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cclarkego · 02-08-2010, 04:36 PM

Just so you know, I am OK, the trailer is safe, I came home today and the police came, they said they could arrest me for a felony, oh boy, I did not know the power and gas being shut off was a problem, apparently it is, I did not get arrested, YET

cclarkego

cclarkego · 02-14-2010, 01:58 PM

We are still at Camp Comfort, so far no bear sightings, but I hope my little cat comes back soon, or I think she will be another bear's lunch...

cclarkego

cclarkego · 10-14-2010, 06:13 PM

I am CURSED by bears! Today I went over to visit my trailer in it's new spot at the RV park here in Ojai. My nice little space, WAY IN THE BACK, in the corner of the park. I was just there the other day, watering the lawn and flowers, cursing the frig for quitting, making snappy little comments to the oven for not working right. I should have kept my mouth shut! I brought a new sewer hose today to replace the old one and when I walked to the back of the trailer, I stopped dead in my tracks. There in the damp dirt were bear tracks. My heart almost quit, I dropped the sewer hose and just like in the movies, I was frozen in space, like when a train is bearing down on you and you are trapped on the tracks. I listened very carefully for any noise in the bushes. I ever so slowly peeked around the trailer. Nothing. I walked around the trailer three times scouting all the ground. The tracks come from up the hill beside me leading to a big ranch and then go up again that direction. I trot quickly over to my neighbor's trailer and make hasty introductions. Has anyone seen a bear here before. Nope....
It can't be the same bear that tried to climb in my trailer from the beginning of this story, the tracks are smaller. I totally can't believe a bear has found me again. I went straight back to my house, had a glass of wine and wondered why the Gods are doing this to me..........

Carol

redstart · 10-14-2010, 06:17 PM

maybe it was THIS bear visiting you this time:

Lumatic · 10-14-2010, 07:20 PM

I never had a bear in my trailer, but while tent camping in the Adirondacks had a bear sit on my tent.

cclarkego · 10-15-2010, 09:54 AM

I am going back to the RV park today to meet the repairman armed with my bear spray.
Does anyone think a motion light would scare a bear?

Carol

Gene · 10-15-2010, 10:07 AM

First of all Carol, it's best to call him Mr. Bear or Ms. Bear (I doubt you will inspect to check which). I doubt a light will help, bear spray can. The problem is if you want to be near trees, water, other wildlife, berries, and other bear food, there will be bears. Sometimes you see them, sometimes you don't.

I don't blame you for being scared as when I have been close to bears my pulse increases quite a bit. I restrict the encounters to when there are other people around to eat or the bear is quite contently feeding on vegetation, but I've never had the encounters you've had, so who am I to talk? You don't always have a choice about encounters of course. That's when it's hard to remember very few people are ever attacked, it's more dangerous to drive a car or cross the street.

I do have a friend who really did attract bears while wilderness camping and was tracked by one in the Boundary Waters. He's almost as big as a smaller black bear which may have helped. He acted so crazy he probably scared the bear who had developed an affection to his shampoo as well as the food carelessly stowed. I was always nervous about going camping with him.

We see bear scat on our property but have never seen one here, but sometimes a few miles away near a creek.

I'm sure you'll be ok.

Gene

OB Bambi · 10-15-2010, 10:40 AM

Mid morning in Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley last month, the dogs started barking. I thought "what the heck is wrong with them?" I looked over about 50 feet away and saw this guy. I spoke with the campground host later that day and he said, "oh yeah, that's Orange 85." What? "Yeah he's been here before and they tagged him with a orange radio collar."

Randy Bowman

Ag&Au · 10-15-2010, 11:04 AM

I was camping in a State Park in Idaho a few years ago. I had the sewer hose running to one of the big blue totes. I came back to the trailer to find that a bear had bitten the sewer hose, crushing the coil spring , and leaving several large tooth holes in the hose.

The bear was later chased from the campground by a ranger with a bean bag gun.

Ken

VIKING · 10-15-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cclarkego

I am going back to the RV park today to meet the repairman armed with my bear spray.
Does anyone think a motion light would scare a bear?

Carol

How about a light mounted on a RIFLE SCOPE!

Personally, I don't want to scare a bear and see how it reacts, but I wouldn't mind having a bear rug

Rich the Viking

Ag&Au · 10-15-2010, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VIKING

How about a light mounted on a RIFLE SCOPE!

Personally, I don't want to scare a bear and see how it reacts, but I wouldn't mind having a bear rug

Rich the Viking

I wonder if they'd let you keep it for your jail cell.

Regards,

Ken

cclarkego · 10-15-2010, 01:58 PM

Dear Viking,

How far is Boulder Creek from Ojai? How about you just bring a knock out dart gun and take him away. I didn't see a thing.........

Carol

Nuvite-F · 10-15-2010, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w7ts

I wonder if they'd let you keep it for your jail cell.

I'm pretty sure justifiable homicide criteria trump the game laws. . .

Ag&Au · 10-15-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuvite-F

I'm pretty sure justifiable homicide criteria trump the game laws. . .

Homicide only applies to people, I think you need to look up Bearicide.

cclarkego · 10-15-2010, 05:44 PM

Now every time I go over there and hear a noise in the brush, it's that knee jerk, doe in the headlight reaction from me. I swear my heart skips a beat. I know bears live in the woods. I never used to be afraid of bears before, well, a little. But ever since that really aggressive bear put his head and legs in the trailer at the beginning of this story, I am terrified of them. If I carried a gun, I think I'd turn it on myself first instead of the bear just to make the fear disappear. I can't move though, the park is perfect, the price is perfect. Seriously, aren't there any bear deterrents out there besides the pee around the trailer trick?

Bearified,
Carol

VIKING · 10-15-2010, 09:19 PM

Margo Supplies Ltd - Bear Deterrent Menu

Bear Deterrents | www.bearsmart.com

Carol, It's 313 miles each way. I could do it in about 5 hours if I take my Mini Cooper

But I think you can take on this one yourself, with a little bear deterrent. Maybe a bottle of cougar urine

or an airhorn on a can.

I have heard that food is the real issue 99% of the time. I would check out the area and see what the draw is. Maybe a dumpster or something is accessible to the big guy and he's just doing what he knows how to do. Chances are there have been other sightings in the area if he's been around for any length of time. If so, you can take this to the police and spca and I bet you would get some interest in moving him away if you are in a well-inhabited place.
Bears are big and scary. I wouldn't want to run into one in my Airstream, but you did and live to tell about it. I think that makes you very special, and obviously the bear does too, for him to follow you all the way to your new digs!

How is the appliance situation? Did you "pick a winner" in the RV appliance repairman lottery?
Whoops! off topic. Answer in the other thread.

Best to you,
Rich the Viking

cclarkego · 10-19-2010, 01:23 PM

Thanks for all the info on bear deterrents, what a supply Margo has! It would be my luck to let the dogs out for a pee at night and set off the trip wire, all the alarms blasting through the RV park...

Don't tell anyone but I actually made my own little contribution behind the trailer last night to see if that works. I smoothed over all the old bear tracks first so I could see if any new ones show up.

Carol