What sort of wildlife is in the mountains to the west of Denver?

[Redo]

We will be vacationing in Black Hawk, CO this summer, which is in the mountains about an hour west of Denver. We found a nice pet-friendly cabin, and will be doing lots of hiking (hopefully lots of higher elevation hiking too), and maybe some fishing along side with our labrador retriever.

What kind of wildlife is out that way? Anything to look for or maybe anything to be afraid of?

 

[Asr]

Coyotes, wolves, bear, deer, owls, hawks/falcons/eagles. Foxes at the lower elevations. Lots of raccoons and rabbits.

Fishing? Colorado is loaded with rainbow trout and river salmon.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

bigfoot(s)

 

[ecclesand]

Lions, Tigers, and Bears...OH MY!

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecclesand /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lions, Tigers, and Bears...OH MY!

Oh and mountain lions too.

No tigers though.

 

[Redo]

Ohh noes, not bigfoot and tigers!!!


I hope the fishing is good, the place we are staying at is 20 feet from a river. I would love to walk out the back door, and catch my dinner ;D

 

[Tipped_Pro95]

Don't forget about the black widows and gila monsters !

 

[ronin74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif We will be vacationing in Black Hawk, CO this summer, which is in the mountains about an hour west of Denver. We found a nice pet-friendly cabin, and will be doing lots of hiking (hopefully lots of higher elevation hiking too), and maybe some fishing along side with our labrador retriever. What kind of wildlife is out that way? Anything to look for or maybe anything to be afraid of?

Mountain Lion snack in Colorado

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin74 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mountain Lion snack in Colorado

D:!!!!


Well, my dog is double the size of that dog, and I always keep her leashed.

I guess I'll be carrying pepper spray around too. I used to carry some when my dog was a puppy, in case another dog came up to attack her. I don't want anything attacking my dog ;D. Looks like I'll be buying a new bottle, you can never be too safe

 

[coredump]

The bears have been pretty pesky this year. I had one hop in the back of my truck this summer while I was sleeping in a tent. I chased it off but it ran to another car and pulled out the driver side window. None of the dogs even heard it. It was like a ninja bear.

 

[ronin74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif D:!!!! I guess I'll be carrying pepper spray around too.

Pepper spray?? Better pack a 10mm, that's what they use to bring down tigers in San Francisco.

 

[Sherwood]

Neither the gun nor the pepper spray is a very smart option, though the pepper spray is definitely better. All my hiking in Colorado was done conspicuously. Be loud. By and large, bears and mountain lions aren't interested in you, so long as they know you're coming well in advance. That area is largely black bears anyway, which are less aggressive than Grizzlies.

There are also some beautiful bighorn sheep in the area, which are something to behold.

Colorado is the most wonderful place in the universe. I'm sure you'll have a great summer.

 

[fatcat28037]

Wildlife? There are a few Biker Bars.

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Neither the gun nor the pepper spray is a very smart option, though the pepper spray is definitely better. All my hiking in Colorado was done conspicuously. Be loud. By and large, bears and mountain lions aren't interested in you, so long as they know you're coming well in advance. That area is largely black bears anyway, which are less aggressive than Grizzlies. There are also some beautiful bighorn sheep in the area, which are something to behold. Colorado is the most wonderful place in the universe. I'm sure you'll have a great summer.

Yeah, just something else to fight it off besides making myself bigger and louder. Though I doubt one will be too interested anyhow.

 

[ecclesand]

If you're staying in Black Hawk, then the river you mention would be Clear Creek. It's much bigger than a creek...especially during the late spring and early summer with the snowmelt. You can definitely catch fish (mostly rainbow trout) from Clear Creek, but I don't know if there would be any place to fish in Black Hawk proper...you'll probably need to go downstream a bit. The reason for this is Black Hawk is a mining town that specializes in limited stakes gambling.

As for the critters running around, they've all been mentioned. Definitely stay on the well traveled trails if hiking to avoid an encounter with some cranky varmint. And for God's sake...please gamble all your money away so I and the other residents of Colorado can enjoy your generous contribution to our state!