Warding Off Bears

[jscott]

never mind. too much coffee.

[Kattt]

Holy cow, this thread…

I am completely with Jimmy here. Being aware and prepared only makes sense. There are those that exaggerate the possibility of an attack by a wild animals but there are plenty that brush it off as if it could never happen and even give advice along those lines. I have been told I have better chances of being hit by lightning than getting attacked  by a mountain lion and a statement like that is ludicrous.

I don’t carry a firearm but other protection yes, every time I am out checking cameras.

edited because auto correct is wrong.

[Jerry Adams]

I’m completely with Jeffrey, most humorous.  Maybe over the top? : )

[Kattt]

David’s linked video is great. Thanks.

 

[jscott]

Well yes mountain lions where you live, yes, I’d likely be more nervous and cautious than you because I’m a fraidy cat–no joke! I don’t worry about them on the JMT, for good reason  Rattlesnakes in the spring in known territory–I’m watching every step, or nearly. I practice strict food and cooking rules in the woods. I don’t carry arms for bears in the Sierra. I think it’s overkill.  In Alaska or Montana, I would have a different strategy. Ryan’s concerns are well founded, but he hikes in Grizzly country. I guess I’m a spoiled West Coast hiker, mostly, where bears are abundant but almost never a concern.

[Kattt]

^^^ all that makes sense. Same here.

[jimmy b]

Hey jeffery thought you were invincible only to find out your afraid of cats amd snakes WTF?

[jscott]

Yeah, I’m afraid of snakes. I hate bugs too. the possibility of mountain lions makes me look over my shoulder every other minute. Mice in my shelter scampering over me is unwelcome too. I’m a wimp.

The thread had drifted towards humor and I drifted along with it.

[Jerry Adams]

My theory is that after the original question is answered, drift towards humor is okay

[Bob Moulder]

It appears that here in southern NY (Rockland County) we might be starting to get an influx of some of the household garbage bears from NJ, such as the problem bear at Fingerboard Shelter on the AT. There are multiple reports of encounters during which the bear demonstrated a clear lack of fear of humans.

I saw this bear myself and, sure enough, unlike other bears I’ve seen in the area he did not immediately bolt into the woods when he saw me, about 25 yards distance… he eventually ambled away, taking his sweet time.

This topic has been repeatedly beaten to a bloody pulp and I’ve always felt that it is no concern of mine whether somebody chooses to carry or not carry bear spray, but right about then I must admit I was glad to have it with me.

[Gary Dunckel]

Last night on the local Denver NBC channel news there was a piece that addressed CO’s numerous recent black bear events. The Dept. of Wildlife spokesman mentioned that the berries in the mountains are slow to ripen and the grasses/plants are being hampered by the heat and lack of rain. So…as the bears enter their hyperphasia stage, they are “forced” to rummage about to get some calories. This brings them into town and around the homes in the mountains. Problems then happen.

My favorite story was when a lady came back to her mountain house after making a grocery run into town (Aspen, Durango…?). She left the door open as she made several trips from the car to the kitchen. On the second or third trip she found a big black bear in her kitchen, and it was totally destroying everything in the room – table/chairs, curtains, and cabinets. Apparently it freaked out and got scared over trying to get back outside. She opened the door and got out of the way, and the bear eventually figured out how to escape, but not before it trashed her kitchen.

Another cute story. 7-8 years ago I was working in Vail for a couple of weeks. I did a 2-night hike up to nearby Booth Creek for the weekend. The trailhead parking area is right next to a condo complex. While I was up pestering the squirrels, a lady parked in the lot and went in to visit her friend at one of the condos for a couple of hours. The thing is that she left some McDonalds fries on the car seat, and she didn’t lock the vehicle. A smallish black bear figured out how to get into the car to snag the goodies. But it must have pushed open the door pretty hard, and it apparently snapped back closed once the bear was inside. The critter went wildly berserk, and it totally trashed the entire inside of the car – torn carpet and seats, broken glass, and maybe even the air bag deployed (but I’m not sure). When I came back to my truck on Sunday afternoon, the sheriff’s deputies were still at the scene, but the bear was long gone. They told me how they got the bear out of the car without being mauled. They set up a tripod next to the car door latch, then ran a sort of “pulley” line to their own vehicle 20 feet away. The pulley line had a big hook on the end that they placed on the door latch, and when they pulled on the line it opened the door. Once the door opened, the scared bear did the rest, racing like a scared jackrabbit to get the hell out of there. It was likely the fright of its life, but I assume that it got a few french fries out of the deal.

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