West Bear Attractors: Nightly Visits

[Dennis C]

Again - trying to remain civilized and not ruffle any feathers - I carry a .45 when I'm in the back country. It's legal, and it's my choice. I know that some people don't like this option, but I do like it.

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

Again - trying to remain civilized and not ruffle any feathers - I carry a .45 when I'm in the back country. It's legal, and it's my choice. I know that some people don't like this option, but I do like it.

******

Dennis... you are not a fool, like the Bear Petting Zoo crowd.

Most people have never lived in the forests in a sparse rural area, but expect 911 Service in an emergency. When their wife or child is being mauled by a Bear or Mountain Lion... then they will be asking for you to... help.

Those who have the Petting Zoo Theory... watch local television at the RV Park with bicycle patrol looking for thieves stealing their outside furniture and criticize common sense in the deep forest. Grizzly Adams is a movie star, it is not real.

A Montana resident in the deep forest... shotgun round in the air.

Next round... a 30:06...

[Photobum]

a bear story...
Fifty years ago I lived in Yosemite in Camp IV, in the rescue site. I was climbing, and back then there were several of us that lived in the rescue site, making ourselves available to the Park Service when there was a need for climbers to retrieve tourists or bodies as needed.
We had a group of three bears that rolled through the campground on a regular basis, and the last run was generally around five thirty in the evening. In the winter that is when it starts to get dark...
Adjacent to our site was the gas station and sometimes campers parked next to us. One time we ha a large Winnebago that took advantage of the parking and he decided to camp there. Well sort of...he started by throwing mats of astroturf out to create his own front lawn. He then turned on his generator and left it on until he turned off his television after midnight. It was not a quiet evening in our site and there was some discussion as to what we should do...
The next morning we made a run to the village grocery store and purchased a pound of bacon. Back in camp we cooked said bacon, and when our neighbor decided to go see the sights we laid the bacon and the grease on his rear axles.
After a long day of being a tourist our neighbor returned and once again fired up his generator.
At about five thirty in the evening our three bears sauntered through and smelled the bacon. They evinced some frustration as they tried to get under the Winnebago to get said bacon. Bears let few things stand in the way of a decent meal. This caused some vehicular movement, and our neighbor opened his door, and saw the bears trying to get under his vehicle. This apparently was contrary to his expectations and caused some consternation on his part. Generator was turned off and lights were out by six pm.
He left at first light the next morning....

[PB_NB]

Sounds like a “Herring in the HVAC” story!

It is good to see that Bacon is back on the top of the discussion

Bacon really is the answer to most questions in life!

[Boxite]

.45 is small.

.45-70 is better.

.30-06 is Best.

<<<< 45 mph also works.

[Dulie]

I have been reading these threads for a long time and you all crack me up!

So:

The camper was hot, the shade felt cooler...I swear, I was in the campsite the whole time! I'm not sure if it was before or after the belly-up-to-the-bar, but pictured ground squirrel started to harvest the cotton batting from our tablecloth for her nest. Closed the bar down for the sake of her children....

JD

[Ray Eklund]

Come and sit around the campfire... RATS are looking for a warm place to nest and have baby rats during the Cooler Months. Arizona in the Winter... is Rat Cooking Capital for us.

Pack Rat Arizona Story:

After Sunset it is getting cool, but your engine is warm. Snuggle up warm.

Try Quartzite or Tucson in February... to Fry a Rat on your Engine.

Those with LED lights strung around the Tow Vehicle and Trailer are not doing it for chic lighting, but for protection from Rats.

If you think burned hair smells... try Fried Rat. Even the nests get built in two days. They are hard workers. Unlike some campers who wonder why Hoods are left up at some popular RV Campsites in the Southwest.

Hint:

If you find acorns on your Engine... you are not 'nuts'. The Rats or Squirrel or Chipmunks are at work.

Squirrel Story from Colorado:

One of our Blue Heelers saw a Squirrel climb up and eventually under the hood of my NEW Tundra. The Heeler was anxious to get it, the Squirrel. In the process, tore off both front mud flaps in the process.

This was on a Sunny Day in Colorado at our home in the countryside. Squirrels will store acorns on the Air Cleaner cover... yes... they WILL.

The Squirrel did not Get Away. The Toyota mud flaps were expensive, so I bought two after market flaps.

When I opened the hood, the squirrel ran and our Blue Heeler was FASTER.

