Bears??

[redneckbronco]

Dont know if this is the right spot but,,,, Me and the Wife are planning on going out for a cple days and nites on the trail, and Im wondrin if anybodys ever had any problems with bears out here? And what you use for bear defense? I own a .22 but dont think itll do anything other than piss it off if I did have to use it. Has anyone used Bear Mace? does it work? should I even be worried about it? Weve been up AF canyon alot and never had a problem but then theres a ton of people around. This time were wantin to get out further away from the crowds. Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanx.

 

[Caleb]

It seems every year there's a bear attack or two around the Wasatch front. Bear Mace is your best bet. Most guns will just piss the bear off unless you get the perfect shot...a .22 wouldn't do anything to a bear. The chances of having a problem are very slim (I've been camping in the mountains of Utah for the last 30 years and have only seen one bear) but just follow the basic guidelines, keep your food and garbage put away and you'll give the bears no reason to come around.

 

[rholbrook]

Heres the skinny, shoot a bear and your in trouble unless you have a tag for it. Bear Spray is the only thing that will send them away. A gun shot will generally not scare them off. In Yellowstone, you can carry a gun but you can't fire it in the park, seems silly to me. The Rangers tell you to take mace if your camping in the park. We have an annual fishing trip where we have to hike in. This year it was only 4 miles. Never saw a bear but we have in the past. Saw wolves one year take down a baby elk but we were in about 9 miles. We all carry 40s but know we really can't use it on anything so we have the bear spray handy as well.

Keep your food out of your camp and for sure not in your tent, trailer or camper. Hang it in a high in a tree away from where you are camping. I don't know that I would keep it locked in your truck either. Don't give them any reason to come into camp.

 

[lewis]

We were up AF this year and someone stopped by our camp to tell us that he had chased a bear in our direction. We never saw it however I keep 00 buck with 9 shots in my 12 gauge. Pretty sure that would do it. Oh and my wife's uncle killed one in self defense not too long ago and reported it and got stuck with a $1500 or so fine.

 

[redneckbronco]

Thanks guys guess ill go buy some good rope and some bear mace. When i was a kid we lived out in the country and one nite the neighbors (father and son) shot a bear with a .22, we heard probly 9-10 shots popped off, boy was that bear pissed!! We could hear it stompin through our horse pasture and growling and snortin all nite. My mom called fish and game and they came out with a tracker and dogs, had it treed in less the 15 mins. They shot it out of the tree gutted it and skinned it. At the time they used to feed fresh road kill and animals killed by trackers like that to the inmates in the local prison, so thats were that bear went to. Got pics somewhere of my grandpa holdin the bear head up after they shot it. Dumb neighbors.

 

[pfinder]

i have never seen a bear while camping.. i have been everywhere

 

[Spork]

You're not real clear on where you're going, but generally if you keep your food and garbage away from you and secure you'll be fine.

If you're heading up to Yellowstone or that area, I think the Bear threats are overblown. I worked up in the Tetons for a summer and the bears I did see were always in the same areas. Any bears anywhere close to camp spots were relocated or removed. I worked in a restaurant and all the dumpsters were bear-proofed, I think it would be easier for them to walk in the back door than get into the dumpster.

 

[rholbrook]

Thanks guys guess ill go buy some good rope and some bear mace. When i was a kid we lived out in the country and one nite the neighbors (father and son) shot a bear with a .22, we heard probly 9-10 shots popped off, boy was that bear pissed!! We could hear it stompin through our horse pasture and growling and snortin all nite. My mom called fish and game and they came out with a tracker and dogs, had it treed in less the 15 mins. They shot it out of the tree gutted it and skinned it. At the time they used to feed fresh road kill and animals killed by trackers like that to the inmates in the local prison, so thats were that bear went to. Got pics somewhere of my grandpa holdin the bear head up after they shot it. Dumb neighbors.

Yuck, bear is stinky and greasy to cook. Tastes like chicken Actually, not chicken but nothing I would recommend.

 

[Cody]

I've been camping all over the mountain west and have never even seen a bear. Just use common sense. If you're in bear country use common sense. Don't keep food where you sleep, don't sleep in clothes you cooked in, lock food up or hang it, don't wear a bacon-kini.

