View Full Version : First instance of a bear attacking an occupied tent on the AT?
While reading Flatfoot's 2013 AT Journal, he writes on April 5:
"Woke up at 7:00 am sharp when the lights came on. Someone announced pancakes were ready so everyone got up quickly. When I stepped outside into the "living area" I found two girls, Sandy and Maddie, stretched out on the flood in their bags. They said they had no where else to go. I remember meeting them the night previous at dinner. There was no more room in the hostel and all cabins were rented so they continued on in the evening an additional 3 miles up the trail and made camp. Unfortunately they slept with their food in the tent and were attacked by a bear. The area between Neel Gap and Tesnatee Gap is known for very aggressive bears. They grabbed all they could, their sleeping bags, and returned down the mountain to the hostel.
...
About 2 1/2 miles up the trail I came across Sandy and Maddie returning from their previous bear ravaged campsite with their packs and what was left of their tent and other belongings. They were headed back to Mountain Crossings but I don't know if they bought more gear or called it quits. I haven't seen them since."
I've read about attacks by grizzlies. I've read about attacks by black bears out west. I've read about black bears on the AT raiding unoccupied tents for food. But this is the first I've read about a black bear on the AT attacking an occupied tent. I'm hitting the trail on Monday and had planned to sleep with my food in an opsak, but this has me second guessing.
HikerMom58
04-24-2013, 10:14
Why should we be surprised? A bear that looses it's fear of humans is a dangerous bear. They want our food. We don't want them that close to us. It's a problem.
The Old Chief
04-24-2013, 10:16
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=406421
This also happened the night of April 5th in the same area.
HikerMom58
04-24-2013, 10:19
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=406421
This also happened the night of April 5th in the same area.
Wow... that just makes my heart stop. Just reading that.....:eek:
I am glad they were not hurt, but I think we need some more info before this is entered in the record books.
If a bear actually attacked someone in a tent, they would most likely be seriously injured. Even if the bear was not trying to hurt someone, just the act of trying to get to the food would cause some serious injury.
So I guess what I am saying is were they actually attacked, or did the bear just poke his head in and scare the crap out of them? Still scary, but not the same as being attacked.
bear bag hanger
04-24-2013, 10:24
I've had problems with bears just north of Neels Gap in the past. I woke up from a nap to a bear sitting about ten feet from me waiting to be fed like a puppy dog! I chased it away, but it kept coming back and so I packed up and move a mile or two down the trail and didn't have any more problems.
max patch
04-24-2013, 10:28
I've said this before, but the "bear vault zone" is arbitrary. They very easily could have extended the area from Neels to Low Gap Shelter.
I've said this before, but the "bear vault zone" is arbitrary. They very easily could have extended the area from Neels to Low Gap Shelter.
Canisters through this area do make sense....matter of time probably.
AngryGerman
04-24-2013, 10:50
You would think that if you have prepped for a NOBO thru-hike the one thing I wouldn't forget to check would be bear habitats and frequently visited shelters and/or hang your food, properly, in a tree not in your tent! I just cruised through there in early FEB and some NOBO's had experiences with bears already while I walked 2184 miles to not see a single freaking bear or have one mess with my food. I even hung my food bag from my hammock at times just to see if I could entice a black bear to come and play with AG. As a matter of fact, in all the years I've been hiking on the AT I have yet to see a bear; I've seen everything else you could imagine but a measley bear, huh! Must be my scent!
atmilkman
04-24-2013, 10:50
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=406421
This also happened the night of April 5th in the same area.
I wonder how far this hot dog cart was from the incident. I also wonder what is meant when they say the people were "running" a hot dog cart. Were they charging a fee, was it free, donation, magic. Just wondering.
Canisters through this area do make sense....matter of time probably.
The problem is once a bear learns that "tent = convenience store" it does not matter if food is in the tent, the bear will stop in for look.
Unfortunately the only solution at this point is to remove the bear or bears that have tents on their list of nightly stops. Sadly that probably = dead bear.
Canisters may be an option after that to make sure more bears don't learn to equate tents with food, but for now, without removing the bear, they won't do much of anything.
I still don't see this as an attack. Just a shopping trip.
