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jefals
08-01-2015, 15:15
I was reading reviews on some bear cannisters, and a couple folks said that they put pots/pans on top of their cannister so that if the bear found it and started fooling with it, in the middle of the night, the pots/pans would wake them up. But they didn't explain why they wanted to wake up...

Another Kevin
08-01-2015, 15:22
Shout "hey bear! hey bear!" to let the bear know that it is in the temporary territory of a scary human, before the bear rolls the can a hundred yards away?

(I presume we're talking about black bears. All of my hiking has been in places that brown bears don't inhabit, so I can't advise on them.)

jefals
08-01-2015, 15:57
lol! :)
You want me to yell at the bear? Hey, that ain't happenin, bro! :)
Also, it'll be the middle of the night, and I'm not gonna go up to him and turn on a flashlight so I can see what color he is, either!
Another thing on this subject always bothered me, also. You're supposed to put anything that smells like food, in the cannister. I was always concerned that I myself might smell like food to a bear!

rocketsocks
08-01-2015, 17:32
To take a picture, what else? :)

August W.
08-01-2015, 19:15
When a bear finds your canister you have a great opportunity to teach him what can be life saving information for him and if you teach him well he will let you sleep soundly the rest of the night. Take control of the situation and act like you are the top of the food chain. Yelling and throwing baseball-size rocks has worked well for me with black bears.

Another Kevin
08-01-2015, 22:40
Yes. I want you to yell at the bear.

A black bear won't attack if you don't act like prey, and they're afraid of humans. Yelling at the bear is making human noises. And throwing rocks is showing that you'll stand your ground.

I've seen bears a bunch of times. Once they're aware of me, all that I see is a rapidly disappearing bear arse as the bear skedaddles out of there.

And if you're hiking in California, the only bears you'll see are black bears. The brown bear is extinct there. There are about 1500 grizzlies left in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, maybe a few dozen in Washington, and possibly some left in Colorado.

Cobble
08-02-2015, 01:11
Absolutely right Kevin and August. Please, please...PLEASE! Do NOT let the bear go with your food or worse try to bait them away with other food. (I'm absolutely assuming no one on this forum would use food to get a picture!)

I'm no He-Man or hero and you don't need to be. What those above have said is perfect advice. Do not startle the bear up close or get trapped with food or food odors, but make lots of noise and scare them away.(throwing stones is very effective as said before). My point is that the advice above is not huff and puff but sound outdoors wisdom.

If you have further questions or concerns please make sure you get balanced advice from professionals and people who work with bears. (Such as forresters and park rangers). Do keep in mind the bias towards safety for people and bears from such experts too.

ps. as a hiker I'd second rocket socks' advice on getting a picture cuz otherwise no one will believe your story..lol

jefals
08-02-2015, 02:13
that part about getting advice from park rangers is good. I'll see what they say about it. Without that, no offense guys, but there's no way I'm going to experiment by yelling and throwing rocks at the bear, to find out if you guys are right or not... Cause you probably ARE right -- but, if not, it might be the last lesson I ever learn!

Deacon
08-02-2015, 05:46
that part about getting advice from park rangers is good. I'll see what they say about it. Without that, no offense guys, but there's no way I'm going to experiment by yelling and throwing rocks at the bear, to find out if you guys are right or not... Cause you probably ARE right -- but, if not, it might be the last lesson I ever learn!

I can personally attest that yelling and throwing stones IS the way to drive off a bear. I watched the crew at the Mt. Leconte Lodge do just that when a bear was sniffing at the dining room door.

Old Hiker
08-02-2015, 11:00
The bear knows you are there. Seriously. If it can smell food in a hanging bear bag or inside (around) a bear canister, it KNOWS you are there. Not been in this situation (yet), I plan to yell and throw stuff to let the bear know that food is MINE.

FlyFishNut
08-02-2015, 11:05
To take a SELFIE, what else? :)

Here... fixed it....

colorado_rob
08-02-2015, 11:41
Yep, yell and scream and grab your headlamp and shine it in his eyes. He will retreat. Probably.

Odd Man Out
08-02-2015, 11:43
... I was always concerned that I myself might smell like food to a bear!

I have corresponded with a bear expert on this issue. He stated clearly that it should not be a concern. He published a well known paper that analyzed all known human fatalities due to black bear attacks over a 100 year period and found that they are very very rare and happen mostly in places where bears have little or know exposure to humans. The reason the bear is going after your food is because he wants your food and does not want anything to do with you. As the expert puts it, the bear's desire to avoid you is much greater than his desire to get your food. He also advises that there is little chance the bear will confuse you with your food. He says there is no evidence that minor food scents (such as the clothes you cook your food in) are attractive enough to overcome the smell of you. Although there are exceptions, such as the case he cited where a woman was attacked in her tent because she had used such a strongly fruit-scented shampoo, that even the paramedics could smell it. Fortunately, for most long-distance backpackers, smelling like a human is not a problem (except when you get to town, then it's not so fortunate).

