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Old 03-31-2014, 12:33 PM
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Default North America's Big Five

There was a pretty good show on Nat Geo last night. I love the lore of African Big Five safaris so it interested me. They went through a number of NA species and find our Big Five. they rated them based on four factors, only three of which I remember. They were ranked by power, dangerousness (to people), charisma, and one other. Here they are:

Polar bear
Wolf
Moose
Grizzly
Buffalo

A few that didn't make the list were caribou, eagle, and alligator.
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Old 03-31-2014, 12:54 PM
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I think the Mnt. Lion might rank in there somewhere.

Larry
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Old 03-31-2014, 01:12 PM
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They covered probably about 10, I didn't pay much attention to those that didn't make the cut.
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Old 03-31-2014, 01:21 PM
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I have a friend from church that bow hunts large and sometimes dangerous game. He has hunted bears in the past, but says there is not much challenge to a bear. All they are is a stomach that has big teeth. Elk (which didn't make your list) are far more difficult to hunt. American Bison are very tough skinned, but bow hunters do pretty good on them too. In talking with hunters that do the Africa big 5, they say Texas Longhorn Cattle are a good and tough choice. They can get on the nasty side when in the thick scrub brush. Ivan
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Old 03-31-2014, 01:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zzzippper View Post
They were ranked by power, dangerousness (to people), charisma, and one other. Here they are:

Polar bear
Wolf
Moose
Grizzly
Buffalo

A few that didn't make the list were caribou, eagle, and alligator.
The low end, using that ranking system, would be the Kardashians, including Jenner.

I really have trouble with the exclusion of the mountain lion, a beautiful and deadly predator with power and charisma to burn.
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Old 03-31-2014, 01:37 PM
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The low end, using that ranking system, would be the Kardashians, including Jenner.

I really have trouble with the exclusion of the mountain lion, a beautiful and deadly predator with power and charisma to burn.
If I remember correctly, mountain lions barely missed the list because they so rarely encounter humans.

Moose can apparently be real bad asses.
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Old 03-31-2014, 01:37 PM
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I also go with the mountain lions. Buffalo hunting (shooting) is just above shooting wild cows.
I have not taken any of these animals, but I know folks who have taken them all. If you add in difficulty of hunting, the mountain goats and sheep have to be included.
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Old 03-31-2014, 02:04 PM
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If I remember correctly, mountain lions barely missed the list because they so rarely encounter humans.

Moose can apparently be real bad asses.
Moose are unpredictable,one will let you walk by and the next one will try to stomp you.I always carry in moose country now.Ive never seen a lion in the wild,but a few friends have.Youngest sister in WY had a lion that tried to take her GS a few years ago,she saved it.It was dark out and she thought it was a bobcat :-O (she got lucky)There was an older woman that vanished on a hike near a popular campground above Nederland almost two years ago.No trace of her has been found yet.I think a cat got her.
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Old 03-31-2014, 07:51 PM
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I'd put a rutting bull moose on the top tier above any large bear as the meanest and most dangerous creature in North America.
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Old 03-31-2014, 08:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivan the Butcher View Post
Texas Longhorn Cattle are a good and tough choice. They can get on the nasty side when in the thick scrub brush. Ivan
I just got home from taking my wife to Longhorn Steakhouse. The steak was good but my stomach is about to burst. Is this thread drift? Would it be if I'd taken a young hottie to supper? How dangerous would that have been!
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Old 03-31-2014, 08:53 PM
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I just got home from taking my wife to Longhorn Steakhouse. The steak was good but my stomach is about to burst. Is this thread drift? Would it be if I'd taken a young hottie to supper? How dangerous would that have been!
Yes, it's thread drift, to an extreme degree.

The young hottie might be sweet and fun, or she might be a nasty golddigger or con woman. Or, she might be like Modesty Blaise in Peter O'Donnell's novels and the comic strip based on them, read in some 57 countries when it ran. If Modesty was your friend, you'd be well protected. If you were a villain, your life expectancy would probably be limited. (Yes, she used a S&W on occasion, a Model 57. Usually carried an unstated model of Colt .32 that I think was probably a Cobra or Courier or Pocket Postive or in later books, a Star PD .45.)

Are you married? If so, the young hottie had probably better be your granddaughter! I have that advantage, and she wants to be an actress. So you guys may get to see her, too.

As for the list, I don't think much of it, especially if "North America" includes jaguar.

I don't see wolves as major game, although they can be dangerous. Elk and the mountain sheep and goats are difficult to hunt and require long journeys for most hunters. A hunter needs to be in top condition.

I'd certainly include cougars/pumas/mountain lions and contrary to what this show reportedly said, they now DO often interract with people. Attacks are on the increase.

