What critters commonly share your running routes? (Read 929 times)

I see whitetail deer probably 3/4 of the time I run, especially the later it gets in the day (and we live right in "town"). I also see a lot of squirrels, the occasional rabbit, dogs (almost always on leads, thankfully), vultures (me no likey that sight while I am running), and wild turkeys. The deer always look at me VERY puzzled. Probably thinking to themselves, "damn, those 2-legged critters sure do move slowly." Oh, and I think I once saw a fox, but he was far enough ahead that it might have been a small dog or cat. I never saw a single cat on any of my runs until just after our Gus died--then on each of the first two runs I did after his death I saw a kitty. I like to think that he told them to keep an eye on me while I was so sad. :sniff: k

Yeah, our deer around here are pretty tame, as well (and our hostas have the "crew cuts" to show for it). I have probably gotten within 15-20 feet of them on a few occasions. Really kinda neat. We have a momma with twins in our neighborhood. k

oh, we have interesting squirrels around here.

My good deed on Sunday's long run was to chase a Canada goose off an old lady's lawn. As I was running along the left side of a relatively busy street along a nearby lake (with the lake and a grassy park along the left side and houses along the right) I hear, "Yoo-hoo!!!" so I look up and see an old lady leaning out the 2nd story window. She asks, "will you shoo him away from the house?" Him being a big dumb goose that was eating the flowers in front of her house. So I stop my watch (of course) cross the street and chase this thing off her lawn. It wasn't that easy as he initially wasn't too afraid of me. I bounced a stick off his back and he didn't budge. I had to get pretty aggressive with the thing. Eventually he started run/flying away honking his fool head off, first into the next door neighbor's lawn--who wasn't too psyched--then across the street to the grassy area by the lake. I had to actually stop traffic to get him across. It was ridiculous. Kind of like "Make Way for Ducklings" but instead of a family of cute little ducks it was one big, dumb, noisy goose. Normally it's the usual assortment of turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks. The occasional deer and, once, a mangy coyote. A couple of weeks ago I saw my first fox--from pretty close up too. That was kind of cool. Pretty rare for here in the burbs just north of Boston.

saw a little one of these today!

We ain't got them sorts a critters up here in da Nort! k

I see runners and walkers occasionally in the trails. Can they be considered critters?

Sometimes when I run I have a tendency to space out. I am conscious of the road ahead and other runners on the trail but I just lose myself a little bit. Its a great feeling. That was until yesterday when I nearly stepped on a coral snake Most of the time I see deer, armadillo, lizards, deer, stray dogs, squirrels, deer, and occasionally deer.

Whoa! A coral snake? That ain't funny!! I have a nasty habbit of stepping on rattlesnakes. A 3 and a half foot timber rattler in Montana during bow season and a 3 ft diamondback in CA. Not the way to get your heart rate up!! Had a close call with a griz in Alaska but was unaware until later it even happened as I had my back to him and didn't see him.............. A goodest thing as I had a FLASH camera in my hand and I don't think Griz would have like that one bit!!! Mining/Running jokes How do you bear proof yourself while gold prospecting? Pick a mining partner slower than you are. Two miners working a stream bed look up and see a griz charging them, grab their gear and run like mad, but one is really pulling ahead, so the trailer stops, kicks of his wadders and starts lacing up running shoes. The guy in the lead runs back, looks at what is going on asks if he really thinks those shoes will help him out run the girz? The reply: I don't need to out run the griz!