When animals attack...

[TOP SHOT]

I just this afternoon finished writing up an item for the November issue's news pages about an "unwelcome visitor" on a poor guy's boat. Seems he was fishing alongside a jetty in a British Columbia seaport, minding his own business, when a black bear ambled down and then leapt aboard. The angler tossed him a coho salmon, but apparently he wasn't fond of fish. He came after the man and quickly had him pinned to the deck....read more under "Unwelcome Visitors" on our blog page


Anyone with crazy wild animal stories of their own? Let's hear them!

[capt rob]

Got bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake last year. One of my clients threw a plug up in the trees. I pulled the boat up on the shoreline to retreive the expensive plug when it happened. I got out of the boat with flip flops on my feet and it struck me on the side of the heel of the foot. Wound up in the ER for a few hours. Did not need anti venom. The doctor said some times their first strike is a dry strike and it only got me once because I was walking at the time. Never saw it there it blended in to the surroundings so perfectly. Lukily the client was a many time repeat customer and we just laughed it off over a bottle of rum that night.

[TOP SHOT]

wow! that's wild, rob! where was this? i have seen rattlers crossing estuarial rivers but haven't heard of anyone nailed by one while fishing.
would love to hear others who have true stories to tell of unhappy encounters with wild critters while fishing. might even pull some to run in the magazine (as editor in chief, i can say that!) -- doug

[Viktor]

Fishing for some pinkies around Kodiac Island, a Brown attacked our party of anglers and severely mauled a child before being shot. The child did not live.

[reeldrag1]

Fishing out of tok ak in a 14 ft v boat and a 2 hp johnson my girlfriend and i had a very big and very angry grizzly swim after us for about half a mile around a lake where we were about a 100th of a mph faster then he was talk about staining your undees wow. The kicker is about 3 in the mourn I had to shoot a 600lber on our pourch that was trying to get into a chest freezer. Very trying day for all.

[Nonong]

Seems the solution to the problem is preparedness.

Animal Strength(Bear, Puma, Wolves, etc.) Pepper Spray is available in most Outdoors Fishing and Hunting shops. Purchase 2 pressurized sprayers but keep/store them away from heat.

It happened to an in-law.... He just had to store it on the dash of his Mitsubishi Montero a.k.a. Pajero in the Philippines. This was parked under the hot sun and it just expanded and leaked. The in-law had to open the windows and air the vehicle before he drove it away from the carpark.

If you are the type who just anchors/moors nearshore for overnight relaxation.... buy a pack of MCormick Black Pepper and sprinkle the stuff liberally ashore in a semi-circle to give bears, wolves and dogs a nasal drip. Don't expose food on the boat or hang near leftovers.

For the safety conscious.... Make it a habit to ask around if there are critters in the vicinity that can bite.

Don't provoke the dangerous animals by being careless like walking away from the boat and into the woods, hanging fish to dry or just leaving gutted cleaned parts on a shoreline near the boat. Never go near a female with young. Do not hesitate to gun the engine or lock yourself in a boat. Before i forget... spray the Capsicum downwind and not upwind as this can end up in your face.

Heard a story of some guys who like to drink beer. They "marked" the trees and bushes and according to one last man standing it worked. But don't take his word or mine for it.

[Nonong]

I don't know if you guys have this in the U.S.A. There is a marketted electronic device in the Philippines that emits high frequency sound. Animals are repelled by the in your ears volume of the device.

Maybe they have an equivalent of this stateside. A jury rigged system in recording high frequency animal repellant noise in a burned CD/VCD or tape played in an onboard sound system should be mucho effective on a boat. Besides.... a portable can be taken ashore right? You will feel safe and it won't hurt human ears. Ask around about its legality though. The SPCA might not like it.

We have lotsa snakes in tropical Philippines. The thing is: keep your eyes and ears open; have a snake stick or equivalent to swing in grassy bush areas; have a pair of snake repellant chaps aboard the boat; buy a snakebite kit; remember the nearest trauma center with anti-venom; stay away from the deep grass and wear a good pair of anti-snake boots. Do they sell this in Cabela's?