FarmerChef
04-24-2013, 11:04
Sounds a bit suspect to me too. Not that I doubt they had an encounter with a bear but it doesn't seem consistent with bear behavior. He probably swatted at the tent or fly and tore it with his claws. That could be pretty frightening but wouldn't constitute an attack.
atmilkman
04-24-2013, 11:07
While reading Flatfoot's 2013 AT Journal, he writes on April 5:
"Woke up at 7:00 am sharp when the lights came on. Someone announced pancakes were ready so everyone got up quickly. When I stepped outside into the "living area" I found two girls, Sandy and Maddie, stretched out on the flood in their bags. They said they had no where else to go. I remember meeting them the night previous at dinner. There was no more room in the hostel and all cabins were rented so they continued on in the evening an additional 3 miles up the trail and made camp. Unfortunately they slept with their food in the tent and were attacked by a bear. The area between Neel Gap and Tesnatee Gap is known for very aggressive bears. They grabbed all they could, their sleeping bags, and returned down the mountain to the hostel.
...
About 2 1/2 miles up the trail I came across Sandy and Maddie returning from their previous bear ravaged campsite with their packs and what was left of their tent and other belongings. They were headed back to Mountain Crossings but I don't know if they bought more gear or called it quits. I haven't seen them since."
I've read about attacks by grizzlies. I've read about attacks by black bears out west. I've read about black bears on the AT raiding unoccupied tents for food. But this is the first I've read about a black bear on the AT attacking an occupied tent. I'm hitting the trail on Monday and had planned to sleep with my food in an opsak, but this has me second guessing.
We camped at White Oak Stamp on March 26th, a few days after the people posted about losing a bear bag and needing a ride back to Neels. 4 of us slept with our food and 2 hung without an instance. But this is a couple of miles north of the problem area. Sounds like the bear(s) has/have developed a taste for the resupplies from Neels. They know people have got food and probably lots of it.
Is it worth taking the risk? Why not just hang food or use a canister? This is a moot point for me since I'm hiking this spring with a Bearikade to practice packing and using my gear for the JMT later this summer. It does weigh two pounds but there is zero hassle with hanging and no worries with bears. And I don't mind the weight since I'm training for a hike where I'll have to carry lots of food weight for my last resupply. I'll be taking my Bearikade with me to SNP for my section hike. I have never seen a bear along the AT either but don't want to be greeted by one in my shelter.
max patch
04-24-2013, 11:27
I wonder how far this hot dog cart was from the incident. I also wonder what is meant when they say the people were "running" a hot dog cart. Were they charging a fee, was it free, donation, magic. Just wondering.
The only place on the AT in GA where you can buy a hot dog is at Neels Gap and they were past that. So it either had to be a trail feed at one of the road crossings or they went into Helen or Hiawassee. Thats a good a guess as we can make.
gunner76
04-24-2013, 11:27
Tent with food inside ....Bear Fortune Cookie
I've had problems with bears just north of Neels Gap in the past. I woke up from a nap to a bear sitting about ten feet from me waiting to be fed like a puppy dog! I chased it away, but it kept coming back and so I packed up and move a mile or two down the trail and didn't have any more problems.
Did you tell to the bear that your WhiteBlaze name is bear bag hanger?
I don't know what constitutes an "attack" by a black bear seeking food or interested in odors from a tent but THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A BLACK BEAR HAS BEEN INTERESTED IN GETTING SOMETHING TO EAT FROM SOMETHING THEY WERE ATTRACTED TO INSIDE A TENT! I personally have had black bears seeking food from inside my tent AND I AM SURE IT DID NOT BEGIN WITH ME EITHER! Look at it this way. Let's say someone showed up in your living room with a piping hot pepperoni pizza and hot wings and proceeded to eat it in front of you while you were hungry. WOULD YOU BE MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS ABOUT GETTING A CUPPLA SLICES AND A FEW WINGS? Damn well right you would want some of that! Bears are reacting in a similar way.
I don't know what constitutes an "attack" by a black bear seeking food or interested in odors from a tent but THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A BLACK BEAR HAS BEEN INTERESTED IN GETTING SOMETHING TO EAT FROM SOMETHING THEY WERE ATTRACTED TO INSIDE A TENT! I personally have had black bears seeking food from inside my tent AND I AM SURE IT DID NOT BEGIN WITH ME EITHER! Look at it this way. Let's say someone showed up in your living room with a piping hot pepperoni pizza and hot wings and proceeded to eat it in front of you while you were hungry. WOULD YOU BE MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS ABOUT GETTING A CUPPLA SLICES AND A FEW WINGS? Damn well right you would want some of that! Bears are reacting in a similar way.
