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  1. #21
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    We had an encounter with a bear out in the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness Area over Labor Day weekend. He came into our camp, stole a pack, the pack that was stole had food in it. The rest of us hung our food and cook gear. I woke up to a sniffing noise outside my tent, when I came out of tent he was there. I yelled, he ran off. We found the pack about a hundred yards away. He did come back about 6 more times but was easily ran off by us getting in a group yelling and waving arms over head.
    I never felt threatened and know if all precautions of hanging would have been followed the pack would have not been taken. After all we were in his living room tempting him with a meal.
    I can't say if it was the same bear or not.

  2. #22
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    That's exactly where we camped on Sept. 6th when we had the encounter with him! Glad you got a pic of him!

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alligator View Post
    It was a while ago that I was at that shelter, and sorry to say, but that shelter had loads of trash when I visited it last. So I wonder if it needs a better maintenance schedule or some extra attention. I have visited it twice. The first time I didn't go up to the loft area but thought it might be nice. The next time I went through I went up and there was trash throughout the loft.
    Maintenance schedule?? Is the hotel maid supposed to come at 9am every morning and collect the trash that lazy hikers left behind?

  4. #24
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    Does anyone else have any more recent updates from the past month?? I was hoping to tent out near Thomas knob. I always hang my food and generally will cook at shelter, then pack up and tent nearby.

    I wonder: would it be safer to sleep in the Thomas Knob loft?

    I would much rather avoid a bear encounter; especially one so close with a bear who doesn't have fear.

    Any updates if the bear has been relocated or otherwise?

    Any water updates in this area??
    …speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee… –JOB 12:8

  5. #25
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    I hiked past wise shelter the day after the bear chased the man from his tent and ran into two volunteers going to retrieve the mans belongings. They told us that nuisance bears from the Smokies are relocated to this area. That makes little sense to me, wonder if that was an accurate statement.

  6. #26
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    We had plenty of water between Massie and Partnership shelter. We could have easily completed the hike carrying a liter at a time and all of the shelters we camped near had nice water sources.

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Trillium View Post
    A friend's son's brother-in-law is doing a section from Hampton, TN north. He started 8/31. His blog mentioned that several hikers told him they had seen "bears including a huge male black bear at the top of the mountain that runs really fast" somewhere between Saunders Shelter and Whitetop Mountain on 9/5. He stayed at Wise Shelter on 9/6 along with one other hiker. There were 2 hikers that tented. The other hiker in the shelter "insisted that we don't need to hang our food in trees because bears don't go near buildings where there are humans. He actually spread his food all around him on the floor of the shelter. Bears hadn't rummaged through our food but animals of some sort did go through the other hiker's food. The wrapper on his peanut butter jar was chewed off." So, at least on the evening of 9/6, no bears were around, otherwise it is likely they might have gone after the food that was out in the open. As of 9/21 this hiker was up to Four Pines Hostel and he had yet to have seen a bear.

    Question: why would the "store owner" mentioned in Shmaybix's post above say "Yep, it's that time of year"? Is all the natural food for the bears already out of season in southern VA?
    Trillium-

    It's a small world. I was one of the two hikers you mention that tented near Wise Shelter on 9/6, and I was the only one who thought it was prudent to hang my food. The hiker you mentioned with his food spread all over the shelter also said "This shelter doesn't have any mice". Two hours later I saw a mouse licking the guy's spoon & flipping it up in the air like a baton. It was hilarious. What is the address for your friend's blog?

    Ryan

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by doritotex View Post
    Maintenance schedule?? Is the hotel maid supposed to come at 9am every morning and collect the trash that lazy hikers left behind?
    Note I was thinking of the wrong (but nearby) shelter, but to address your question.

    Maintainers are assigned to shelters and they are generally expected to visit the shelter at regular intervals as defined by the clubs. Shelters with higher usage or perhaps which draw more slobs may need to have their maintainers visit more frequently if trash builds up between visits. They shouldn't have to pick up trash left by hikers at all but unfortunately that is reality.
    "Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
    Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
    Call for his whisky
    He can call for his tea
    Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
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    Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.

  9. #29
    Registered User Ktaadn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yaduck9 View Post
    Is "addressing the problem" a euphemism for termination?
    Is termination a euphemism for kill?

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by Violent Green View Post
    Trillium-

    It's a small world. I was one of the two hikers you mention that tented near Wise Shelter on 9/6, and I was the only one who thought it was prudent to hang my food. The hiker you mentioned with his food spread all over the shelter also said "This shelter doesn't have any mice". Two hours later I saw a mouse licking the guy's spoon & flipping it up in the air like a baton. It was hilarious. What is the address for your friend's blog?

