Black Bear Story--off topic

[Robert Goodale]

Obviously way off topic but fine with me.  It's nice to have a break from
wippens and keys on the list from time to time...

Interesting story.  I like to go backpacking in the California high Sierra.
I went on a 12,000' excursion just this last November.  These bears have
gotten to be a real problem during the last decade or so.  Generally they
are non aggressive toward humans, in fact they could care less about you.
What they are after is human food which is much easier than hunting for wild
berries, nuts, grubs, and other staples of their natural diet.  The problem
is that too many uninformed people tend to feed the bears thinking they are
"cute".  We have all seen the pictures of bears begging at the windows of
cars at Yellowstone.  Bad Idea.  The problem is that these bears are
becoming domesticated and no longer fear humans.  They are getting brave and
won't hesitate to tear your camp sight apart looking your your num nums.
Once they get started there isn't much you can do but sit and watch.  If you
catch them BEFORE they get started, however, you can often chase them off
throwing rocks and banging pots together along with some yelling.  There are
some isolated cases of humans being injured by these bears but typically it
is because someone did something like trying to get the food away from the
bear.  The best solution is to keep ALL food stored in air tight containers
so that the bears can not smell it. Bears can smell food from miles away.

The U.S. Forest Service has had to take some drastic measures to protect
both humans and bears.  You can now be fined heavily if caught feeding
bears, counter acting the measures that are now being taken to
undomesticated them.  "Bear Canisters" are now highly recommended for back
country packing, (special containers for storing your food which bears are
unable to open).  In some areas they ae now required, the mount Whitney zone
for example.  The second best solution is to sling your food high in a
tree.  Even this is not always effective, however, as they are very smart
and have learned how to defeat this.  Sometimes they will even work together
in pairs.  Unfortunately if bears become hopelessly too domesticated and
destructive the U.S. Forest Service is forced to kill them.  I have heard
many "bear stories" and few are hoaxes.  Final word: DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!!

Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV





Michael Jorgensen wrote:

> Hello,
>         The neat thing about tuning is meeting people, their pets,
> seeing their homes, and sometimes their stories.   Mrs. Yuill lived
> adjacent to dense forests near Negaunee, Michigan.   As I commented on
> her two big golden retrievers, she told me this story:
>             She had taken them in the pickup down the old logging trail
> behind her house.   As she was berry picking, the dogs went into the
> woods.  A short time later they came barreling out again with a black
> bear right behind them.  Mrs.Yuill ran for the truck.  So did the dogs.
> The dogs passed Mrs. Yuill leaving her with the bear right behind.  She
> stumbled and fell as the bear rushed up and stopped right over her.  She
> rolled onto her face and lay still while hearing it breath and sniff for
> "what seemed like eternity". The dogs stayed at the truck, whimpering,
> but offering no help.  The bear periodically moved away a bit, but if
> she moved, it would rush right back.  Eventually the bear left and she
> made it unharmed to the truck. She never takes dogs in the woods
> anymore.
>        It has been fourteen years since I tuned in Michigans Upper
> Peninsula but that story is the most memorable of my tuning career.
> -Mike Jorgensen RPT