Panicking at North American wildlife, talk me down

[YesImChickenShit]

I'm having an anxiety attack and so frustrated at myself. Meant to be driving up to DP's family in a countryside area, and I'm having palpitations with fear at the idea of the woods and local wildlife which includes mountain lions, coyotes and bears.

I tried to read up online about safety for hikers and it's not helping. All this shit about what to do in a bear attack, I couldn't stay calm I'd just be a liability!

Im honestly feeling so anxious at idea of wild animals breaking into the holiday home we're in. Or encountering one when we go cycling or something.

How do I get a grip? I feel shaky and wish we weren't going right now. Yes I do already suffer from anxiety, mostly well controlled, but this is throwing me. I didn't expect to feel so anxious about it. DP is perplexed, so I'm trying to keep my stud anxiety to myself.

*stupid anxiety

you are really going to be fine. I grew up in an area with the kind of wildlife you are freaking out about. They really don’t break into homes.

It is unusual to encounter any of these animals, so much so that when it does happen it is highly newsworthy.

the risk : reward ratio is very firmly in your favour.

I hope you can enjoy this opportunity.

I felt like this in Canada, I was in a constant state of high alert.
I tried to rationalise using statistics, but rather unhelpfully, a cyclist had been killed localy by a bear 2 months earlier.
All I can suggest is carrying pepper spray and talking to locals, who will most likely be able to quell your fears!

I keep reading not to keep food in a tent when camping, does that mean they might be drawn to the house if we cook meat or fish?

House has glass doors out onto a deck, it's stupid I just keep thinking they can't be that strong.

This is not a thing. Honestly. You do not need to walk around with pepper spray, or not cook.

Really it is fine. Talk to the people you will be visiting to reassure yourself.

It will be fine. Honestly. At absolute worst a bear may rattle the bins.

Although I have seen cougars and bears in the North East I have been actively looking for them in the woods.

Also. Black bears are surprisingly small, average about 100kg and are about 3ft high. Basically the same as a big dog. And eat a lot of berries and veg.

We stayed in a hotel in a rural part of the U.S. The staff were very excited one morning as there had been a bear sighted nearby; apparently very uncommon, hence the excitement. You’ll be fine OP.

The wildlife doesn’t want to see you, you’ll be fine

The animals are more scared of you... it's highly unlikely you'll see anything. Lived in US for years; saw very little! And I wanted to!

I keep reading not to keep food in a tent when camping, does that mean they might be drawn to the house if we cook meat or fish?

No. The only thing that's likely to attract them is bins with unsecured lids, and only at night. They won't come into your house.

Which part of the US are you visiting?

I’ve heard that if you run down a hill while being chased by bear they will tumble over. Don’t know if it’s true or not.

I know this isn’t helpful but I watch surprise bear encounters on YouTube. The people filming seemed to have survived.

Wolves should be no issue.

Make as much noise as possible when walking outside. The very worst thing to do is to be too quiet.
That's when you stumble into the bear taking a sh!t in the woods...

I’ve just googled the hill fact, it’s not true. Don’t run from a bear! Or climb up a tree!

We came across bears while hiking in Texas. They were eating berries from a bush and took no notice of us at all.

As other people have said, most wild animals want to avoid people. If you are really concerned just make plenty of noise wherever you go (though other people may not thank you for it!)

Where actually are you?

There are rules about storing & keeping food in bear country. Follow them.

I was outside hiking almost 4 hrs in mtn lion country the other day. You just make a lot of noise & they run away. They want trouble even less than we do. My only wildlife sightings were turkey vultures, tbh. Last yr we startled a black bear who couldn't run away fast enough.

Rattlers are the only ones I feel nervous about, coz they can't move fast if they're cold. Usually plenty of noise will make them scarper, too, but beware of sunny places on cold mornings.

Raccoons are a nuisance. Fairly bold & total vandals. If you're gonna be neurotic, avoid the mtn chipmunks who might be carrying rabies, and little rodent things that might have hantavirus.

I love skunks though. We had a regular skunk visitor when I was a kid.

We have black bears, bobcats and coyotes where we live - been here over 10 years.

The only thing any of us has been attacked by is a neighbour's Husky. Luckily he was up to date with his rabies shots.