animals you could kill without weapons

[Galapogos]

So one of the things I'm going to try to do this summer is spend more time outside.. stuff like walking, running, maybe try to pick up stuff like biking and/or hiking.

One of the things that kind of scares me is an attack by an animal(s), particularly dogs. Say that situation comes up, what do I do? I'm about 6'3, 200lbs and in very good shape, but the last thing I want to do is fight a rabid/stray dog. Any prevention tips? Say I had no other option but to stay and fight, then what? Keep my composure and try to strangle it? What about carrying some kind of weapon, e.g. pepper spray, a gun (ccw), knife, or sharp stick?

Like Cobere said, I'd be more afraid of a cougar (the real kind) more than any other animal. Last year I lived on Vancouver Island and that's like the cougar attack capital of the world. Survival rate against them is fairly high for grown men if they fight back and not run like he said. Once it knows you're not going to be an easy target they'll generally leave you alone as the cougars that attack people tend to be weaker/injured/younger. The two problems with them are if they do have it set in their head they want to attack you they will and not stop until you beat it down in defeat somehow, and that they're sneaker fuckers and will generally attack you from behind or something after quietly stalking you for a while.

The good thing about wild animal attacks though is they're all so rare. Cougars try to live way out of man's range, bears for the most part do too and aren't very aggressive. And I don't see why you're particularly worried of dog attacks?

But your size is pretty much the best prevention method you have going for you so far since if an animal is going to see a human as prey it's generally going to be smaller people like children. Plus have a workout partner, safety in numbers ldo. And pepper spray would be your most effective weapon of choice.

[Galapogos]

Oh and someone correct me if I am wrong, but there is no fighting back against a bear attack. You cover your head and hope to live, amirite?

That's for grizzly bears. If they attack you it's because they believe it's in self-defense. If a black bear attacks you, it's because he's hungry. Black bears don't often see people as prey, but in very rare circumstances they will and that's when they'll attack.

[wufwugy]

just get a dog to protect you?

id go with dachshund



fwiw, dachshunds are awesome dogs. when i get my boerboel and bobcat im also getting a dachshund. granted i grew up with the greatest dachshund of all time.