The animals in the U.P. are vast and wild. Enjoy them, don’t fear them, and realize that they are watching you way more often than you ever see them. But if you pay attention, you’ll know when they are around. Animals have neighborhoods just like we do. Some animals territories are very large, others are small. When you look for the signs, you will be able to tell when you’ve stepped into someone else’s living room. I think it’s fun to discover that, and encourage you to be aware. You can go through your entire life and have very little acknowledgment of your naturalistic surroundings. Why though? Believe me, for as much as we have become accustomed to urban living, it is still important to stay connected to the earth and what makes it tick. Animals are at the heart of that beat, and you’ll only benefit from understanding how.
One of my favorite animal encounters was on my way to the U.P. driving north on 75 around 1 am. It was Thanksgiving, and the roads were busy. I saw a deer on the side of the road, struggling to get up. I stopped my car to investigate, ready to help take a life, or mend life, whichever seemed most appropriate. I began petting the deer from the top of her head, down the neck and across her body, feeling for what may be broken or injured. Her heart was racing as cars sped past headlights blinding. As I continued my gentle stroke, she began to calm, noticeably her heart rate dropped a notch or two, and her eyes became transfixed on mine. As I petted, I realized that everything physically was fine, except for a bloody nose. Most likely, she wasn’t hit by a car, rather ran head first into the side of a car as she tried to cross between speeding traffic. I continued to pet her until she finally stood up, and seemed to search my eyes for some form of communication. I stood and told her to be more careful, no doubt confusing language, but she gave me the satisfaction of understanding. She took a few steps away and looked back at me one more time before bounding into the forest.
It’s a gift I’ll carry for the rest of my life. I wish all of you might experience something as wonderful with nature in yours. I believe humans are a part of nature and have a role in it’s balance. On that day, my role was to bring comfort and calm. I do eat red meat occasionally, most generally from my own harvest. I believe in being aware of our connection to nature as a vital part of our existence including it’s role as food. I choose not to eat that from which I know not it’s existence. But that’s me. Maybe as you know more about nature you’ll feel the same, maybe not. That’s not exactly my point in the information on this site. But I do hope that you build a stronger connection and appreciation for the nature around you.
At the core of wild animals remember these simple things. They exist to eat, populate their species and survive. Those three instincts are critical to you understanding how to live and work among them. Whether that understanding helps you survive in a precarious situation with an animal that is much larger and stronger than you, or whether it helps you better understand how to support an ecology near you. Either way, the basics of animal instincts are clear and present in helping us all work within the infrastructure that is much greater than us all.
The more often you have wild encounters the better you’ll be able to identify abnormal behavior. Animals should be naturally shy of humans. Whether its a wolf, bear, or even just a raccoon, when they aren’t shy then there’s usually something wrong. That’s a pretty good sign that you should leave them alone. There are other defensive positions that act as a warning sign, similar to what you might see in a domestic dog or cat. The hair stands up, they try to look bigger or give uncomfortable vocalizations. Bears can look indifferent, and that can be mistaken for being passive. But I know that look for what it is, time for me to go.
I encourage you to pick up pocket books such as Stan Tekiela’s Pocket Guides and get to know the animals in our state and the sign and tracks they leave behind. My boys and I have good fun taking molds of animal tracks. It’s different from a board game but it’s good detective fun with the family to try and piece together what animals were there before you.