Nancy tried to grab the Squirrel Tail as it as going down the... Heeler Hatch. The tail hair pulled off and the rest went down into the Blue Heeler. He loved it...

Each day we looked at the exterior orifice of the Blue Heeler... nothing looking like squirrel. NO hair, bone or one tooth. This is a Missouri Sized Squirrel... not a chipmunk.

So if you want your Heeler to avoid your Mud Flaps... do not buy a new vehicle?

Camped in the Forest... Roasted Squirrel or Rat would attract YOUR Nose and a Bear's sensitive nose. A Big Bear may not be able to open the hood... but will do enough damage that you would have wished the stink would go away.

Avoid 'hiding' two dozen doughnuts at Jellystone Park overnight in your vehicle for safe storage. You will only find what is left of your vehicle... and some packaging.

That is IF I find them, first. Bears get second pickings.

[switz]

I think a 44 Magnum with hollow points would make a last ditch defense system. But practice before needed is a necessity as there is strong chance that acute fear might impact the accuracy of the efforts.

The thought is "dead" not just angry....

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by switz

I think a 44 Magnum with hollow points would make a last ditch defense system. But practice before needed is a necessity as there is strong chance that acute fear might impact the accuracy of the efforts.

The thought is "dead" not just angry....

Hi

At <= 30 yards, a 12 gauge with Brenneke slugs likely has some knock down power. The real question is: Will knock you down before the bear? Same basic issue with practice practice practice ....

Bob

[Ray Eklund]

In the Montana State Forest... in NW Montana (actually still exists) we were use to Bear. Not the National Forest... Montana National Forest. Look the same, but different. Lumber Mills and no tourists...

Glacial Park? Hell... it was glaciated everywhere for us.

Myself and brother were 5 and 6 years old in 1956. Obviously the evenings were cold... my mother explained. Even a sister showed up in 1955. Where did she come from?

My Mom was a War Bride and watched movies about Americans living in the City... imagine her surprise when Flathead Indians still camped along the Beaches at Somers, Montana. I do not want to repeat what she said when rolling into Somers, Montana in 1948.

My Dad told us... in plain English. Oh boy... did he have some explaining to do.

Swedish was the second language. All from Minnnnnnnesotaaaaa. Not Dutch. Not German, French or British. Sweeeeddish lumber jacks. Arm wrestled Bear and knew how to cut firewood for the Winter with their teeth.

When a Black/Brown Bear strolled over to the house during daylight hours... my Mom come out with that Pan and big chunk of lumber and the noise scared the hell out of both of us.

.... and A Bear can jump the length of a car when trying to get away from our Cabin.

She cooked Flathead Cherry Pies for the workers at the Lumber Mill. She had a board attached to one winder, where she would put a finished Cherry Pie to cool down. It firms up when cool... if you wonder why.

It attracted Forest Service, Lumber Mill and Olney, Montana homeowners... and an occasional Bear.

There is nothing scarier than a Dutch Woman with a metal pot and piece lumber. She sure remembered her 65% Flemish Dutch and 35% English...

Did not need a firearm. Bear is Greasy. The fur is great when tanned, but nobody around town wanted Bear to eat. Having vegetables under the Cabin needed a strong door. The Bear would be yanking on it at night... we pulled the covers over our heads... Not afraid. Just so we could sleep.

Oh... Today's modern Fisherman. They do not know what a BIG LAKE FISH look like, when it takes two people to pull a Lake Trout into the boat. Or Ice Fishing and the hole needs to be widened... I have photos of the catch... for Winter canning... the size of a small Grizzly Bear. I may post someday... but I do not want to blush. When fish were fish and... well, whatever.

No Costco's around Kalispell in those days. You hunted game and fished and stored vegetables. If not... you lost weight. No fat people in our family... even today.

[Ray Eklund]

I have two muzzle loading rifles. A 38 ball flint lock and a 45 ball cap rifles. The flint lock is a real hoot to fire. The cap and ball is more predictable... if you want to know. These are 'novelty' pieces. You need to prop yourself up to a large tree, so not to get knocked onto your buttocks. If you know what I mean.

Primarily for New Years Eve... with lots of Black Power and packed wadding. No LEAD. This is for Fire and Flame and BoooooM.

For Bear... they will jump out of their hide when that goes off.

Bear scavenge dead livestock, road kill and the iced cooler for fresh trout.

