Need help identifying creepy sound in the woods

[Farm Chic]

our coons can make some really strange sounds. but not really knowing what the sound sounds like, it would be hard to guess. we have coyotes here and they sound very similar to hyenas. no bobcats, panthers, bears etc. the most dangerous would be the coyotes and maybe the sly ole fox. but around here, the fox is rarely seen. do you have badgers or wolverines in your area? i know they make some horrible sounds and they are very vicous!

 

[the1much]

a black bear screams like a women,,,, and the fox will make a sound like a cat meowing ,, short " acks" ,, they do that when hunting for mice,,,, we had a canadian lynx 1 time scre the "pudding" outta me when it screamed from like 30 feet away,,

 

[miss_thenorth]

As for guns, I recommend a 20 gauge. 22s are a single bullet, and if you are not a good shot--not effective. Any shotgun sends out a spray of shot. I like 20 gauges b/c there is no kickback, has a pretty good distribution pattern, and the ammo is relatively cheap compared to other guns.

 

[snowydiamonds]

and fox can scream like a crazy woman when they want you out of "their territory."

 

[americanshorty26]

That sounds just like what I've heard. I am 100% that it is a fox because one night when i heard that sound i woke up and saw my house cat fighting a fox in my backyard. Me and my neighbors both agree that it is definately a fox.

 

[cicene mete]

It was a fox after all. That means we've had sightings of foxes, fishers, coyotes, skunks, and hawks in our backyard.

No raccoons, bears, or cougars......yet.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

Bobcats

Foxes are where people get these ghost stories of "Cry Baby Bridges" as they sound very much like an infant or a small woman crying.

The link below has a lot of fox calls and some sound rather creepy.

http://www.angelfire.com/ar2/thefoxden/sounds.html

 

[Henrietta23]

I would search online for sound bites of various predators found in your area. Hope you figure it out. It's hard not knowing what's out there!
I'm going to lock up the flock now.......

 

[gypsy2621]

On Rifles or shot guns.
I have this to say;
IF your going to get a .22 rifle please keep in mind a .22 bullet on a clear trajectory can travel up to 1 mile + making it a very dangerous gun to just fire off into the woods to scare something away.
If You have neighbors in a 2 mile radius, this isnt the rifle to chose.
That said I would suggest a .410 varmit rifle.

Know what you are shooting at, be clear that you can Identify your target before you pull that trigger.
Please concider a Firearms Saftey course and or a Hunters Safety Course before purchasing a rifle.
Both Courses will give you an idea IF you can handle the firearm you are thinking of purchasing.

As for the screaming in the woods with soft calls in between , it could be a porcupine. harmless to animals deadly to trees.
Please keep in mind not everything in the woods that screams is necessarily a preditor.

If that be the case like here in southern NH the neighbors Pea Cocks would have been shot dead 100 times over the first year I lived here.
Hens calling for their newly removed chicks will cause the hair on your back and neck to stand straight up in the air and cold chills to run up your spine.

I dentify what is making the noise before shooting is all I am saying.

 

[the simple life]

If you have ever heard a raccoon fight its outright scary.
We have alot of racoons around here, doesn't everyone?
But when we were camping in Maine there was a major fight right outside our door and it went on for a while.
I never knew they could screech the way they do, and they were vicious.