Great picture!

 

skunk for me!

 

For me it’s a porcupine (kagh in Anishnaabemowin) - almost ran into/on top of one trail running around Scotsdale Farm/north of Georgetown with Luc and Neb off-leash. I was in front thankfully and quickly turned us around without any animal noticing the other.

Moose might be tied. I remember someone in Alaska getting their GSD killed by one. Less likely to run into unless backpacking but 😬 Had them swim to an island we were on with Neb while canoeing (they were crossing the lake it was a good resting spot) but we sighted them, got him on leash and howling so they thought there was wolves (maybe?) and they went through the island the back way thank goodness.

Skunks fall after moose and porcupines!

 

I haven't seen a porcupine in decades but do see evidence in the tree damage sometimes. Forgot about them, yup they make the list.

 

Stupid people for sure. All else are ok 👍

 

I think the winner is skunk... however lately I'm hesitant to have the dogs outside of the fenced area after dark because of the coyotes feasting on the neighbours cats They're around and they're close these days! I have seen porcupines in the yard at home, but they are generally slow moving so they don't worry me personally. The dogs running loose may have a different outlook on this.

 

People with friendly dogs, called Daisy on a Flexi

 

The worst is when they insist their dogs are friendly. But nowadays i just dont say a word when people want to be friends, i just smile and wave while walking away or make a strange face. By the time they realise i will not respond we are too far away, so no chance of them being persistent.

 

Ha, ha, we are such a friendly bunch of people

 

Wild Turkeys!

After dark, they roost in flocks of 10-40 birds. They weigh 10-25 lbs with wingspans of 4-5 feet in our area. There are a lot of corn fields around us, so they eat well.

They generally stay absolutely silent until we are right up on them. Then they all take off together with ear-piercing yelps.

I tend to zone out during night walks; feeling the consistency of the ground change over different terrain, listening for the scurrying and calls of animals, and the temperature changes in different types of vegetation.

A flock of turkeys exploding out of nowhere is enough to give me a heart attack.

I am lucky. Ole had a run-in with a skunk early on; he knows enough to stay clear.

 

When we lived in a “neighborhood” in California, skunks traveled beneath the streets in low lying rain drains. Sometimes at every corner there was a skunk popping out of the sewer. Teenage mutant ninja skunks?!?

before the neighborhood, up on the hill, it was mountain lions who visited the porch. Didnt want to run into those cats. No sirrree

 

Mountain lion attacks in California are rare events; since 1890, there have been fewer than 50 verified attacks and only six fatalities. I ran all through the Sierras as a child. There was never any significant danger from anything other than my own foolish actions.
My cousin raised a mountain lion in her home.

 

I have encountered all of them in my own yard.
Bobcats sit quietly a few feet away and let me take pictures. They ignore me completely unless the dog is there. Then they run. Same as a housecat.

Skunks -- beat them to the punch with pepper spray. (They think they are badass because they can stink you out. I can play that game, too.)

Raccoons - They slink slowly away. They don't want to mess with me any more than I want to mess with them.

Turkeys -- Huge flocks of them crowd around. They are so dumb that I drove my car (slowly) through a flock of them and they wouldn't even move. I could have reached out my window and grabbed them by the neck. (Pro tip: If you ever actually capture a turkey and want to prepare it as food, you will discover that your life is a whole lot cleaner and better if you just go to the store and buy one.)

Mountain lions -- They are certainly in the area but I have never seen one in the wild in my entire life. They don't like people.

Bears -- I have been within arm's length of them many times. Walked out my front door one evening to find one right in front of me on my porch. My biggest complaints about them are that they get into the trash and they don't hang around long enough to get a decent picture.

FYI, the most dangerous animal with the highest kill totals in North America is the deer. Bear attacks are pretty rare. Mountain lion attacks are also rare. Snakes only kill about a dozen people every year - close to the amount killed by spiders, and less than the number killed by simply drinking too much water at once. (About 100 deaths every year from people who drank too much water at once.) An estimated 400 people die every year from hitting deer on the road.

 

I have encountered all of them in my own yard.
Bobcats sit quietly a few feet away and let me take pictures. They ignore me completely unless the dog is there. Then they run. Same as a housecat.

Skunks -- beat them to the punch with pepper spray. (They think they are badass because they can stink you out. I can play that game, too.)

Raccoons - They slink slowly away. They don't want to mess with me any more than I want to mess with them.

Turkeys -- Huge flocks of them crowd around. They are so dumb that I drove my car (slowly) through a flock of them and they wouldn't even move. I could have reached out my window and grabbed them by the neck. (Pro tip: If you ever actually capture a turkey and want to prepare it as food, you will discover that your life is a whole lot cleaner and better if you just go to the store and buy one.)

Mountain lions -- They are certainly in the area but I have never seen one in the wild in my entire life. They don't like people.

Bears -- I have been within arm's length of them many times. Walked out my front door one evening to find one right in front of me on my porch. My biggest complaints about them are that they get into the trash and they don't hang around long enough to get a decent picture.

FYI, the most dangerous animal with the highest kill totals in North America is the deer. Bear attacks are pretty rare. Mountain lion attacks are also rare. Snakes only kill about a dozen people every year - close to the amount killed by spiders, and less than the number killed by simply drinking too much water at once. (About 100 deaths every year from people who drank too much water at once.) An estimated 400 people die every year from hitting deer on the road.

Coyotes -- Around all the time. A pack of them attacked one of my dogs in the front yard. My dog's big brother ran down, grabbed one coyote by the neck, shook it once and dropped it dead on the ground. No more coyote problems. Big dogs solve a lot of problems.