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Does anyone else shoo wildlife off the road?

Mar 19, 2009
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Turtle saving on almost a daily basis this time of year. Tons of basically domesticated deer that like to jump in front of me on 50mph downhills. When I lived in AZ I rode within striking distance of a rattler without noticing until it rattled at me, and the further you get away from population it turns into a slalom meet with scorpions.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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BroDeal said:
There are no snakes on New Zealand roads? What happened? Did they all end up in Australia or is that just the poisonous ones?

I road over one before on my mtn bike and I only realised later I had run over it. When I looked back ahead I nearly road into a tree.:eek:
 
BroDeal said:
There are no snakes on New Zealand roads? What happened? Did they all end up in Australia or is that just the poisonous ones?

Yeah Bro we got them all Down Under mate..On day last summer while out riding my Mtb on a 4wd track beside the river.I managed to run over 6 to 7 snakes within 50 metres and would have hit more except i managed to jump over roughly half of them.Needless to say i havent ventured back to that trail since.(Summer in Australia can be very hot so snakes come out to bake)But i wont go into the story about the Kangaroo that jumped into the middle of our bunch whilst racing?
 
Jul 10, 2009
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Roos and wallabies are the main dangers where I ride (New South Wales south coast) apart from SUV drivers. I know of two incidents on local roads where wallabies have jumped out unexpectedly resulting in a fractured pelvis for both riders concerned. They are very unpredictable and seem to have a death wish.
 
I relocate lots of turtles whilst riding on the road during the Australian summer, after rain mostly. I think it is important to work out which direction they are heading otherwise they may venture back. I also give the odd burial for those recently dead small animals, such as birds, cover them with leaves and grass.
 
Pigeons, squirrells and the occasional racoon and rat where i live. I used to dodge the pigeons and squirrells, but they move erratically. Now i hold my line and hope for the best (seems to have worked, have not hit one since). The racoons and rats shoo me away:eek:

Are derelicts wildlife? 'cause we have those too and i do shoo them away.
 
Jul 6, 2009
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i was on mulholland highway descending and hit a squirrel going over 30mph nothing i could do. i was not going to crash over a suicidal/stupid squirrel that is for sure. i have nearly hit dear as well as coyotes(though there situational awareness is much better than dear) and of course snakes are common.
 
Mar 11, 2009
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forty four said:
i was on mulholland highway descending and hit a squirrel going over 30mph nothing i could do. i was not going to crash over a suicidal/stupid squirrel that is for sure. i have nearly hit dear as well as coyotes(though there situational awareness is much better than dear) and of course snakes are common.

I just ran over a squirrel last weekend. It was one of those big, gray squirrels in the San Gabriel Mountains. He was moving fast enough so that only my rear wheel went over him. I stopped and looked back to see he was still in the same place, obviously stunned. After a few seconds he darted into the brush.

I've moved lots of snakes off the road. Once I picked up a gopher snake in Griffith Park and the ungrateful ba$tard hissed and tried to bite me.
 
May 13, 2009
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Usually only turtles and snakes. I've also moved the odd toad and salamander.

Squirrels and birds should be smart enough to get off the road by themselves.
 
A

Anonymous

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I actually was using my helmet last weekend to try and scurry a family of little baby quail across the road faster, to get them out of the way.

I do this stuff all the time.
 
Mar 13, 2009
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My buddy likes to stop for turtles on mtb rides. Myself? Can't reall agree with that. Not like anybody is riding back there around that time...aside from us, that is.
 
Mar 11, 2009
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Mr.DNA said:
I just ran over a squirrel last weekend. It was one of those big, gray squirrels in the San Gabriel Mountains. He was moving fast enough so that only my rear wheel went over him. I stopped and looked back to see he was still in the same place, obviously stunned. After a few seconds he darted into the brush.

Squirrels around here like to run for the spokes in your front wheel, then turn around right as you are slowing down and swerving to miss them, causing you to almost fall off your bike:mad:
 
titan_90 said:
Squirrels around here like to run for the spokes in your front wheel, then turn around right as you are slowing down and swerving to miss them, causing you to almost fall off your bike:mad:

"Squirrel! We have no deal with them!"

george-costanza.jpg
 
Mar 22, 2010
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went on a ride where the leader stated we would stop for each and every turtle. I thought it was a joke. 10 turtles later I was thinking please God, as soon as I can get my bearings I am outta here.

Do they realize that within 3 minutes of getting moved they are right back on the black asphalt warming themselves again?

Danmed nuts! I love turtles, but really, gang, there's millions of 'em. I hate to see 'em dead and never hit them with my car intentionally, but really....just keep going.
 
My wife and I will always shoo wildlife if it is safe to. Once back in the US we shooed a giant turtle at an intersection. There were some cars waiting for us to get it out of the way.

Here in Brisbane the real problem doesn't seem to be the snakes-instead it's these Kamikazes

Australian_Brush_turkey.jpg
 
Jul 6, 2009
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Mr.DNA said:
I just ran over a squirrel last weekend. It was one of those big, gray squirrels in the San Gabriel Mountains. He was moving fast enough so that only my rear wheel went over him. I stopped and looked back to see he was still in the same place, obviously stunned. After a few seconds he darted into the brush.

I've moved lots of snakes off the road. Once I picked up a gopher snake in Griffith Park and the ungrateful ba$tard hissed and tried to bite me.

griffith park oh im sure we have ridden past each other many times out there good place to get in miles and do some quick climbing. you ever do the little group ride up la tuna canyon on sunday that starts at the zoo parking lot at around 8:00am? anyways yeah the big grey ones you only see above like 1500 feet or so and the orange kind at lower elevations. im shocked the one you hit was not killed. i hit with both tires im lucky i did not crash as i was cornering mildly felt like hitting a wet rag or something. i have not saved any animals(i would given the opportunity) but i have on two occasions found rabbits who had been hit and had broken spines so i quickly finished them off to end there suffering as i would want the same done for me.
 
Jul 6, 2009
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Cobblestones said:
Usually only turtles and snakes. I've also moved the odd toad and salamander.

Squirrels and birds should be smart enough to get off the road by themselves.

no squirrels more or less try to get hit not kidding it really seems that way.:confused:
 
Apr 27, 2009
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I definitely do. I picked up a rattlesnake and moved him/her to safety once. I didn't do it "by the tail talking softly to it the whole time" Steve Irwin style, but rather with a branch :). Several non venomous snakes as well large and small over the years.

Tried to help a brain damaged mouse off the road once as it could only run in a wide circle and thus kept looping back to the center before he got to the edge. Eventually got him on the appropriate vector to arc him into the woods.
 
Jul 23, 2009
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Lion of Flanders said:
Tried to help a brain damaged mouse off the road once as it could only run in a wide circle and thus kept looping back to the center before he got to the edge. Eventually got him on the appropriate vector to arc him into the woods.

I think he posts in this forum, usually in The Clinic.
 
I live in Victor Harbor, which is fondly called "Gods waiting room". In addition to Kangaroos we have old people wandering accross the roads.

Ive tried to shoo them, but they are generally pretty good at swinging the cane.

Hugh
 

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