Moose, cougars and snakes each need a different response

Quick answer: Back away from a moose and put something solid between you. Face a cougar, make yourself big, and never run. Give a snake six feet and leave it alone. Three animals, three opposite responses.

Yellowstone tells visitors to stay 25 yards from most large animals and 100 yards from bears and wolves. Most people read that number as a suggestion. A cow moose with a calf doesn't see it that way, and she weighs somewhere around a thousand pounds.

Every hiker learns the bear drill. Make noise, carry spray, don't run. That's good, and it's also where the trouble starts. A man who has one script for every animal will run it on the wrong one.

Moose: the one that looks harmless

A moose looks like a horse that lost an argument with a shrub. It doesn't act like a predator, and that's the problem. Nobody feels danger, so people walk closer for a photo.

Moose don't hunt you. They charge because they feel cornered, or because there's a calf nearby, or because it's autumn and a bull is in rut and cranky about everything. A dog barking at one is a classic trigger. The moose goes after the dog, the dog runs back to you, and now you're standing in the middle of it.

Read the animal before it moves:

• Ears laid back like a mad cat's
• Hair raised along the hump of the neck
• Licking its lips, or lowering its head
• It stops feeding and stares at you

Any one of those means you're too close. Back off slowly, talk in a low voice, and keep a tree, a boulder or a vehicle between you and it.

If it charges, run. This is where the moose differs from the bear. Get behind the biggest thing you can reach. A moose that has driven you away from its calf will usually quit. If you're knocked down, curl up, cover your head and neck, and stay put until it walks off. Getting up early invites a second round.

Keep your dog leashed in moose country, and know that the leash is for the dog's good as much as yours.

Cougars: the one you almost never see

Cougar attacks on people are rare. That's worth saying first, because the fear is far bigger than the risk. The risk isn't zero, though, and the reaction that feels natural is the wrong one.

Don't run. Running looks like prey. Stop, face the cat, and pick up any small child right away. Get big: open your jacket, raise your arms, hold your pack overhead. Speak firmly and loudly. Back away slowly, and don't turn your back or crouch down to tie a shoe.

If it comes at you, fight back with everything. Rocks, sticks, trekking poles, a knife, your fists. Protect your neck. Cougars go for the head and neck, and they usually back off when prey turns out to be trouble. Don't play dead. That's the grizzly rule and it doesn't apply here.

Most of the prevention is boring and works:

• Keep kids within arm's reach, not just in sight
• Don't hike alone at dawn or dusk in cat country
• Keep dogs leashed and close
• Don't leave food or a gutted game animal near camp

Bear spray works as a deterrent on a cougar too, and it's a good thing to have in a chest pocket instead of buried in your pack. A spray can you can't reach in three seconds is a souvenir.

Some readers carry a firearm, and that's their right. Lawful carry is a responsibility, so check the rules for the state and the land you're on. National parks follow state law, but federal buildings don't. A handgun is a last resort for a close fight, and it's worth about as much as the training behind it. Spend a Saturday at the range before you spend a night in the backcountry.

Snakes: the one that's usually your fault

Snakes don't hunt people either. They want to be left alone, and they bite when they can't get away or when somebody steps on them. A lot of bites happen to men who tried to move one, kill one, or pose with one. If the snake is still, so are you. Walk around.

Give it six feet at minimum. A rattler doesn't always rattle, and a copperhead lying in leaf litter looks exactly like leaf litter.

Where bites actually happen:

• Stepping over a log you can't see the far side of. Step on the log, look, then step down.
• Reaching into a woodpile, a rock crevice or a ledge you can't see into.
• Walking around camp after dark in sandals with no light. Wear boots and carry a headlamp.
• Picking up a "dead" snake. A freshly killed one can still bite by reflex.

Long pants and over-the-ankle boots do real work here. They're boring, and they're cheaper than an ambulance ride.

If someone gets bitten:

1. Move away from the snake and keep the person calm and still.
2. Call 911 or get to a hospital fast. Antivenom lives there, not in your first aid kit.
3. Take off rings, watches and anything tight before the swelling starts.
4. Keep the bitten limb still, roughly at heart level.
5. Mark the swelling's edge with a pen and note the time, if it's easy.

Don't cut the wound, don't suck on it, don't use a tourniquet, and don't pack it in ice. Those are old movie remedies and they make things worse. Don't chase the snake either. A phone photo from a safe distance helps the doctors. For questions, Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222. Anything about treatment beyond this is a conversation for a doctor or a wilderness medicine course.

The pattern under all three

The bear rules work on bears. Moose want distance. Cougars want to know you're not food. Snakes want to be ignored. Every one of them gets safer when you do the same dull things: stay alert, keep your group close, and carry the right tools where you can reach them. The ten essentials still apply. So does knowing what to do in the first hour after you realize you're lost, because a wildlife scare often ends with somebody off trail.

If you're taking kids out for the first time, a short trip makes this manageable. One night is plenty for a first family camp, and it gives you time to teach the rules before they're tested.

Leave no trace covers wildlife too. Store food properly, never feed anything, and don't let a camp snack teach a raccoon, a bear or a bold cat that people are a buffet. A fed animal turns into a problem animal, and problem animals get killed. Keep your camp clean enough that nobody's the wiser you were there.

The woods aren't hostile. They're just not yours. Walk through them like a guest who intends to be invited back.