Walkintom
08-02-2015, 12:08
I'm higher on the food chain than the bear. I know this and behave as such. Bears run.

Except one individual I encountered that was pretty dim sighted and deaf, even for a bear and kept peering around uncertainly when I'd finally manage to make enough noise and visual impact to be perceived, if barely. That one would shift a few feet over and go back to eating berries.

August W.
08-02-2015, 13:24
I have corresponded with a bear expert on this issue. He stated clearly that it should not be a concern. He published a well known paper that analyzed all known human fatalities due to black bear attacks over a 100 year period and found that they are very very rare and happen mostly in places where bears have little or know exposure to humans. The reason the bear is going after your food is because he wants your food and does not want anything to do with you. As the expert puts it, the bear's desire to avoid you is much greater than his desire to get your food. He also advises that there is little chance the bear will confuse you with your food. He says there is no evidence that minor food scents (such as the clothes you cook your food in) are attractive enough to overcome the smell of you. Although there are exceptions, such as the case he cited where a woman was attacked in her tent because she had used such a strongly fruit-scented shampoo, that even the paramedics could smell it. Fortunately, for most long-distance backpackers, smelling like a human is not a problem (except when you get to town, then it's not so fortunate).

Do you know if we can find his paper online? Would like to read it if it's available.

Deadeye
08-02-2015, 13:49
I have never found my bear canister anywhere other than where I left it, so I'm not going to bother "alarming" it. However, if I were to be awoken by a bear in the vicinity, I'd go with the comments above and do my best to scare it off.

Another Kevin
08-02-2015, 15:07
Do you know if we can find his paper online? Would like to read it if it's available.

Wiley has it locked down pretty tightly, I'm afraid, but your local library can probably turn it up for you: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.72/abstract is the abstract. Steve also has a book out on the subject of managing human-bear conflict: http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-Causes-Avoidance-revised/dp/158574557X . Hope this helps.

sbhikes
08-02-2015, 15:14
I lost my bear canister once when a bear took it a short distance from where I had left it. If I'd left something on top of it, maybe I would have heard it and been able to chase the bear away. Instead I had to search a little. I found my bear canister with some cool teeth marks but otherwise unharmed. This was in a car camping campground.

egilbe
08-02-2015, 16:06
What are you? A man or a mouse? You want to eat, you fight for your food. Black bears get hunted and know that humans are dangerous. They will run, unless you teach the bear that you are a prey animal to not be feared. By the way, Black bears in California are more of a golden brown color.

Odd Man Out
08-02-2015, 16:19
Wiley has it locked down pretty tightly, I'm afraid, but your local library can probably turn it up for you: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.72/abstract is the abstract. Steve also has a book out on the subject of managing human-bear conflict: http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-Causes-Avoidance-revised/dp/158574557X . Hope this helps.

If you have access to a university library they could probably get a copy for you.

BillyGr
08-02-2015, 17:12
Yes. I want you to yell at the bear.

A black bear won't attack if you don't act like prey, and they're afraid of humans. Yelling at the bear is making human noises. And throwing rocks is showing that you'll stand your ground.

I've seen bears a bunch of times. Once they're aware of me, all that I see is a rapidly disappearing bear arse as the bear skedaddles out of there.

And if you're hiking in California, the only bears you'll see are black bears. The brown bear is extinct there. There are about 1500 grizzlies left in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, maybe a few dozen in Washington, and possibly some left in Colorado.

Let's not forget that somewhat detached state, Alaska.

August W.
08-02-2015, 19:05
Wiley has it locked down pretty tightly, I'm afraid, but your local library can probably turn it up for you: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.72/abstract is the abstract. Steve also has a book out on the subject of managing human-bear conflict: http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-Causes-Avoidance-revised/dp/158574557X . Hope this helps.

Thanks for your time and response. Greatly appreciated.

Deadeye
08-02-2015, 19:25
What are you? A man or a mouse? You want to eat, you fight for your food. Black bears get hunted and know that humans are dangerous. They will run, unless you teach the bear that you are a prey animal to not be feared. By the way, Black bears in California are more of a golden brown color.

In New England they get hunted, so you only see the ass end as it runs away. In other parts of the AT corridor, they can be more habituated to people.

jefals
08-02-2015, 19:31
I think you guys are probably right. Haven't read the article yet, but I intend to. But were y'all in the same situation the first time you yelled and threw rocks at a bear? In other words, the bear was paying attention to something else -- say, your food canister -- and you were at a safe distance, when you decided to approach the bear, start yelling and throwing rocks -- thereby, knowingly, diverting his attention from the food and focusing his attention on you? Weren't you a little nervous about doing that the first time you did it?