Yeah, not uncommon really, unless someone was actually attacked, which does not seem to be the case.
The smelling sense of the bear is about seven times stronger than blood hound. With this much olfactory sense power it is like they have X-Ray power to scan every tent from outside and see what is in the tent from outside( like a airport security scan machine).
If there is the left over of the food or open snack bar wrap or food in the tent and the bear is hungry enough it will try to grab a piece of the food. They are intelligent animals and by experience they know that hikers are not a direct and immediate danger to them. It is a matter of time that this type of incidents happens more and more in the future unless we hiker really start to believe that we need to hang our food far from the tent and leave nothing smelly inside a tent.
This incident is not a bear attack to human but it can turn to it in the future.
Holly ...., my comment is way too long to follow. Sorry.
HikerMom58
04-24-2013, 12:03
I don't know what constitutes an "attack" by a black bear seeking food or interested in odors from a tent but THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A BLACK BEAR HAS BEEN INTERESTED IN GETTING SOMETHING TO EAT FROM SOMETHING THEY WERE ATTRACTED TO INSIDE A TENT! I personally have had black bears seeking food from inside my tent AND I AM SURE IT DID NOT BEGIN WITH ME EITHER! Look at it this way. Let's say someone showed up in your living room with a piping hot pepperoni pizza and hot wings and proceeded to eat it in front of you while you were hungry. WOULD YOU BE MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS ABOUT GETTING A CUPPLA SLICES AND A FEW WINGS? Damn well right you would want some of that! Bears are reacting in a similar way.
Dogwood.... You are making me laugh with the CAPS. LOL! You make a great point. The thing is- In the past the bears seemed to be afraid of people and were easily scared off, even when there was food involved. Now, they seem to have lost that fear. We know that aren't interested in us, but just our food. Getting our food, from us, may involve "putting us out of commission" to get our food. If they are not afraid to come into our tents, will the next step be for the bears, to try taking us down to the ground to get to our packs with the food inside? JW...:-?
Is it worth taking the risk? Why not just hang food or use a canister? This is a moot point for me since I'm hiking this spring with a Bearikade to practice packing and using my gear for the JMT later this summer. It does weigh two pounds but there is zero hassle with hanging and no worries with bears. And I don't mind the weight since I'm training for a hike where I'll have to carry lots of food weight for my last resupply. I'll be taking my Bearikade with me to SNP for my section hike. I have never seen a bear along the AT either but don't want to be greeted by one in my shelter.
Your Bearikade is just going to be 2 lbs of useless weight if, the Bears start equating tents with food.
I don't think hammock hangers are going to be much better off either.
"The problem is once a bear learns that "tent = convenience store" it does not matter if food is in the tent, the bear will stop in for look."
If I was a wild foraging 300 lb+ animal trying to feed myself I would do the same thing! I could only forage for and eat so many berries before I sought an easier to get SHNACK that I was attracted to because of the ODOORS!
"Unfortunately the only solution at this point is to remove the bear or bears that have tents on their list of nightly stops. Sadly that probably = dead bear."
Actually, there is another solution. Let's do a one for one. Every bear that dies because of negative bear/human interactions equals one human that dies. MAYBE, then, AND ONLY THEN, will humans take into greater consideration how their own HUMAN BEHAVIOR AFFECTS BEAR BEHAVIOR. Not going to happen though because humans MISTAKENLY have this belief that the universe revolves only around them and their needs and wants! - Talk about a species that's supposedly of higher reasoning yet can be some damn self absorbed!
"Canisters may be an option after that to make sure more bears don't learn to equate tents with food, but for now, without removing the bear, they won't do much of anything."
Maybe so, but it should also be equally noted, animal behavior CAN AND DOES CHANGE! Happens quite often! Even when a bear has already learned to equate humans with food that behavior can be reconditioned! Not a whole lot of researchers interested in that though. Requiring canisters can also help ALTER HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THAT IS AT THE HEART OF THIS PROBLEM!!! There is MORE THAN ONE RESPONSIBLE PARTY in these types of questionable encounters. IT IS UP TO HUMANS TO CHANGE THEIR IGNORANT I"LL DO AS I PLEASE BEHAVIOR!!!
