Not that hanging food always works. Black bear:Vrede too wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:32 pmAttacks are pretty rare and hanging all food away from the tent is about all that you need to do. I never had a problem, though my girlfriend's pack did get ripped up by a people-fearless black bear in Smoky Park. It's always going to be far more dangerous driving to the trailhead.
The Hiking Thread
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Re: The Hiking Thread
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Hard core kayaking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVuuxqZZCRg
"Backpaddle, backpaddle"
Holy crap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jRTrRxamxQ
I would have done something, not just stood there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVuuxqZZCRg
"Backpaddle, backpaddle"
Holy crap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jRTrRxamxQ
I would have done something, not just stood there.
Last edited by Vrede too on Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
The guy in the second was hunting - maybe not bears, but the bear should have taken him out anyway.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
He presumably had a gun - bow and arrow are possible, but they'll often have a backup handgun - should have had bear spray, could have yelled, could have exited the stand. Doing nothing would not have occurred to me, I would have assumed that an attack was in progress. One fast paw swipe would have made for a very bad day.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
I support the right to arm bears.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
I've been backpacking a bunch, and I've yet to encounter a bear. Last trip was out in shining rock along the creek between sam knob and little sam knob. Used a bear can, cooked the food far away from the campsite, stored the food in a bear can in a completely different location, and slept in another.
Anyone ever have a bear approach while sleeping?
Anyone ever have a bear approach while sleeping?
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Nope, the only bears I've seen approach have been awake.
But yeah, we've seen bears in campgrounds, but never when we were in a tent. Of course, it's been a long time since we were out in a tent anyway, and when we did it was mostly Florida.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Whack9 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 9:06 amI've been backpacking a bunch, and I've yet to encounter a bear. Last trip was out in shining rock along the creek between sam knob and little sam knob. Used a bear can, cooked the food far away from the campsite, stored the food in a bear can in a completely different location, and slept in another.
Anyone ever have a bear approach while sleeping?
Ours pretty much have free reign of the neighborhood while we sleep. Does that count?
We have 3 vacant lots on our waterfront street. One partially wooded waterfront lot and two low lying densely wooded lots directly across the street. The bears spend a lot of time in the two wooded lots.
The two guys who started clearing one of the lots early last week were appreciative that we told them about the bears, but for some reason, they haven't been back.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
No, I've always been rigorous about the bear-safe campsite practices. Thought there was one once in Yellowstone, but when we finally got up the nerve to unzip the tent it was a moose and calf just feet away, which wasn't necessarily safer.
Opps, there was a black bear while car camping in Yosemite, left us alone in the tent, put some good paw prints on the car windows, ran when I yelled at it.
I have been rousted by bears (cops) for sleeping in my car.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Once a woman got temporarily trapped in her RV by a bear just outside the door. Turns out the bear's cubs were in the tree across the campsite and Mama bear was staying between the woman and the cubs. When the cubs came down the tree, they all left peaceably.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
There at West Yellowstone at the bear/wolf rescue they do bear testing of coolers and trash containers. In general, it seems to be possible to make something bear-resistant, but not bear-proof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgaTAJrCubo
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Unless above treeline I've always hung food, or kept it in the car. One has to take the time to find a good hanging tree.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
The bear cans supposedly do a good job, but they're not entirely full-proof. I was reading about some bear that was known to have figured out how to open bear canisters.O Really wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 9:43 amThere at West Yellowstone at the bear/wolf rescue they do bear testing of coolers and trash containers. In general, it seems to be possible to make something bear-resistant, but not bear-proof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgaTAJrCubo
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Went backpacking a while back in shining rock. We were beat after having hiked about 13 miles that day. Got back to the campsite, got to drinking some bourbon, hung the food up and went to bed.
Woke up in the morning and realized the bag was maybe 5 feet off the ground. Luckily it was undisturbed.
From then on out - hang food before drinking.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Idk, a bourbon bottle might smell like food to a bear, 'coon or rodent. We were really anal about it, cooking/eating gear, smoke, toothpaste and toothbrushes even got hung.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Yeah that's very true.
Someone had a run-in with a bear while sleeping in Graveyard fields. They had deoderant or toothpaste with them, can't remember which. Anyway, a bear tried to get it and the person suffered scratches. I think after that they shut the area down to campers.
Last time I was out I left the food/smelly stuff in the canister and hung the flask up high in a tree.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
People take deodorant backpacking? They deserve to get et by a bear.Whack9 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 1:59 pmYeah that's very true.
Someone had a run-in with a bear while sleeping in Graveyard fields. They had deoderant or toothpaste with them, can't remember which. Anyway, a bear tried to get it and the person suffered scratches. I think after that they shut the area down to campers.
Last time I was out I left the food/smelly stuff in the canister and hung the flask up high in a tree.
I've never had or used a bear canister, don't think I would unless mandatory. I'm not sure about above treeline trips, bears usually won't be there unless there's something like a ladybug hatch going on.
Bear Canister Basics
Aside: People have sprayed pepper spray on items in order to repel bears. It's PEPPER spray, unless they get sprayed in the face it smells like food to them.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
The cannisters are kind of a pain in the ass. They require them in the Shining Rock Wilderness now due to people not properly stowing away food making the bears ornery. The cans add like 4 pounds to your pack.Vrede too wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 2:15 pmPeople take deodorant backpacking? They deserve to get et by a bear.Whack9 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 1:59 pmYeah that's very true.
Someone had a run-in with a bear while sleeping in Graveyard fields. They had deoderant or toothpaste with them, can't remember which. Anyway, a bear tried to get it and the person suffered scratches. I think after that they shut the area down to campers.
Last time I was out I left the food/smelly stuff in the canister and hung the flask up high in a tree.
I've never had or used a bear canister, don't think I would unless mandatory. I'm not sure about above treeline trips, bears usually won't be there unless there's something like a ladybug hatch going on.
Bear Canister Basics
Aside: People have sprayed pepper spray on items in order to repel bears. It's PEPPER spray, unless they get sprayed in the face it smells like food to them.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
I realize that we have entirely different bear situations, but …
ours look for food inside the plastic bags the newspaper come in. Sometimes they don't stop with the plastic bag.
do y'all carry horns. even our neighborhood bears haul ass when you blow an air horn. They come in pocket size that gives off 1-3 blasts.
ours look for food inside the plastic bags the newspaper come in. Sometimes they don't stop with the plastic bag.
do y'all carry horns. even our neighborhood bears haul ass when you blow an air horn. They come in pocket size that gives off 1-3 blasts.
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Re: The Hiking Thread
Just bear spray. Most bears in the woods are not so used to people that they wouldn't be just as deterred by a yell as an air horn. It is an idea for air travel, though, since bear spray isn't allowed.billy.pilgrim wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 5:37 pm... do y'all carry horns. even our neighborhood bears haul ass when you blow an air horn. They come in pocket size that gives off 1-3 blasts.
No, O Really, it wouldn't be for if the cabin attendant button is broken.