behr

[diogenes]

so i was just on a three day hike from the DWG to high point in nj, and i was just sittin on a stump eatin some nuts and i hear a rustling in the bushes in front of me, and so i look around, and this flippin huge black bear is just standing there about ten feet away, just sniffing upin the air. i figured he wanted my nuts so i threw the bag in front of me and walked in the other direction. i came back in 10 minutes to find my nuts and no bear. any info on this bear? it was in high point state park, and it was the biggest black bear i've ever seen. it's scary when stuff like that happens. i was just thinkin about McDonalds or something and then there's this huge bear. very surreal. or actually very real, they are very similar.

btw i have been named..

peggasso

[Footslogger]

That's one PICKY bear !! If there had been any other thru-hikers around they would have grabbed the nuts for sure ...

'Slogger

[The Solemates]

its probably the problem bear that a-train posted about. was it near mashipong shelter?

[diogenes]

its probably the problem bear that a-train posted about. was it near mashipong shelter?

yea it was. it was about 2 miles after the parking lot right after the shelter.

[A-Train]

yea it was. it was about 2 miles after the parking lot right after the shelter.

Might have been the problem bear, but might not have. Tons of bears in Jersey and many aren't afraid to approach humans.

For future hikes, please don't abandon or throw food to lure bears while you dissapear. That does nothing but create more problems for people and hikers behind you, as well as the bear being shot. If bears get to used to human handouts they'll stop using their own skills to find food and prey on hikers and shelters.

If you see a bear, don't freak out. It's not going to attack you. Most often they check you out and eventually mosy on away

[Ridge]

....If bears get to used to human handouts they'll stop using their own skills to find food and prey on hikers and shelters....

I guess thats where the statement "A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear" comes from.

[Just Jeff]

I was hiking out of DWG once...camped on a steep ridge just north of Sunfish Pond. As I crawled out of my hammock in the morning, I heard a snarl...looked up, and there was a big old blackie about 100' from me.

I looked from him to my food bag, realizing I was exactly in between the two. Hrm...

The bear sat back on his haunches and sniffed the air a bit, looked my way, sniffed some more. Hrm...

Then he got up, limped a few steps down the ridge, sat back on his haunches, and looked my way again. Now I'm thinking...he's injured, so he's probably not eating well, I've just crawled out of a bear pinata and I'm right between this bear and a big fat sausage, just opened yesterday, in my food bag. Hrm...

No worries, though. He just kept limping and resting as he made his way down the ridge and back into the trees. Felt sorry for the guy...he only took about 3 steps before he had to rest each time.

Saw 3 other bears on that overnighter. DWG is an awesome place for bear sightings!

[Kerosene]

It's amazing how many bears there are in that section of the Trail. When I did the section in 1973 no one was concerned about bear in the least and I don't think that one had been sighted in the area for years. During my scouting years from 1968-75, we camped at the Forestburg Scout Reservation just outside of Port Jervis, NY (near the NJ/NY/PA intersection) and no one ever mentioned bear being sighted in the area. Quite an amazing turnaround.