"I still don't see this as an attack. Just a shopping trip"
I see it the same way! MANY humans go into the outdoors all the time on "shopping trips" taking whatever they need or want with little or no regard as to how it affects anything but themselves yet when another species does the same humans get in a huff! See it all the time!
It's going to get REAL INTERESTING when other species reveal themselves in a more profound way to enlighten humans they DO NOT OWN OR ARE ENTITLED TO EVERYTHING!
Your Bearikade is just going to be 2 lbs of useless weight if, the Bears start equating tents with food.
I don't think hammock hangers are going to be much better off either.
I agree with you in a way. In that it won't stop a bear from stopping in to say hi and look for a snack. But it will ensure that he will leave without taking all the food with him. So I would not call a bear canister dead weight.
The thing is bears are creatures of habit and once they put a location on their nightly circuit, they will come back night after night even if they don't smell any new food. After a while if they never find food, they stop coming, but that takes awhile.
A bear can will keep your food from getting stolen, but it won't keep your tent from getting a new door. At least in the short term.
Dogwood.... You are making me laugh with the CAPS. LOL! You make a great point. The thing is- In the past the bears seemed to be afraid of people and were easily scared off, even when there was food involved. Now, they seem to have lost that fear. We know that aren't interested in us. But just our food but getting our food, from us, may involve "putting us out of commission" to get our food. If they are not afraid to come into our tents, will the next step be for the bears, to try taking us down to the ground to get to our packs with the food inside? JW...:-?
I'm kinda glad there are no Velociraptors in the woods these days. That would take survival skills to a higher level. http://realdinosaurpictures.com/wp-content/uploads/wallpapers/Real-Velociraptors.jpg
henry g wilgo
04-24-2013, 12:47
You would think that if you have prepped for a NOBO thru-hike the one thing I wouldn't forget to check would be bear habitats and frequently visited shelters and/or hang your food, properly, in a tree not in your tent! I just cruised through there in early FEB and some NOBO's had experiences with bears already while I walked 2184 miles to not see a single freaking bear or have one mess with my food. I even hung my food bag from my hammock at times just to see if I could entice a black bear to come and play with AG. As a matter of fact, in all the years I've been hiking on the AT I have yet to see a bear; I've seen everything else you could imagine but a measley bear, huh! Must be my scent!
you know what, so what...all you need for trouble, is to just see one bear..."the wrong one bear"
HikerMom58
04-24-2013, 12:48
I'm kinda glad there are no Velociraptors in the woods these days. That would take survival skills to a higher level. http://realdinosaurpictures.com/wp-content/uploads/wallpapers/Real-Velociraptors.jpg
Me 2. LOL! Don't you get what I'm trying to say? I'm talking about bears loosing fear of humans & dealing with their learned behavior. I agree with you on your last post. I do believe this problem originated with HUMANS. We are/were too sloppy!
Da bears are my brothers. I just hope that none of them are named Cain!
A bear can will keep your food from getting stolen, but it won't keep your tent from getting a new door. At least in the short term.
I've been reading as much as possible on black bears over the past several months and I have yet to read about a bear going into a tent when food odors are not present and when the tent is occupied. Even in the Sierra Nevada, although maybe the bears there have become less accustomed to stealing food due to the canister regulations.
Gray Blazer
04-24-2013, 13:26
I've told this story before. We had a tent that we never had food inside of (not even bubble gum or candy) cuz we did not want to have any bear issues. One night, at the Pisgah camping area on the BRP, a bear tried to come in our tent while we were sleeping. I hit it a few times and, luckily for me, it took off. We patched the tent and had a good story for people who asked about the patch.
I've been reading as much as possible on black bears over the past several months and I have yet to read about a bear going into a tent when food odors are not present and when the tent is occupied. Even in the Sierra Nevada, although maybe the bears there have become less accustomed to stealing food due to the canister regulations.
There is no such thing as a tent without food odor. I have seen tents torn up by bears and the only thing in it that resembled food was a tube of ChapStick.
