The Great Outdoors

[KUTradition]

tough to beat 6 days in the Uintas…even with two hail storms and a bit of rain, better than the 98 degrees we come home to

deer, ermine, snowshoe hare, badger, and a fuckin porcupine…

[ousdahl]

[TDub]

tough to beat 6 days in the Uintas…even with two hail storms and a bit of rain, better than the 98 degrees we come home to

deer, ermine, snowshoe hare, badger, and a fuckin porcupine…

I'm amazed at the amount of porcupine I see around here. They seem to be recovering after a near extinction event by people wanting the quills and selling then to natives for their artwork and embroiderments.

they're not a smart or quick animal....you can literally walk up them and thump them with a club.

Anyway, never really considered them a wheatfield, sage brush canyon critter, only ever saw them up in the mountains before

lots of badgers here too but that's more expected

[KUTradition]

tough to beat 6 days in the Uintas…even with two hail storms and a bit of rain, better than the 98 degrees we come home to

deer, ermine, snowshoe hare, badger, and a fuckin porcupine…

I'm amazed at the amount of porcupine I see around here. They seem to be recovering after a near extinction event by people wanting the quills and selling then to natives for their artwork and embroiderments.

they're not a smart or quick animal....you can literally walk up them and thump them with a club.

Anyway, never really considered them a wheatfield, sage brush canyon critter, only ever saw them up in the mountains before

lots of badgers here too but that's more expected

it was a real treat for us (especially since both dogs seemed to have a natural aversion)

we hiked to a remote, unnamed lake and were scampering up a rocky bluff to get to the next one when one of our girls growled and let out an alert bark. sure enough, tucked in a rocky crevice there it was. never got to see its head or face, but just encountering one at all was pretty special…particularly given the circumstances

the badger was pretty cool, too, but the porcupine takes the cake

[ousdahl]

I’ve encountered several porcupines over the years. Had a few walk right across my porch. Even saw one climbing a tree!

One time, hiking with a buddy who’s kind of an entitled asshole - which is to say, the sorta dood who refuses to leash his dog in a wilderness area - when the pup began barking frantically at a bush.

I suggested getting the dog under control, to which the scoffed. “It’s prob nothing, just the dog being a dog.” I sarcastically suggest, you’re not gonna feel that way if it’s like, a porcupine.

We keep walking while the dog continues the standoff. Suddenly the bark bark bark becomes a yelp. The dog comes running up embarrassed with a face full of quills.

[TDub]

dog learned it's lesson, won't do it again. In some ways that makes him smarter than....well...you.

so, you're under the impression a dog needs to be leashed at all times?

[ousdahl]

Pretty wild how the great outdoors thread has become the insult ousdahl’s intelligence thread.

Joke’s on you guys, cuz I’ve only been quilled by a porcupine like 4 or 5 times tops! One of these days, I’m gonna finally figure out how to out-rassle them for those strawberries.

And yes, I think any dog in any public area should be leashed and/or under control.

Wilderness areas are slightly different, cuz on one hand it’s a good place to let a dog roam, I get it. But on the other, it’s a good place for a dog to get fucked up by a wild animal, or start other trouble yet.

[TDub]

I'll add that to the list of things we disagree on, I can't imagine hiking woth a dog and having him chained up the whole time.

[KUTradition]

a well-trained dog is a dog with freedom

i honestly feel sorry for dogs whose owners have done them the disservice of not having them off-leash trained

that said, if the dog doesn’t have solid recall and leave it command responses, it seems only a matter of time before something unfortunate happens

[ousdahl]

It’s up to the dog being under control. Yea, if he’s just hiking along and not bothering anything and promptly following commands, then cool. And congrats on the well-trained dog!

But not many dogs are well trained. Most should be leashed, even in the great outdoors thread.

I’ve been bitten, cornered, chased, barked and snarled and growled at, knocked into, snacks and shoes and socks stolen. For real, a dog ran off with CoyDC.

None of that is appropriate. Basically, if a human being couldn’t do it to another human, then a dog can’t do it to a human either.

And don’t even get me started about those little shit bags yall leave laying on the trail!

[DeletedUser]

I think the environment matters too. We live in a neighborhood type setting. Even trusting my dog off leash, I would still not want him off leash when walking around the neighborhood. And that has more to do with other dogs/animals than it does him. Thankfully we've got a decent sized fenced in yard that allows him some freedom to run full speed and chase bunnies/squirrels and try to eat bugs out of the air.

Out in nature, with limited animal/human interaction, I'd let him run free. He's an English setter so they stay medium distance anyway. He wants to do his hunting thing, but he doesn't want to get too far away from his humans.

[twocoach]

Three people have been bitten by off-leash dogs this season at the mountain bike trail I typically ride. All three had owners nearby who assumedly thought that their dog would be fine off leash because "we're in nature and there's not that many people around".

Even smart dogs are dumb and can get distracted by a sudden, unexpected sighting of a running animal or a human running or riding a bike.

[Sparko]

My shelties are so protective I have to keep them away from too much drama. They are pretty harmless unless they sense a threat, then the go into Bannockburn mode.

[TDub]

I don't wanna live in a world where people think dogs should be leashed, chained, and kenneled everywhere they go.

[ousdahl]

OK.

then just make sure your dog is under control.

[TDub]

get yourself under control, let's start there.

I'd say more people are out of control and destructive in the woods (and in general) than dogs.

[KUTradition]

get yourself under control, let's start there.

I'd say more people are out of control and destructive in the woods (and in general) than dogs.

i resisted venting about all the trash we find in campsites, the noise pollution and damage to the environment from the OHVers, and the fishing line left at alpine lakes by “anglers”, but now that you mention it…

[twocoach]

I don't wanna live in a world where people think dogs should be leashed, chained, and kenneled everywhere they go.

99% of my dog's life is in my house and my yard where she is not leashed, chained or kenneled. If I choose to ensure that my dog and the general public is safe when we go out for walks, that seems to be not a big negative thing for my dog.

[ousdahl]

get yourself under control, let's start there.

I'd say more people are out of control and destructive in the woods (and in general) than dogs.

Believe it or not! I’ve never bitten, growled at, ran into, stole from, or otherwise harassed anyone on public lands.

I’ve also never antagonized any wildlife, either. If wildlife takes issue with me, I back off and leave them alone, rather than stick my nose in their face.

But obviously, if you’d like to continue with condescension, it’s your prerogative. Fwiw tho I’d like to ask you to kindly refrain.


Please?

[TDub]

get yourself under control, let's start there.

I'd say more people are out of control and destructive in the woods (and in general) than dogs.

Believe it or not! I’ve never bitten, growled at, ran into, stole from, or otherwise harassed anyone on public lands.

I’ve also never antagonized any wildlife, either. If wildlife takes issue with me, I back off and leave them alone, rather than stick my nose in their face.

But obviously, if you’d like to continue with condescension, it’s your prerogative. Fwiw tho I’d like to ask you to kindly refrain.


Please?

my god you're such a whiny little bitch. Also, you really really like to use buzz words you don't fully grasp.