View Full Version : Bear visit.
On a recent hike on the AT I had what I assumed was a visit to my tent from a bear during the night. Came crashing through the trees and bushes and started whacking at a tree that was right beside the flap of my tent. I was petrified for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only 2 or 3 mins. When I got out of the tent in the morning there was large chunks of bark from the tree all around my tent. Does any one know why the (assumed bear) acted in such a way?
were there tooth or claw marks? Could have been a female marking territory i so. Was it a tree where you had your bear bag hanging?
yeah...
guessing marking territory and/or searching for grubs....
MisterMoon
10-05-2017, 11:21
Inquiring minds want to know: Where and when?
My food bag was not on this tree. No claw or tooth marks but bark completely stripped off the tree in large chunks all around my tent. Shenandoah National park.
maybe not a bear, maybe just a tree fart...where was this?
grubbster
10-05-2017, 16:28
Could have been a buck. They will thrash trees with their antlers. How big was the tree? I have seen them do this on smaller trees up to about 6" diameter.
blue indian
10-05-2017, 16:36
Could have been a buck. They will thrash trees with their antlers. How big was the tree? I have seen them do this on smaller trees up to about 6" diameter.
DO you think a buck could violently shake a grouping of 3 trees around 5in in diameter and a really steep incline??
MuddyWaters
10-05-2017, 17:39
Sasquatch obviously
Kaptainkriz
10-05-2017, 18:21
Beware of the Yeti! - Read the logs... :)
Sasquatch obviously
Game Warden
10-05-2017, 21:11
As a wildlife professional, my advice is: Get out of the tent and tell the critter--whatever it is--to get the hell out of there and stay away. It will leave. There are no wild animals you need to fear on the AT. As a human, you are the king of the forest whether you like it or not.
Game Warden
10-05-2017, 21:14
As a wildlife professional, my advice is: Get out of the tent and tell the critter--whatever it is--to get the hell out of there and stay away. It will leave. There are no wild animals you need to fear on the AT. As a human, you are the king of the forest whether you like it or not.
And at this time of year, bucks are scraping the velvet off their antlers and leaving rubs in the dirt and trees. Learn to recognize a buck rub and it will add pleasure to you hike.
Slo-go'en
10-05-2017, 21:35
I'd go with the buck deer guess. This is rutting season and the SNP is thick with deer. You'd be amazed at where they can go.
Sounds like buck to me... bears don't do much "crashing through the trees and bushes", they're pretty quiet. Were you in New England, a moose would also be a likely candidate.
rocketsocks
10-06-2017, 00:28
It's worth mentioning that at times of heightened awareness, a chipmunk can sound like a D-9 dozer
Maineiac64
10-06-2017, 08:39
Sounds like buck to me... bears don't do much "crashing through the trees and bushes", they're pretty quiet. Were you in New England, a moose would also be a likely candidate. a few weeks ago a friend was camped north of neels when he heard crashing around in the woods down a draw, he said it was loud, he went over and looked and a bear was coming up the hill. He yelled at it and it kept walking his way, he threw sticks and kept yelling and it finally turned and walked off.
Shutterbug
10-06-2017, 17:03
On a recent hike on the AT I had what I assumed was a visit to my tent from a bear during the night. Came crashing through the trees and bushes and started whacking at a tree that was right beside the flap of my tent. I was petrified for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only 2 or 3 mins. When I got out of the tent in the morning there was large chunks of bark from the tree all around my tent. Does any one know why the (assumed bear) acted in such a way?
Chances are the bear was looking for grubs that live behind the loose bark. It probably wasn't even aware that you were so close.
I had a similar incident on the PCT last year. My son-in-law and I were sleeping in bivies. In the middle of the night, a bear started peeling the bark off a log that was between our bivies. The bear was less than 5 feet from my son-in-law. My son-in-law sat up and yelled. The bear ran right through our camp (their were six in the party) and into the woods. The next morning there was loose bark around the log. And, yes, there were claw marks on the log.
DuneElliot
10-06-2017, 20:34
Sounds much more like a buck trying to clean the velvet off his antlers.
a few weeks ago a friend was camped north of neels when he heard crashing around in the woods down a draw, he said it was loud, he went over and looked and a bear was coming up the hill. He yelled at it and it kept walking his way, he threw sticks and kept yelling and it finally turned and walked off.
must've been a Chicago bear
I also think buck.last weekend had 3 deer crash through the trees in front me, probably 20 feet, walking from the spring to the shelter at calf mountain.
Side note....i saw more deer on trail this year than ever before it seems like. Those bucks that square up at you and just stare for a minute are almost scarier than bears and snakes combined.
rocketsocks
10-08-2017, 10:06
Sounds much more like a buck trying to clean the velvet off his antlers.this^^^^^^^^^^^^^