Why do Americans love wandering in the woods which has loads of wild beasts?
Posted by Beautiful-Speaker-60@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 90 comments
I have seen so many videos of wildlife encounters and 90 percent of them are from US or Canada. People be casually roaming there and be surprised when they see a mountain lion or a bear or a moose.
SKULLDIVERGURL@reddit
On the flip side, why are you afraid of getting dirty and exploring nature. I have been stomping around in the woods since I was 4-5 years old. Other than the ocean, there is no place I would rather be.
DeathByBamboo@reddit
I've been camping for easily over 100 nights of my life, and I've seen a bear twice, and each time it lumbered through the camp and sauntered off while people banged their pots and yelled "go away bear!" at it. I've been out in the desert and heard coyotes in all directions, and if you've never experienced that, it's not fear at all, it's exhilarating. Most of the wild beasts aren't dangerous, and most of the dangerous ones really try to avoid humans as much as possible.
Current_Poster@reddit
The whole point is to see things like that. The surprise (unless you're extremely unlucky) is a happy one. Do you think anyone goes home from one of those thinking "We were taking a well-organized, straight-lines and 90-degree-angles walk through the woods and, get this, saw wildlife? Dammit. Have to try again next year." ?
nis_sound@reddit
Yep. And most of those encounter videos where the animal attacks or threatens a human occur after the encounter began. I bet you money the humans were doing something stupid before the animal started acting aggressive.
I do try and keep an eye out for wildlife (heck we have coyotes, foxes, and an occasional bear in my suburban neighborhood), and sure I've always thought what I'd do if a bear charged me, but most animals sense us before we sense them and hide or run away.
dehydratedrain@reddit
In Europe they hold entire Kindergarten schools in the middle of the forest, but Americans love wandering into the woods?
(Yeah, we have plenty of trails here. I've seen mostly deer).
0utlaw-t0rn@reddit
Best, moose and mountain lions aren’t that common and generally will avoid you. So it’s definitely rare to see them.
Unless you surprise one and it doesn’t have an easy way out, or is defending young, they are all more than happy to leave you alone.
Mountain lions are the only thing that will ever actively will attack/hunt a human, and that’s incredibly rare. They have to be real desperate and usually you need to be alone.
she-dont-use-jellyyy@reddit
Best?
she-dont-use-jellyyy@reddit
You don't see the tone of videos of people wandering in the woods and only seeing squirrels.
A lot of this country is beautiful nature. Why would we not enjoy it while it's still here? This is such an odd question.
Beautiful-Speaker-60@reddit (OP)
Well there won’t be anything to enjoy when you are dead
FunTricky903@reddit
Is everyone in your country stricken with cowardice or is it just you
Jackasaurous_Rex@reddit
Death due to wild animals is incredibly rare. I think youre overestimating the danger animals pose in an ordinary wilderness experience. I mean be smart it’s a big country with a variety of nature. But the dangerous animals aren’t that common and most tend to be more afraid of you.
RythmicBleating@reddit
Fear is the mind killer
Asaneth@reddit
Fear is the little death
Raddatatta@reddit
That brings total obliteration.
LogicalFallacyCat@reddit
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration
shadydelilah@reddit
Most I’ve seen in the woods are deer. The woods are calming to walk through, just don’t go out there at night. Biggest predator to look out for here are coyotes and they’re scared of people. I’d be more likely to get hurt by a cow at the farm next door
Excellent_Speech_901@reddit
"Animal-related deaths in the U.S. average around 267 annually (2018–2023), with the highest fatalities caused by hornets, wasps, and bees (31%), followed by "other mammals" (28.6%, mainly cattle/horses) and dogs (26.2%)." Notice the role of lions, tigers (there's 5,000 in the US), and bears in that tiny number of fatalities.
GasmaskTed@reddit
(Tiger deaths become relevant on a Tiger King-style compound, however.)
vbsteez@reddit
Being on the road is more dangerous by orders of magnitude.
JosephBlowsephThe3rd@reddit
This is the United States, not Australia. We're more likely to be killed by another person than by wildlife.
whorlando_bloom@reddit
Americans are much more likely to be shot dead at school or any public place really. The woods are looking pretty peaceful.
stiletto929@reddit
I was just thinking this. Our fellow humans are far more dangerous than bears or mountain lions. And dogs probably attack more people than wildlife does.
