What to do If You Encounter a Wild Animal While Hunting
When most people think of hunting, images of longhorns, hounds chasing across a field, or even of a skilled sniper stalking a fox come to mind. But there’s so much more to it than that! Wild animals are an important part of the ecosystem, and when you’re hunting them, you’re helping to keep them around.
If you’re considering hunting as a hobby or profession, you’ll quickly learn what to do if you encounter a wild animal while you’re out. Being prepared is essential if you’re going to succeed in this field, but many newcomers to the hobby find it difficult to know what to do if they encounter a wild animal while they’re out hunting. Here’s what you should do if you encounter a wild animal:
Stay calm
The last thing you want to do is panic. If you start to become frantic or emotional, it will show in your body language and could spook the animal. Stay calm and think straight. This could be the most important thing you do.
Try to appear as large as possible
If you’re going to encounter a wild animal, one of the best things you can do is make sure your appearance scares the living daylights out of the animal. While it’s okay to try to avoid an actual confrontation with the animal, scaring it off is often easier than trying to harm the animal.
The best way to do this is to make yourself as large as possible. If a bear is chasing you, try to stand up and make yourself as tall as possible to make yourself look large. This is essential, especially if you’re in a wilderness setting. There are some rare cases where it is legal to chase an animal, but it’s not legal to bait an animal. So, if you’re hoping to scare an animal off, standing up and making yourself as large as possible is going to do the trick.
Leave your scent so the wild animal knows you’re around
If you’re running from a bear and you hear a loud “louder than you’d like” yell, you are advised to make sure the bear knows you’re there. This is especially important in wilderness settings where there is more risk of a bear showing up.
When you leave your scent, you’re letting the animal know that you’re around by burying your scent in various ways such as by urinating, defecating, or cutting wood. When an animal leaves its scent around its home, it will often leave signs around the area so other animals know not to enter the area. This is especially important when you’re hunting. Letting the wild animal know you’re there could mean the difference between a successful hunt and a complete failure!
Make noise and keep the animal aware of your presence
When you’re hunting, you’re going to be making noise. If a wild animal is skittish, it could end up escaping or even hurting you. This is why while you can make as much noise as you want, you should also make sure the noise is aimed at keeping the animal aware of your presence.
Keeping the animal aware of your presence is especially important for nocturnal hunters like raccoons and opossums. If you’re trying to catch these animals at night, you need to keep the noise from lulling the animal into sleep. If you’re making noises with a shovel, you’re probably doing too much. You should be keeping the noise level low, but not so low that it’s lulling the animal into a state of sleep.
Avoid eye contact and physical contact
Wild animals are probably naturally curious creatures. However, when you encounter a wild animal, you’re best off avoiding eye contact and physical contact. This could be because of your safety, but it’s also going to keep the encounter as short as possible. If you have to touch the animal, try to avoid touching its face or eyes.
Wild animals are going to smell like you, so it’s best to avoid touching yourself with your hands. Instead, wear gloves. This will allow you to avoid touching yourself and still hunt. Avoid leaning forward as well; this could cause you to lean over and accidentally step on a tripwire or if the animal is on the ground, you could accidentally step on it!
If you can, shout to let the animal know you’re around
Shouting is another great way to scare off a wild animal. If you can shout safely, you can let the animal know you’re nearby and that you’re there to hunt it. This way, the animal will be scared and hopefully, leave the area. Shouting is also a good way to let your friends and family members know where you are. If you’re using a hunting app, you can add your location to let people know which is particularly helpful if you’re hunting in a public place and want to avoid prying eyes!
If you have to, use your weapon to scare away the animal
If all else fails and you don’t have time for screaming and making that loud noise, you can always use your weapon to scare away the animal. If you have a gun, this is the best way to scare off a wild animal. If you have a knife or other weapon, this is also a good way to scare off a wild animal.
Conclusion
As you can see, being prepared is essential when you’re going to hunt. Whether you’re hunting for food or for fun, you need to be prepared for the possibility of a wild animal encounter.
Wild animals are an important part of the ecosystem and when you’re hunting them, you’re helping to keep them around. If you’re considering hunting as a hobby or profession, you’ll quickly learn what to do if you encounter a wild animal while you’re out.
