Bears

[skinnbones]

Just curious if any 2017 thru or section hikers had sightings or bear encounters?

[Gambit McCrae]

I walked 557 miles last year on the AT - no bears This even included the "Saturated with bears NY & NJ" which I saw no bears in.
Last bear I saw was actually twin bears just south of US42 Sinking Creek in Virginia 7/4/2016

[HooKooDooKu]

It's pretty much random luck if you should have a bear sighting.

I usually take about a dozen hiking trip a year in the Great Smoky Mountains, likely averaging about 300 trail miles per year.
Some years, I never see any bear.
One year, I saw at least one bear on every trip I took.

But over all, I would call it a rarity. I would guess that overall, I've seen bear on perhaps 15% of my trips to GSMNP. And most of those have been a brief glance as the bear runs away.

[saltysack]

Given your forum name I seriously doubt you have anything to be concerned with......they like lil more meat on the bones.....


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[Gambit McCrae]

Well I REALLY cant count it but if I had to claim I saw a bear on the trail....I did see 2 last year in the Bear Mountain Zoo...Poor bears.

[skinnbones]

Lol, ya I would be a waste of time to a bear.

[johnacraft]

Just curious if any 2017 thru or section hikers had sightings or bear encounters?

I've seen many bears through the years, all of them while on a paved road, none when I was hiking.

In 2016 my wife and I hiked up the Wolf Ridge trail in GSMNP, over Gregory Bald, and down the Long Hungry Ridge trail. Several backcountry campsites were closed due to bear activity. We saw lots of bear scat on the trails. Never saw or heard a bear. (A rattlesnake introduced himself to my wife, though.)

In most cases the bear will hear and/or smell you and run long before you get the chance to see it.

[Hatchet_1697]

2016 hike through Shenandoah NP we saw 9 Bears, lots of deer, 1 rattling rattlesnake with a big chipmunk bump in its belly, and one guy saw a bobcat (very rare to see). It was a great hike!


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[GoldenBear]

I saw one bear while on The Trail last year. And, as with all seven times I've seen bears on the AT, it ran away before I could get my camera out of its case.

This does NOT count the two dozen or so times I've seen bears while driving through national or state parks.

In Shenandoah, I'm surprised when I DON'T see a bear.

[Ethesis]

I've seen many bears through the years, all of them while on a paved road, none when I was hiking.

In 2016 my wife and I hiked up the Wolf Ridge trail in GSMNP, over Gregory Bald, and down the Long Hungry Ridge trail. Several backcountry campsites were closed due to bear activity. We saw lots of bear scat on the trails. Never saw or heard a bear. (A rattlesnake introduced himself to my wife, though.)

In most cases the bear will hear and/or smell you and run long before you get the chance to see it.
I have seen a lot more from the car.

While hiking the scat is the biggest threat.

[JC13]

We saw 4-5 I believe in GSMNP last year between a section hike from Fontana to Hot Springs and 1 in Cades Cove with the kids in the fall.

[FrogLevel]

I hiked about half the trails in the north Cherokee National Forest, including the sections of the AT, and I saw a bear almost every single day.

I'd never seen as many bears as I did last year.

[MuddyWaters]

I saw 3 in Shenandoah last august.
It was cool because it's the only live bears in the wild my wife will probably ever see.

I was in a car.

I didn't see any when hiking through there. Which was kind of strange because they are very common to see. A woman working at a Wayside told me that she saw one almost every day when driving to and from work. She even mentioned certain areas we were most likely to see one at. Ask if we didn't see one on a certain tree right down the road from the Wayside that she saw one in that morning.

[PcolaDawg]

Saw a bear just past Fontana Dam last October as I started a 3 day section hike from the dam to Newfound Gap. We saw a little one up on our left minding its own business while we were still on the paved road before the trail left the road and headed up Shuckstack. I would have walked right past it, but my son noticed it and brought it to my attention. It didn't look like it noticed us at all. About an hour later we turned a corner on the trail and there was a large deer in the middle of the trail, just 20 feet away, placidly staring at us. It looked at us a while and then slowly meandered off. Very nice start to the hike and the last wildlife (except birds) we saw for the rest of the hike.

[MuddyWaters]

Saw a bear just past Fontana Dam last October as I started a 3 day section hike from the dam to Newfound Gap. We saw a little one up on our left minding its own business while we were still on the paved road before the trail left the road and headed up Shuckstack. I would have walked right past it, but my son noticed it and brought it to my attention. It didn't look like it noticed us at all. About an hour later we turned a corner on the trail and there was a large deer in the middle of the trail, just 20 feet away, placidly staring at us. It looked at us a while and then slowly meandered off. Very nice start to the hike and the last wildlife (except birds) we saw for the rest of the hike.