    Ryan
    Wow,that's crazy!!

  11. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ktaadn View Post
    Is termination a euphemism for kill?
    yeah kinda like harvesting

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ktaadn View Post
    Is termination a euphemism for kill?
    yeah kinda like harvesting

  13. #33
    Registered User Sir-Packs-Alot's Avatar
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    F.Y.I. - although it makes for bad press - most Forest Service authorities and the like are now killing nuisance bear instead of relocating them. They say that re-location is even less humane and that many times the bears return if not re-located far enough away. The rate of bear mortality is supposedly high when bears "programmed" to their range are moved and their disorientation practically turns into shock. Bear problems are becoming more of an issue as more folks on the trail regard it as their wilderness "Disneyworld". Hint - nobody cleans up after you on the trail when you go to sleep (as in Disney) - and unlike the animatrons on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride - black bears have 2,330 times better of a sense of smell than we do, are many times smarter than the smartest dog you will know, can run 40 mph, and rip open a locked dumpster. Keep it clean out there for the bears sake please. YES - many folks are messy and sleep with their food with no problem - but these folks many times begin a cycle where these smart bears begin connecting people/shelters/food/packs/tents ... and although they may never know of it - that bear could end up being shot a few months later (as may well be the case in this post's location).

  14. #34
    If I was any slower, I'd be going backwards 9pin's Avatar
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    I just called the Grayson Highlands state park ref the bear at Wise Shelter, they said the bear has been 'relocated', as of 3 Oct 2013

  15. #35
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 9pin View Post
    I just called the Grayson Highlands state park ref the bear at Wise Shelter, they said the bear has been 'relocated', as of 3 Oct 2013
    If this bear had already been relocated once, as reported earlier in this thread, I hope this "relocation" was to a freezer.
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  16. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trail Bug View Post
    That other person at Wise shelter who spread his food out on the floor is not a hiker, he's an idiot. I have had bears come right up to the shelters several times. Too bad that the bears are the ones who have to be shot.



    +1...........

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChinMusic View Post
    If this bear had already been relocated once, as reported earlier in this thread, I hope this "relocation" was to a freezer.
    +1

    I agreed with this post and it made me smile. I also agree with others who blame careless, slobbish hikers with the (1) loss of animal wild-ness and the eventual (2) killing of "nuisance" animals.

    I always hang my food. I keep it in a waterproof food bag which I only use for food. I hang my toothbrush, paste, spoon, and any other "smelly" items with it. I try to stop and cook dinner 1-3 miles before I stop to make camp (I don't cook where I sleep). And I make every effort to keep my cooking/eating areas clean and NEVER leave uneaten food behind (as the fat kid would say: "I don't get to be this size skipping meals", and if I cook it in the backcountry, by gosh I don't care how full I am - I'm eating EVERY last bite of it!).

    I would NEVER be caught intentionally feeding a bear or removing the fear instinct from an animal which is meant to be WILD.

    That said - when an animal loses that fear - and that animal is large enough to kill me (let's be real: a bear could), I am happy to hear of its "relocation" - either to another section of the woods, or - to the closest freezer.
    …speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee… –JOB 12:8

  18. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trillium View Post
    Question: why would the "store owner" mentioned in Shmaybix's post above say "Yep, it's that time of year"? Is all the natural food for the bears already out of season in southern VA?
    This time of year all a black bear thinks about is getting fat for the winter. They do sort of hibernate around here but manily it is just a real "lazy" period for them so they try and eat as much as they can.

    One good thing is that they love Yellowjacket nests in the ground and anything that kills a yellowjacket is a friend of mine.

    In the last two weeks bear activity has really jumped upwards as there has been a multitude struck by cars as they are wandering around looking to eat.

  19. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by yerbyray View Post
    This time of year all a black bear thinks about is getting fat for the winter. They do sort of hibernate around here but manily it is just a real "lazy" period for them so they try and eat as much as they can.

    One good thing is that they love Yellowjacket nests in the ground and anything that kills a yellowjacket is a friend of mine.

    In the last two weeks bear activity has really jumped upwards as there has been a multitude struck by cars as they are wandering around looking to eat.
    Good post yerbyray!! I've learned some new things about bears, I don't know that i knew they liked yellow jacket nests.... Go black bears!!!

    We have had bears killed by cars where I live recently as well.

  20. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by Shmaybix View Post
    Good post yerbyray!! I've learned some new things about bears, I don't know that i knew they liked yellow jacket nests.... Go black bears!!!
    They're not the only animals that attack yellowjackets http://animals.pawnation.com/animals...ound-7300.html

    That's why they employ such an aggressive preemptive strike policy.

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