I was barked at by a raccoon while running on the north riverbank trail last night. A mother raccoon with 3 babies was walking down the path when I came upon them. I gave them a shout to let them know I was coming, I really didn’t want to deal with a frightened rabid raccoon attacking my bare calves. The mother immediately stopped, turned towards me, puffed herself up and barked at me like a dog. The little ones scurried off and the mother stood her ground. I had to stop and walk slowly around her to avoid any confrontation.
So far this spring I’ve been barked at by mother geese, yes they can bark as well as hiss, as well as the raccoon. I’ve flushed mother pheasants, which can nearly induce a heart attack if you’ve never experienced it before, and been lured away from countless small woodland bird’s nests by mother birds flopping down the trail acting injured.
I’m amazed I haven’t been mauled yet.