Only a Brain Dead City Slicker... which are many at Yellowstone as an example get attacked by a Bear. The bear leaves a nice camera, as well, just laying there for the pickings.

You injure a Grizz. You are Bear Chow. Make noise... like your wife screaming. Just do not RUN. That is like watching food on the grill being flipped over, before adding salt.

Most City Folk are not able to comprehend the Wild Life in a magazine. The photo may have been taken a half mile away from the animal. Lenses are wonderful. I get the Wyoming Wildlife magazine. Bear photos.... zzzzzzz. Boring.

This vacation season... be smart. If a Bear shows up, get behind a tree and let the bear go after those who need to lose some weight. Cameras will be tossed at the Bear. Find a good one for yourself. These people are not coming back for the camera... that week. Maybe next week.

Any advice you get from someone not from Canada.. is subject to be BS.

Any advice you read in a magazine... is probably mostly bad nouns and verbs. Bears is not plural. Whole lot of Bear, is more than one Bear.

Someone from Montana who has an Iron Skillet and a piece of Lumber next to the door.. knows what they are doing. Get your own.

Oh... Time to find something that needs to be fixed.... Not MY Airstream. Probably my Mom's Metal Pan and a new piece of lumber. Will practice it tonight... for my neighbors.

[John & Roberta]

The scene—3:00 in the morning at 8,300 feet in Colorado’s Summit County . . . 50 pounds of Newfoundland puppy crosses paths with prowling porcupine. I’m too spaced at the time to do much besides harboring a growing knot of resentment. Neighbors’ dog, not mine! Alas, neighbors away for weekend, so my problem by default.

I take a quick look outside in response to whining and knocking about on front porch, then back to bed—it can wait. Puppy will live through this, but damn and double damn!

Somewhere—Boy Scouts, perhaps—I’d heard one must “pop” a quill prior to pulling. Each quill is an inflated torpedo shape designed to auger deep into smitten flesh and hold with back-facing barbs. (Quills have been removed from brain matter!)

First light I find much chastened puppy hunkered down and ready for remedy.
I was surprised he didn’t bite my hand off when I scissored the first of a handful of quills protruding from nose and upper lip. The scissoring and extraction (with plyers) of quill tips progressed with virtually no remonstrance from puppy as whines and twitches gave way to full-body quivering. I was encouraged, and rewarded, by puppy’s acceptance of my ministrations.

Each quill’s withdrawal was accompanied with a little spurt of blood, like popping a blood blister. No big deal, really. And that was that, puppy back to normal after a dousing with water from his water bowl and a few minutes of dashing about, puppy-style.

(At the time of this porcupine action I was living in the “Frenchman’s Cabin,” so-called, Summit County’s oldest lived-in structure. The window sill beside the entry door, perhaps sap saturated, was a favorite porcupine gnawing site. A couple times in my summer stay, I had to invite an unwelcome guest to am-skray.)

[Ray Eklund]

John & Roberta are Dr. Pohl's. He pulls out lots of quills. Although... with wide pliers and no cutting the quills. The secret is the bowl of water to wash the blood and quills off and Dig In for more. Pulling three or better with one tug...that is expert.

Trimming the end is for goose feather writing pens...

Want to learn about wildlife? Wyoming Wildlife. Most States have their own.

No Grizz in the Badlands of South Dakota today... but in the 1840's, they were. Bear Cubs are born while the Sow is hibernating. That is what Nancy told me from a previous issue. ...and I was told it was a Stork dropped off my little sister. My Mom must had been hibernating?

No doubt, not all the time?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

In the Montana State Forest... in NW Montana (actually still exists) we were use to Bear. Not the National Forest... Montana National Forest. Look the same, but different. Lumber Mills and no tourists...

Glacial Park? Hell... it was glaciated everywhere for us.

Myself and brother were 5 and 6 years old in 1956. Obviously the evenings were cold... my mother explained. Even a sister showed up in 1955. Where did she come from?

My Mom was a War Bride and watched movies about Americans living in the City... imagine her surprise when Flathead Indians still camped along the Beaches at Somers, Montana. I do not want to repeat what she said when rolling into Somers, Montana in 1948.

My Dad told us... in plain English. Oh boy... did he have some explaining to do.

Swedish was the second language. All from Minnnnnnnesotaaaaa. Not Dutch. Not German, French or British. Sweeeeddish lumber jacks. Arm wrestled Bear and knew how to cut firewood for the Winter with their teeth.

