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Thread: Bears

  1. #21

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    Yes. Large-ish >400 lb (estimated of course), just south of the Mohican Outdoor Center in NJ, Memorial Day time frame, on the ridge walk. It actually stalked me for a bit. That was the only one last year.
    One and two years before:
    Have seen a stack of bears over the miles. Two in GSMNP (the first one actually charged me twice), fifteen in SNP (to include a mom and her two cubs), handful more between Atkins and Bland VA (to include a mom and her one cub), and one in GA going up Wildcat Mt.
    I generally hike alone, I don't wear ear buds, I'm generally up before dawn, and hiking by dawn. That said, not all of my bears have been in the early morning or evening hours - not by a long shot. I've gotten more than a few on "film". I definitely consider myself very fortunate for each and all of the encounters too.

    u.w.

  2. #22
    Registered User Sandy of PA's Avatar
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    Last June (2017) I saw a very large bear heading up Brushy mountain in VA a couple miles out from the Partnership shelter. It was pouring rain and the bear was in front of me on the trail. As I was starting to gain on him I hollered "Hey Bear", he looked left, then right, and then behind him. When he saw me he ran off the side of the trail and was gone. I have seen at least one bear on my section hikes in the last 7 years, with an average of 3 per day in Shannandoah Park.

  3. #23
    Registered User ldsailor's Avatar
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    Yeah, I saw several bears in Shenandoah National Park and then in PA, I came face to face with one blocking the trail. In both cases, the bear lumbered off. Check out the video of me and a bunch of hikers at Rip Rap Gap and a bear.

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  4. #24
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    I suspended a bear and cub while trail running on a blue blazed side trail in SNP a few years ago. I've never seen any other bears over the past five years of section hiking the AT and PCT and thru hiking the Colorado Trail, foothills trail and JMT more than once. Black bears want nothing to do with us. I suspect there are far more crazy "human sightings" that the bears discuss amongst themselves.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    I suspended a bear and cub ....
    Surprised... Gotta love iPad autocorrect...

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeBill View Post
    My point might not have been clear enough. If you're walking down the trail at any time of the day and or night and you hear something stirring in the woods, you are likely to see it; where as if you have music blaring in your ears you're not going to hear anything stirring in the woods.
    If a critter makes a sound like the snapping of a stick it's moving. If it's moving, your likely to notice the motion even if it's just out the corner of your eye. A bear will hear you coming long before you see it. Typically that will cause it to run away and if your close enough to see it, you will catch that motion. If a bear is eating berries off the side of the trail and hears you coming, it might stand up to see what's coming. That motion is also something you will likely catch. I don't think listening to music has much if any impact unless your really spacing out and in hiker daze.
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  7. #27

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    1 in Va , 17 in three days in Shenandoah, 2 in mass, 2 in Jersey
    22 total for my thru if I’m remembering them all correctly
    GAME '16 4/18/16-8/12/16
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  8. #28
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    sorta wish that bear had eaten that dude in the blue shirt..

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    If a critter makes a sound like the snapping of a stick it's moving. If it's moving, your likely to notice the motion even if it's just out the corner of your eye. A bear will hear you coming long before you see it. Typically that will cause it to run away and if your close enough to see it, you will catch that motion. If a bear is eating berries off the side of the trail and hears you coming, it might stand up to see what's coming. That motion is also something you will likely catch. I don't think listening to music has much if any impact unless your really spacing out and in hiker daze.
    What you say is true, if a critter makes a sound like a snapping stick it is probably moving. I just want to know what it is, where it is, and which way it is moving. Hard to do if you can't hear the twig snap. Also hard to do if it is just laying there hidden in the leaves rattling its little tail off. It is like he warned me I guess but I was listening to music.
    Blackheart

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    If a critter makes a sound like the snapping of a stick it's moving. If it's moving, your likely to notice the motion even if it's just out the corner of your eye. A bear will hear you coming long before you see it. Typically that will cause it to run away and if your close enough to see it, you will catch that motion. If a bear is eating berries off the side of the trail and hears you coming, it might stand up to see what's coming. That motion is also something you will likely catch. I don't think listening to music has much if any impact unless your really spacing out and in hiker daze.
    What you say is true, if a critter makes a sound like a snapping stick it is probably moving. I just want to know what it is, where it is, and which way it is moving. Hard to do if you can't hear the twig snap. Also hard to do if it is just laying there hidden in the leaves rattling its little tail off. When the doctor ask, they can answer "Well he tried to warn me I guess but I was listening to music. this applies not only on the trail but in cities and towns as well. If you can't hear it coming, you can be putting yourself at risk.
    Blackheart

  11. #31
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    Saw 2 bears about a mile past Walnut Mtn shelter in late October 2017. One ran and the other went up a tree .

  12. #32
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    Sorry for the double post, the first one can be deleted.
    Blackheart

  13. #33

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    Saw a black bear just south of Woody gap this past Tuesday (4/3/18). Lil fella about 50 lbs

    3 out of the 6 bears Ive seen have been in Georgia on the AT. The other 3 were in the Smokies

  14. #34
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    Wow, that is so close.
    Quote Originally Posted by ldsailor View Post
    Yeah, I saw several bears in Shenandoah National Park and then in PA, I came face to face with one blocking the trail. In both cases, the bear lumbered off. Check out the video of me and a bunch of hikers at Rip Rap Gap and a bear.


  15. #35
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    Yeah and as usual an idiot almost made it worse!

  16. #36
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    I actually was excited to see bears, but only saw 3 the entire trail last year.

    And one of those was in a driveway of an Airbnb .

    I was talking about this with a guy in jersey who said he’d seen about 20 and he said “damn I say like four this morning.”

    We even camped in the same place.

    I’m sure my sleeping in later than most (bless you, hammock) was a significant factor, but it’s still mostly luck of the draw.

    A good friend of mine actually has a video of a bear approaching him while he was quite literally pooping and shouting “F#%K YOU” in a thick Italian accent.

    I almost pooped just watching it

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by skinnbones View Post
    Wow, that is so close.
    The video might be a little misleading, because I had my phone zoomed in (4x) when I took the video, but yeah, I and everyone of the group was a little closer than maybe we should have been. Although you can't see everyone in the video, there were about eight of us. I guess we all felt safe in a large group. I wasn't that "brave" when I was alone and came up on a bear in PA and that's a fact.

    Not sure why the guy in the blue shirt chased the bear. The bear was moving off. There was a lot of talk in the group of exposed food, and I thought that was what the bear was keyed on. Maybe the guy in the blue shirt wanted to dissuade the bear from making an attempt, or maybe he just wanted to show off.

    BTW. I was hiking alone and came up on all these guys and the bear at Rip Rap Gap.
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  18. #38
    Registered User Christoph's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SoaknWet View Post
    Yeah and as usual an idiot almost made it worse!
    True this! Showing aggression is NOT the way to handle this.
    Anyway, had one at the shelter in northern PA, didn't care that we there and didn't bother us any. He kept his distance for about 30-45 minutes.
    Another walked right out in front of me in heavy laural and (thankfully) went in the same direction I was going. About as close as the one in the vid.
    Most others (I think I counted 8 sightings total) were running away or far enough away they didn't see me.
    - Trail name: Thumper

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