Bear attacks man in Glacier View Ranch, biting his head twice

[BlackHatGuy]

Is this happening more than usual this year? Seems so.

[Ryan Jordan]

I’m getting increasingly uncomfortable with bears.

I’ve spent the past few decades in Montana in griz country. There’s always this underlying “hmmm…” about it. I’ve had a number of grizzly encounters in MT, AK, and Canada. I didn’t enjoy any of them. And I never really felt at ease hiking with my wife or son out there.

We moved to SE Wyoming over the winter. No grizzly bears. Plenty of blacks, though, and I understand that blacks can have issues too, but there is a difference. And I do have to say that being out of griz country is a lot more relaxing. Maybe I’m naive.

I don’t know what to make of the whole bear thing. It’s smoldering, deep down inside…I love wilderness. I love the idea of intact ecosystems. I love seeing bears from afar – it’s majestic, magical, inspiring, humbling.

But to say that it’s disconcerting is still an understatement.

[Nick Gatel]

We’ve got more and more people going to places where Grizzly bears live. Before the internet we didn’t read much about Grizzly attacks because the stories were on page 32 of Section D in the newspaper, so now we read about just about every attack that happens in the US and Canada.

From where I live I have to travel over 1500 miles to get to a Grizzly habitat, so it is rare for me to be in Grizzly country. Given that, I have a much greater fear of these bears compared to folks who hike frequently in these areas. I’ve seen Grizzly tracks but never saw one. Just seeing the tracks makes me uncomfortable. When I see black bear tracks, my reaction is to keep my camera close at hand.

[Paul Magnanti]

This attack was in a well-established youth campground.

I do not know their bear practices, but it is a good guess the bear was habituated to that spot and learned to associate the hairless primates with tasty food.

The Colorado Front Range (where this took place) is almost at the point where 10 pounds of ‘stuff’ is in a 5 lb sack. The urban/wilderness interface is a bit more pronounced.   Where people have been camping for years in *established* spots,  I bet we’ll see more bear and mountain lion encounters.

The best way for a backpacker to avoid bears and other critters? Still, the simplest advice IMO is the best:

1. Cook dinner and then move on
2. Try not to camp in an obvious well-used spot if possible
3. Dry camp if that is an option as well

Not always possible in established areas, state parks, and national parks where the sites are mandated but a very good strategy in USFS and BLM lands.

 

 

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^

Not exactly wilderness or even remote.  Even if Glacier View Camp is “bear aware” and careful, nearby residents may have precipitated the problem with bird feeders, dog food, and BBQ grills.

“More than usual?” – IMHO, no.  Just “better” reporting. “If it bleeds, it leads.”

[Greg Mihalik]

An overview –

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/02/colorado-black-bear-management/

[Todd Stough]

“I’m getting increasingly uncomfortable with bears.”

I love Tigers, the are a thing of beauty.  I’ll tell you though, if I lived in an area where they hunted us, or there was much of a chance one my kill my kids.  I’d be all for eliminating them.  I’m sure that is wrong but I understand the feeling.   We may get to a point that all the apex predators are gone.

[Paul Magnanti]

Not exactly wilderness or even remote. 

Yep. Lots of people who want to “live in the mountains” up there. With remote working becoming an option for more and more so-called professional workers, the areas that were rural if not truly remote have more and more people.

As you said, the bears have more opportunities for easy pickings. And are becoming even more habituated to humans.

[BlackHatGuy]

Excellent article Greg, thanks for sharing.

[BlackHatGuy]

Ya gotta love clickbait refers. Here’s one about this subject: If you hear a crunching sound in your sleep while you’re out camping, it may be nothing. Or it may be a bear eating your head.

[Anonymous]

In addition to Paul’s sound advice on avoiding bears I would add:  Get as far beyond and above people as fast as you can, above timberline if possible.  It is not a guarantee, but bears tend to hang out where people hang out, at least in the Sierra.  There just isn’t enough natural food up around or above timberline, or enough people with food, to make it worth their while. The few I have encountered, 5 in the last 35 years, all below timberline, were not of the habituated variety.  4 of them couldn’t get the hell out of dodge fast enough, and the other one was so fat and obviously well fed that it just leisurely waddled away without out even stopping to give me the once over.  That last one was down in Kern Canyon, definitely people country, and I made it a point to store my food in a bear box that night.  I spend very little time in that kind of country, and was proportionately uneasy that night.  Once a bear has decided to hang out around your camp, you’re in for a long night.  That I discovered early on in my backpacking career, and adjusted my strategy accordingly.  Yes, they are everything Ryan said, but best seen from a distance, IMO/E.

[David Thomas]

“I have a much greater fear of these bears compared to folks who hike frequently in these areas.”

Yeah, it took me a several backpacking trips in California to get comfortable with black bears and more time to be confidant enough to chase them off.

And it took a few years to get over my grizzly-anxiety when we moved to Alaska.  They’re there, there’s a small chance of running into them, and a tiny chance that things go badly.  The year I got my iPod and listened to tunes on the trail, I saw 5 grizzlies.  I stopped to doing that – I decided I needed to be more aware of my surroundings so I’d make more noise when there are poor sight-lines, water noise, or food sources.

When we went on a walking safari in Zimbabwe, I was a little anxious about the cape buffalo, crocs in the river and especially the hippos.  And when we found lion tracks and started following them, I thought, “At home, when we see bear tracks, we go the OTHER way!”.

[Brad Rogers]

Off topic I know, but I didn’t know you had moved to Wyoming Ryan.  I knew you had been spending more time there, but I just didn’t put two and two together.

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