Advice about Goats

[bombadil]

My fiance and I took advantage of the great weather we were having here in Virginia and went out for a day-hike to Signal Knob (on part of the AT on Manassas mountain in VA). It was really beautiful and great to be out there.

There were some great views on the way up.
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/tmagin/backpacking/File0002.jpg

This is near Signal Knob. This picture is the closest one we got to the summit.
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/tmagin/backpacking/File0003.jpg

Apparently from the top there is a great view. We only saw it for a second though, and didn't get a picture of it. We met a friend up there that kinda chased us away...
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/tmagin/backpacking/File0004.jpg

I'm not really sure what was going on with the goat. She seemed to be making some kind of snorting/hissing sound and was being either playful or threatening. She would run at us from behind us then run past us and block the path. We would turn around and go the other direction and she would run and block our path again. We finally got by her and she let out a cry as we walked away. It was definitely pretty funny looking back on a goat chasing us back and forth... :)

It did make me think though, what would have happened if the animal we ran into was more dangerous than a goat. Does anyone have tips on how to deal with wildlife?

Tim

[brad nicholson]

pack the largest handgun you can legally buy and just start blazing away if something makes you feel uneasy...;)

perhaps this animal was rabid? i don't think i've heard of a rabid goat but then i believe anything these days.

[EdK]

Tim...From what I can see in the picture, the goat doesn't have it's horns, which basically means it's domesticated. My daughter raised goats or 4 years in high school and they can be goofy for sure, but for the most part, harmless. However....as for a serious encounter with wildlife, most large animals are intimidated by humans during an encounter. Sure, there have been confrontations, but this is by far the exception. Most will turn and run when first coming in contact with a human. However, if this doesn't happen, there are a few things you can do, and one big thing you should not do.....do not turn and run as this will usually trigger their natural response to chase...NOT a good thing. We have a large population of black bears in our local big mountain wilderness area. Making noise, yelling, banging pots, throwing rocks in it's vicinity, (but not at the animal,) will usually do the trick. Slowly backing out of the area, if necessary, should be done, as mentioned, slowly, while facing the animal. We also have a very healthy population of mountain lions in our other wilderness area. Contact with them is extremely rare, but it does happen. In that case, you'd try to make yourself appear as large as possible, with arms raised above your head, standing still, yelling, etc.....Do not crouch down and under no circumstances should you turn and run. If it attacks anyway, fight it off as best you can as all bets are off. Good luck Tim....and watch out or them goats : ) Ed

[GreatDivide14]

<i>...one big thing you should not do.....do not turn and run as this will usually trigger their natural response to chase...NOT a good thing. </i>

True of bears and cougars, but only pursuit predators have that natural response. If an herbivore decides it wants you dead, it's because it sees you as a threat to itself or its immediate relatives. To make matters worse, they don't know anything about killing animals, so they don't know when to end the onslaught. Consequently, any zookeeper can tell you that the most dangerous animals they deal with are the zebras. I read an article in Backpacker a few years back when Backpacker was worth reading about how to handle hostile encounters with animals other than bears and cougars, but I forget the issue...I'll look for it. Anyway, I remember what they said about elk, since I've been charged twice and decided to do my homework. Stand you ground in an elk charge, and lob rocks at it if necessary. My aim is lousy, so during that second charge, I only landed one out of four, but the one stopped it. I also remember that in a moose charge, you should duck behind a tree, and in a bison charge, run like your ass is on fire and your head is catching. Also pray, as they're fast.

With predators, it depends on the individual attack. Cougars: regardless of the situation, stand your ground, look big, scream threats, look for a weapon. If attractive, available women are in the area, run straight at it with a guttural scream (you wouldn't pick a fight with a raccoon acting like that, would you?). This is probably a good idea regardless. The idea is to convince it that the meal isn't worth the effort. They're predators, not demons. Do the same in a black bear attack, unless you're between Yogiella and her cubs. If a grizz (or a vindictive mother black bear) charges, don't fight back, UDAP notwithstanding. Stand your ground, avoid eye contact, and hope it's a bluff charge. If it's standing right in front of you, talk to it calmly and back away slowly. If it sideswipes you, hit the ground on knees and elbows, covering your neck with your hands. Try to act dead as she gnaws on you curiously (an uncomfortable situation, yes, but not as injurious as one might think). If she wants to eat you (extremely, extremely, extremely uncommon with grizz), then it's your call. I'd probably start fighting back, but most likely, I'd be dead regardless.

Hope this helps,
David.

[KeithEA]

Never get downwind of an old Billy. Keith