When a Black/Brown Bear strolled over to the house during daylight hours... my Mom come out with that Pan and big chunk of lumber and the noise scared the hell out of both of us.

.... and A Bear can jump the length of a car when trying to get away from our Cabin.

She cooked Flathead Cherry Pies for the workers at the Lumber Mill. She had a board attached to one winder, where she would put a finished Cherry Pie to cool down. It firms up when cool... if you wonder why.

It attracted Forest Service, Lumber Mill and Olney, Montana homeowners... and an occasional Bear.

There is nothing scarier than a Dutch Woman with a metal pot and piece lumber. She sure remembered her 65% Flemish Dutch and 35% English...

Did not need a firearm. Bear is Greasy. The fur is great when tanned, but nobody around town wanted Bear to eat. Having vegetables under the Cabin needed a strong door. The Bear would be yanking on it at night... we pulled the covers over our heads... Not afraid. Just so we could sleep.

Oh... Today's modern Fisherman. They do not know what a BIG LAKE FISH look like, when it takes two people to pull a Lake Trout into the boat. Or Ice Fishing and the hole needs to be widened... I have photos of the catch... for Winter canning... the size of a small Grizzly Bear. I may post someday... but I do not want to blush. When fish were fish and... well, whatever.

No Costco's around Kalispell in those days. You hunted game and fished and stored vegetables. If not... you lost weight. No fat people in our family... even today.

Hi

In roughly the same era, we (parents / grand parents / kids) were out tenting in Yellowstone. Kids are coming back from the trash ( not exactly bear proof in that era ....) and parents are "encouraging" us to speed up a bit. Mama bear and her family happened to be strolling along behind us. Learned that bashing a couple of garbage can lids together is a pretty good way to re-route a strolling bear ..... who knew .... ( now I do ). Again this is from an era that used garbage cans in bear country.

Bob

[Ray Eklund]

Bob:

Because of Sound Ordnances in ALL western towns and cities... you can only use Plastic Trash Can Lids.

Maybe a Pie Tin and a spoon?

Use that option to get some good Cherry Pie... to make it sound better after you eat it all.

Option whatever #: Buy a Las Vegas tee shirt. Find an abandoned five gallon bucket, drill a hole in the center, add a thick shoe lace, wet the lace, pinch between thumb and finer... AN INSTANT GROWLER.

If you cannot attract Bear with your cooking, as bad as it may be... this will bring Papa Grizzly to you. Better yet, find the old post about the Growler.

If you want chipmunks, tin can from Pork and Beans. Smaller shoe lace. If you do not wash it out... expect something bigger.

If you are hard of hearing... whatever comes... can hear and you had better have good eyesight. Unless your company is a Neanderthal.. as they are fuzzy. Really...

Ask RatTail... he will squeal on you. Ha ha.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Bob:

Because of Sound Ordnances in ALL western towns and cities... you can only use Plastic Trash Can Lids.

Maybe a Pie Tin and a spoon?

Use that option to get some good Cherry Pie... to make it sound better after you eat it all.

Option whatever #: Buy a Las Vegas tee shirt. Find an abandoned five gallon bucket, drill a hole in the center, add a thick shoe lace, wet the lace, pinch between thumb and finer... AN INSTANT GROWLER.

If you cannot attract Bear with your cooking, as bad as it may be... this will bring Papa Grizzly to you. Better yet, find the old post about the Growler.

If you want chipmunks, tin can from Pork and Beans. Smaller shoe lace. If you do not wash it out... expect something bigger.

If you are hard of hearing... whatever comes... can hear and you had better have good eyesight. Unless your company is a Neanderthal.. as they are fuzzy. Really...

Ask RatTail... he will squeal on you. Ha ha.

Hi

As I said, this info is from .... errrr .... 60+ years ago. Times change. Finding a handy steel garbage can lid (let alone two) would be difficult even here in PA these days. They *do* make a lot more noise than those cute little "bear bells" you bought at that cute little store. They don't make anywhere near as much noise as a 12 gauge

Bob

[zapper]

Years ago, the wife and I went back packing east of Yosemite Valley in the wilderness area known as Hetch Hetchy for two weeks. Not sure if you can still do this today. But when we hiked out, kind of grubby and badly needing a bath we rented a Yosemite cabin for a couple of nights. As it became dusk the first night, we could hear metal banging and voices behind the cabin. Curious we silently opened our cabin door, walked out on the deck and peeked behind the cabin where the noise was coming from. To my surprise there was a black bear (looked brown to me) halfway inside a metal garbage can having the time of his life snarfing down a meal. (Those were the days before bearproof boxes). Then I looked up and saw a tourist standing not 5 feet in front of the bear with a brownie disposable camera saying, "hey bear". The hackles on the back of my neck stood up. The guy took a flash picture, and the bear immediately came out of the can and looked up and I thought "Oh S**t" this guy is going to get ralphed. But no, the guy takes a step forward and "snap" another flash. The bear wheels around in panic and runs, yep, right towards us. It was like Laural and Hardy when we both tried to get though the cabin door at the same time.

