# So what rare critters have you seen?



## Yeti (Nov 3, 2006)

I was thinking about all the critters I have seen in my part of the world and was wondering what stuff you have seen that was unusual or rare. Myself I have seen weird stuff and rare stuff. I have counted 112 species of bird on my place at all times of the year. at my work we have about 4000 acres of fenced land that is more or less people free. on one of road courses there are Fishers. just around the corner from them my buddy spotted a Bob Cat.
now mind you I'm in southern lower Michigan so Fishers or pine martin are very rare. I have heard of Cougar around my area but have never seen one yet. there is one thing that stands out and I still have no idea what it was. I was walking about 4:00 in the morning back in `85 and had something come out of the woods towards me. never saw it persay, but it was big enough to hear coming and didn't make any noises like growls but it sure made the hairs on my neck stand up. I held my ground and kept moving and it didn't persue me, so I let it slide. well I have been thinking about it and still have no clue what it was all these years.


----------



## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

Not that they are that rare around here, but mostly the way I've seen them in their habitat. While driving along a logging road, I saw a lynx in a clearing by a culvert playing like a tame cat. It was obviously enjoying itself. I saw a coyote dragging along it's meal of a big snowshoe hare along the highway. It looked very tired. Like maybe was a big chase to get the hare. I've seen pairs of white swans deep on remote beaver ponds. I don't see them anywhere else. Pelicans on my beaver pond one year. I used to have a baitfish harvest blocks deep in the bush, so I always was able to see really diverse wildlife and what they did candidly without much human invasion to their habitat. Moose with her calf lots of times, and in the same pond I would be canoing, just keep on feeding their face pulling up goodies from below the water. Saw a cinnamon phase of a black bear not far from where I live. And just below the hill saw a sow black bear with 3 cubs once. I think the rarest fish I caught in a minnow trap was a troutperch. Only once in one pond did I see that. I once caught a northern pike with a very peculiar colour copperish pattern on it's belly. Someone told me it was the minerals in the lake causing that. Saw an adult bald eagle eating a snake on top of a beaver lodge up one of the side roads I go bike riding. I just snapped it's picture as it finished and was flying off. 










and this tree frog on my back window one summer evening. Not too rare, but interesting. lol:


----------



## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

While duck hunting on a backwater of the Wisconsin river, watched a young bald eagle try to lift a large carp out of the water after it dove down and caught it. 
Too heavy.
Finally, sort of dragged/swam to shore, which was only about 10 ft away, then killed it in the shallow water and started eating it.

One of the reasons I like turkey hunting in the spring, is that with full camo, head net etc. you seem to disappear and see lots of stuff you would never see otherwise.
Different season.

Like watching mamma wood duck kick her babies out of the nest, watching them fall 20 ft, bouncing, then takeing off with mom to the river.
Or having a large owl almost take off your hat, while walking out to your stand in the moon light.
Picking up sheds, watching the may apples grow out of the ground between 6:00 am and noon.

You gotta love it.


----------



## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I thought I saw a large chocolate lab running across a field on my way home one evening. Then I realized it was a cat. It was a mountain lion (puma). No one believes that I saw a puma in WV, but a couple months later my wife saw it one morning as she was going to work. It went up the hill, crossed a log, stopped and looked back at her. They looked at each other for a half minute or so.


----------



## Guest (Feb 25, 2007)

I have seen just about every critter in the Maine woods from Hunting trapping and fishing. But one day I was out picking rasberries, I thought I smelled a bear but was not sure. After a while it drifted from my mind. As I was picking I saw something move in the brush just to my right. It was a bear I steped backwards slowly and next thing I new it turned and looked right at me I droped my bucket of rasberries and as I did this it ran off. I have never been so scared in my life!!!


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I bumped into a bear while **** hunting one night. Funny thing is that neither of us got scared and he just wandered off. 

I saw a bald eagle when I was a kid, they were very rare at the time. Of course I see them all the time now.


