rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Feb 6, 2020 17:03:42 GMT -8
I had left out in the dark at dinner a lexan cup in the cooking area. The bear had mouthed and shattered its base. Ooops. The proof of the story. From an area not known for bear human contacts or conflicts. I dug this cup out of my wilderness prop box because I am pushing for a special order on a local National Forest, consistent with the other Wyoming National Forests for food storage. Protecting the wildlife, not the stooges like me who left his stinky cup out.
BTW those older GSI insulated cups without the loop handle are the best hiking cups out there. They thermally perform right up with the really ancient Aladdin truck stop cup.
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dayhiker
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Post by dayhiker on Feb 8, 2020 11:19:29 GMT -8
I have read that in Yosemite thru hikers do this, just unwilling to carry the weight of a canister, but not for me.
Food in a tent, even toothpaste is crazy to me. Chasing a bear with your food that is a bit crazy too. You can scare a bear away from food in your possession, but I have never heard of one getting food away from a bear.
Black bears in Oregon anyway, are scared of people but I wouldn't tempt one with food in a tent. Some leave there food out in campsites.
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almostthere
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Post by almostthere on Feb 8, 2020 13:38:36 GMT -8
I read somewhere that black bears are involved in more attacks on people than grizzly bears because too many people just don't take them seriously and behave in frankly bizzare ways somtimes. But it is true of most animals that they behave very differently where they are not used to people being around .
I've heard a lot of described "attacks" that amount to "I was careless and a bear reacted and because I was SO SKEEERT I have decided I was attacked." Or the article's author doesn't understand that black bears in the lower 48 are by and large not aggressive. For it to be an actual attack, the bear has to do more than a defensive swipe or a bluff charge...
Alaska, and presumably northern Canada, and other regions where the black bears compete with brown bears and wolves and wolverines etc, sure. Black bears have been known to be predatory toward people in Alaska. It's rare tho.
CDC stats over time show an average of 3-5 deaths per year due to bears. Mostly grizzly/brown.
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Post by oldbill on Feb 10, 2020 5:07:34 GMT -8
There was the case of a true predatory attack (as concluded by wildlife biologists) on a teenager in Colorado in 2017 as well. Pulled him from his tent and dragged him off. Luckily, he was with other campers who were able to beat the bear off. www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/black-bear-attack-campers-head-colorado-spd/That Lexan cup photo is instructive. I routinely carry a water bottle in my tent in Wyoming since my throat dries out so much is wakes me. I just need to make doubly certain it isn't the one I ever add flavoring to during the day. I hang that bottle.
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rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Feb 14, 2020 16:36:54 GMT -8
I routinely carry a water bottle in my tent in Wyoming since my throat dries out so much is wakes me. I just need to make doubly certain it isn't the one I ever add flavoring to during the day. Wyoming it is a thing. The Game and Fish baits their bear traps with peanut butter and grape Kool-Aid. Some times road kill, but in neighborhoods the folks complain. I like those collapsible small water sacks year round for shelter water. That is their only job. Dollar Store item.
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muleman
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Post by muleman on Sept 6, 2021 6:59:27 GMT -8
Alarming and difficult to understand. People just keep getting dumber.
I was packing mules with a guy from Australia that was working for one of the pack outfits out of Mammoth. He was from Victoria, and knew the bush but had no experience with bears. One night he slept out using a grain sack for a pillow. He woke up at 0300 to the sound of crunching grain. A bear was eating the grain sack under his head
A small percentage of black bears are predatory on humans. I worked in Alaska and saw bears every day for months on end. The big coastal brownies were territorial but gave me no trouble. Every once in a while a black bear would hang around. He would leave for awhile and then re-appear always on my 6 behind me. It was unerving to say the least. It is hard to focus on your work when bears behave like that.
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bushmaster
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Post by bushmaster on Dec 26, 2021 7:51:31 GMT -8
I keep my main gear in the backpack, but always carry food, or anything that the odor might get critters curious in a separate haversack, thus keeping my backpack free of odor, past,or present.
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