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Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-27-2006, 12:20
The purpose of this poll is to get an idea of just how frequently hikers and backpackers encounter bears. The second part deals with bear behavior - if the bears approach them aggressively, attempt to steal food or just turn and run.

rafe
12-27-2006, 12:24
No live encounters, over 30 yrs on the trail. Saw very fresh tracks on my last section, very close to NY-NJ line.

TJ aka Teej
12-27-2006, 12:31
No box for "they never see me"? :D

Sly
12-27-2006, 12:33
In my book, seeing bears isn't necessarily an encounter. That said, I've seen quite a few, including 5 griz on the CDT, and never had a problem. I also almost always sleep with my food unless there's a bear pole, box, cable and/or if it's mandated by the NPS to hang or carry a canister.

Sly
12-27-2006, 12:35
50 plus bearsTeej? Going to the zoo doesn't count! :D

Ridge Rat
12-27-2006, 12:43
Had a bear destroy my tent at sunfish pond in NJ. Friend I was hiking with left a bunch of snickers bar in tent while we went to go get water and returned to find bear tearing the tent to pieces. Needless to say I was not very happy. I still to this day cant figure out why he would leave food out when there are bear boxes there.

Sly
12-27-2006, 12:49
I try not to ever leave my food unattended.

Spirit Walker
12-27-2006, 14:52
I've had a lot of bear encounters over the past 20 years. I've seen lots of bears dayhiking in PA and VA and they all either ignored me or ran depending on how far away they were.

On my first AT hike the bears all ran. I saw four bears on my second AT hike - three ran away, the fourth (in NH) came up to us as we cooked and tried to get our food. We tossed stuff at it and it left, but came back later and got our food off the trees (played pinata until the bags broke and then knocked down a tree holding some food at the shelter). The year of my second AT hike there were aggressive bears in New Hampshire, PA and NJ. No one was hurt, but a lot of dinners were lost.

On the JMT the bears at Lyall Canyon knocked down my food but I got to it before they did. (One was standing on the other's shoulders on a big boulder. I was camped below the rock. I was closer to the fallen food than they were, unlike the AT where the bear got there first.) On the PCT - we only saw two bears, both in Northern California near Etna, one ran, the other walked beside us for about 1/2 mile. That was a little scary.

In Alaska, the grizzlies did their own thing - aware of us but not aggressive. We sang quite loudly to let them know where and what we were. Same for the CDT - the first time the griz all ran once they became aware of us, the second hike the grizzly bear ignored us (but was a NP bear) while the black bear ran away.

ZEKE #2
12-27-2006, 15:15
I shared a campsite with some gals I didn't know. I put all my goods up the bear pole. They hung their garbage "leftovers" hanging in a tree 4 foot up, about 15 feet from my tent. This apparently happened after I retired. Bear came, bear feasted, bear then rumaged through my backpack damaging my hip belt and side pocket, then quietly left instead of visiting their tent that contained "home-made banana bread". Although the bear was 10-15 feet away from my tent, he did not scare with all my clapping, yelling and whistling. I watched him walk off and laid back down and went to sleep.

ZEKE #2
12-27-2006, 15:16
P.S. So much for safety in numbers.

stumpknocker
12-27-2006, 15:22
No live encounters, over 30 yrs on the trail. Saw very fresh tracks on my last section, very close to NY-NJ line.

That's too bad you haven't seen any.

Bears are one of the things that I look forward to on the Trail.

Better luck to you in your future walks. :)

Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-27-2006, 15:29
So far the bear behavior is about what I expected, but the number of bears y'all have seen is surprisingly low.