 

[SmokinCamel]

Here is a link to one that decided it likes banana bread

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=12010214&hl=7

 

[redneckbronco]

Bacon-kini???? MMMMMMM

Not sure were well end up but it will be here local somewhere. Id like to be somewhere that I can take the tent trailor and be near water but not ppl, just want to get away from the hustle and bustle. Would sorta like to go up AF canyon past the narrows but not sure about gettin the tent trailor up there. Any one got any suggestions for good quiet places near the water? and not to far away? to far being like 100miles or more.

 

[Cody]

100 miles, trailer accessible, by water, away from people? Ha ha, good luck with that one.

Well, weekdays you could pull it off. Weekend, no dice

 

[pfinder]

yeah just keep your camp clean, never leave out food and they bears wont bother you

 

[RockMonkey]

We saw three bears this summer. Two in Yellowstone and one right in our campground in Glacier. Also, a camper was killed by a bear near West Yellowstone (outside the park, I think) just a month or so ago. The research is pretty conclusive, bear spray is your best defense if you're attacked.

 

[jackjoh]

Pepper spray, make noise on the trail, food and garbage hung from trees away from camp (they will break into a locked cooler,car or trailer.).

 

[4x4_Welder]

This is great for keeping your food:
http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/product/new-medical-field-chest-6-3573.cfm They do have vent holes drilled in them, you can patch those with some RTV.

 

[TonyM]

Reading through this thread... I can't help but chuckle to myself. You guys are trying to keep the bears away? You should see what we go through to try and do the exact opposite....lol

One thing I've learned, is that bears (Other large game as well) typically have this 6th sense that detects when someone is around that can and will kill them, or not. It seems like those who are prepared for an encounter, never encounter. While those who are not prepared, get eaten/mauled... it is very strange.

Also, the bear spray thing... be mindful of which way the wind is blowing if you have to discharge it... its a good way to disable yourself as well, or those around you.

I carry a 454 Casull with 450gr Cast bullets on my hip, EVERYWHERE while in the woods up here. If I'm taking a crap in the woods, it sits in my lap. Bear protection (Up here anyways) is not something you leave to a deterrent like pepper spray. If you do have to rely on it... be sure you can get to it QUICKLY, because bears don't wonder up on you if they are after you, they just appear, and they are usually FEET away...

Here is a good standard to prepare yourself if you honestly want to be able to survive an encounter. Although, it appears this was a bluff charge, take into consideration how long the guide had to discharge his weapon.... if it wasn't already out of the holster, and if it wasn't a bluff charge, he would have been hit. Some of you may have already seen this... but you cannot see it enough times IMO. I consider myself to be quite savvy in this regard... but I honetly do not know if I would have been able to pull this off, and have it end up as well as it did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbnmLLnsfw

 

[SmokinCamel]

Wow...

 

[Rot Box]

Ahh bears... I have seen a lot of Black and Brown bears in the wild in WY and MT, but I never really worried about them until recently. There have been a couple times in the last few years where I'm been a little closer than I would like to have been.

I was camped outside of Cooke City in Soda Butte five days prior to the bear attack this year that killed one person and injured two more I don't know if you guys saw that on the news or not... Two years ago a few miles away from that same spot a man was pulled by his head out of his tent by a Grizzly in the middle of the night and life flighted to Cody with serious injuries. I was just over a hill from where he was camped and the next morning I was very surprised I didn't hear the screaming that some of the locals were talking about--I was literally right there. I still have a used can of mace a friend of mine sent me from AK as a souvenir a few years back. He called me a few days afterwords and I could barely understand him because his voice was so faint from screaming at the top of his lungs. He was actually thrown to the ground--very lucky to be alive good times.

I camp in some of the more populated bear country in the lower 48 a least twice a year for just over a week at a time. Last year I saw a Brown Bear pass by my camp from about 200 yards out, but so far I have been lucky to not have had any serious run-ins or close calls. Bear attacks are VERY rare, I am a little on the overcautious side, but imo all bears should be taken very seriously. They are not super common here and most people in Utah could easily go their whole life without seeing one. That said I would have no less than an unexpired can of bear mace on me at all times and use proper food storage if you are in an area that is even slightly questionable. Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it

 

[RockMonkey]

Interesting read here:
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF12/1245.html