Alligators can be very dangerous. Where do we list American crocodiles, which are not lmited to S. Florida? Burmese pythons, where they live in Florida.

Black bears are usually shy, but those in a predatory mood are known man-eaters. One had a cache of 7-8 adult male human victims. It was killed by an angler who stabbed it as it attacked him while wading.

America has no true buffalo. The American bison can be dangerous, but is usually an easy target.

I agree that moose are very dangerous. One stomped a Volkswagen when I lived in Newfoundland.

Last edited by Texas Star; 03-31-2014 at 09:31 PM.
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Old 03-31-2014, 10:50 PM
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Moose can apparently be real bad asses.
When I was in Alaska, there were tales of sourdoughs who had to climb trees wearing snowshoes after getting between a cow moose and her young.
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Old 03-31-2014, 10:58 PM
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They forgot the Musk Ox.
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Old 04-01-2014, 09:49 AM
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arjay, does GS mean German Shepard, Gordon Setter, or Girl Scout?
I would think mountain lion, instead of Bison. They aren't that rare. Jaguars are rare, puma, not so much.
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Old 04-01-2014, 10:01 AM
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Girl Scout :-D .it was her old German Shepard.The lion had cornered it against the garage wall and she went out in the dark and dragged it into the house while the lion snarled at her.She called me up and told me all about the "bobcat" :-O
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Old 04-02-2014, 01:41 AM
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lets not forget jaguars
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Old 04-02-2014, 02:30 AM
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I've come across a few cougars. They are usually easy to avoid. You can hear them call, 'Hey, babee. Hey, babee.' and usually carry a very strong sweet scent of perfume.

Now, professional football tighends are dangerous and should be avoided.
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Old 04-02-2014, 08:38 AM
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lets not forget jaguars
Let's not forget to read the previous posts.
f.t.
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Old 04-02-2014, 09:39 AM
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Originally Posted by mc5aw View Post
I'd put a rutting bull moose on the top tier above any large bear as the meanest and most dangerous creature in North America.
Correct-but give Charlie a good bottle of bourbon and he'll calm down pretty quick.
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Old 04-02-2014, 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted by HeyJoe View Post
lets not forget jaguars
Well, I did briefly note them, and another man did. I'd have said more, but in most of N. America, they are fairly uncommon, esp. in the USA. I suspect that most here stray across the border.(Mexico is geographically in North America.)

In some countries, they're endangered, but in others, no one really knows how many are left. If we can include all of the Americas, Brazil now prohibits most hunting. Costa Rica protects jaguars, as do some others, I believe.

But I haven't forgotten jaguars since a mounted one in the Ft. Worth natural history museum scared me when I was a kid. I'd seen deer heads on walls, but never a full mount of a big cat. I read the books about Bomba, the Jungle Boy, and he dealt with jaguars.

And I've got, "Tigrero!", by Sasha Siemel. Read Capstick and others on jaguar hunting.

But I think it is now illegal to import a jaguar hide or skull? Laws re the spotted cats are pretty strict. I think the problem is with the fur trade, not with licensed sport hunters in moderation. The Dallas Museum of Natural History has some cats now rare or living in areas where politics prohibit hunting. Most were taken by the late Herb Klein, whose Weatherby and other guns have been displayed there. I was allowed to handle and photograph them some years ago. They're quite ornate. I can't post photos, as mine were lost during a move, and it was long before I had a computer and before digital photography. But ask, if there. They may still have them, and might allow viewing on request. I treasure a visit to Klein in his office during the time I was on leave from the USAF. He was very cordial and showed me many photos of his safaris and I saw some mounted animals in the office. He owned a lot of Weatherby stock at one time.

I do think the jaguar is a fitting animal for the survey, but legal hunting of it is rare, if permitted at all. I wouldn't want to meet one on a dark jungle trail. Some that Siemel speared or shot in the Matto Grosso ran about 400 pounds. They're the third largest cat, after the tiger and lion.

My desktop image is of a jaguar on a log over water, watching for fish. I initially thought that he was drinking, but the body language suggests fishing. They do a lot of that, and will eat jacare (caimans) and turtles.

Thanks for noting this impressive cat.
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Old 04-02-2014, 05:34 PM
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How could you not include
  • a wife with a cancelled credit card????
  • a wife that just caught you with the aforementioned hottie????
  • AND, wait for it, ... The North American Mother In Law?????
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Old 04-02-2014, 06:15 PM
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well said, elk are tough to hunt
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Old 04-02-2014, 08:02 PM
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Quote:
Would it be if I'd taken a young hottie to supper? How dangerous would that have been!
It could have gotten nasty, quickly if Ms. B. caught ya, cutting some hottie's steak for her
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