My son and I watched one in same area for an hr one day from the dam visitor center , up on the hill side above the dam

[BuckeyeBill]

I wonder if the number of sightings would have been higher if all the hikers weren't wearing earbuds and listening to music.

[Slo-go'en]

I wonder if the number of sightings would have been higher if all the hikers weren't wearing earbuds and listening to music.

Those who see lots of bears (and other wild life) hike very early in the morning or very late in the evening. That is when the critters are moving around. During the day your not nearly as likely to see one with the possible exception of the parks, GSMNP and SNP, where the density is high.

I've only seen a hand full of bears in all the time I've spent on the AT, I'm not usually on the trail before dawn.

[BuckeyeBill]

Those who see lots of bears (and other wild life) hike very early in the morning or very late in the evening. That is when the critters are moving around. During the day your not nearly as likely to see one with the possible exception of the parks, GSMNP and SNP, where the density is high.

I've only seen a hand full of bears in all the time I've spent on the AT, I'm not usually on the trail before dawn.

My point might not have been clear enough. If you're walking down the trail at any time of the day and or night and you hear something stirring in the woods, you are likely to see it; where as if you have music blaring in your ears you're not going to hear anything stirring in the woods.

[hikernutcasey]

Went on two trips last year, a week through northern PA and through NJ and a week from Killington VT to Franconia Notch. Ironically we saw none in Jersey where the bear population is really high but saw 3 in Vermont and New Hampshire.

My total on the trail is now 6 different encounters totalling 9 bears. I've completed about 2/3 of the trail however I'm doing the Smokies next month so maybe I'll get to see some more🙂

[Emerson Bigills]

I saw three on the AT (PA, NY and ME). I was promised we would see several in SNP, but we came up empty. All three I saw took off the other direction, so no issues at all. We did not have any bear/food problems at shelters or campsites either. There was a bear issue at one of the NY shelters that sounded like it had gotten to the point that the bear was about to be removed. We did not stay any where near that shelter, so it too, did not impact us.

[u.w.]

Yes. Large-ish >400 lb (estimated of course), just south of the Mohican Outdoor Center in NJ, Memorial Day time frame, on the ridge walk. It actually stalked me for a bit. That was the only one last year.
One and two years before:
Have seen a stack of bears over the miles. Two in GSMNP (the first one actually charged me twice), fifteen in SNP (to include a mom and her two cubs), handful more between Atkins and Bland VA (to include a mom and her one cub), and one in GA going up Wildcat Mt.
I generally hike alone, I don't wear ear buds, I'm generally up before dawn, and hiking by dawn. That said, not all of my bears have been in the early morning or evening hours - not by a long shot. I've gotten more than a few on "film". I definitely consider myself very fortunate for each and all of the encounters too.

u.w.

[Sandy of PA]

Last June (2017) I saw a very large bear heading up Brushy mountain in VA a couple miles out from the Partnership shelter. It was pouring rain and the bear was in front of me on the trail. As I was starting to gain on him I hollered "Hey Bear", he looked left, then right, and then behind him. When he saw me he ran off the side of the trail and was gone. I have seen at least one bear on my section hikes in the last 7 years, with an average of 3 per day in Shannandoah Park.

[ldsailor]

Yeah, I saw several bears in Shenandoah National Park and then in PA, I came face to face with one blocking the trail. In both cases, the bear lumbered off. Check out the video of me and a bunch of hikers at Rip Rap Gap and a bear.


https://youtu.be/qEPjZN46Jxw

[Coffee]

I suspended a bear and cub while trail running on a blue blazed side trail in SNP a few years ago. I've never seen any other bears over the past five years of section hiking the AT and PCT and thru hiking the Colorado Trail, foothills trail and JMT more than once. Black bears want nothing to do with us. I suspect there are far more crazy "human sightings" that the bears discuss amongst themselves.

[Coffee]

I suspended a bear and cub ....
Surprised... Gotta love iPad autocorrect...

[Slo-go'en]

My point might not have been clear enough. If you're walking down the trail at any time of the day and or night and you hear something stirring in the woods, you are likely to see it; where as if you have music blaring in your ears you're not going to hear anything stirring in the woods.

If a critter makes a sound like the snapping of a stick it's moving. If it's moving, your likely to notice the motion even if it's just out the corner of your eye. A bear will hear you coming long before you see it. Typically that will cause it to run away and if your close enough to see it, you will catch that motion. If a bear is eating berries off the side of the trail and hears you coming, it might stand up to see what's coming. That motion is also something you will likely catch. I don't think listening to music has much if any impact unless your really spacing out and in hiker daze.