Asaneth@reddit
I've been wandering in the woods, and even sleeping there overnight, my entire life since childhood. No wild creature has ever attacked me (apart from insects). This is normal here.
Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit
I've seen nine mountain lions, dozens of bears (at least), and thousands of rattlesnakes and coyotes. Oh yeah, and hundreds of alligators. Not to mention all the moose, elk, bison, etc. which can and will fuck you up.
Somehow I'm still alive. 🤣
They're seriously not that dangerous if you know how to handle yourself and follow basic safety precautions like not storing food in your tent in bear country. Honestly, they're usually not interested in attacking you even if you're being an idiot.
Also, fun fact: staying in towns and cities doesn't protect you in a lot of the country. Two of my mountain lion sightings and a bunch of my bear, alligator, rattlesnake, and coyote sightings have been in cities. One of the mountain lions was even smack dab in the middle of the largest city in the state (Albuquerque, New Mexico, they come down from the mountains through the arroyos and can get really far in).
Always_Reading_1990@reddit
Lol this is such a funny take to me. Your perception is based on internet videos—obviously the videos that get posted are the ones where something crazy or interesting happens. People post and watch those because it’s something rare! If we were all having encounters like that, why would anyone care or watch that video? 99% of the time, anyone who goes hiking or camping doesn’t see anything more interesting or dangerous than a squirrel or maybe a deer.
alkatori@reddit
Bear spray and firearms.
PossumJenkinsSoles@reddit
You’re more likely to die in a car accident than a wild animal mauling but people still drive everyday
she-dont-use-jellyyy@reddit
It is exceedingly rare to see a dangerous animal and even more rare to be attacked by one. Should we just stay inside all the time?
Horror_Reason_5955@reddit
The worst thing Ive ever encountered in the woods is tics. I hate them. I saw a wolf once but he was very far away and was just beautiful and I was on a bike on a wooded trail. I have lived in OH, LA, AK, NC, GA and back to OH so have had the opportunity to experience a wide range of animals. Our country has a lot of natural beauty to explore and appreciate and you can't find it in a mall or a car. The most dangerous I would say were the moose that didn't give a flying F if they were in your front yard and you needed to leave; you're now operating on their schedule 🤣.
she-dont-use-jellyyy@reddit
Ticks. Tics are involuntary movements.
goblin_hipster@reddit
We have black bears up north, but they are rarely seen in south-central Wisconsin. So I consider it a non-issue. Mountain lions have long since been extirpated from the state. I don't think we have moose--maybe up north, again--but those guys are just big herbivores.
The woods are not teeming with enemies. Attacks are very rare. Generally they don't want anything to do with humans. There are precautions you can take. And large predator populations are closely monitored.
Mediocre_Daikon6935@reddit
Because America has, and always has, preserved nature to an extent that Europeans can’t understand.
And because all the things you listed are large apex predators. All of them are things that can kill a grown, fit, adult male.
And don’t @ me. If you think a moose won’t destroy you, and suck your soul into their lifeless, non reflective eyes, you don’t know anything about moose.
choglin@reddit
Almost got myself mauled by one. My brother and I didn’t see it on the edge of a small clearing and my wife did. She yelled at us and when we looked again this massive ass moose was starting to kind of square up and snort a little. It was probably 30 yards away. Even from that distance I could tell this fucker was huge. Just a massive animal. My brother and I froze and the moose seemed to relax a little. We decided to slowly back our way out of this clearing and keep our eyes on it. When we couldn’t see it anymore it apparently couldn’t see us anymore either. We could kind of hear it walk off snapping twigs and whatnot.
Utah- Wasatch Mountains
stiletto929@reddit
Moose, moose, I like a moose.
smurphy8536@reddit
You’re only seeing the videos of people that encounter bears etc. 99% of people walking in the woods will be seeing birds, squirrels and maybe some deer. Mountain lions and moose are extremely rare to see and most bears that people closely encounter are black bears which will likely run away.
