- Joined
- May 12, 2007
- Messages
- 355
I have a friend out in the Southern Chicago suburbs who only works a mile or two away, so he just bikes on a public trail there every day. Even at night and despite the fact the thing cuts through people's back yards, and even during our famous winters, he'll take that bike across ice, rain, or heat to get there. The trail is lined with trees for miles, beautiful little ride, even if the nature stops a dozen yards on each side.
Last winter, he called me up a couple times and mentioned 'something on the trail'. It's a paved trail on an old railroad path, walkers and bikers galore, but in the winter it's dead obviously. Except he kept finding some medium-sized tracks that he couldn't place, he'd seen deer around but nothing like this before. He thought it was a bobcat or something, except there are none around here. He kept finding those tracks in the snow, sometimes they'd walk around a good mile. Spring came, he forgot about it.
Last night, he's riding home at around ten thirty. He has all his lights off, because as I said the trail runs through people's yards, even a little headlamp is enough for people to look out their windows. He's approaching the end of a fence on one side, and hears some loud snaps and other odd noises. He figures it's a raccoon, keeps riding. He passes the fence, is now right by a pitch-black piece of woods that has a steep drop. He hears paws hitting dirt, and a very low bear-like growl a couple feet away form him. He had a flashlight, but rather chose to start pedaling like he was Armstrong himself. It didn't chase him, but he figured later on, whatever it was it was a couple feet from him hidden in the dark (He'd passed a football field light so his night vision was shot) and probably crouching by some plants. The sound was distinctively large, canine, but he kept relating it to a bear.
Finally, he asks enough people online last night, myself included who brought up those tracks he was finding. He looks up the tracks thinking of something larger this time, finds a perfect match. Coyote. From the sound of it, an oddly large one. I remember them cutting through a very developed suburban area before, always thought it was odd how they'd just walk through. Apparently they move along the bike path because that strip of woods was there for decades before, and my friend spooked one who was heading home as well.
If my friend has been walking and not on his infamously dog-scaring bicycle, he might have had a problem. Not with being chased down, more like just walking too close without seeing and scaring the thing into attacking. As his work allows, he had nothing on him except a pocket light and his office-style gear. He's trained with sticks and blades for less furry situations, and he's also an animal lover who would just scare the thing off with a couple whacks and let it be. It's just a coyote, after all.
But if he had gotten bit, imagine what would happen with how small towns freak out. I grew up in the same area, lot of yuppies and the like. If my friend had gotten a bite on the ankle, the next day people would say they found his body half-eaten, and mothers would forbid their kids from going on the trail where the coyotes roam. He called me on his early break at work, it was more of a rush for him and he's joking with everyone who drives how he now has to fight off wild animals to get home from work.
Last winter, he called me up a couple times and mentioned 'something on the trail'. It's a paved trail on an old railroad path, walkers and bikers galore, but in the winter it's dead obviously. Except he kept finding some medium-sized tracks that he couldn't place, he'd seen deer around but nothing like this before. He thought it was a bobcat or something, except there are none around here. He kept finding those tracks in the snow, sometimes they'd walk around a good mile. Spring came, he forgot about it.
Last night, he's riding home at around ten thirty. He has all his lights off, because as I said the trail runs through people's yards, even a little headlamp is enough for people to look out their windows. He's approaching the end of a fence on one side, and hears some loud snaps and other odd noises. He figures it's a raccoon, keeps riding. He passes the fence, is now right by a pitch-black piece of woods that has a steep drop. He hears paws hitting dirt, and a very low bear-like growl a couple feet away form him. He had a flashlight, but rather chose to start pedaling like he was Armstrong himself. It didn't chase him, but he figured later on, whatever it was it was a couple feet from him hidden in the dark (He'd passed a football field light so his night vision was shot) and probably crouching by some plants. The sound was distinctively large, canine, but he kept relating it to a bear.
Finally, he asks enough people online last night, myself included who brought up those tracks he was finding. He looks up the tracks thinking of something larger this time, finds a perfect match. Coyote. From the sound of it, an oddly large one. I remember them cutting through a very developed suburban area before, always thought it was odd how they'd just walk through. Apparently they move along the bike path because that strip of woods was there for decades before, and my friend spooked one who was heading home as well.
If my friend has been walking and not on his infamously dog-scaring bicycle, he might have had a problem. Not with being chased down, more like just walking too close without seeing and scaring the thing into attacking. As his work allows, he had nothing on him except a pocket light and his office-style gear. He's trained with sticks and blades for less furry situations, and he's also an animal lover who would just scare the thing off with a couple whacks and let it be. It's just a coyote, after all.
But if he had gotten bit, imagine what would happen with how small towns freak out. I grew up in the same area, lot of yuppies and the like. If my friend had gotten a bite on the ankle, the next day people would say they found his body half-eaten, and mothers would forbid their kids from going on the trail where the coyotes roam. He called me on his early break at work, it was more of a rush for him and he's joking with everyone who drives how he now has to fight off wild animals to get home from work.
Would you care? I hate when stupid laws force me to be a criminal. 
