OT: I would have found this to be "unbearable."

[dogged1]

There is lot of anti-bear equipment is out there. Bells for noise and pepper spray, etc. They may be more effective against black bear than grizzlies. You can tell which kind of bear is in the area but examining the scat. Black bear scat will have a high berry and seed content, while grizzly bear scat will have little bells in it and smell like pepper.

In the same vein but even older:
In Grizzly country always hike with a friend.
If a Grizzly attacks you can't outrun it.
But you can outrun your friend.

I think that's been around since Jeremiah Johnson.

 

[Golden Husky]

Was once told this piece of advice when dealing with bears:

Bear Black --> Fight Back
Bear Brown --> Lie Down
Bear White --> Good Night

Along those lines, regarding snakes...

Red and black, venom lack,
Black and yellow, kill a fellow.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Here's a few pics of my closest bear encounter. This is zoomed in...slightly. I was in the middle of a long hike and kinda zoned out and all of a sudden realized there was a bear in the middle of the trail right in front of me. While I was trying to figure out what to do it bailed off on the downhill side and then went back to browsing. I did not ask it how much it weighed, but I would say plenty enough. This was in Olympic National Park, where the bears are plentiful and well behaved as far as I know.

 

[nwhoopfan]

 

[pinotbear]

What were you told about @pinotbear ? I was thinking perhaps bear pinot--> pop the vino?

well, when I joined the board, there were already two bears - Grizz and Ice. Since, at the time, I owned and managed a neighborhood packy, and was (and am) quite fond of red wine, particularly pinot noir, I became the pinotbear.

 

[triaddukefan]

looking up recipes for black bear... found a spot that sells bear... and llama meat

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Not to keep a thread going - but the Bison story reminded me of our "safari" at the San Diego Safari Park (suburban part of the Zoo, not sure if I have the name right). Folks were given the chance of feeding Rhinos off the safari truck. Apples, IIRC. Or, to a Rhino, raisins. Big head, big jaws - tiny apple - chomp.

 

[dogged1]

Here's a few pics of my closest bear encounter. This is zoomed in...slightly. I was in the middle of a long hike and kinda zoned out and all of a sudden realized there was a bear in the middle of the trail right in front of me. While I was trying to figure out what to do it bailed off on the downhill side and then went back to browsing. I did not ask it how much it weighed, but I would say plenty enough. This was in Olympic National Park, where the bears are plentiful and well behaved as far as I know.

Just to be clear, I liked it for you. Not for me.
I would have had an underwear problem, and a pants, shoes and socks problem, if I had been in your shoes.

 

[Bama fan]

Just to be clear, I liked it for you. Not for me.
I would have had an underwear problem, and a pants, shoes and socks problem, if I had been in your shoes.

After you were done with them, in his shoes would not be an enviable place to be.

 

[CL82]

Here's a few pics of my closest bear encounter. This is zoomed in...slightly. I was in the middle of a long hike and kinda zoned out and all of a sudden realized there was a bear in the middle of the trail right in front of me. While I was trying to figure out what to do it bailed off on the downhill side and then went back to browsing. I did not ask it how much it weighed, but I would say plenty enough. This was in Olympic National Park, where the bears are plentiful and well behaved as far as I know.

It really doesn't look like a bear in this one:

Great pictures BTW. Where was it.

 

[Bama fan]

It really doesn't look like a bear in this one:

View attachment 56798

Great pictures BTW. Where was it.

The rare and horrifying "Ursus Rodenta". When they attack, they go straight for the nuts!

 

[nwhoopfan]

It really doesn't look like a bear in this one:

View attachment 56798

Great pictures BTW. Where was it.

Wait a minute, that's not what I saw!

The bear was near Seven Lakes Basin, did a 20ish mile counterclockwise loop from the Sol Duc trailhead.

The little guy I think was on another loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Can't remember exactly where that photo was. Included a portion of the PCT and several other trails that intersect it.

edit--okay, I looked at the album. Little guy was along PIlot Ridge on the last day of the trip, between Blue Lake and the North Fork Sauk trailhead.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Just to be clear, I liked it for you. Not for me.
I would have had an underwear problem, and a pants, shoes and socks problem, if I had been in your shoes.

I'm probably pretty weird. I wasn't freaked out, I was excited. Every bear I've ever seen either ran away or ignored me. I recognize they certainly could cause a lot of damage to me, but attacks are very rare. I enjoy all my wildlife encounters, from rodents and small birds right on up to the megafauna. I've been point blank range with deer and mountain goats a number of times.


Well, I don't enjoy mosquitoes. Or black flies/horse flies. None of those count.

 

[willtalk]

With brown bears the farther north you go the more dangerous they become. My sister and brother in law used to take vacations in the northern wildernesses. One time they were in northern Canada and in the area they were camping three campers were eating by a bear/bears. Pulled right out of their tents. I guess they must have looked like burritos in their sleeping bags.

 

[CL82]

With brown bears the farther north you go the more dangerous they become. My sister and brother in law used to take vacations in the northern wildernesses. One time they were in northern Canada and in the area they were camping three campers were eating by a bear/bears. Pulled right out of their tents. I guess they must have looked like burritos in their sleeping bags.