We are talking about a specific bear that has learned that tents equal food even when occupied. It is rare that a bear will enter an occupied tent, but not unheard of. I remember hiking in GSMNP years ago and the shelters had a chain link fence across the front, because the bears learned that when there were people in the shelters, there was food in shelters. It was kind of like a reverse zoo, with the bears outside watching the hikers in the cage :) I have not been back to GSMNP in years, so I don't know if that is still going on.
Once a bear learns of a possible food supply, they will keep coming back over and over, it's just how bears act. That is why it is so important to keep them from learning that people are not dangerous and that people equal food (hopefully not the people themselves) I don't think a bear knows the difference between a shelter or a tent, so if they will enter a shelter with people, I don't think a tent will stop them.
In areas where there are no bears that have acclimated to people or ones that still have fear of people (most of the AT), then I agree with you.
Hot Flash
04-24-2013, 13:40
Doesn't sound like they were attacked, it sounds like the bear just didn't give a **** that humans were around and was insistent about exploring the grocery stores they had in their tent.
Chair-man
04-24-2013, 14:03
I'm wonderin' if this is the same bear
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?93487-just-got-food-stolen-by-bear-on-cowrock-mountain-Georgia&highlight=bear+stole
Is it worth taking the risk? Why not just hang food or use a canister?
Indeed. +odor proof bag
wornoutboots
04-24-2013, 15:28
a few years ago at SoRuck "little Bear" told me of a similar story that happened to him & another hiker. They were camped at another Busy Busy area, close to a road & rec area @ Watauga Lake & a bear had ripped a whole in the tent & stole a feedbag while the camper slept. So it seems like these areas that are known for aggressive bears need to be respected & extra precautions need to be applied. A lot of our living in the wild lifestyles add up to little more than common sense.
rocketsocks
04-24-2013, 17:32
It's going to get REAL INTERESTING when other species reveal themselves in a more profound way to enlighten humans they DO NOT OWN OR ARE ENTITLED TO EVERYTHING!I got chased by a angry goose today....does that count....S*** birds, think I'll take up goose hunting......
Teacher & Snacktime
04-24-2013, 18:19
I got chased by a angry goose today....does that count....S*** birds, think I'll take up goose hunting......
I can't say I'm surprised RS that you're thinking of spending your days looking for a good goose.
I agree with you in a way. In that it won't stop a bear(HUMAN) from stopping in to say hi and look for a snack. But it will ensure that he(THE HUMAN) will leave without taking all the food with him. So I would not call a bear(HUMAN) canister dead weight.
The thing is bears(HUMANS) are creatures of habit and once they put a location on their nightly(weekend) circuit, they will come back night(weekend) after night(weekend) even if they don't smell any new food. After a while if they never find food, they stop coming, but that takes awhile.
A bear can(locked liquor cabinet, locked grocery store) will keep your food(alcohol, food) from getting stolen, but it won't keep your tent from getting a new door. At least in the short term.
See how alike the behavior is between bears and humans yet humans DO NOT ALWAYS apply the same logic to bear behavior but instead start pointing at da bears as if human behavior DOES NOT PLAY into the relationship.
Bfayer, your posts included some of the most sensible and knowledgable info on bears I've read in a while here on WB!
Wise Old Owl
04-24-2013, 19:44
OK its page two, sad issue really, surprised Lone Wolf didn't weigh in and say "I do that!" ... OH to every problem there is a solution.... Here is mine.
http://www.geekologie.com/2012/03/09/hanging-tent-1.jpg
Sarcasm the elf
04-24-2013, 19:48
OK its page two, sad issue really, surprised Lone Wolf didn't weigh in and say "I do that!" ... OH to every problem there is a solution.... Here is mine.http://www.geekologie.com/2012/03/09/hanging-tent-1.jpgYou look much different than I had imagined.
Wise Old Owl
04-24-2013, 20:02
Oh that's my granddaughter.. :eek: she is protected from wolves and rodents of unusual size.
I got chased by a angry goose today....does that count....S*** birds, think I'll take up goose hunting......
Last winter swim I went for in the Maury River, an angry male goose swam right up to me and attempted to attack. If I had been somewhat less than 56 years old I would have grabbed him by the neck, throttled him, and served him for dinner. Instead I did a deep dive and swam off safely to the side and resurfaced. No harm done.
