Wilsons Sandbox

Posted: **Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:26 pm**

All this talk about what to do/not do in bear country has got me curious. How many folks here have had encounters with bear while camping and what was the outcome. I am talking about "your" experiences, not a friend of friend or something you heard about on the internet. Those kind of stories can sometimes lack credibility. Here's mine... 3 times I've had them in camp. I just about always camp in the middle of nowhere so these were not the "Yogi type" bears like you will find at your local K-Mart style campground (ie: crowded, noisy and generally like camping in a K-Mart parking lot). Two of the encounters were while I was sleeping, awoke to light noises outside, made some noise myself and would then hear the bear shitting himself and huffing ( they "Huff" when frightened or bluffing) as he ran off. The third was at a remote camp along a creek in the Wallowa mountains. I set up camp in the dark, retired to the creek to eat some food. I heard some commotion near my bike but blew it off as deer in the area. I finally got curious about the noise, flashed my light toward the bike to find a black bear sitting on my bike, rifling through my tank bag. So I take precautions but don't freak out about them. I have never had a bad encounter with bears. It doesn't mean that I won't, but why worry about it. Clean up your dishes, leave your food somewhere other than in your tent and sleep peacefully. West (never been eaten by wild animals) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Posted: **Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:44 pm**

On Tue, 5 Jul 2005, WEST HOVLAND wrote:

> commotion near my bike but blew it off as deer in the area. I finally > got curious about the noise, flashed my light toward the bike to find a > black bear sitting on my bike, rifling through my tank bag.

Sitting *ON* your bike? Man, you're just lucky he didn't find the spare key to your KLR, you woulda *really* been in trouble then

. _E

Posted: **Tue Jul 05, 2005 11:11 pm**

> I have never had a bad encounter with bears. > > >West >(never been eaten by wild animals) > >

I think the people that had bad experiences with bears are probably dead, so they're probably not going to respond. Darren Clark (only one experience with a bear, but was watching from inside a car)

Posted: **Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:18 am**

Lots of bear encounters here in CA, two times I have come upon bears on my KLR while riding a forest road and followed it for several hundred yards until it juked into the bushes. Most memorable was on a 50 mile backpack trip with 10 scouts. Many times we stressed the importance of removing all tempting items and storing them in bear boxes or hanging it away from camp at night. Well the last night I wake in the grey dawn to see a large female with cub enter camp and head straight to a backpack not 2 feet away from this kids head. We were all sleeping without tents and I dared not spook the bear and only could pray the kid did not wake and provoke the bear. The bear ripped cleanly through the pack pocket with its claw and found a bag of beef jerkey which it consumed while sitting down. After a minute it finished, sniffed around and meandered through and out of camp. I did not need any coffee that morning. --Jim A-15

> All this talk about what to do/not do in bear country has got me

Posted: **Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:59 am**

Many years ago, I did a long solo hike on the Thoroughfare trail in Yellowstone N.P. The ranger assigned me a site on Trapper Creek, which I stayed at the first night, but the second, I cheated and hiked to a camp along the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake. Assigned campsites are like assigned seating, there is always a vacant one with a better view. It was designated a boater's camp, but since the ranger told me a bear had come into a nearby camp, I didn't care for Trapper Creek site which was choked with willows. I felt better with my back to the lake. Approaching the camp, I spied a bear on the trail ahead coming my way. Once it came out of the shadows of a stand of Lodgepole Pine, it showed the classic signs of a grizzly, short rounded ears, hump, and the claws. With the sunlight angled just right, I could see the slap of its front claws with each step. I had overpacked and the entire three days I was out, I had rehearsed in my mind the procedure for untangling myself from a huge backpack in a hurry. As I reached down to start with the breast strap, it was not there. The backpack lay in the middle of the trail, having already been ejected. To this day, I do not remember lifting a hand to remove it but there it lay. I began to side step off the trail with the bear at about 100 yards and approaching, the wind was blowing left to right off the lake. I shouted and the bear stopped dead and seemingly look straight at me then turned his head in increments, scanning and looking but seeing nothing. Within a moment, he began his ramble again. I had already scoped out my tree and was half way to it. By the time I reached it and go one foot on a low branch for just in case, the bear reached the pack. He didn't even think about exploring it, as soon as he caught a wiff, he bolted toward the lake and away from me. Two hundred yards down the trail, he left the lake shore and emerged on the trail again, standing and looking back directly at me as I gathered my pack. Buried in the pack was my camera which I retrieved and shot a incredibly overexposed black and white photo of the bear as he moved off. Though all others can look at the picture and see nothing but patches of white, black and varying shades of grey, I can still the bear as plain as day. Keith Idaho --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "WEST HOVLAND" wrote:

> All this talk about what to do/not do in bear country has got me

curious. How many folks here have had encounters with bear while camping and what was the outcome. I am talking about "your" experiences, not a friend of friend or something you heard about on the internet. Those kind of stories can sometimes lack credibility.

