A car chasing chicken.

I live on a dirt road that dead ends at a lake, so in the summer, the traffic here is dense, fast and noisy.  Lots of people in a hurry to get to the lake, or to get from the lake to the next venue of anaesthesia.  Last summer, the chickens were pretty good about staying out of the road, but over the winter, their attention has wandered.  

This Spring they have discovered new vermiform delights in the rotting wood near the brook across the road.

Because they have been more dependent on scraps donated by local grocers over the last couple of seasons, they have begun to associate cars with food, particularly the van.  

They are like bears in this.

We do everything on a smaller scale in NH, we don't have any venomous snakes, the occasional and very rare spider that can cause trouble, and not much of that, we have a low-ish crime rate, and only one big disease threat that is brought on by nature and not drinking or obesity.  Even our bears are cute when compared to the majesticly scaled grizzly, kodiak or polar.

My point is that people here tend to overreact to a small animal that would be entirely overlooked in the intermountain West. 

If I had raised my daughter in Idaho, for example, I doubt she would pull in to my yard and call me on her cel to tell me that she couldn't get out of the car because Buck was leaning  against her door and breathing heavily.

I went out to find her car surrounded by expectant chickens, closely examining her tire crevices for anything interesting.

She told me that she opened the door and all the chickens rushed over from about 100' away and surrounded the car, that she only had just enough time to get back in and close the door.

I have had this experience myself when trying to leave.  Buck instructs his ladies to form a circle around the car and rely upon my native reluctance to run over an investment.   As I slowly pull away, Buck has been known to peck at the door, and run after the van.

There are people who keep dog treats in their pockets to bribe Canine Americans of uncertain temper, but I would bet that not many of my visitors or mail carriers or UPS men or relatives will remember to put grapes, lettuce and spaghetti in their pockets before they come here.