HikerMom58
04-24-2013, 20:48
See how alike the behavior is between bears and humans yet humans DO NOT ALWAYS apply the same logic to bear behavior but instead start pointing at da bears as if human behavior DOES NOT PLAY into the relationship.
Bfayer, your posts included some of the most sensible and knowledgable info on bears I've read in a while here on WB!
You got it Dogwood.. bfayer is one of the most sensible posters on WB!
You look much different than I had imagined.
Ahhh.... ha ha!! I claim both Elf and WOO as my friends... love these guys!! :D
Capt Nat
04-24-2013, 20:57
I'm not trying to drag the thread back on track but this is an incident that I'm pretty sure I read about. If it is, the girls put the food in one tent and were sleeping together in the other tent. It was posted in trailjournals.
I'm not trying to drag the thread back on track but this is an incident that I'm pretty sure I read about. If it is, the girls put the food in one tent and were sleeping together in the other tent. It was posted in trailjournals.
Sounds more like the truth than an attack with no injuries.
I'm not trying to drag the thread back on track but this is an incident that I'm pretty sure I read about. If it is, the girls put the food in one tent and were sleeping together in the other tent. It was posted in trailjournals.
If this is true then the response is.........
Well duh!
:D
Wise Old Owl
04-24-2013, 21:12
Ahhh.... ha ha!! I claim both Elf and WOO as my friends... love these guys!! :D
Wonderful! ....
So, what I heard is that the bears down South don't really hibernate.........what do they do?
There is a private meeting spot where they convene, trail talk and stories, good spots for berries, how to get rid of their trail stench, best spots to grab Snickers bars. Just normal bear talk.
If I am a bear, I would take my chances..........smell out the hiker food and go after it. In a tent, thanks, don't make me climb more trees with your BS bear-bagging attempts.
I mean what do they eat this time of year? Acorns??
I'm not trying to drag the thread back on track but this is an incident that I'm pretty sure I read about. If it is, the girls put the food in one tent and were sleeping together in the other tent. It was posted in trailjournals.
Mystery solved. Don't shoot the bears. Open the beers.
HikerMom58
04-24-2013, 21:30
Wonderful! ....
Yes sir! ;) I think you might claim me as well. :p
Mystery solved. Don't shoot the bears. Open the beers.
Don't you just love it KoKo?... we have some mighty fine detectives working on our behalf. WTG - Capt Nat!!!
So, what I heard is that the bears down South don't really hibernate.........what do they do?
There is a private meeting spot where they convene, trail talk and stories, good spots for berries, how to get rid of their trail stench, best spots to grab Snickers bars. Just normal bear talk.
If I am a bear, I would take my chances..........smell out the hiker food and go after it. In a tent, thanks, don't make me climb more trees with your BS bear-bagging attempts.
I mean what do they eat this time of year? Acorns??
I can tell you what they do. They get on bearblaze and argue about the best honey and which hiker vittles have the most calories. It can get ugly at times.
You got it Dogwood.. bfayer is one of the most sensible posters on WB!...
HMKD, Thank you for the kind words. Dogwood, usually when someone from NJ agrees with me I start to worry... :)
I learned everything I know about bears from watching Yogi and Boo boo.
21278
Well, that and years of watching Ursus americanus do what they do. One summer I watched the same bear come back to the same spot at the same time every evening for weeks looking for a trash can that had not been there since he destroyed it in the spring. That one score, kept him coming back most of the summer.
I am very glad the folks that received the visit in the OP were not hurt. I can guarantee however that they were camped in a spot where that same bear scored a meal a few days or weeks earlier. I hope the bear does not have to be killed because of this.
Yes sir! ;) I think you might claim me as well. :p
Don't you just love it KoKo?... we have some mighty fine detectives working on our behalf. WTG - Capt Nat!!!
Yes , we do have some good detectives but Capt Nat came a little too late. I already ordered canister , bear spray, gun and recorded a repeating message of " Hey bear" on my voice recorder to play it when I am sleeping. I was about to order a bear proof tent but Capt saved me.:D
Yes sir! ;) I think you might claim me as well. :p
Don't you just love it KoKo?... we have some mighty fine detectives working on our behalf. WTG - Capt Nat!!!
Yes , we do have some good detectives but Capt Nat came a little too late. I already ordered canister , bear spray, gun and recorded a repeating message of " Hey bear" on my voice recorder to play it when I am sleeping. I was about to order a bear proof tent but Capt saved me.:D
What part of Canada are you from? :D
What part of Canada are you from? :D
southern Ontario, Toronto.