:-?Perhaps because dinos frolick down the trail rather slowly and have always made time to stop and admire God's handiwork along the way, we see bears that other miss :confused: They are often in the trees or off the trail in small clearings or on rocks near water when I see them.

hopefulhiker
12-27-2006, 15:35
One time right outside of the NOC i left a candy bar out in my tent. In the middle of the night I woke up with something big leaning on my tent I sat up and pushed against whatever it was with my elbow/arm from inside the tent.. It made a lot of noise taking off.. I talked to some rangers later. They said that it was probably a bear sniffing around.. Anyway by far the majority of my encounters with bears..6-12 was harmless. They would go out of their way to avoid people..

Chip
12-27-2006, 15:44
First bear sighting was on the AT coming down from Shuckstack headed for Fontana Dam. My wife saw this bear right after I had walked passed it. The bear was eating some berries. It just watched us walk by. The second sighting was about 3/4 of a mile north of Low Gap Shelter on the Georgia AT on a early morning in May 2004. Very small bear that did a U-turn as soon as it saw us & went straight back in the woods faster than I could blink an eye.

Sly
12-27-2006, 16:02
Bears are one of the things that I look forward to on the Trail.



Me too. If you want to see some serious wildlife, you need to hike the CDT!

Moose, elk, deer, black bear, griz, mountain sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion, javelina, rattlesnake, antelope, wild horses!, coyote, bison, marmot, pika, rabbits, eagles, hawks, great heron and cows, lots of cows! Seen 'em all.

It has Ibex too, but I didn't see any of those!

Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-27-2006, 16:18
::: makes plans to visit portions of CDT :::

Sly
12-27-2006, 16:22
::: makes plans to visit portions of CDT :::


Yeah, and if the wildlife doesn't knock your socks off the scenery will. ;)You'll see with Spur and Ready's and Jim and Ginny's slideshows...

Doctari
12-27-2006, 20:49
I have been hiking in the smokies for, well since I was 10 or less, have never seen a bear on a trail. Have seen about 10 along side the roads.

Closest I came was very fresh tracks. I made a similar sized impression next to the paw print in a wet spot, it took less than 30 seconds to fill with water to the point the paw print was when I first saw it. The paw print was still filling when I first saw it. SO, I missed seeing a bear by less than 30 seconds, I bet "she" saw me tho.



Doctari.

wilderness bob
12-27-2006, 21:18
On my 05 thru I saw a total of 20 Black Bear. I failed to put in the fact that all but one went about their business paying me little mind. The one, just south of or in NJ (can't recall) came in close to the shelter I was at and three of us thru-hikers had to throw stones as a deterrent. Other then that no problems.

My closest encounter with a Black Bear was near my home in the Catskills. I made a fool's mistake of cooking where I intended to sleep and spilled my meal. The Bear came in to camp that night and ate my spilled Ramin. It was about 18 inches from my face when I woke up. Believe me when I tell you that it scared the ba-jesus out of me. My butt was so tight that you could not have put a hot pin up there with a John Deere Tractor.

RAT
12-27-2006, 21:22
13 or more for me. Most were running away except for some in the Smokies which were very aggravating and one that walked along beside me for couple miles in between Groundhog creek shelter and Brown Gap. Found some cubs in the backcountry once, two that seemed to not have a mama. They were always there when we came back. We always assumed they survived. Very cute esp. with no mama bear around ;-)

RAT

Shutterbug
12-27-2006, 21:23
The purpose of this poll is to get an idea of just how frequently hikers and backpackers encounter bears. The second part deals with bear behavior - if the bears approach them aggressively, attempt to steal food or just turn and run.

I selected the 25 to 50 range, but I really have not kept count. It could be more than 50.

I selected the "run away" answer because their wasn't a choice for "I don't bother them, they don't bother me." Most of the time when I see a bear, I do my best not to disturb them in any way. If they are eating, they continue to eat, but move in a direction that that takes them away from me. They don't usually run.

Most of the bears I see are in Mt. Rainier National Park. They tend to be about as curious about people as we are of them. I have talked to hikers who were threatened by bears, but it has never happened to me.

stumpknocker
12-27-2006, 22:07
Originally Posted by stumpknocker http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=292671#post292671)

Bears are one of the things that I look forward to on the Trail.



Me too. If you want to see some serious wildlife, you need to hike the CDT!

Moose, elk, deer, black bear, griz, mountain sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion, javelina, rattlesnake, antelope, wild horses!, coyote, bison, marmot, pika, rabbits, eagles, hawks, great heron and cows, lots of cows! Seen 'em all.

It has Ibex too, but I didn't see any of those!

Yeah....that is the Trail that's on top of my "to do" list. :)

Never seen a grizzly or mountain lion in the wild, but I have seen big cat tracts several times in snow out in Utah and W Colorado.

Guess I have to google an Ibex to see what that is.

I have seen the rest of those critters in the wild though. :)

Paul Bunyan
12-27-2006, 22:15
I have only seen one bear, but it was a grizzly, and i was 6 years old. I don't count that one.

On the AT, i have never seena ny kind of bear. Plenty of deer though, at least 5-6 per day!!

Sly
12-27-2006, 22:18
Yeah....that is the Trail that's on top of my "to do" list. :)

Guess I have to google an Ibex to see what that is.


Persian Ibex were introduced in southern New Mexico. If you take the CDTS route and cross over the Florida Mountains a few miles north of the Mexican border you'll have a chance.

http://kids.christiansunite.com/images/animals/ibex.jpg

stumpknocker
12-27-2006, 22:53
Persian Ibex were introduced in southern New Mexico. If you take the CDTS route and cross over the Florida Mountains a few miles north of the Mexican border you'll have a chance.

http://kids.christiansunite.com/images/animals/ibex.jpg


OK....thanks Sly.

I sure wouldn't have guessed what an Ibex looked like.

I was a thinkin' it might be a small bugger of some sorts. :)

Blue Jay
12-28-2006, 10:29
I've seen well over 50 over the years, but I live where they live. This poll is worthless as most bears just ignore you, they do run away sometimes. I suppose if you covered yourself with peanut butter or cheese and lay real still you might get them to bite you.

Footslogger
12-28-2006, 10:32
[quote=Blue Jay;293095I suppose if you covered yourself with peanut butter or cheese and lay real still you might get them to bite you.[/quote]

======================================

I'll carry that visual with me all day. Thanks for that Blue Jay !!

'Slogger

Sly
12-28-2006, 11:48
This poll is worthless as most bears just ignore you, they do run away sometimes. I suppose if you covered yourself with peanut butter or cheese and lay real still you might get them to bite you.

I know a guy that was dragged away in his tent by a bear in the Sierras near Glen Aulin (a well known bear encounter area). His screaming woke his partner who threw several rocks. It wasn't until one "sparked" off another rock that the bear let the tent go. There was no food in the tent (stored in a bear box) but, he had upchucked in his sleeping bag the night before after a night of partying at Toulemne Meadows. He rinsed off/washed the bag, but figures this was the reason he got singled out.

Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 11:50
Real men s**t their pants after a night of partying.

Sly
12-28-2006, 11:53
Real men s**t their pants after a night of partying.

LOL... I've heard! ;)

Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-28-2006, 12:31
I know a guy that was dragged away in his tent by a bear in the Sierras near Glen Aulin (a well known bear encounter area). His screaming woke his partner who threw several rocks. It wasn't until one "sparked" off another rock that the bear let the tent go. There was no food in the tent (stored in a bear box) but, he had upchucked in his sleeping bag the night before after a night of partying at Toulemne Meadows. He rinsed off/washed the bag, but figures this was the reason he got singled out.:eek: Was this a griz or a black bear?

yappy
12-28-2006, 12:46
They are awesome to see !!! We had a big fire up here ( alaska ) about 3 summers ago and they were getting the sled dogs ... cuz they were hungry and moving way more then they normally would. THAT, I hate seeing....

MOWGLI
12-28-2006, 12:58
:eek: Was this a griz or a black bear?

