I got attacked today

[ferndogger]

I had the day off work today and thought I would go throw a fly around in one of the "secret" creeks around here. It was nice out so I thought I would bike to the creek which was a few kms down a backroad. So I fished for about 2 hours with no luck so I packed up and started to head home. I was biking along the side of the road only for about 2 minutes when I heard the bushes rustling and heard something screeching behind me. I turned around only to see a grouse flying straight at me at head level about 4 feet away from my face and closing in fast. It took me a second to realize what was going on and by that time the grouse was on my shoulder/backpack pecking at me and swatting with his wings. I stopped peddling and he jumped to the ground and chased me on foot for about 5 feet and was hissing/screeching the whole time. After I "got away" I stopped and almost pissed myself laughing because I couldnt believe that I just got attacked by a grouse. Hows that for a fish story.

[Kody94]

I had the day off work today and thought I would go throw a fly around in one of the "secret" creeks around here. It was nice out so I thought I would bike to the creek which was a few kms down a backroad. So I fished for about 2 hours with no luck so I packed up and started to head home. I was biking along the side of the road only for about 2 minutes when I heard the bushes rustling and heard something screeching behind me. I turned around only to see a grouse flying straight at me at head level about 4 feet away from my face and closing in fast. It took me a second to realize what was going on and by that time the grouse was on my shoulder/backpack pecking at me and swatting with his wings. I stopped peddling and he jumped to the ground and chased me on foot for about 5 feet and was hissing/screeching the whole time. After I "got away" I stopped and almost pissed myself laughing because I couldnt believe that I just got attacked by a grouse. Hows that for a fish story.

You got too close to her chicks and she did not like it! I've had that happen a couple times, in the Valley and down in the South Country, while laying out cutblocks.

[hunterofthedeer]

thats a good fish story! them grouse do get agressive

[swamper]

Something similar happened to us last year. A hen grouse attacked Dayle's quad. One of the funniest things I saw all summer.

[Franko Manini]

Wow... How'd the grouse taste?! ;-)

[moosinaround]

I had the day off work today and thought I would go throw a fly around in one of the "secret" creeks around here. It was nice out so I thought I would bike to the creek which was a few kms down a backroad. So I fished for about 2 hours with no luck so I packed up and started to head home. I was biking along the side of the road only for about 2 minutes when I heard the bushes rustling and heard something screeching behind me. I turned around only to see a grouse flying straight at me at head level about 4 feet away from my face and closing in fast. It took me a second to realize what was going on and by that time the grouse was on my shoulder/backpack pecking at me and swatting with his wings. I stopped peddling and he jumped to the ground and chased me on foot for about 5 feet and was hissing/screeching the whole time. After I "got away" I stopped and almost pissed myself laughing because I couldnt believe that I just got attacked by a grouse. Hows that for a fish story.
Geese!! You ok? Makes a guy ponder life after a near death experience like that!! I would start packing heat!! Which leads me to wonder..... what caliber is enough for an agressive species like that?? Would a mid bore 30 cal be enough?? or should a guy go to a big bore 40 cal?? Members?? What are your feelings? :wink::lol::biggrin: Moosin

[Wild one]

lmao good to hear you live through the attack:lol:

[wolverine]

I got dive bombed by a pair of crows last week just outside my front door. They won't be dive bombing anything else ..... ever. I've seen grouse do some stupid things but never anything like that. Too funny. Go back this fall and see if you can even the score.

[Shooter]

Man I wouldn't head back into that neck of the woods without a magnum thats for sure.

[ferndogger]

I will definatly be back for revenge this fall. I had bear spray on me, Im sure that would have shut her up real good, lol.

[gerrygoat]

Awesome story, glad you survived the encounter with the great beast ;)

[Paulyman]

I think its a copycat crime,the grouse must have heard about the cougar attacks in Squamish

[Spokerider]

A pair of geese guarding their goslings wanted my ass on the trail earlier this year!

[Jelvis]

I saw a grouse in the bush one time that pretended to have a broken wing and started hopping away and I walked after it, my uncle said they do that so you try to follow and it leads you away from her chicks -- Mother Nature --
She fights for her young to the death -- she's tricky --
Jel -- mother nature's wrath - lol.

[wolverine]

A pair of geese guarding their goslings wanted my ass on the trail earlier this year!


Now those are nasty bas&ards! You haven't lived until you've had the shite kicked out of you by a friggin goose!

[Fisher-Dude]

Yep, I had a spruce hen come after me once while out for a hike. She was really persistant! Beware of cow moose, sow grizzlies, and spruce hens this time of year!

[arcadia]

I was attacked by a grouse once. It was right in my face flapping away and I almost tripped over chicks (it was in a very brushed-in old skidder road. ):lol:

I was dived bombed by a humming bird while treeplanting once. It flew way up into the sky, almost out of sight then came screaming down within about 1-2 metres from me. A little humming bird!