BeholdBarrenFields@reddit
Unless you’re in Gatlinburg, where they frequent the candy shops. 🍭🐻
BlueFuzzyCrocs@reddit
I don't think people like OP understand how scared of us the bear are. I see them a lot and they either watch you with curiosity or run. They don't just start fights for the hell of it. If you aren't disturbing their young, they won't bother you
No-Resource-5704@reddit
I lived 30 years in a house on a lot that backed up to a nature reserve. The lot next door was vacant, as the hill was too steep to build on it for a reasonable cost. There was a creek across the street.
Around dusk and during the night our yard was visited by a lot of animals. They were mostly the small ones, like possums, skunks, being most common. I once saw a coyote stroll across the hill behind our house. Deer would cross the back of our lot and come down through the vacant lot next door to cross over to the creek for water around dusk. There were mountain lions roaming in the hills behind us—I occasionally heard their vocalizations but I never saw one, ever. (A park about a mile from us had warning signs about the possibility of an encounter with mountain lions.)
It was fun seeing the wildlife passing through our yard. I never had any truly scary encounters, though once a rattlesnake spent a few hours under a bush by our patio.
davidm2232@reddit
It's so relaxing to be in the woods. Totally separated from people. Wild beasts are less concerning than the average person
Thick-News-9415@reddit
I mean, I just saw a guy running off a coyote from his back yard the other day (I live in a city, his kids were in the yard) and where I'm from that's about the biggest predator in my area. I honestly see the same animals in my neighborhood as I would in the woods.
Narrow-Bluebird1472@reddit
I did 11.7 miles in the woods yesterday. Saw a few squirrels. It’s really not that scary out there
redditsuckspokey1@reddit
The real treat is seeing an albino squirrel. Sometimes they are common and others not.
There used to be a couple albinos that lived near me but that was 5+ years ago.
ItchyK@reddit
I've been hiking In the woods by my house in the Northeast for like 20 years. I've only ever seen a bear while hiking once and it was from a distance. However, I've had like 10 bear encounters throwing garbage into the dumpster behind the deli I worked at, at 4:00 in the morning than I ever did hiking.
They know you're there way before you'll even notice signs of them and they'll keep away from you for the most part. It's a little bit different when you go out west towards grizzly country, where the animals are bigger and the lands way more wild. But for majority of this country, I don't think you even have to worry. Just use basic hiking etiquette and you'll be all right.
o93mink@reddit
90% of all videos you’ve seen are from America. We’re who makes the content you are addicted to.
We don’t make videos about all the times we’re not running into animals in the woods, and the fact that you don’t understand this is why we keep churning out slop for you to consume.
Raddatatta@reddit
Internet videos like that are going to be made and viewed because they're the exception not the rule. And the people who recorded those videos also went home and uploaded them for you to see. But in general it's very rare to see something dangerous unless you are going into remote areas.
Most animals you see also are very unlikely to attack a human. There are some areas and some animals where that's not the case but animals hunt to survive and don't pick fights they aren't sure they can win. A bear wants to fish safely and eat other small animals. Moose are herbavores, they don't want to eat you they may want you to leave them alone so do that. And you are likely bigger than the mountain lion. And especially if there are multiple people which is a good idea in general they don't want that fight. If you're smart and not aggressive you'll be fine and they'll leave you alone.
People do all kinds of things that have some risk. And my guess would be the drive to the location is as dangerous if not more dangerous than the trip into the woods as long as you're not doing something stupid.
SandpaperSlater@reddit
The woods are a big place, you're rarely guaranteed to run into an animal. Most of them are more scared of us loud clumsy humans than we are of them
Ainjhel32@reddit
I've spent my entire 30 years in the north woods of Minnesota. I know there's bears and wolves but I've never actually come across one while out walking. As long as you're not actively messing with them or encroaching on their dens they'll leave you alone
CunningWizard@reddit
Underestimated how scary we are to other animals. They know we have skills. We stand upright and don’t apologize. Think about running into a bear and realize that a bear running into us probably means: the bear is likely being shot with a gun or bear spray.
That shit ain’t easy.
JeddakofThark@reddit
Ha! Ain't a rattler, Jake. You got one of them maraca players down your bag-and he's probably more scared than you.
Quiet-Tip8341@reddit
Except for Racoons
redditsuckspokey1@reddit
They're fantastic beasts and we love to find them
jezr3n@reddit
The animals typically won’t hurt you, they’re more likely to run away. Not that I would be chill about coming face to face with a bear, but statistically you will probably be okay if you don’t threaten them.
The real things to be scared of in the woods are ticks.
jrice138@reddit
People are SIGNIFICANTLY more dangerous.
Outlaw_Josie_Snails@reddit
Not all woods in the United States contain "wild beasts." It depends on the state where you live.
Often, exploring the woods is a rite of passage, especially for young children. Citizens wander into the woods to explore nature, go biking, or go hiking.
You live in India, correct? India has diverse forests, including monsoon rainforests, montane forests, mangroves, and woodlands. We often see videos of Bengal tigers attacking and killing citizens. Why do Indians in the villages not avoid being eaten by tigers? (I say this in jest).
Za_Lords_Guard_01@reddit
Just because you see them doesn't mean they're going to fuck with you.
I spend a lot of time in the woods. Seen everything from harmless field mice to bears.
The only thing that's ever bothered me in that time are ticks, mosquitos, horse flies, and chiggers.
Most animals will leave you alone if you leave them & their young alone.
The only time I've been attacked by an animal was when I got too close to a mama cows calf. Never thought I'd get treed by a damn cow before that day.
CosyBeluga@reddit
Fuck horse flies
Successful_Bar9187@reddit
It channels my gold digger ancestors
Both_Painter_9186@reddit
Man, Americans can’t win. First we’re fat and lazy, then we’re stupid for going… hiking?
Dizzy_Dust_7510@reddit
No need to live in fear of everything. Besides, with a few exceptions most of the critters out there aren't going to attack un-provoked.
Derminac@reddit
Well for starters, the USA is the most popular destination for hunting, followed directly by Canada. So there’s that
Muted-Garden6723@reddit
Hunting plays a big role in this, millions of people hunt in North America. The culture is way different. In Europe hunting has always been more of a rich man’s “sport”, peasants were often restricted from hunting
Compare that to North America where it’s traditionally been a means for the poor man to feed his family or make a living
Major_Enthusiasm1099@reddit
Hiking is fun and humans have been hiking since the beginning of their existence. It's just that instead of hunting for food we do it for leisure and activity.
I also think that with so much human expansion it's nice to see a little sliver of an animal living it's life in nature. I once saw a fox, but he quickly scurried away
luxury_identities@reddit
It's the exciting and scary stuff that gets made in to videos, so you're only seeing the scary parts. It's an over representation of an unlikely scenario. It's like seeing a lot of car crash dash cam videos and assuming people are crashing 90% of the time when really most people's driving is boring and uneventful, which wouldn't make for a good YouTube video. Most of the time when people go hiking or exploring the woods they'll see squirrels and birds, maybe some deer.
Domidude@reddit
I feel like this is the opposite of survivorship bias. You will see those videos because they are the time something did happen.
We do definitely have dangerous wildlife but it’s not an every say occurrence to just see something that wants to kill you. Most animals in North America don’t want to attack humans, they are usually scared of us and would rather flee. They attack when they are scared and feel cornered or like you got too close (snakes, moose, etc).
HexaOnGrind@reddit
Because it's the last place we can feel free. No emails, no bosses, just you and a world that doesn't care about your deadlines. The animals aren't the danger they're the point. They remind you that you're just a small, fragile guest in a world much bigger and older than you.
riptor3000@reddit
Excuse me. They're fantastic beasts and that's where to find them
Future-Grass7501@reddit
I love to hunt them also the woods is good for privacy and big parties
Blackhand92@reddit
The frontier spirit.
Asaneth@reddit
Damn straight.
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
If you look at the stats you'll see big beast killing people is rare
Hogs, coyotes, bison, black bear aren't dangerous.
Ticks, bees, snakes are.
thisislyncanthropy@reddit
Some people have an explorer spirit I suppose
TheDoctorsBatleth@reddit
Where are you from?
New_Strike_4715@reddit
Have you ever met a German?