> > Here's mine... 3 times I've had them in camp. I just about always

camp in the middle of nowhere so these were not the "Yogi type" bears like you will find at your local K-Mart style campground (ie: crowded, noisy and generally like camping in a K-Mart parking lot). Two of the encounters were while I was sleeping, awoke to light noises outside, made some noise myself and would then hear the bear shitting himself and huffing ( they "Huff" when frightened or bluffing) as he ran off. The third was at a remote camp along a creek in the Wallowa mountains. I set up camp in the dark, retired to the creek to eat some food. I heard some commotion near my bike but blew it off as deer in the area. I finally got curious about the noise, flashed my light toward the bike to find a black bear sitting on my bike, rifling through my tank bag.

> > So I take precautions but don't freak out about them. I have never

had a bad encounter with bears. It doesn't mean that I won't, but why worry about it. Clean up your dishes, leave your food somewhere other than in your tent and sleep peacefully.

> > West > (never been eaten by wild animals) > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Posted: **Wed Jul 06, 2005 7:38 am**

Algie saw the bear, the bear saw Algie. The bear was bulgie, the bulgie was Algie. -------Anon George, barely in Escondido, CA hobbhavnklr650 wrote:

>Many years ago, I did a long solo hike on the Thoroughfare trail in >Yellowstone N.P. The ranger assigned me a site on Trapper Creek, >which I stayed at the first night, but the second, I cheated and >hiked to a camp along the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake. Assigned >campsites are like assigned seating, there is always a vacant one >with a better view. It was designated a boater's camp, but since the >ranger told me a bear had come into a nearby camp, I didn't care for >Trapper Creek site which was choked with willows. I felt better with >my back to the lake. Approaching the camp, I spied a bear on the >trail ahead coming my way. Once it came out of the shadows of a stand >of Lodgepole Pine, it showed the classic signs of a grizzly, short >rounded ears, hump, and the claws. With the sunlight angled just >right, I could see the slap of its front claws with each step. I had >overpacked and the entire three days I was out, I had rehearsed in my >mind the procedure for untangling myself from a huge backpack in a >hurry. As I reached down to start with the breast strap, it was not >there. The backpack lay in the middle of the trail, having already >been ejected. To this day, I do not remember lifting a hand to remove >it but there it lay. I began to side step off the trail with the bear >at about 100 yards and approaching, the wind was blowing left to >right off the lake. I shouted and the bear stopped dead and seemingly >look straight at me then turned his head in increments, scanning and >looking but seeing nothing. Within a moment, he began his ramble >again. I had already scoped out my tree and was half way to it. By >the time I reached it and go one foot on a low branch for just in >case, the bear reached the pack. He didn't even think about exploring >it, as soon as he caught a wiff, he bolted toward the lake and away >from me. Two hundred yards down the trail, he left the lake shore and >emerged on the trail again, standing and looking back directly at me >as I gathered my pack. Buried in the pack was my camera which I >retrieved and shot a incredibly overexposed black and white photo of >the bear as he moved off. Though all others can look at the picture >and see nothing but patches of white, black and varying shades of >grey, I can still the bear as plain as day. > >Keith >Idaho > >--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "WEST HOVLAND" >wrote: > > >>All this talk about what to do/not do in bear country has got me >> >> >curious. How many folks here have had encounters with bear while >camping and what was the outcome. I am talking about "your" >experiences, not a friend of friend or something you heard about on >the internet. Those kind of stories can sometimes lack credibility. > > >>Here's mine... 3 times I've had them in camp. I just about always >> >> >camp in the middle of nowhere so these were not the "Yogi type" bears >like you will find at your local K-Mart style campground (ie: >crowded, noisy and generally like camping in a K-Mart parking lot). >Two of the encounters were while I was sleeping, awoke to light >noises outside, made some noise myself and would then hear the bear >shitting himself and huffing ( they "Huff" when frightened or >bluffing) as he ran off. The third was at a remote camp along a creek >in the Wallowa mountains. I set up camp in the dark, retired to the >creek to eat some food. I heard some commotion near my bike but blew >it off as deer in the area. I finally got curious about the noise, >flashed my light toward the bike to find a black bear sitting on my >bike, rifling through my tank bag. > > >>So I take precautions but don't freak out about them. I have never >> >> >had a bad encounter with bears. It doesn't mean that I won't, but why >worry about it. Clean up your dishes, leave your food somewhere other >than in your tent and sleep peacefully. > > >>West >>(never been eaten by wild animals) >> >>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> > > > > >Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html >List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com >List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > > >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > >

Posted: **Thu Jul 07, 2005 9:44 pm**

I used to camp in Grizzly country in Montana. Take West's advise and keep a clean camp. Also, do not keep any toiletries in your tent; bears love toothpaste. I always hung a bearbag outside of camp.........through a rope over a branch and hoist up a bag. I also made a habit of pissing around, not on or in, the tent. Bears do not like human urine. Lastly, if you do all of these things and still have a problem, play dead......roll into a ball and hope for the best. --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "WEST HOVLAND" wrote:

> All this talk about what to do/not do in bear country has got me

curious. How many folks here have had encounters with bear while camping and what was the outcome. I am talking about "your" experiences, not a friend of friend or something you heard about on the internet. Those kind of stories can sometimes lack credibility.

> > Here's mine... 3 times I've had them in camp. I just about always

camp in the middle of nowhere so these were not the "Yogi type" bears like you will find at your local K-Mart style campground (ie: crowded, noisy and generally like camping in a K-Mart parking lot). Two of the encounters were while I was sleeping, awoke to light noises outside, made some noise myself and would then hear the bear shitting himself and huffing ( they "Huff" when frightened or bluffing) as he ran off. The third was at a remote camp along a creek in the Wallowa mountains. I set up camp in the dark, retired to the creek to eat some food. I heard some commotion near my bike but blew it off as deer in the area. I finally got curious about the noise, flashed my light toward the bike to find a black bear sitting on my bike, rifling through my tank bag.

> > So I take precautions but don't freak out about them. I have never

had a bad encounter with bears. It doesn't mean that I won't, but why worry about it. Clean up your dishes, leave your food somewhere other than in your tent and sleep peacefully.

> > West > (never been eaten by wild animals) > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Posted: **Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:36 am**

On Fri, 8 Jul 2005, tjtacke wrote:

> Lastly, if you do all of these things and still have a problem, play > dead......roll into a ball and hope for the best.

That is the proper thing to do for grizzlies, which are not intimidatable. However, for black bears, you want to shout and wave your hands and blow your whistle and bang your pots and otherwise seem as big and loud and intimidating as possible, while slowly trying to back out of the bear's path without seeming that you're running. Black bears, other than human-habituated ones, will generally decide to move on at that time. If you're not sure whether you're in grizzly country or not, check your local ranger station. Most of the lower 48 is grizzly-free, thanks to a massive kill campaign, with only a few in small pockets of Wyoming and Montana. So for most of us, playing dead is NOT the thing to do if we run into a bear. -E

Posted: **Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:53 am**

tjtacke wrote:

>keep a clean camp, do not keep any toiletries in your tent. >hang a bearbag outside of camp,.through a rope over a >branch and hoist up a bag. >piss around, not on or in, the tent. Bears >do not like human urine. > >Lastly, if you do all of these things and still have a problem, play >dead......roll into a ball and hope for the best. >

Also helps to soil yourself when you roll into a ball & play dead.... Like that would be a problem...

Back in the '80's, I was a river guide out West. Spent some time on the Rogue River in Oregon. Wild & Scenic section, saw bears on every trip. Summer of '86, had a small group, we camped on the upstream side of Tate Creek. Larger group from another company took the big campsite just below Tate Creek. Around midnight, awakend by Blood Curdling SCREAMS!!. Horrible sounding screams. One of their customers had liked the dutch oven Dessert Cobbler so much, he spirited a third helping back to his solo tent. Around this time, there was a big Black Bear sow that USFS Rangers had named Cinnamon for her coloring. She had two cubs that were about a year old or so... Anyway, Cinnamon ripped the top off the tent, grabbed the pack the guy had put the cobbler in, ripped it open, ate the cobbler. As I got near their camp, I saw Cinnamon wander over to the kitchen area, unscrew the lid off the Igloo 5gal. cooler, raise it over her head, upend it, drinking what she could of the lemonaide... Reminded me of the lyrics of Jimmy Buffet song, Buddy Bear. "Bear drinking sasprilla in the moonlight". No one was actually ever hurt, but the Rangers decided to relocate Cinnamon in '87, as she had completely lost all caution of being around people. She had learned how to open Rocket Boxes, most any other bear box, had punctured several rafts climbing into them to get to the coolers... In early spring a couple of poacher kille her & the two cubs before USFS got to relocate her... Later, Randy Jackson Spicewood, TX New owner of an '02 w/1,500 miles. That is about to change...

Posted: **Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:30 am**

>I also made a habit of pissing around, not on or in, the tent. Bears do not

like human urine.

Wilsons Sandbox

faded plastics

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?

bear country?