Not Alone in the Wild

[Walks with dogs]

I don't want to hijack the other threads but the discussion on there has raised some really interesting discussionover the risks , or lack of with bears.

I'd love to hear more, do's and don'ts from those in the know.

I've seen a black bear in the wild once on Vancouver island. Outstanding moment in my life, until someone felt the need to yell "PASS ME THE CAMERA" and it ran into the treeline.

 

[nicodiemus]

From what I understand encounters are pretty rare. Most of the horror is of course from the horror stories on the TV.

I know there are a wide range of bear repellent and safety equipment you can acquire if you're spending real time in bear country.

Most of it is just logic. They have a good (incredible) sense of smell, don't cook, eat, or relieve yourself anywhere near where you're sleeping.

I'm sure the risk is pretty horrific when cubs are involved, but I'm equally sure it's not a hard thing to make your camp safe.

 

[Shewie]

I kicked this one off a while ago, there's some really good info from some of the guys over the pond.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36508&highlight=bears


I think this is also good advice ....

 

[nicodiemus]

I just spat pepsi all over my monitor. Good one!

 

[Walks with dogs]

Brilliance!

 

[VirusKiller]

That has made my day! Cheers Rich.

 

[tobes01]

LMAO!

I guess a lot of this goes back to the days when there really were things to be scared of (as there still are in the Yukon if things go against you). The Maoris clearly had cause to cr*p themselves when they came across one of these: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/14/te_hokioi/

 

[Bushwhacker]

I'd imagine that bears are only a major threat when there's not enough food to go around or when a mother has got cubs.

 

[Adamm]

Met a guy on the Appalachian Trail in May who had no camping gear because he'd left his tent through one end as the bear ate the other end.

The rangers confirmed that at one of the shelters I stayed in they were trying to catch and relocate a couple of nuisance bears who liked the convenience of hikers backpacks full of grub.

 

[Martyn]

Met a guy on the Appalachian Trail in May who had no camping gear because he'd left his tent through one end as the bear ate the other end.

The rangers confirmed that at one of the shelters I stayed in they were trying to catch and relocate a couple of nuisance bears who liked the convenience of hikers backpacks full of grub.

Isn't that more of a case of increased risk through learned behaviour? Where bears and humans have had too much contact and the bears have learned to associate humans with food?

 

[Shewie]

When we were in Banff we got talking to a guy who told us about a particularly curious black bear sow which had watched people using the automatic lobby doors at one of the hotels. After a couple of days it walked up to the door and into the reception lobby, it was caught on the cctv apparently but we never got to see it.
Can you imagine seeing that as you popped down for breakfast one morning.

 

[dogwood]

I was one of the folks who weighed in pretty heavily in the thread that Shewie referenced above, so I won't repeat it here.

But if someone has questions stemming from that discussion I'll be delighted to share what I can based on my experiences with bears.