Many people have plans to abandon city life and make a new start in the wilderness. There is nothing wrong with that plan at all. As long as we know what's already out there, and what critters we'll have to compete with to live in harmony with the elements. So I figured I'd make this thread to give ya a heads up to what else is already out there.
Most of the time they will avoid us, but the live by instinct, as many animals do. Their code.."Eat or be eaten". There won't be much negotiation with wildlife. If they are hungry, or have cubs to feed, they will demand precedence. And a 300 lb bear can have pretty much anything it wants. And as many people have discovered in Yellowstone, bears will utterly destroy a vehicle because they could smell a sealed twinkie inside a closed cooler inside the sealed vehicle. Black bears can become a nuisance, and their big brothers, the Brown/Grizzly Bear can stand 7' tall and their body size is MASSIVE!
And their claws are devastating weapons, let alone the vice like jaws and big teeth.
There are very few animals the bear does not bother. The Moose is one of them, and during rutting season, these things are 1000+ lbs of angry mother!
Another beast bears don't mess with are Buffalo. Although very sparse in the wilderness these days, an angry buffalo can gorge and trample most everything.
Beyond bears and buffalo, there are predators in the wood that have earned their place as apex predators. High on the list is the mountain lion. With a size near to their african relatives, Mountain Lions are masters of stalking and surprise attacks.
And to put their size into perspective...
And not far down the ladder from them are the Bobcats. Although a good bit smaller than the mountain lion, Bobcats are wicked fierce and will challenge/hunt animals larger than them.
Wild Hogs have began to spring up all over the country. They escaped their domestic reigns and have devolved back into their former selves, with giant tusks that will shear through bone and flesh with ease. Their sizes are rumored to be up to 400 pounds. Their skulls are like armor, and small arms fire will only serve to piss it off.
Around coastal areas, and slowly migrating further inland, the prehistoric machine has been on the top of the apex list for hundreds of millions of years. There are Saltwater crocodiles, Cayman, and Alligators. If you let your guard down or stop paying attention for just a few seconds, it could have it's way with you and there is no way to fight back. Their primary method of hunting is to clench their prey in their vice like jaws and drag them into the deep. They can hide in as shallow as 1 foot of water and still be undetected while they slowly close in.
Alligators have a broad muscular mouth with a blunt nose
Cayman. Notice the thin tapering mouth.
Found in most every forest in the country are the canine predecessors of our household buddies. Wolves, Coyotes, and foxes can hunt either alone or in packs. Both of which are no place to be in the middle of.
The Gray Wolf
Coyote
Red Fox
Located mostly in the central and western parts of the country are wolverines and Badgers. Pound for pound, these critters win the prize. There are larger animals that will decline an encounter with a badger or Wolverine. They're best left to their own.
Wolverine. These things have claws and teeth for days!
Same with the Honey Badger, and the debate is on about who would win a brawl between them
Badgers are a huge ball of trouble also.
And if you think that's all there is to worry about, here's some more wilderness inhabitants to keep an eye on.
Not only will racoons destroy outside food containers, but they can carry the rabies virus
Opossums are scavengers, and they have an aggressive attitude when cornered
These we can usually just shoo off, but dogs do not know what porcupine spines are
this is a genuine survival emergency
Not trying to scare anyone here, but while you consider forging into the wild, remember, there are bigger and badder things in the woods too.
