# Mt. Diablo Wildlife



## Cruzer2424 (Feb 8, 2005)

So I moved into the area... kinda... thats another story in itself... Today I was on my way down Mt. Diablo and I saw this wolf looking thing. It looked at me. I looked at it. I hit the brakes. It hit the brakes too. I started turning around. It crossed the road and kept walking. 

Scared the crap outta me. I've had horrible childhood experiences with dog/wolf looking things. What the hell was it?

It was by the helicopter landing thing about halfway inbetween the southgate and the ranger station.


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## Woofer (Nov 18, 2004)

Cruzer2424 said:


> So I moved into the area... kinda... thats another story in itself... Today I was on my way down Mt. Diablo and I saw this wolf looking thing. It looked at me. I looked at it. I hit the brakes. It hit the brakes too. I started turning around. It crossed the road and kept walking.
> 
> Scared the crap outta me. I've had horrible childhood experiences with dog/wolf looking things. What the hell was it?
> 
> It was by the helicopter landing thing about halfway inbetween the southgate and the ranger station.


Probably either a wild dog or a coyote. Coyotes have only killed one person in recorded American history. Domesticated dogs kill twenty people a year. You were in more danger on your way to/back from Diablo, blah blah blah.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

Cruzer2424 said:


> So I moved into the area... kinda... thats another story in itself... Today I was on my way down Mt. Diablo and I saw this wolf looking thing. It looked at me. I looked at it. I hit the brakes. It hit the brakes too. I started turning around. It crossed the road and kept walking.
> 
> Scared the crap outta me. I've had horrible childhood experiences with dog/wolf looking things. What the hell was it?
> 
> It was by the helicopter landing thing about halfway inbetween the southgate and the ranger station.


There are no more wolves in your area. Probably a Coyote, and no way was it going to hurt you (unless you ran over it). Consider yourself lucky you got to see one!


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## Rushfan (Apr 20, 2003)

Cruzer2424 said:


> So I moved into the area... kinda... thats another story in itself... Today I was on my way down Mt. Diablo and I saw this wolf looking thing. It looked at me. I looked at it. I hit the brakes. It hit the brakes too. I started turning around. It crossed the road and kept walking.
> 
> Scared the crap outta me. I've had horrible childhood experiences with dog/wolf looking things. What the hell was it?
> 
> It was by the helicopter landing thing about halfway inbetween the southgate and the ranger station.


The SF Chronicle had a story about this on Saturday...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/27/MNGKPFUQ851.DTL&hw=coyote&sn=001&sc=1000

Good thing you didn't have a dog with you.


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## Cruzer2424 (Feb 8, 2005)

wipeout said:


> There are no more wolves in your area. Probably a Coyote, and no way was it going to hurt you (unless you ran over it). Consider yourself lucky you got to see one!



whoa cool. it looked a lot like that.


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## cdmc (Feb 3, 2004)

Definetely a Coyote. I actually saw the largest Coyote I had ever seen in Briones about 2 months ago. I would guess he was a good 50+ pounds (I have a 110 German Shepard, so most dogs look pretty small). It looks like it has been a good year for food because he was not scroungy and skinny like most Coyotes.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

cdmc said:


> Definetely a Coyote. I actually saw the largest Coyote I had ever seen in Briones about 2 months ago. I would guess he was a good 50+ pounds (I have a 110 German Shepard, so most dogs look pretty small). It looks like it has been a good year for food because he was not scroungy and skinny like most Coyotes.


The German Shepard my 2 Great Danes play with at the park can run _underneath_ my dogs!


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## Boardmill (Oct 15, 2005)

I'll bet it was a coyote. They are fairly common in the East Bay. I have seen them a few times on rides, especially in the Morgan Territory behind Diablo. I have seen coyotes while riding horses dozens of times. 

Coyotes are pretty small and I have never heard of or seen one make a move towards me or another human (first hand). They will usually walk pretty slow and casual which may give the appearance that they are not afraid of you, but when it comes down to it they definitely keep their distance. If you try to close that distance they will run off. 

I don't doubt that some coyotes are becoming more brazen around people, but this is simply because some people are conditioning the coyotes to make a human= free food connection. This happens because some will feed them, often in an attempt to observe them, not realizing the problem it causes.  There is a similar problem with wild Turkeys, however Turkeys are far more aggressive.

I can understand being afraid, but you are way more likely to get attacked by a cute deer (trying to protect fawn) then a coyote. Not that I'm super brave, I was running through Wildcat Canyon (Berkeley Hills) at night about 2 years ago and a mountain lion chased a small boar down a hill, within about 3 feet of me and then down another hill before catching it. All I heard was squealing and brush wrestling and then two objects rushing towards me. I don't think they even noticed me, they were so involved in the hunt and being hunted. However, it didn't stop me from peeing myself a little bit and booking out of there like a sissy.


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## cdmc (Feb 3, 2004)

Boardmill said:


> I can understand being afraid, but you are way more likely to get attacked by a cute deer (trying to protect fawn) then a coyote. Not that I'm super brave, I was running through Wildcat Canyon (Berkeley Hills) at night about 2 years ago and a mountain lion chased a small boar down a hill, within about 3 feet of me and then down another hill before catching it. All I heard was squealing and brush wrestling and then two objects rushing towards me. I don't think they even noticed me, they were so involved in the hunt and being hunted. However, it didn't stop me from peeing myself a little bit and booking out of there like a sissy.


Most people don't realize how dangrous deer are, especially now that many are no longer afraid of people. They have razor sharp hooves and the males obviously have a nice rack to charge you. 

Man what a sissy you are, peeing yourself.   I probably would have peed myself, crapped in my shorts, and then had a heart attack for good measure.


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## LJ0913 (Nov 29, 2005)

*Here's two of a Coyote:*

Taken Saturday at the top of BBQ Terrace!










I was about 15 yards away.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Definitely a coyote. Coyotes are some of the smartest and coolest animals around. We do late afternoon rides up Mt. Hamilton sometimes and often there is a coyote standing out in the middle of the road on one of the upper corners. We literally ride right by him and he doesn't even flinch.


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