Ain't no Griz in the Sierra or anywhere else in California.

Sly
12-28-2006, 14:23
Yeah, no griz in CA but on the PCT, the North Cascades NP in northern WA is said to have some.

Here's a black (cinnimon) bear encounter on the PCT. LOL... gotta love it!

http://i5.pbase.com/v3/84/511984/2/49965287.bear21.jpg

Footslogger
12-28-2006, 14:24
Love the expression on the hiker's face.

Great pic !!

'Slogger

Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 14:26
Looks faked.

Sly
12-28-2006, 14:29
Looks faked.

I doubt it, Sierra bears are the best at getting food. Here's the rest of the guys 2005 PCT photos

http://www.pbase.com/carcinomad/pct (http://www.pbase.com/carcinomad/)

and some others of the bear (hope the link works, if not click on PCT/central CA)

http://www.pbase.com/carcinomad/central_california

and the story...

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=108027http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=108027

Sly
12-28-2006, 14:42
LOL... two days later at Glen Aulin...

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=108027

Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-28-2006, 14:51
That bear looks awfully skinny for that time of year.....

Cookerhiker
12-28-2006, 16:51
On my AT hiking (section hiking) - just one, in Shenandoah National Park. When I hiked NJ with Northern Harrier, he saw one but by the time I caught up, the bear had taken off. On my section hike in Northern Mass., I saw one from the road going up to Mt. Greylock.

Last August when beginning the JMT, there was one in my campsite in Yosemite but I didn't see it. My sitemate had risen before me and scared it off.

Kerosene
12-28-2006, 22:56
I scared one up around Smarts Mountain in New Hampshire in July 2000. It took off in a hurry through the underbrush.

The more interesting encounter was in SNP in September 1986. I had hung up our food bag down the woods road that was the Trail, perhaps 40 yards away. We tented about 15 yards off the trail. About 2 in the morning I thought I heard something (I'm a light sleeper). I kept listening and kept trying not to let my imagination get the best of me when I distinctly heard a substantial rock being flipped over. Now I knew it was a bear.

I woke up my younger brother who just said, "That's nice" and went back to sleep. I however kept listening for another 20 minutes as the bear paced back and forth down the trail, feeling vulnerable in my bag and tent for some reason, until I had finally had enough. I pulled out my pen light, Swiss Army knife, and fork, unzipped the tent entry, and caught the bear in my light beam while I yelled and hammered the knife and fork together ("tink, tink, tink" was about the extent of the metallic sound I made). The bear swung around to look at me, and after several traumatic seconds (for me) decided to meander into the woods on the other side of the trail. Next time I'll try harder to get to sleep.

simon
12-28-2006, 23:20
I encountered a few bears in the White Mountains and a couple in Delaware Water Gap. Never had a problem with bears.

fiddlehead
12-28-2006, 23:33
Saw 11 in one morning in WA on the PCT as well as 6 grizzlies on 2 CDT hikes. Got chased once (CDT but not grizzlies) and false charged once (AT in SNP)
Have seen lots and lots of bears but only 2 times was scared (above) Bears are cool animals and I hope they are around a long time.
I always sleep with my food and have never lost food to a bear. Saw lots of others lose theirs though, as they hung it.

squeeze
12-29-2006, 00:13
Saw about a dozen on my thru. Most all were running away or sliding down trees in an instant and then running away. But there was one near the trail in the SNF that snorted and bluffed a charge at me from 30 yds away. I thought this bear and it's cubs had left the trail area. Scared the hell out of me.

buckowens
01-02-2007, 09:24
If you want some good bear behavior information, get the book "Among the Bears - Raising Orphaned Cubs in the Wild" by Benjamin Kilham and Ed Gray. It totally changed the way I looked at the Blackbear, and gave good insight to specific behavior. As a bonus, it calmed my wifes fears as my 9 year old daughter and I start a section hike this June :) .