Chaco Taco
04-24-2013, 22:07
While reading Flatfoot's 2013 AT Journal, he writes on April 5:
"Woke up at 7:00 am sharp when the lights came on. Someone announced pancakes were ready so everyone got up quickly. When I stepped outside into the "living area" I found two girls, Sandy and Maddie, stretched out on the flood in their bags. They said they had no where else to go. I remember meeting them the night previous at dinner. There was no more room in the hostel and all cabins were rented so they continued on in the evening an additional 3 miles up the trail and made camp. Unfortunately they slept with their food in the tent and were attacked by a bear. The area between Neel Gap and Tesnatee Gap is known for very aggressive bears. They grabbed all they could, their sleeping bags, and returned down the mountain to the hostel.
...
About 2 1/2 miles up the trail I came across Sandy and Maddie returning from their previous bear ravaged campsite with their packs and what was left of their tent and other belongings. They were headed back to Mountain Crossings but I don't know if they bought more gear or called it quits. I haven't seen them since."
I've read about attacks by grizzlies. I've read about attacks by black bears out west. I've read about black bears on the AT raiding unoccupied tents for food. But this is the first I've read about a black bear on the AT attacking an occupied tent. I'm hitting the trail on Monday and had planned to sleep with my food in an opsak, but this has me second guessing.
Happened to me in 2009 at Watauga Lake. I was in the tent and a bear tore through my tent. It was a problem area for a local bear and I should not have been camping there. It was over run with trash. I am back to sleeping with my food. Just use common sense..
MuddyWaters
04-24-2013, 23:17
1) no one was attacked by a bear. Being inspected, is not being attacked. Hammockers get "mouthed" sometimes, even thats not an "attack".
2) if a bear attacked, someone would have been injured, mauled, bitten, etc. The bear would be tracked and killed.
3) if a bear was still present, they would not have exited their tent with sleeping bags, etc, so initially at least, they scared it off. or more likely, it left with food it got from the un-occupied tent
4) they abandoned all their stuff, and the bear came back and tore thru it looking for more food, with no humans around.
Teacher & Snacktime
05-03-2013, 21:19
Oh that's my granddaughter.. :eek: she is protected from wolves and rodents of unusual size.
Does she have a boyfriend Wesley?
Wise Old Owl
05-03-2013, 21:27
Yes sir! ;) I think you might claim me as well. :p
Don't you just love it KoKo?... we have some mighty fine detectives working on our behalf. WTG - Capt Nat!!!
I already have ...damn you-re popular!
Wise Old Owl
05-03-2013, 21:28
Does she have a boyfriend Wesley?
not ready for prime time... wait a few years.
Oh that's my granddaughter.. :eek: she is protected from wolves and rodents of unusual size.
I thought it was really a poacher you caught in your hammock trap that was attempting to raid the bumper "cash" crop you got growing back beyond those trees.
hikerboy57
05-04-2013, 05:12
Havent seen a single bear the entire trip.slept with my food every night except twice in the smokies when i tented near the cables.no bears.budget cuts,i guess
HikerMom58
05-04-2013, 06:50
Havent seen a single bear the entire trip.slept with my food every night except twice in the smokies when i tented near the cables.no bears.budget cuts,i guess
That's the way... uh huh.. uh huh... I like it... uh huh... uh huh!! :D
Monkeywrench
05-04-2013, 07:49
These morons who can't be bothered to handle their food properly are going to end up getting some of these bears killed. It's disgusting. If you don't know what you're doing, stay home.
I don't understand people's problem with hanging their food. When done properly you avoid problems like this. People seem to think that hanging food is done to protect the food from the bear, it's to protect you from the bear and the bear from learning bad habits. I know it must be so troubling to some fo carry a few ounces of Paracord but really...
Since this is second hand info, I question the validity and circumstances of the story.
Echraide
05-22-2013, 15:17
There used to be a first-hand account floating around on here about a tent ripped open by a bear while the hiker was sleeping in it, maybe around Mt. Washington? I couldn't find the post in a search but I remember reading it.