[jj dont play]

1 in Va , 17 in three days in Shenandoah, 2 in mass, 2 in Jersey
22 total for my thru if I’m remembering them all correctly

[robby]

sorta wish that bear had eaten that dude in the blue shirt..

[BuckeyeBill]

If a critter makes a sound like the snapping of a stick it's moving. If it's moving, your likely to notice the motion even if it's just out the corner of your eye. A bear will hear you coming long before you see it. Typically that will cause it to run away and if your close enough to see it, you will catch that motion. If a bear is eating berries off the side of the trail and hears you coming, it might stand up to see what's coming. That motion is also something you will likely catch. I don't think listening to music has much if any impact unless your really spacing out and in hiker daze.

What you say is true, if a critter makes a sound like a snapping stick it is probably moving. I just want to know what it is, where it is, and which way it is moving. Hard to do if you can't hear the twig snap. Also hard to do if it is just laying there hidden in the leaves rattling its little tail off. It is like he warned me I guess but I was listening to music.

[BuckeyeBill]

If a critter makes a sound like the snapping of a stick it's moving. If it's moving, your likely to notice the motion even if it's just out the corner of your eye. A bear will hear you coming long before you see it. Typically that will cause it to run away and if your close enough to see it, you will catch that motion. If a bear is eating berries off the side of the trail and hears you coming, it might stand up to see what's coming. That motion is also something you will likely catch. I don't think listening to music has much if any impact unless your really spacing out and in hiker daze.

What you say is true, if a critter makes a sound like a snapping stick it is probably moving. I just want to know what it is, where it is, and which way it is moving. Hard to do if you can't hear the twig snap. Also hard to do if it is just laying there hidden in the leaves rattling its little tail off. When the doctor ask, they can answer "Well he tried to warn me I guess but I was listening to music. this applies not only on the trail but in cities and towns as well. If you can't hear it coming, you can be putting yourself at risk.

[JG13]

Saw 2 bears about a mile past Walnut Mtn shelter in late October 2017. One ran and the other went up a tree .

[BuckeyeBill]

Sorry for the double post, the first one can be deleted.

[blue indian]

Saw a black bear just south of Woody gap this past Tuesday (4/3/18). Lil fella about 50 lbs

3 out of the 6 bears Ive seen have been in Georgia on the AT. The other 3 were in the Smokies

[skinnbones]

Wow, that is so close.
Yeah, I saw several bears in Shenandoah National Park and then in PA, I came face to face with one blocking the trail. In both cases, the bear lumbered off. Check out the video of me and a bunch of hikers at Rip Rap Gap and a bear.


https://youtu.be/qEPjZN46Jxw

[SoaknWet]

Yeah and as usual an idiot almost made it worse!

[Shrewd]

I actually was excited to see bears, but only saw 3 the entire trail last year.

And one of those was in a driveway of an Airbnb .

I was talking about this with a guy in jersey who said he’d seen about 20 and he said “damn I say like four this morning.”

We even camped in the same place.

I’m sure my sleeping in later than most (bless you, hammock) was a significant factor, but it’s still mostly luck of the draw.

A good friend of mine actually has a video of a bear approaching him while he was quite literally pooping and shouting “F#%K YOU” in a thick Italian accent.

I almost pooped just watching it

[ldsailor]

Wow, that is so close.
The video might be a little misleading, because I had my phone zoomed in (4x) when I took the video, but yeah, I and everyone of the group was a little closer than maybe we should have been. Although you can't see everyone in the video, there were about eight of us. I guess we all felt safe in a large group. I wasn't that "brave" when I was alone and came up on a bear in PA and that's a fact.

Not sure why the guy in the blue shirt chased the bear. The bear was moving off. There was a lot of talk in the group of exposed food, and I thought that was what the bear was keyed on. Maybe the guy in the blue shirt wanted to dissuade the bear from making an attempt, or maybe he just wanted to show off.

BTW. I was hiking alone and came up on all these guys and the bear at Rip Rap Gap.

[Christoph]

Yeah and as usual an idiot almost made it worse!
True this! Showing aggression is NOT the way to handle this. :(
Anyway, had one at the shelter in northern PA, didn't care that we there and didn't bother us any. He kept his distance for about 30-45 minutes.
Another walked right out in front of me in heavy laural and (thankfully) went in the same direction I was going. About as close as the one in the vid.
Most others (I think I counted 8 sightings total) were running away or far enough away they didn't see me.