Yep looks like a tarantula to me. I've never seen one in the wild although they don't scare me at all. Bees, wasps and cockroaches scare me to death but I have actually had a tarantula crawl up my hand/arm and it was the coolest feeling ever. I love them and I find them lovely and fascinating. I'd love to have seen that in person. I keep wanting to find a tarantula in the wild. There are none in Michigan so since I've moved to TX I'm always on the lookout.

Glad you didn't kill it. They have a tremendouly long life span and it would be a shame to end it needlessly.