I friend from Slocan forest Products (Canfor now) attacked by a doe and she was freaked by the attack apparently. It apparently it chased her, head butted-her and she fell backward over a downed log.

Anyone else attacked by something little?:lol:

[.308win]

Cool story!!:biggrin: Those Grouse can get real protective! I had a first for me today, I was attacked by a pair of wood peckers while doing a cruise plot!! I was standing right under the young!!

Perry

[Stone Sheep Steve]

You going to write a book?? "Grouse Attacks..The Deadly Truth"..:lol:

Should be a best seller!

SSS

[gerrygoat]

One of these days I'll have to tell you guys about me being attacked by a beaver when I was a kid and a marten a couple of years ago :eek:

[mud-dog27]

lol i can only imagine how funny that would be after you relized what just happened

ive spooked a few and those grouse scare the crap outta me every time cause its always complete silence then BAM sounds like a grizzly coming through the trees

the humming bird seems sketchy though they got like spear beaks :eek: you must of pissed that bird off good cause ive never seen or even imagined an aggressive humming bird

[killman]

That is funny, I was out for a quad ride with the kids on Sunday and we had one fly right at us than start squawking and doing the funky chicken it front of us.

[ferndogger]

lol i can only imagine how funny that would be after you relized what just happened

ive spooked a few and those grouse scare the crap outta me every time cause its always complete silence then BAM sounds like a grizzly coming through the trees

the humming bird seems sketchy though they got like spear beaks :eek: you must of pissed that bird off good cause ive never seen or even imagined an aggressive humming bird

Thats exactly it. The grouse was so loud I thought it was a cougar or bear, never heard such a small animal tear through the bush like that. Im really glad it was only a grouse. I also have a humming bird that dive bombs me almost everyday on my deck. Its quite the thing to see, flies up about 50 feet then makes this crazy sound then turns about 3 feet from you.

[kastles]

Gotta get that ATC!!

[hunter1947]

LOL ,that is as funny as they get :lol::lol: ,but I would say it is no fish story but a grouse story :lol:.

[Tikka270wsm]

What a terrifying ordeal you went through, glad you made it man.
He/she was probably going for your shoot'n eye. LOL

[pikey]

That's funny, I have been attacked by a small but very agressive fish before.
I worked on a dive boat in Australia in my 20's and we would take customers to look at all the goodies and go looking for sharks, turtles etc.

There was a fish with some eggs in a bunch of coral and they are very protective, when I swam past they saw their own reflection in my diving mask and charged at the reflection, right at my face. some fish have beaks like a parrot and it cut my head, knocked my mask off.

I have been diving sharks up to 18 foot long and the only time I got hurt was by a fish 3 inches long :)

[Kody94]

I was attacked by a grouse once. It was right in my face flapping away and I almost tripped over chicks (it was in a very brushed-in old skidder road. ):lol:

I was dived bombed by a humming bird while treeplanting once. It flew way up into the sky, almost out of sight then came screaming down within about 1-2 metres from me. A little humming bird!

I friend from Slocan forest Products (Canfor now) attacked by a doe and she was freaked by the attack apparently. It apparently it chased her, head butted-her and she fell backward over a downed log.

Anyone else attacked by something little?:lol:


Having hummingbirds dive bomb you is pretty common if you are wearing high vis and an orange hard hat. Its particularly disconcerting when you are trying to have a nap and an h-bird comes out of nowhere and hovers inches from your nose. :)

I have been dive bombed by goshawks on a few occassions too. One of my coworkers had his hat knocked off by one. They don't like it if you're within 100m of their nest! They have sharp looking talons too...a little freaky when they a screaching at you and coming in at Mach 1.

My wife has been chased by cow elk and doe deer on a few occassions.

We had a doe whitey fawn in our backyard last week...she put the run on a few dogs and a couple people over a couple day period.

[Chuck]

Interesting read guys! Years ago I was attacked by a very ferocious weasel.
Funny thing is it wanted up my pant leg. I kept booting it away, at its several attempts to get up there. Finally it buggerd off, much to my relief - I thought I might lose something valuable for a bit there.
Seen a whitey fawn just the other day, looked to be hours old - no sign of mama - no camera again.

[ttruscott]

Hummingbird attacks can be ferocious! How about a dozen at once! Yikes, scared me but none hit me.

Back in the fifties (anyone old enough to remember them? http://upchucky.com/music-jukes/1956/player.html )

We lived in Moosomin, small town on the edge of the prairies, and we'd take young red tail hawks and great horned owls out of the nest when they fledged and tame them for the summer. They always went back to the wild in the fall when the mating call started to sound.

The red tails would stoop from way wayyyy up and come down screeeching like a stuka but they never hit us. A great horned owls nest was so big you were upside down crossing laterally to find the edge. For both birds, when you poked your nose over the edge, you got a face full of bird shit at high speed in the face unless you were quick.

