it running toward the ditch up ahead so I stopped and it ran across the road in front of me and hopped the other ditch. Then it stood there looking at me... Whatever? Hit the gas to proceed and it begins running alongside the truck (still across the ditch). Hit the gas harder to get away from it and the thing jumps the ditch right into the side of my truck. Took out the front fender and the door. Bastard!

[slewfoot]

Back in the mid 70's, I was flying one night at Yakima Firing Center. We got back and closed up the bird and started walking back. I went another direction to get something and cut through the makeshift motor pool.

Pitch black and a loud hissing started. I froze into an immediate cold sweat. I couldn't move. I had no plan and just stood still.

Hissing started to get a bit faint, but I still did not move. Then I heard someone holler out "Hey Sarge, I got all the air tanks drained.

[PLRX]

animals

While stationed in Camp Pendleton, we encountered rattlesnakes, coyotes, condors, and deer and once saw a mountain lion. My life was at risk once when I stepped inches from a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake Meek; once it rattled, I know I jumped at least 5-7 feet away-LOL.

On two different occasions, two different rottweilers; I started giving them loud commands, and they sat down and walked away.

insect

During the mid-70s, I was bit by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

plants

Poison ivy, cactus, and rose bushes....again I was a 70s kid; we didn't GAF

[Mick]

I was in a very deep, almost dry ditch with very steep sides, clearing a pipeline exposure so I could examine the condition of the interfaces (the coating and stability of the walls of the ditch) I hit a nest of wasps and was legitimately stung probably a hundred times, maybe more. The walls were so steep, I probably wouldn't have been able to get out if not for help from my coworker, who helped pull me out (and got stung himself for his trouble). I think I was close to going into shock and had them take me to an urgent care. The urgent care treated me and then kept me for probably a couple of hours to observe before they let me go.

Had I not gotten out of that ditch and continued to be stung, I suspect I would have died right there. Serious stuff. Every so often farmers or ranchers in Texas get killed from bee or wasp swarms.

I feel you!

I am very allergic to the venom of some types of bees. Back in the early '90s, I was home on a holiday on one of those freaky days in February that the temperature got into the 60s, so I opened the windows in my apartment to get fresh air. When the sun started to go down, I went to close the windows, and a bee must have had the same idea to enjoy the unusually warm weather, and stung me between my fingers. My whole hand started blowing up within minutes. By the time I got to the hospital, I was blown up to my elbow. They gave me powerful antihistamines that I had to take for 48 hours, and I was not allowed to drive during that time (which was fine with me, antihistamines always knock me out). I was fine, but folks do die that way.

The best was calling my boss at home when I got back from the hospital, and saying "You're not going to believe this, but . . . "

[Chemtrails99]

Have lost track of all the animal interactions I've had. The only one that I easily remember is being attacked by an angry female Manatee racing to save her calf from a stupid diver trying to pet it. It was like getting hit by a truck underwater that bitch slaps you with flippers as it shoves it's way past. Recently ran into another manatee attack survivor, and they confirmed manatees attack by crushing their targets when possible. It's a lot finnuier to talk about than survive.

[the new me]

...

insect

During the mid-70s, I was bit by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.



Surprised that yours is the only reference to this horrible monster.

As you know, mosquitos are considered by far the most dangerous animal. They have killed hundreds of millions of people, not to mention other animals, over the centuries and even today their voracious killing spree continues.

[Louie Detroit]

Surprised that yours is the only reference to this horrible monster.

As you know, mosquitos are considered by far the most dangerous animal. They have killed hundreds of millions of people, not to mention other animals, over the centuries and even today their voracious killing spree continues.

The 4th chart I posted shows the skeeter still inflicts the most death in Africa.

[Anjdog2003]

animals

While stationed in Camp Pendleton, we encountered rattlesnakes, coyotes, condors, and deer and once saw a mountain lion. My life was at risk once when I stepped inches from a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake Meek; once it rattled, I know I jumped at least 5-7 feet away-LOL.

On two different occasions, two different rottweilers; I started giving them loud commands, and they sat down and walked away.

insect

During the mid-70s, I was bit by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

plants

Poison ivy, cactus, and rose bushes....again I was a 70s kid; we didn't GAF






If you were a 50's kid.

While i was stationed at Ft Ord i stepped inches from a rattlesnake, heard his rattle and grabbed him behind the head, killed it skinned it and we had supper that night with rattlesnake stew. :yesnod: