Humans in hand to hand combat against animals?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Thank you all for your great answers. All very informative!

[O,just,O]

[quote="Bloke"]I’ve found that the easiest way to deal with them is to find the biggest, nastiest Salty in the billabong and punch his lights out! Word spreads pretty quick in and around a billabong and they generally leave us alone after that. quote]
Actually bloke the people in PNG chase the living $ hit out of crocs right from when the crocs are small.
This trains a fear of humans into them & attack by croc is rare.
Not like here where they are wild & have nothing much to do with people, so they see humans as more food & have no fear.
O.

[Bloke]

I’ve found that the easiest way to deal with them is to find the biggest, nastiest Salty in the billabong and punch his lights out! Word spreads pretty quick in and around a billabong and they generally leave us alone after that. quote]
Actually bloke the people in PNG chase the living $ hit out of crocs right from when the crocs are small.
This trains a fear of humans into them & attack by croc is rare.
Not like here where they are wild & have nothing much to do with people, so they see humans as more food & have no fear.
O.

O, I say a lot in jest no doubt, but I'm glad you understand the essence of my post! I'm not American and I don't know the protocol but if I was camping in the woods and a bear was sniffing around I'd do what I could to discourage it. Being Australian, I'd have to fight it! :rolleyes:

[Ankerson]

I’ve found that the easiest way to deal with them is to find the biggest, nastiest Salty in the billabong and punch his lights out! Word spreads pretty quick in and around a billabong and they generally leave us alone after that. quote]
Actually bloke the people in PNG chase the living $ hit out of crocs right from when the crocs are small.
This trains a fear of humans into them & attack by croc is rare.
Not like here where they are wild & have nothing much to do with people, so they see humans as more food & have no fear.
O.

O, I say a lot in jest no doubt, but I'm glad you understand the essence of my post! I'm not American and I don't know the protocol but if I was camping in the woods and a bear was sniffing around I'd do what I could to discourage it. Being Australian, I'd have to fight it! :rolleyes:

The safest and smartest thing to do is move away slowly if possible (don't run) and come back later after the bear is gone.

Anything other than that isn't very smart especially if it's a brown bear (Grizzly) or Polar Bear, they are the largest carnivores in the US (Meat eaters) so you are the food.

Don't buy into the typical macho BS as that will likely get you killed, bears are nothing to fool with so don't do anything to piss it off or aggravate it.

[bearfacedkiller]

There have been many people who have survived mountain lion attacks here in the lower 48 where they don't get as big.

A guy saved his son's life by stabbing one with a Caly3.5.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=54132

There is a TV show called "I survived" and it is a pretty raw show. Some of them are bone chilling. It is like watching a trainwreck. I find the show inspiring. At the end of each person's story they ask them why they survived and the answers sometimes give me goosebumps but in the end they all had a level head and a strong will to live.
This guy survived by burying his thumb in that cat's eye socket. This is a short clip from the show.
https://youtu.be/2XYfnoL8st4

Here is another one with a older retired couple named Jim and Nell Hamm. This is the full episode. There are three stories per episode so you will need to skip ahead or watch the other two stories. The cat was on him and locked onto his skull. His wife stabbed it in the eye with a pen and it did nothing. She ended up whacking it in the head with a big stick and it finally let go. He was lucky he wasn't alone. Jim was basically scalped but he lived to tell the story. A level head and the will to live is all that can save you. Never give up.
https://youtu.be/ZEC-NHKRRd0

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Wow thank you. These predatory animals are very tough and dangerous things.

Here is an aside question: If you, on a regular basis, consistently, began to feed/leave food like raw meat out for a pride of lions or for one of these predatory animals, and did it every day, for months and years and years, would the animals get used to it and realize that they can get basically free food without having to go hunting, or what would likely happen?

[anagarika]

Here is an aside question: If you, on a regular basis, consistently, began to feed/leave food like raw meat out for a pride of lions or for one of these predatory animals, and did it every day, for months and years and years, would the animals get used to it and realize that they can get basically free food without having to go hunting, or what would likely happen?

I think the tigers in the China safari park that attacked a woman are fed regularly.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/25/asia/chin ... index.html

[awa54]

Wow thank you. These predatory animals are very tough and dangerous things.

Here is an aside question: If you, on a regular basis, consistently, began to feed/leave food like raw meat out for a pride of lions or for one of these predatory animals, and did it every day, for months and years and years, would the animals get used to it and realize that they can get basically free food without having to go hunting, or what would likely happen?

Habituated predators are a bad thing! they may seem "safe" when accustomed to humans and well fed, but that's subject to change at a moments notice... I know someone who spent time at a big cat rehab preserve in Botswana, the woman who ran the operation said that most of the time the cats were fine, but some days the vibe would be bad and she wouldn't go any closer to the enclosures than necessary for fear of becoming the days meat. These were cats that on most days were at worst indifferent and in some cases seemed friendly.

[Bloke]

Wow thank you. These predatory animals are very tough and dangerous things.

Here is an aside question: If you, on a regular basis, consistently, began to feed/leave food like raw meat out for a pride of lions or for one of these predatory animals, and did it every day, for months and years and years, would the animals get used to it and realize that they can get basically free food without having to go hunting, or what would likely happen?

Another good question SEF! :)

You could give it a go, but don’t forget, cats are notoriously fussy eaters! I think you’d most likely be a little disappointed if you turned up with a nicely quartered Wildebeest, Zebra, Giraffe……. you went to a lot of trouble to shoot only to have them turn up their noses and go next door to eat dog biscuits!

Anyhow, hope this helps!

[JD Spydo]

I know it's hard to believe in this day and age and for this to take place in a major USA city probably makes it more unbelievable. But I found out by hiking in some wooded area here in Kansas City, Missouri USA Earth where I'm currently living that wild life are quickly regaining their old turf so to speak. I was hiking on a trail close to where I'm currently living and I was absolutely amazed at how many white tail deer tracks I found but that wasn't anything compared to what I was about to encounter.

I didn't know until I chatted with neighbors after the fact that Kansas City truly does have a big problem with "wild dogs" :eek: living in and around the outskirts of the city. I continued my hike and got close to a clearing and a dog walked out ( bigger than any wild dog I ever encountered) and immediately the dog snarled at me and it scared me like I haven't been scared in a long time. The only thing I can compare it to is when I was held up at gunpoint about 6 years ago. This wild dog had a head on him bigger than any domestic dog I had ever seen. After the dog snarled at me I knew I couldn't run because that would trigger a predator instinct in him and thus make matters much worse.

I don't know where I got the courage but I actually went forward at him and with GOD's help he ran away from me but he did look back and snarled at me a second time. To tell you all the truth I don't know what I would have done had he attacked me. All I had one me was my two Spyderco folders i.e. a Stainless handled RESCUE model and my trusty M390 Military model. Like an idiot I didn't have anything else or anybody else with me. Luckily for me I was able to call his bluff but had he been with a pack of wild dogs I don't know what I would have done. I'm here to tell you all this>> don't take a walk in the woods lightly anymore. I told a local police officer about it and he said there was indeed a problem with wild dogs in the city and also a lot of potentially dangerous homeless people living in the woods as well. So anytime any of you walk in the woods ( anywhere) try not to go alone and definitely have a weapon with you.

But seriously I really don't know what I would have done had the dog attacked me>> but I sure won't go hiking alone anymore at all.

[Ankerson]

About 30 years ago when I still lived in MD out in the country we had a pack of wild dogs around.

We shot them all eventually.

They are dangerous because they aren't afraid of humans and they will attack.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Wow thank you for the great replies everyone to my questions. And JD, I am so glad you are okay after the encounter with the wild dog. I too have heard that they are more dangerous in some ways than even wolves and coyotes because of their being used to humans.

This is good reason to have knives on one's person.

[anagarika]

JD,

Glad you're ok. I'm thinking a solid walking stick AND knives are minimum for protection if gun is not allowed.

[JD Spydo]

JD,

Glad you're ok. I'm thinking a solid walking stick AND knives are minimum for protection if gun is not allowed.

Thank you for the well wishes I appreciate that. Yes I am in Kansas City MO USA city limits and I can't carry or discharge any type of firearm. Although they don't seem to care about archery which does give me a viable option. Like I said before this wild dog I encountered must have been some type of wolf-hybrid. Because this thing had a head on him about as big as one on a wild wolf. He was built more like a big German Sheperd but his hair color wasn't like that of any German Sheperd I had ever seen before.

My one neighbor said he's been afraid to go hiking on the trails for quite some time now. He re-affirmed that the wild dog population is big and getting bigger. With so many people getting ill-tempered pitbulls for pets then they abandon them when they get evicted from where they're living and they told me that about half the wild dogs we have here in Kansas City are pitbulls that have turned feral. I've been attacked by a neighbor's pet pitbull about two years ago and I absolutely don't want to take on one that has gone wild.

We have a lot of wooded areas here in Kansas City>> with Swope Park being as huge as it is there are literally hundreds of acres where wild dogs and other animals can survive here in KC. There are so many whitetail deer here that a pack of wild dogs would have no problem keeping themselves fed. Again I will never go hiking in these woods alone nor without some type of viable weapon ( Gurkha Kukri or Matthews compound bow). You just wouldn't think that wild animals would be a threat in a major city like Kansas City but they are here and they are evidently high in numbers. And I bet that Kansas City isn't the only major city with this problem either

[OldHoosier62]

JD,

Glad you're ok. I'm thinking a solid walking stick AND knives are minimum for protection if gun is not allowed.

Thank you for the well wishes I appreciate that. Yes I am in Kansas City MO USA city limits and I can't carry or discharge any type of firearm. Although they don't seem to care about archery which does give me a viable option. Like I said before this wild dog I encountered must have been some type of wolf-hybrid. Because this thing had a head on him about as big as one on a wild wolf. He was built more like a big German Sheperd but his hair color wasn't like that of any German Sheperd I had ever seen before.

My one neighbor said he's been afraid to go hiking on the trails for quite some time now. He re-affirmed that the wild dog population is big and getting bigger. With so many people getting ill-tempered pitbulls for pets then they abandon them when they get evicted from where they're living and they told me that about half the wild dogs we have here in Kansas City are pitbulls that have turned feral. I've been attacked by a neighbor's pet pitbull about two years ago and I absolutely don't want to take on one that has gone wild.

We have a lot of wooded areas here in Kansas City>> with Swope Park being as huge as it is there are literally hundreds of acres where wild dogs and other animals can survive here in KC. There are so many whitetail deer here that a pack of wild dogs would have no problem keeping themselves fed. Again I will never go hiking in these woods alone nor without some type of viable weapon ( Gurkha Kukri or Matthews compound bow). You just wouldn't think that wild animals would be a threat in a major city like Kansas City but they are here and they are evidently high in numbers. And I bet that Kansas City isn't the only major city with this problem either

Having dealt with feral dogs in a couple of places I've lived, including where I live now (folks come to the country to dump their unwanted pets) I only have one piece of advice....carry a gun....or the BIG can of bear spray. The old adage of "better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6" is an absolute truth when dealing with pack animals. They work together to bring the pray to ground, scary effective and lethal.

My ONLY other advice is possibly to get a Cold Steel Sjambok whip/club/un-holy pain producing device...They work but engaging multiple targets is still hard to do. Whatever you do...be careful.

I've had to kill several dogs over the years due to attacks on stock, menacing my family, common nuisance and I've found a 240gr. 44cal bullet at around 1000 to 1200 feet per second to be the most effective deterrent. YMMV

[OldHoosier62]

JD,

Glad you're ok. I'm thinking a solid walking stick AND knives are minimum for protection if gun is not allowed.

Thank you for the well wishes I appreciate that. Yes I am in Kansas City MO USA city limits and I can't carry or discharge any type of firearm. Although they don't seem to care about archery which does give me a viable option. Like I said before this wild dog I encountered must have been some type of wolf-hybrid. Because this thing had a head on him about as big as one on a wild wolf. He was built more like a big German Sheperd but his hair color wasn't like that of any German Sheperd I had ever seen before.

My one neighbor said he's been afraid to go hiking on the trails for quite some time now. He re-affirmed that the wild dog population is big and getting bigger. With so many people getting ill-tempered pitbulls for pets then they abandon them when they get evicted from where they're living and they told me that about half the wild dogs we have here in Kansas City are pitbulls that have turned feral. I've been attacked by a neighbor's pet pitbull about two years ago and I absolutely don't want to take on one that has gone wild.

We have a lot of wooded areas here in Kansas City>> with Swope Park being as huge as it is there are literally hundreds of acres where wild dogs and other animals can survive here in KC. There are so many whitetail deer here that a pack of wild dogs would have no problem keeping themselves fed. Again I will never go hiking in these woods alone nor without some type of viable weapon ( Gurkha Kukri or Matthews compound bow). You just wouldn't think that wild animals would be a threat in a major city like Kansas City but they are here and they are evidently high in numbers. And I bet that Kansas City isn't the only major city with this problem either

Having dealt with feral dogs in a couple of places I've lived, including where I live now (folks come to the country to dump their unwanted pets) I only have one piece of advice....carry a gun....or the BIG can of bear spray. The old adage of "better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6" is an absolute truth when dealing with pack animals. They work together to bring the pray to ground, scary effective and lethal.

My ONLY other advice is possibly to get a Cold Steel Sjambok whip/club/un-holy pain producing device...They work but engaging multiple targets is still hard to do. Whatever you do...be careful.

I've had to kill several dogs over the years due to attacks on stock, menacing my family, common nuisance and I've found a 240gr. 44cal bullet at around 1000 to 1200 feet per second to be the most effective deterrent. YMMV

Apologies...half asleep double-tap.

[O,just,O]

My wife is a forest ranger & currently working in a fairly remote area.
There are wild cattle in there & lots of wild horses & as a consequence the dingo numbers are pretty high as well.
The danger comes from the cattle, bulls in particular. Never mustered or handled in their life, totally wild for some generations.
The problem with these cattle is that they eat the tops & hearts out of the young Livistona palms that grow in the area.
These trees are like a kind of loco weed to the cattle & it seems the more they eat of them the more they want to eat them so they never move far from the palms. They are off their faces on livistona palm & sleeping it off in the long grass.
A person must be very careful & aware around them, as with all drugo's because they can have outbursts of violence.
This is especially so if you suddenly come on them camping in the grass in the middle of the day. They will burst out & attack.
Thankfully, as their addiction becomes worse, so too do the side effects. They go rickety in the rear legs so that their main thrust & driving power loses its force. The real mad ones want to really stomp you bad but can no longer run fast enough to catch you. Eventually they succumb & die. Then the dingoes eat them.

Early stage drugo bulls & cows with calves are the ones to look out for because they are as mad as hatters & still have good working legs. Many times Wifey does the ring a ring a rosy around a big eucalypt tree with them. Get a big enough tree to stay out of sight long enough & they get bored & go away because they can no longer see a threat.

She has no weapon against them besides awareness & wit. I would not like it myself because there is a job to do as well as stay alert to the danger & not get caught in the open. Seems like a lottery, in that if you keep buying tickets, one day you might win. The laws in this country would rather see her stomped than armed. That concerns me.
You see, these wild cattle never come into the city offices & chase everyone up the walls or into the toilet cubicles.
O.

[JD Spydo]

Well "O just O" I can't imagine your wife having to work in a dangerous area like she is and her superiors lot allowing her to be armed :confused: . After my "wild dog" encounter I won't go into the woods or any wilderness area without having some sort of a weapon on me. Even if I'm with other people I won't go into a wild domain without a way to properly defend myself. I pray that your wife will be safe in the meantime and hopefully find a safer job soon.

With all the extremely venomous snakes you all have down under in Australia blows my mind. Yes I used to watch your Brother Steve Irwin religiously>> and how he avoided getting bitten was totally beyond me.

WEll "O just O" good DYAD Brother that you are you should at least arm your wife with one of Spyderco's best if nothing else. Too bad they never made a "Lady's Dyad". But a Matriarch or Military model should be standard equipment for a park ranger IMO. Always good to hear from you Brother :)

[SpyderEdgeForever]

O just O, regarding the wild cattle, are everyday citizens allowed to, if they can get the firearms or other hunting tools to do it, go out and hunt them since they are a nuisance animal, or are there very strict rules regarding that?

I remember telling someone I spoke with once that aggressive cows are very potentially dangerous; he knew angered bulls are but he was convinced that the female cows are completely docile because he claims all he saw were them slowly grazing in fields and was convinced the female cattle are timid and it is only the male bulls that are the ones who will chase after people. He is wrong on that!

Also cows have very hard heads, including the heifers. I once knew of a situation where a female cow broke through the door of a barn room (ofcourse the barn was very old but even so) and tore it off its hinges to get at some of the stored food in there. And that was a "domesticated cow". I can only imagine what the wild ones are like.

[awa54]

O just O, regarding the wild cattle, are everyday citizens allowed to, if they can get the firearms or other hunting tools to do it, go out and hunt them since they are a nuisance animal, or are there very strict rules regarding that?

I remember telling someone I spoke with once that aggressive cows are very potentially dangerous; he knew angered bulls are but he was convinced that the female cows are completely docile because he claims all he saw were them slowly grazing in fields and was convinced the female cattle are timid and it is only the male bulls that are the ones who will chase after people. He is wrong on that!

Also cows have very hard heads, including the heifers. I once knew of a situation where a female cow broke through the door of a barn room (ofcourse the barn was very old but even so) and tore it off its hinges to get at some of the stored food in there. And that was a "domesticated cow". I can only imagine what the wild ones are like.

My GF's family has Scottish highland cattle, raised for beef. They're left to their own devices in a fairly remote field, year 'round (of course with hay brought when browse isn't available and occasional vet visits), they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, to the point that even though the area they're in has many coyotes (in Vermont the coyotes have been proven to be gray wolf hybrids and often reach 60 pounds) there are never lost calves. If a stranger were to go in to the pasture area with these cattle and there were mothers with calves, the highlands would run the intruders off in a hurry! I also have a friend who was impaled by a mother cow's horn while he was trying to help with a sick calf, he survived it, but not by much...

ALL cattle are potentially dangerous, so pay attention and be ready to get out of the way in a hurry. Same with horses and to a certain extent even goats and sheep, especially the ones with horns.