The owls were the only bird to actually land on my brother, (yayyyy!). She came in silent and relentless and start to beak him to death. Think of being 45 feet up in a tall tall poplar, shinnying most of the way, and then getting attacked by an owl on your head when you were busy hanging on and could not fight back.

Dad fired off the 12 gauge to miss and the owl left.

Ahhh, the good old days...we had pet crows, magpies, gophers, who knows what all. Do it now and PETA will eat your lunch! :)

[riflebuilder]

funny story got a good laugh, good to hear you survived.

[wolverine]

I had a large grey owl fly into my face one night outside of the cabin on the Blackwater. I was outside on the porch having a smoke and it was pitch black. I guess the owl must have been in the tree and mistook the glowing ember on my cigarette for something and attacked. Ukfay... I about filled my shiters!!!:eek: It pulled up hissing just in front of my face, I guess when it realized it had F'd up and landed on it's ass in front of me, wings open and hooded and hissing like the devil I thought it was. I let a holler out of me and the guys come running rifles in hand because there had been a lot of Grizzly activity around the cabin and they though I had gone out to the outhouse unarmed. (which we never did up there. trapped in the shitter by a bear before but that's another story.) They laughed like hell when they saw the owl on the ground getting all pissy. Not so funny at the time. I swear it took 10 yrs off the ass end of my life.:smile:

[Paulyman]

What would you do if you had to kill the grouse in self defence? would you report it to the co :lol:

[BC30cal]

ferndogger;
Thanks for sharing the story - glad you made it through to tell us about it. ;)

Many years back my wife and I were glassing mulies early one morning as we sat on the edge of a 20' cliff that then fell away into a big bowl.

We'd spotted a couple deer a few hundred yards out, including a buck and were trying to figure out how big the buck was when a small adult porcupine shuffled out of the sage behind us and passed about 25' away from us, either ignoring us or not even aware of our presence.

We heard a strange sound in the sage about 3-4 minutes later and a much bigger porcupine showed up. It sat back on it's haunches, shifted back and forth and began clicking it's teeth.

Then it charged, well it shuffled towards us in a determined fashion anyway!:lol:

As I didn't want to spook the deer below us, I took off my ever present felt cowboy hat and on hands and knees met the charge full on and began to beat this porky about the head and neck with said hat.

Again, quietly as I didn't want to spook the deer below us.:eek:

I was initially successful in driving it (him?) back but he still didn't want to leave.

Just as I was getting the spotter focused on the buck, my wife whispered we were being "charged" again, so off came my hat yet again and the porky and I again exchanged pleasantries as quietly as I could keep it.

This time it (he?) saw things my way and it shuffled off in the direction the first porcupine had gone.

I can only guess the first was a female and the "aggressive" porky was a male doing what males sometimes do when they are chasing females, but I can't say for certain.

I guess the more time one spends on the mountain, the greater the chances of some interaction with the residents there, eh?

Thanks again,
Dwayne

[TheDuckinator]

Wow I gotta say that has never happened to me before, but times like that you gotta wish there was an instant replay button for life

[303carbine]

I had the day off work today and thought I would go throw a fly around in one of the "secret" creeks around here. It was nice out so I thought I would bike to the creek which was a few kms down a backroad. So I fished for about 2 hours with no luck so I packed up and started to head home. I was biking along the side of the road only for about 2 minutes when I heard the bushes rustling and heard something screeching behind me. I turned around only to see a grouse flying straight at me at head level about 4 feet away from my face and closing in fast. It took me a second to realize what was going on and by that time the grouse was on my shoulder/backpack pecking at me and swatting with his wings. I stopped peddling and he jumped to the ground and chased me on foot for about 5 feet and was hissing/screeching the whole time. After I "got away" I stopped and almost pissed myself laughing because I couldnt believe that I just got attacked by a grouse. Hows that for a fish story.


I can see a grouse defence thread starting soon...........:mrgreen:

[thatskindafunny]

thatskindafunny don't ya think?

[Elkhound]

LMAO......I can't even think of how many times they have scared the crap out of me while bear hunting........the little SOBs

[TSW]

Sounds like we need to start a support group for grown men scared to death by "scary" birds!!!
I have had some pretty close encounters with these ferocious grouse as well...I'm not ready to tell the story yet though, it's still too traumatic.
A couple years ago my brother in Smithers was confronted by a grouse who was attacking him and biting his hat that he was using to keep the grouse at bay...then he drove off down the road over half a km and then turned around and there was the grouse coming down the road at him. He's got some hilarious video footage of it running down the road at his truck and then flying up onto his hood and trying to peck him through the windshield!! Enter the windshield wipers!!:biggrin:

[moosehunter16]

bahahahaa too funny

[Singleshotneeded]

:grin: Ferndogger, thanks for the story, it was too funny...I was wondering
what all of you thought, do you think a .500 calibre safari rifle with open
sights would be best for grouse defence, or should we be buying 10 gauge
double-barrel shotguns with 000 buck? We need to be ready for any attacks by these killer road chickens!!!:-D