stupid chipmunk syndrone

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R

robohiker

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You know when a chipmunk runs back and forth on the road,and you end up driving over him ,ending his hiking career? Robowoman asked me if that ever happened on the trail.....well it did,1 time that critter couldn't make his mind up and I tromped him good.Anyone ever have that happen?? Hey,I'm only a robot,I weigh alot!!:p :p
 
Well, I never stomped on a chipmunk, however I had one follow me a couple of weeks ago. I go running in a state park near my house a couple of times a week. On one run a chipmunk was sitting in the middle of the road. When I got up to him he did not know what to do so he started running right next to me. We did this for about 20 feet or so until he finally veered off into the woods.

I was surprised the little bugger could keep up with me or perhaps I'm just a really slow runner. :(
 
Chipmunk on a stick...

When throwing his trekking pole like a spear at a stump near JBL last year, my cousin noticed a chipmunk running around. He took a wild potshot at it, not intending to hit the poor, little, defenseless, cute, fuzzy thing, and ended up skewering it through the throat. We don't talk about it, he feels very bad and his wife refers to him as the chipmunk killer now.
 
Not specifically about chipmunks, but on the more general topic of Unintentionally Stomped Wildlife:

We were hiking at Mashomack Preserve a few years back when we came to a section of trail that was carpeted with tiny frogs. Thousands of them. We didn't want to step on the poor little guys, but we couldn't avoid them. Squish, squish. The bottoms of our boots were covered with frog juice. :(

This was also the day we saw the Cow Killer. The naturalist at the preserve told us it's a really good idea to avoid stomping them.

Steve
 
Beware the Kamikaze Chipmunks of Russell Pond

In Baxter, the chipmunks at Russell Pond Campground are out of control. (Or at least they were a couple years ago.) These critters conduct orgranized bombing raids on your campsite hoping to grab any little morsel of food. One ran full steam directly into the back of my crazy creek chair...while I was sitting in it! He was a bit dazed, but scurried back to the rest of the fleet for a another pass. I swear you can see badges of honor on them as they scurry past.
 
I have a kiddy pool in my backyard for my golden retriever. He was barking at it yesterday. The chipmunk that has been pilfering birdfood from my yard must have gotten thirsty and went in the pool. Once in, he couldn't scale the 3-4 inches of sheer plastic wall to get out. I seriously feel terrible about it. My dog feels like he has lost a friend...
 
I almost stepped on a toad, but I have never had a chipmunk hang around close enough to step on.

Once a young sparrow flew right into my leg, stunned itself, and looked up at me with contempt and no fear.
 
Chipmunks love nuts

I have heard, from a reliable biologist, that chipmunks will, when scared run to the base of a tree and climb. Makes sense. However, this instinctual technique for self preservation can also be dangerous. To humans. This certain biologist went on to tell me that on many occasions, when people have scared a chipmunk (and/or red squirrles), that the rodents have mistaken a human leg for a tree(they are not that bright) and run up the poor unsuspecting hikers leg. This has met with several different scenarios playing out, none of them pleaseant. I haven't decided yet to wear hip high gators in fear of these toothy terrestrial, striped rats, but i think that a healthy fear is a good thing.

RVT
 
One day, in my early childhood, I walked with my grandfather to his garden, where he noticed a bunny. I couldn't see it, so he rolled a baseball-sized rock towards it to scare it into view. As the rock rolled, the rabbit darted all over. The rock then hit a bump, became airborne, and hit the bunny in the squarely head. Dead as nails. Now that's a good way to mess up a kid.
 
I skimmed a small rock at a chipmunk rummaging around our campsite in Baxter Park. The intent was to chase it off. Hit the little bugger square in the head and killed it. First I was surprised and then felt pretty bad. Didn't want to kill it.

...Tasted pretty good, though(only kidding about this part).
 
I dropped the tailgate of my truck at Dry River Campground last summer and reached in to pull out my stuff. I heard a thump and looked up to find a chipmunk doing a trampoline routine on the soft bed cover. It was amusing for a while but, not having my usual many feet of towering advantage (we were now almost eye to eye), I thought it wise to get the little fellow back on the ground. I pulled out a four-foot stick with a hook in one end that I use to drag things out from the front of the truck bed and used it as a plow to move the critter off the truck. Time after time, like some kind of circus chipmunk, the little guy jumped over it. Okay, rodent, try this! I waved the stick up and down as I herded it over to the side. At the last moment, MightyMunk jumped onto the stick and started climbing up toward my hand! I no sooner grabbed the other end when it also reversed and started coming up again! Time to stop fooling around. I vigorously shook the stick and finally got it off but, just as I was about to declare victory, another one ran out from under the truck and jumped onto the stick! Trampoline spotter? Tag team partner? Whatever, the routine started anew. I really hate to put it this way but, for a few very brief moments, I actually had more chipmunks than I could shake a stick at!

I have plenty of chipmunks in my yard. If I am lucky, I see them once a month. Why aren’t the neighbors be so engaging?
 
Marcy Dam

This is not a chipmunk story but a red squirrel one. Quite a few years ago a buddy and myself were tent camping at Marcy Dam. A red squirrel chewed a hole in my tent to get at my friends nuts he left. Needless to say I was very upset because it was a new tent and my buddy was upset for leaving the nuts in the tent. The Squirrel chewed a hole through my friends new pack too. I am thinking serves you right :D

Anyways a while later that damn squirrel was back in the tent as we opened the zipper door. Now the squirrel is freaked out and cannot find the hole he entered at so ran directly at us and out the door. He then perched himself on a stump about 3 feet off the ground just a chattering and waving his tail like a flag. My friend picked up a rock and hit him square in the head. Talk about a lucky 30-40 yard shot!

Also 2 weeks ago I hiked Colvin, Blake, Nippletop, and Dial. On the way out we were signing out at the trail register at the Ausable Club and I was sitting on that big boulder. A chipmunk ran right up to me expecting a handout. Adirondack chipmunks have no fear.

A few years ago I was camping at Rollins Pond State Campground and the little guys will eat peanuts right out of your hand!
 
Off the general focus here

Camping in the Lake Colden area a few Novembers ago, while eating breakfast, I watched two chipmunks having sex. Little guys were chirping away and moving all over the place. Seems as if they could not stay in one place.
 
I never stepped on one, but when I was about 10 years old, I was riding my bike home from a friend's house or something like that. I was cruising along at a pretty good clip when I saw something out of the corner of my eye moving around in the stonewall that ran thru the woods alongside the road. It was a small chipmunk and he darted out into the road in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop. Just as I stopped the chipmunk ran headfirst into the now stopped front tire just below the rim. He rebounded back a couple inches, shook it off, and leaped between the spokes and kept going to the other side of the road and off into the woods.

Later that fall, when I was waiting for the bus one morning I think I saw the same one again. Back in those days the road I lived on was not as wide as today and the tree branches grew across it from one side to the other. I heard some commotion about 20 feet or so up in the trees. Being fall there weren't any leaves to block my view and I watched the chipmunk running back and forth above the road on the branches. Then suddenly, he leaped from one branch to another and missed! He fell right into the middle of the road. I don't remember now, but I think the road had been recently graded and there never is much traffic so he had a softer landing than most roads. He hit the ground and was motionless. I was probably 50 feet or so away. Before I could take more than a couple steps towards him, he was up and gone.

What a tough little critter.
 
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