----------



## TnTnTn (Dec 23, 2004)

I saw two(2) yes two Florida panthers in the wild together once in the eastern edge of the Everglades when I lived in FL. That is about the most rare animals I have seen I guess.

Having spent lots of time in the woods hunting, hiking, and 'exploring', I have seen lots of very interesting animals doing their day to day activities. TnTnTn


----------



## Bear (Jan 25, 2005)

Even though the PA. game commission denies we have a wild breeding population of mountain lions; I have twice seen them. One time almost too close for comfort! Walking along a remote logging road one spring I saw a set of large cat tracks with a little set right beside it (and yes I do know the difference between mt. lion and bobcat tracks).


----------



## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

I saw a good husband, once, at a friends' house. But she keeps him under lock and key, so nobody ever saw him again.


----------



## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

shawnfromMaine said:


> I have seen just about every critter in the Maine woods from Hunting trapping and fishing. But one day I was out picking rasberries, I thought I smelled a bear but was not sure. After a while it drifted from my mind. As I was picking I saw something move in the brush just to my right. It was a bear I steped backwards slowly and next thing I new it turned and looked right at me I droped my bucket of rasberries and as I did this it ran off. I have never been so scared in my life!!!


lol. 
Black bears are a common sight here during blueberry picking season. They generally mind their own business. Once in a while I'd be picking on on side of a rockface or big bush and come around a corner to a berry eating bear.  But once in a while, if the crop is low, they can get darn beligerent. You can't outrun, or out bike, a bear either.


----------



## paulaswolfpack (May 22, 2006)

We were camping at the Lostine River outside Enterprise,OR. such a lovely place and the bears would come down and catch the salman out of the river, and hiding in our cars with our dogs who were shaking when the big cats would come down too.oh and the Big horn sheep if you ever get the chance please go.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/w-w/recreation/wilderness/ecwild.shtml


----------



## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

My friend and I were talking about what we would do if we saw a bear and it decided to give us a bad time.
I said, "that the first thing I would do is put on my running shoes".
He said. "why you can't out run the bear"?
I said, " I know, I don't have to out run the bear, I have to out run you".
(Joke)
Never have seen one in the woods, but have smelled them several times.

Saw a wolf once, didn't dawn on me what it was at the time, just thought, "what the he!! is that BIG dog doing way out here"?


----------



## Yeti (Nov 3, 2006)

Moonwolf you reminded me that we have loads of Turkey around here. at work in the back 40 there are several groups of about 12-20 in one of the groups there are two silver turkeys. they are head to toe silver and the beards are black.

I don't know how many of you have heard or remember hearing about the Panther spotted around Chelsea, Mi about 20 years back. my good buddy lives next to a preserve down south of me called Sharon Vally State Rec. he has seen many Large prints that he believes to be a Cougar or Panther sized animal. I only live about 7 miles north of him and the place I work with the 4000 acres is about the same. so it wouldn't suprise me at all to find out its hiding out over there. the summer before last there was a cougar attack on a horse over in a town Called Parma about 35 minutes west of me. the DNR was claiming it was something else and they had several eye witness accounts of it being in the area. thats when someone spilled the beans and let out that there had been 5 other sightings by sheriffs and other accountable peoples but everyone else had been left in the dark.


----------



## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

I used to enjoy watching the manatees swim up along side the pier at the Kings Bay Naval Base.


----------



## Yeti (Nov 3, 2006)

deaconjim said:


> I used to enjoy watching the manatees swim up along side the pier at the Kings Bay Naval Base.


Sounds like me out in the pool...not much difference except I can't graze off the bottom.


----------



## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

This young grizzly moseyed down the river in front of our cabin last summer at dusk:










I keep hoping to see a wolverine some day but they are pretty elusive.


----------



## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

Yeti said:


> Sounds like me out in the pool...not much difference except I can't graze off the bottom.


Be careful of those boat props!


----------



## MaineFarmMom (Dec 29, 2002)

I watched this eagle yesterday. There's a carcass pile under the snow. When road killed animals are too damaged for human use they're added to the pile. The pile is cleaned up in the spring.