FarmerChef
05-22-2013, 15:24
I was hiking in PA two years ago and read a shelter log entry from someone the night before who claimed a bear ripped off their tent fly and made off with their food. They came up to the shelter to sleep and then hiked out. Not sure if they were long distance hikers or just some folks out for the weekend. We made sure our bear bag was extra well hung that night.
SouthernPride
05-22-2013, 19:38
I have the solution to all these problems.......bear burgers!!!
hikerboy57
05-22-2013, 20:56
I don't understand people's problem with hanging their food. When done properly you avoid problems like this. People seem to think that hanging food is done to protect the food from the bear, it's to protect you from the bear and the bear from learning bad habits. I know it must be so troubling to some fo carry a few ounces of Paracord but really...
"when done properly" is key.most have no clue,this spring i saw bags hung on shrubs outside tents, as well as bags hung too close to the tree trunk or on too heavy a branch.these are the bags that ruin the bear, not the food bag i use as a pillow( i use lopsak odor proof liners). theyre attracted to the smells of the hanging fruit, and when its easy to pluck the fruit off the vine,well thats when bears become a problem.
Sarcasm the elf
05-22-2013, 21:50
"when done properly" is key.most have no clue,this spring i saw bags hung on shrubs outside tents, as well as bags hung too close to the tree trunk or on too heavy a branch.these are the bags that ruin the bear, not the food bag i use as a pillow( i use lopsak odor proof liners). theyre attracted to the smells of the hanging fruit, and when its easy to pluck the fruit off the vine,well thats when bears become a problem.
This.....
The only critters in the woods that are brave enough to try and steal food that is in my possession are the mice...
SouthMark
05-22-2013, 22:26
This.....
The only critters in the woods that are brave enough to try and steal food that is in my possession are the mice...
Ditto.....
There used to be a first-hand account floating around on here about a tent ripped open by a bear while the hiker was sleeping in it, maybe around Mt. Washington? I couldn't find the post in a search but I remember reading it.
You may be thinking of the “bear attack” in the NorthCarolina Black Balsams next to the Shining Rock Wilderness last fall. The press said a bear attacked campers intent and took their food. A PisgahDistrict ranger was quoted as saying, “There was one incident when a bear madecontact with a tent.” The unofficial storyis that two campers decided to store their food in an empty tent and sleep inanother (and they blamed the poor bear). The Forest Service then recommended to hang food while in the area. However, there were six other incidents reportedto the FS last fall before they suspending overnight camping in Shining Rock andthe Graveyard Fields – all six “incidents” were bears stealing food bags fromtrees. Go figure.
hikingshoes
05-23-2013, 00:41
I like to make it to camp early so I'll have time to find a good tree to hang my food bag. I think a lot of thru-hikers are pushing to many miles, and by the time you make it to camp your so tired you dont care where you hang your food bag nor hang it right.
BirdBrain
05-23-2013, 01:00
"when done properly" is key.most have no clue,this spring i saw bags hung on shrubs outside tents, as well as bags hung too close to the tree trunk or on too heavy a branch.these are the bags that ruin the bear, not the food bag i use as a pillow( i use lopsak odor proof liners). theyre attracted to the smells of the hanging fruit, and when its easy to pluck the fruit off the vine,well thats when bears become a problem.
The more I piece your method together, the more I see logic in it. This subject was the 1st one I debated you on when I first joined Whiteblaze. At the time, I believed your method was purely born of laziness. I now concede that there is far more danger of ruining bears via improper hangs than there is in what you are doing. I also concede that your method is a logical plan that is mindful of the bear's safety. I fully agree with your fruit off the vine analogy. An improper hang is a plan begging for failure. Having said that, I will still be hanging my food and doing it right.
Echraide
05-23-2013, 12:31
You may be thinking of the “bear attack” in the NorthCarolina Black Balsams next to the Shining Rock Wilderness last fall. The press said a bear attacked campers intent and took their food.
No, this wasn't characterized as an attack but as a tent ripped open and stuff taken during the night while the hiker was in the tent. The hiker said there was no food in the tent and they ran out and chased the bear thinking it was a raccoon or something! I'm sure it happened in New England.
MDSection12
05-23-2013, 12:40
Ten feet up, ten feet out... Simple. :)
It's the last thing I do in camp, and sometimes that means I'm not in 'hiking shape,' yet somehow I always seem to get it done and done right. :eek: