Wildlife

[Cam]

For as long as I can remember we have had problems with swans in the slalom course on our lake, this year there were no swans but it seems to have been silly season for the seagulls, they just sit in the course or on the jump and don't bother to move when we are skiing towards them, but when they decide to move they have been flying straight at the boat or the skier.

 

[dstone124]

In 2010 I clipped both a duck and a goose in the same season. By that I mean contact with me and my ski. Luckily I skied away and both fowl lived to be a nuisance another day.

[Wish]

Between passes, at certain times of the year, seagulls will land back on the buoys. You would think they would just give up and leave but nope. Pass after pass they fly up, hover and land back on them when we drop at the end. Thought they kinda had a routine till one was a bit late on the jump. Buddy took the bird square in the chest rounding ball 5. Saw it outa the corner of my eye driving and thought it was gonna be bad until I heard they guy next to me laughing his a$$ off. Video would have been priceless.

[DW]

Best seagull video ever- Dale Sr. at Daytona picking one off with the black #3, right in the headlight. Seagull lost. I picked off a gopher one day in a Formula car, turned it to light brown puree all down the side of the car, he took out a perfectly good front wing. I guess he thought the grass was greener on the other side of the track...slower than the chicken.

 

The most surprising animal hit for me was a turtle right at the apex of a shortline turn - launched the ski up out of the water & I took one heck of a ride. Took me a while to determine first which end was up, but then what actually just happened. I do day a goose in the chest hurts like heck, I saw it just before impact. Unfortunately, no soup was savored...

[Wayne]

I see a lot of bird strike stories. Has anyone ever had an insect strike? A cicada hit me right below the eye a number of yeas ago. Only stung a little but it sure surprised me.

[jipster43]

I took a mudhen to the chest at this time last year. My Radar vest provided plenty of protection and I ran the pass. I usually ski better when facing adversity!

[jwr]

Had a friend take a seagull to the groin. Wasn't pretty for him or the bird. From the boat it was very funny.

[Andy]

I had a fish trip me tonight. I hate when that happens.

[A_B]

I had a dragonfly hit right below my eye. My funny dragonfly story is when one of the large small bird-size flew through my Yukon window on passenger side and hit me square in the neck. Maybe he thought he thought he was @OB on a mission. In any event, I was on a small side road on my way to work and slammed on my brakes wondering what happened. The bugger went on the dash and turned and looked at me, then I yelled at it and waved my arm and it flew out the drivers window. I had a big red welt on my neck when I pulled into work. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Wish]

Oh!!!, fish!!!. Forgot about that. Friend and I were bare-footing in MN. The skilled footer and bare-foot boat owner we were with was telling us stories of objects hit like gum rappers, sticks and such. Some stories gruesome. One was about a fish. The stories ended, the water, 3 miles of it, was absolute glass. My buddy climbed out to the boom and we were off. Could not have been a more perfect day. Until I saw his eyes get wide and his jaw drop. Then he just let go. Picked him up and he was grumbling about his foot. He didn't just hit a fish. He hit a 15lb carp. Several dorsal fin bones stuck in his foot. Some visible some not so much. Off to the ER. They numbed him up and went digging. I think they dug out 8 or so. The worst part was a week later he had to have more removed as the bits and pieces started to surface I guess and move ....and hurt.. a lot.

[A_B]

That would suck. One of my ski bud's sister hit a small gar fish and the nose went right through her calf. in one side and out the other. Didn't see it, but heard about many years ago.

[Shortenit]

Duck to the shin crossing the wake, turned out ok. Also a big old goose flew into the line mid way and started to slide down it towards me. I threw the handle, didn't want to meet it. Both birds survived. Numerous hits of huge snapping turtles with both the boat and the ski fin. Makes a heck of a noise. No fun and several fins ruined. Came across one turtle that had been killed by a prop strike. More than 18" long shell on it.

[estrom]

Snapping turtles and gars - where are you guys skiing??

[oldjeep]

@Wayne - got a bee and his stinger inside the mouth while skiing about 8 years ago. Best part was that I'm fairly allergic to them.

[hacker]

Years ago at Spencer's training camp in NYS, there was a Swan that earned the name Rambo. He patrolled the upper end of the lake and would attack skiers or even go after the boat! There are countless (legendary) stories of encounters with Rambo. Here is a sample of his work:

 

[Wayne]

@oldjeep - you said a mouthful :-)

[Shortenit]

@oldjeep, if allergic you may have been very lucky. Quite a few people die from bee stings each year. A crazy one was the guy snorkeling who inadvertently sucked a bee down his snorkle. Stung him in the back of the throat. Throat closed up and he died of asphyxiation before he could make it to medical attention.