----------



## tn_junk (Nov 28, 2006)

There is a small grove of woods I used to hunt that had a resident population of albino squirrels. No one ever killed them and last time I was there (it is actually part of a subdivision now) there were still a few around.

galump


----------



## Bear (Jan 25, 2005)

Although not rare, I did see some black squirrels at my hunting cabin. Also saw an albino robin while carrying mail on my route.


----------



## RoseGarden (Jun 5, 2005)

Nothing too exciting, I guess. I have seen foxes, which are kind of uncommon for this area. Also have seen an oriole, which is very uncommon, feeding on a bottlebrush bush in my yard once. Black squirrels, too. Oh, I have seen a mountain lion, although not here where I live, it was in another part of the state. I couldn't believe what I was seeing for a minute, but sure enough, that's what it was. I saw a karakara (sp?) once (a kind of bird), bobcats, ringtail cats over by San Antonio, horn toads, and I think that's about all I can come up with.


----------



## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

Saw my first bald eagle "in the wild" a little less than a year ago. Golden eagle, fox, bear, baby moose (as my wife and I were kayaking in U.P.), bobcat, fox, mink and once saw a road kill armadillo. Nothing too exotic, but satisfying to see something you don't see everyday.


----------



## hillsidedigger (Sep 19, 2006)

At my mountain property I have seen a mink and a merlin (pigeon hawk). Nearby there, I once saw a fisher, even though they are said not to exist this far south.


----------



## ~Tomboy~ (Oct 13, 2005)

One foggy morning I spotted this albino whitetail deer down our driveway.
I haven't seen her since.

http://www.dakodan.net/dexters/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1350


----------



## ~Tomboy~ (Oct 13, 2005)

OK I was wanting the picture of the albino deer to inbed in my message.
what am I doing wrong? Can't seem to make it happen.


----------



## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

~Tomboy~ said:


> One foggy morning I spotted this albino whitetail deer down our driveway.
> I haven't seen her since.
> 
> http://www.dakodan.net/dexters/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1350


Nice pic, Tomboy.

Have you ever heard about ours?
Seneca White Deer Inc.
Seneca County
New York State
Home of the Worldâs Largest Herd of White Deer!
http://www.senecawhitedeer.org/


----------



## ~Tomboy~ (Oct 13, 2005)

Steve,

I had heard of the Seneca White Deer, but never saw them. Thanks for putting up their website. They have a great video.

White tail deer here (Texas) do not survive long, they are susceptible to skin burn and varmints. I am ever hopeful that I'll see her again.


----------



## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

Around here I've seen black/brown/cinnamon bears, coyotes, beavers and moose, camping I've seen grizzleys, fox, elk etc etc. Lots of birdlife, heaps of eagles. Also bobcats and a couple lynx, etc.
In Australia we saw emus, roos, crocs, koalas, wombats etc etc.
I saw a giant hummingird in the Andes, about 8" tall. No pics, too fast.
In the amazon there were giant river otters, all the birds, caiman, poison arrow frogs, howler monkeys....
In the Galapagos....pics below. 
wild galapagos tortoise









sealion pups









mom seal with pup









adult male seal lion. had to quit snorkelling when he snapped at us!









adult marine iguana









swimming with sharks (not feeding)









blue footed booby









swimming with wild seals/sea lions









swimming with fish


----------



## bgak47 (Sep 4, 2003)

Dirtslinger said:


> Around here I've seen black/brown/cinnamon bears, coyotes, beavers and moose, camping I've seen grizzleys, fox, elk etc etc. Lots of birdlife, heaps of eagles. Also bobcats and a couple lynx, etc.
> In Australia we saw emus, roos, crocs, koalas, wombats etc etc.
> I saw a giant hummingird in the Andes, about 8" tall. No pics, too fast.
> In the amazon there were giant river otters, all the birds, caiman, poison arrow frogs, howler monkeys....
> ...


 Looks like you've been around! Thank's for the pics!


----------