Muted-Garden6723@reddit
The main reason you see more videos of wildlife encounters in North America is because we have a lot more wildlife. Around 16% of Europe is undeveloped land, vs 50% in America and 90% in Canada.
Theres a lot of woods out there, and people go in the woods to see these animals in their wild state
There’s also a lot more hunting going on over here, which means more people in the woods, specifically looking for “wild beasts”, so you’re going to see more encounters in North America
FondleGanoosh438@reddit
Because on public lands I can carry a firearm and protect myself from immediate danger.
Dalton387@reddit
Statistically, you’re in more danger walking around a city, than the woods.
Most animals are scared of you. Most people know what animals and situations can be an issue. Bear with cubs are more aggressive. Moose can be aggressive, especially during mating season.
During regular times, you’re usually safe if you just make noise. I’d worry more about poisonous snakes and spiders, because they’re harder to see. I definitely worry more about ticks, which you can easily miss and can cause lime disease.
We don’t have many large predators in my area, but I feel safer in the deep woods, than I have in many city and urban areas. The predators are more predictable in the woods.
machagogo@reddit
You are watching US based English social media, of which rhe plurality of users is US based, and there are about 400 million of us between the US amd Canada.
Coupled with your algorithm having decided you like animal encounter videos. (I never see those as all)
Now consider that most other English speaking countrie besides Australia don't really have much in the way of wildlife that one worries about encountering. And my guess is you have also seen a few kangaroo encounters as well.
LowBumblebee5286@reddit
Most areas do not have man eaters
TheLost_Chef@reddit
Dangerous animals such as wolves and mountain lions have been hunted extensively over the course of hundreds of years. “The woods” are mostly free of threats to humans except in very remote spots.
And generally, the large carnivores that are in the American wilderness either stay away from humans (in the case of mountain lions) or completely ignore them (in the case of bears). Only very rarely do they attempt to predate on people, and those that do are swiftly dealt with.
CSAKnight@reddit
I grew up in the woods in West Virginia. We didn’t even have any neighbors within a mile. I saw black bears and deer in my back yard. I’ve never had a wild animal approach me. They’ve always ran off into the woods as soon as they saw me.
No-Lettuce-5783@reddit
We're not worried because if we get attacked by a wild beast, we can always sue the park ranger. It was his fault anyway for letting us wander in the woods. Personally, I think that's what drones are for. To go where we don't want to go.
she-dont-use-jellyyy@reddit
But I DO want to go into the woods.
I know you think you're being funny though.
drmehmetoz@reddit
Because we enjoy and respect nature for what it is instead of saying chronically online/sensationalist terms like “wild beasts”
Gatsby1923@reddit
Wildlife encounters of any predator are incredibly rare in most places, in places where it's not, people tend to take precautions.
6gravedigger66@reddit
It's my fantasy to go back to monkey and live in the woods. We're just animals, we don't belong in a concrete jungle.
makeherbeg4it@reddit
Americans can carry guns...so a lot of people are unconcerned about wildlife.
way_faringstranger@reddit
We love the outdoors and there's a lot of that in the US. Problematic encounters with animals are exceedingly rare, and typically it's because people were either being ding-dongs or feeding animals. I camp and hike frequently and have seen bears a number of times. Generally speaking, they're far more terrified of us then visa versa.
GSilky@reddit
Grew up doing it my whole life. I also live in a part of the country that nature is like a Disney movie if you are dressed properly. I am uncomfortable in wilderness like the PNW where I can't see anything. The SE swamps are fucked up too. But everything between the Platte River and the Pacific is free and easy wondering. I see the other people of the woods often enough, they don't want anything to do with me.
sideshow--@reddit
I grew up in NC, in a suburby kind of city, although I had massive woods starting at my back yard. I’d play in the woods all the time. I saw very few wild beasts save for squirrels, birds, raccoons, and the odd deer and fox. I didn’t bother them and they didn’t bother me.
NaomiiiTwinz@reddit
They're usually just hiking or nature lovers.
Exploring the woods is quite stress relieving despite the vast amount of wild animals.
I've always wanted to walk through the Redwood Forest, but I'm wary of mountain lions.