Question about wild bears.......

[snuffleupagus]

Does a snoring hiker attract or repel bears?

I recently saw a commercial on television where a guy is sleeping in his tent, snoring away like a chainsaw. And, in comes a wieldy bear to investigate the encumbering nuisance. Both the unsuspecting, slumbering camper, and the investigating bear go thru what seems like a ritual of wild linguistical exchanges, before the poor campers wife elbows him in the gut to bring the entire ordeal to a halt. Does anyone have any strong supporting evidence on whether snoring hikers attract or discourage bears from entering a camp? I mean, has there ever been a study? Why, in the name of all things holy, would they put something like that on television(unless it was true)? That just scares the heck outta me.
I truly believe there should be a joint collaborative effort on behalf of numerous agencies to get to the bottom of this unheralded myth(or is it).
Who might someone so inclined to wonder about this subject write to, in order to get information on this topic...

[Lone Wolf]

Buncha BS. You're paranoid.

[SGT Rock]

Have you seen that Discovery Channel show mythbusters, sounds like a challenge for them.

[Blue Jay]

I think it would depend upon the decibel level. Some people sound like chain saws, in that case a bear would leave the area. Some people sound like small animals drowning, in that case the bear might investigate. Also some bears wear MP3 players and do not hear anything.

[clyde]

i spent one night in a shelter in '98 with a snorer the likes i had never, and probably will never, experience again. his trailname was AMTRAK. (notice how i didn't mention that i had 'slept' in the shelter that night.)

not sure how scientific this is, but i can pretty much guarentee that if anything, the sounds eminating from that man that night were not going to 'attract' anything.

[Hammock Hanger]

I don't know about snoring...but I always wondered about "GAS".... It may smell like **** to us, but maybe to the bear it smells like dinner. :) -- LOL. Sue/HH

[TJ aka Teej]

Does a snoring hiker attract or repel bears?

"Bears are very smart people."
And unlike people, they learn from their experience. If a bear has learned to associate certain smells/sounds with an opportunity for food he'll investigate. Bears remember certain places at certain times mean things to eat. Tagged bears in the Whites stay away from campgrounds out of season, and visit them at peak camping times. They travel many miles to visit blueberry patches, corn fields, and apple orchards when the fruit is ripe.
So if a bear can associate snoring with a chance for food, I bet that near will at least sniff around.
Two asides - 1. Lots of people who bear bag use their sleeping bag's stuff sack to hang their food in. And then they sleep in that bag. Question - What do you suppose that sleeping bag smells like? 2. In Maine they hunt bears "over bait" all along the A.T. corridor. The guides/hunters will stash bags of doughnuts on bear trails, some times hanging really smelly bags 6 or 7 feet off the ground. They refill the bags that get 'hit' over and over, and then when bear season opens they shoot the bears that have been conditioned to return to their handouts. Gov. Baldacci of Maine sees this as 'sport' and supports it. Question - is he on crack?

[snuffleupagus]

Buncha BS. You're paranoid.
I could be paranoid, that's for sure, but it doesn't mean wild bears aren't stalking me in my sleep. :-?



Two asides - 1. Lots of people who bear bag use their sleeping bag's stuff sack to hang their food in. And then they sleep in that bag. Question - What do you suppose that sleeping bag smells like? 2. In Maine they hunt bears "over bait" all along the A.T. corridor. The guides/hunters will stash bags of doughnuts on bear trails, some times hanging really smelly bags 6 or 7 feet off the ground. They refill the bags that get 'hit' over and over, and then when bear season opens they shoot the bears that have been conditioned to return to their handouts. Gov. Baldacci of Maine sees this as 'sport' and supports it. Question - is he on crack?
Teej, How close to the trail do they actually hang these bags of donuts. I might be more capable of completing a one season thru-hike if I had known hunters were stashing bags of donuts along the trail. I might even be apt to make it my mission to save a few bears from ambushing hunters. I sure do love donuts......LOL

[SGT Rock]

I could be paranoid, that's for sure, but it doesn't mean wild bears aren't stalking me in my sleep. :-?


Right, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that the bears aren't really planning on eating you next time you go hiking ;)

[Ramble~On]

I have no idea because I'm asleep.
I don't know if I snore and I don't know if bears come and check me out.
I hike a lot by myself.
I like to be as quiet as possible in the woods...you see more that way.
I've never has a problem with bears.
Could be because when I take my boots off thay all get the idea that I'm not food and there is nothing worth chewing on anywhere near the stench.:jump

[free]

Just joined up. This is only a test, sorry..........

[snowshoe]

It all depends on how conditioned the bear is to humans. Noise is not what attracts bears it is the objects and smells they are more intrested in like coolers, bear bags, cars and tents. In the case of a tent bears that have gotten food from a tent will more than likley always asociate a tent with food even if a person is snoring. I really dont think snoring will attract bears if anything it will keep them away because most bears dont like loud noises unless they are use to it.

[JLB]

What about using spray for bears?

[SGT Rock]

I have met a few people carrying bear spray on the AT, but none that I know of have ever used it. For bears, carry a camera and get a picture if you see them. So far it has ensured I never get a picture. I think it must be one of those strange laws of the univers for me - sort of like washing your car makes it rain.

[atraildreamer]

In Maine they hunt bears "over bait" all along the A.T. corridor. The guides/hunters will stash bags of doughnuts on bear trails, some times hanging really smelly bags 6 or 7 feet off the ground.

The famous televison star of "The Simpsons", Homer J. Simpson, came to an untimely end while hiking the AT in Maine. :( Apparently he was trying to retrieve a bag of donuts that had been hung in a tree, and while drooling and grunting in anticipation of an unexpected trailside snack, was mistaken for a bear and shot by a hunter. Mr. Simpson's last words, as related by his long-suffering spouse, Marge Bouvier Simpson, were: "d-o-o-OH-Oh-Oh...oh crap...argh-h-h-h-h! ;)

[Ramble~On]

:-? ....I was just reading through this...not realizing that I previously posted and came to the conclusion that I can't type...or spell.

I wonder if bears are attracted to people that can't type or spell:eek:

[uscgretired]

Bears are attracted to rotting flesh i.e. blistered, fluid weeping feet, bleeding abrasions etc. etc. Concerning stink, the stinkier, the better. They will let a carcas(sp?) rot for a few days before devouring. As we all know, a hiker does not have to be deceased to smell bad. Enough said.

[Amigi'sLastStand]

I have met a few people carrying bear spray on the AT, but none that I know of have ever used it. For bears, carry a camera and get a picture if you see them. So far it has ensured I never get a picture. I think it must be one of those strange laws of the univers for me - sort of like washing your car makes it rain.
I swear thats me. If carry a camera handy, I get nothing. If its stashed in my pack, bears come by say hello and stay for tea.

:-? Seriously, just remember the Bearmuda Triangle. And never use your sleeping bag sack as a bear bag. That needs to go under the stupidest thing your ever seen on the trail thread.:rolleyes:

[hikerjohnd]

Have you seen that Discovery Channel show mythbusters, sounds like a challenge for them.

I'd like to second this recommendation.


I could be paranoid, that's for sure, but it doesn't mean wild bears aren't stalking me in my sleep.

You know what they say about paranoid people... they are very perceptive.