As noted above in this thread, you cannot keep anything a bear might think is interesting in your tent with you in back country. That means anything with a scent (e.g., food, deodorant, chocolate, bug spray, brillo etc.) That stuff should be put in bear bag and hung up away from where you are sleeping.

 

[dogged1]

With brown bears the farther north you go the more dangerous they become. My sister and brother in law used to take vacations in the northern wildernesses. One time they were in northern Canada and in the area they were camping three campers were eating by a bear/bears. Pulled right out of their tents. I guess they must have looked like burritos in their sleeping bags.

Hmmm, sounds like they were camping at Camp Granada



"please don't leave me in the forest where, I might get eaten by a bear"
quote of the immortal bard, Alan Sherman.

 

[CL82]

Hmmm, sounds like they were camping at Camp Granada



"please don't leave me in the forest where, I might get eaten by a bear"
quote of the immortal bard, Alan Sherman.

I actually owned (and still do) a board game based on this song replete with "icky animals", bunk houses and bus that would breakdown.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

 

[dogged1]

I actually owned (and still do) a board game based on this song replete with "icky animals", bunk houses and bus that would breakdown.

View attachment 56810

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I was 13 at the time, bought the album. Thought it was hilarious and played it repeatedly. My parents were not happy, but that made it even more fun.
I am jealous of the board game, never saw it, would have bought it if I had.

 

[Bama fan]

The poet Arthur Guiterman, in his "On The Vanity of Earthly Greatness" put it in perspective.

"The grizzly bear whose potent hug
was feared by all, is now a rug."

 

[Steelerone]

How did you get his weight

I've seen bears in Penna, Ohio, Colorado, Maine and Ct., and that does not include viewing them at zoos (where you have information regarding their ages and weights). When I was younger and vacationing in the Tyrone area of Pa. my uncle hunted Black Bears. After awhile you can get a sense. By the way, here is one of them raiding my garbage can last week.

Not sure he would have fit on the weight scale but I'm fairly certain he's not a cub. Then again, I'm not an expert.

 

[Steelerone]

Here is "the story". People on vacation do dumb things in nature. It is a natural park in Mexico.

Woman Takes Selfie with Wild Black Bear in Insanely Close Encounter

A bear had an insanely close encounter with a few women out for a hike in Mexico.

www.tmz.com

I'm not sure the term "dumb" is sufficent. One of the unfortunate facts of having a lot of encounters with bears is that after awhile you tend to forget that they are wild animals and you truly cannot predict their behavior.

It took me a moment but that cracked me up.

Thanks for pointing that out. I missed it at first and after you posted your reply I got it to.

 

[Steelerone]

The poet Arthur Guiterman, in his "On The Vanity of Earthly Greatness" put it in perspective.

"The grizzly bear whose potent hug
was feared by all, is now a rug."

Bama, my Grandparents in Madera, Pa. had a hugh Black Bear rug as you went from the kitchen to the living room with it's face looking upward, teeth bared. I knew every time I walked into the living room that it was going to attack and have me for supper.

 

[Steelerone]

Folks are not always blessed with common sense. Less often, you read of them doing remarkably stupid things at the zoo.

We have quite a selection of nasty things here in Arizona, but size is not generally the problem. Snakes, insects, even frogs.

Then there are Javelina - a form of Peccary. We saw some when we were driving around the day before our Arizona house hunt and called our sales agent to find out what they were. He explained, and indicated some folks - for some obscure reason - think they are cute and feed them. Javelina get very mad when they are not fed when they expect to be. None in our neighborhood, just an occasional Coyote.

One other example of human, well, not common sense. Some folks keep Capybara as pets - up to allowing them to sleep in their bed. That also does not necessarily go well. If you don't know what a Capybara is, I won't ruin it for you.

KnightBridge, I was driving through Arizona years and years ago on my way to Cal. I stopped at this roadside cafe to grab something to eat and the guy who ran it had God knows how many rattlesnakes skins decorating the walls. I asked where he got all of them and he just looked at me and said "outside". I immediately made a vow to myself never to vacation or live in Arizona for the rest of my life.

 

[Steelerone]

Generally the males will tell you their weight if asked. But with the females it is considered in poor taste to ask.

Bama, LMAO at that reply.

 

[Steelerone]

Here's a few pics of my closest bear encounter. This is zoomed in...slightly. I was in the middle of a long hike and kinda zoned out and all of a sudden realized there was a bear in the middle of the trail right in front of me. While I was trying to figure out what to do it bailed off on the downhill side and then went back to browsing. I did not ask it how much it weighed, but I would say plenty enough. This was in Olympic National Park, where the bears are plentiful and well behaved as far as I know.

NW, if I were going to hike that is where I would want to be. Great photos of great scenery.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

For whatever reason the Grizzlies were exceptionally testy this year. On average there is one encounter producing injury in the first 6 months of the year in the Greater Yellowstone Region. This year there were 7.

 

[Steelerone]

The rare and horrifying "Ursus Rodenta". When they attack, they go straight for the nuts!

On a roll today, Bama

 

[dogged1]

For whatever reason the Grizzlies were exceptionally testy this year. On average there is one encounter producing injury in the first 6 months of the year in the Greater Yellowstone Region. This year there were 7.

Could it be the masks people are wearing?