View Full Version : Bear Bagging
For those of you that do bear bag, how late into the year do you hang your food in the southern states? I am intending to hike south this year and am curious if there comes a point where the need becomes a non-issue. Thanks in advance for your on-topic thoughts and responses...:)
Hikes in Rain
02-17-2009, 20:29
Anytime between January 1 to December 31. Other dates are safe.
daddytwosticks
02-17-2009, 20:36
Dave, I'm no animal expert, but I'm pretty sure bears are active year round down in these parts (western NC mountains). Others will chime in if I'm wrong. Hang your food year round to be safe.
What, no hibernation? Do they not know they're bears? And BEARS hibernate during the winter. Now I suppose if there's technically no winter that would be an entirely different story. I guess that leads me to wonder what defines winter and the timing of any potential hibernation?
SGT Rock
02-17-2009, 21:00
I've only seen a bear once in the Smokies - it was running away. See more closed campsites around Cades Cove than up on the ridge. Last time I saw reported "bear activity" up on the AT around Icewater and Mt Collins - all I found up there was boar sign, not bear sign.
What, no hibernation? Do they not know they're bears? And BEARS hibernate during the winter. Now I suppose if there's technically no winter that would be an entirely different story. I guess that leads me to wonder what defines winter and the timing of any potential hibernation?
Back in late November, in the Smokies, I saw loads of bear prints in the snow. I guess they didn't get the memo about going into hibernation.
I think the problem is that down here the winter isn't wintery enough to put the bears to sleep.
Good to know, thanks for the quick input!
theinfamousj
02-17-2009, 22:16
If the bears aren't active, the raccoons sure are ...
Tennessee Viking
02-17-2009, 23:34
Bag from the Smokies to Hot Springs definitely. There was a notice for bear activity in the Nantalhalas from Standing Indian to the Balds.
There is supposedly some bear activity around No Business, Watauga Lake, and Double Springs Shelters. But nothing bad. The only real bad activity are mice and racoons.
daddytwosticks
02-18-2009, 08:43
That notice for bear activity at Deep Gap NC before Standing Indian has been posted for years...don't really know if it is still true.
Trail Bug
02-18-2009, 09:04
For those of you that do bear bag, how late into the year do you hang your food in the southern states? I am intending to hike south this year and am curious if there comes a point where the need becomes a non-issue. Thanks in advance for your on-topic thoughts and responses...:)
A couple of weeks ago I solo hiked up Bald Knob to Cow Camp Gap Shelter. Snow all the way up. Hung my bear bag away from the shelter. On way out I had a friend hiking in the same direction. Weather warmed up overnight and the tracks were thawing out. Never saw what it was.
http://appalachianpages.com/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCN2593.JPG (http://appalachianpages.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1000)
If the bears aren't active, the raccoons sure are ...
So are the mice, and those terminator chippmunks. Those two genotypes can get to anything :eek:
Just something to :-?
Hooligan
02-19-2009, 15:30
I saw some small bear tracks in the snow here in PA last weekend. Then I though, "***, are they supposed to be sleeping, it's winter!" Maybe some kids smoking a doob woke it up or something.
Rockhound
02-19-2009, 15:39
Dec 28th in the Newport Plain Talk newspaper shows a 550-600 black bear killed in Del Rio (right near Hot Springs) and I know of 3 other sightings around that same time just north of I-40.