I found out later this was nightly entertainment for the park staff. This was the last time we have gone to Yosemite. I hate the sight of blood, particularly my own.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

While all bears are related and all can do a number on you, your RV or your dog .... black bears generally aren't something I'd get real worried about. They wander through the neighborhood here on a semi-regular basis part of the year. I don't know of anybody being bothered by them. Folks do freak out more than a bit, but they do that for a lot of things.

A brown bear (regardless of whether you call it a grizzly or not ...) that is in the "half ton" vicinity, *that* I'd worry about .... a lot ....

One would assume that a Neanderthal that stayed around long enough to tell tales, likely was quite aware of the differences between this bear and that bear.

Bob

[Ray Eklund]

(Bob is right. Bear have personalities. You would recognize the 'regular visitor' and a new bear coming through. They all look different when you get to know them better.)

I do not recall ever having a Bear shot in our small colony of Swedes that migrated into the area in the 1890's and settled in for the Lumbering work. Never... but I was young at the time. Still need things to do until camping season returns.
******

People who lived in the forests, before Human Beans had Oil Barrels outside the cabin, home, lean to, whatever shelter that was available and affordable at the time. My experience was up to age of 7, maybe 8.

The Flathead Indians would 'summer' along the Flathead Lake. My Dad traded peanuts in shell for items the Indians made in the 1920's. Moccasins were popular. I wish they kept some.

Trash was not picked up one or two days of the week. Never heard of a Dump Truck, recycles or trash cans with wheels. People loaded up large items in a pickup or car and took it to the... local DUMP.

Recycles... what? Soda bottle deposit were 2 or 3 cents for 10-12 ounce and the large bottles were 5 cent deposits. Soda was not on our list of necessary groceries. Teeth were important when no Dentist had an office in the area.

The heavy 'oil barrel' with or without a lid was standard. When you had trash, it was dumped into this 55 gallon barrel. It was then... SET ON FIRE AND BURNED, often.

Why? Because of Bear coming to eat trash if you did not. People today have left the City and moved to the... 'Bush' to get away from it all. They bring bad habits. They think this is a petting zoo. Porcupine eating your wooden log home. Bear wanting to get into the garage for Dog Food.

Chaos of City and Country living clashing.

When the burnt contents were getting too high, a hole was dug and this was put into it and buried. It took a long time for it to burn down to that. Glass and metal and 'junk' was taken to the Town Dump. If you wanted to shoot rats... this was the place. Bear would come and browse when town folk tossed food scraps.

The Local Cabin Residents, would regularly set fire to the dump. This was the Somers, Montana dump. The last time we were in Somers, we drove to the dump. Homes were being built in the area. The dump seemed small now. When a kid... it was a great place to find... stuff. Today... called a Garage Sale.

I recall my mother seeing a load of someone's ESTATE being hauled to the dump. Furniture and other possibly useful items. We had sheds. You did what you needed to do in those days. This was Survival in nowhere. No store for one or two chairs... kind of time. Kalispell was... considered far away.

We have all been Urbanized and lost that living on the edge of a Frontier. This is why we go Off the Grid with our Airstream. Not to dress up and wear a beret and socialize for a week. It is the experience we have lost and losing more every year as even the National Forests are limiting access.

Many call it 'attitude'. It is a clash of civilizations. If I wanted to listen to generators and bright lights at night... brothels come to mind. Sometimes you draw a line and my skull is thick and you have to retreat sometimes. I did that on another Boondocking Thread as it just is no longer a positive experience.

I do not mind being the Dog Catcher... elect. I like dogs.

A lecture? Nope. Reality. Times change.

[Dennis C]

We've got a cinnamon colored black bear living close to my home. We see her every spring with her new cub and usually with the cub from the previous year. If you didn't know much about bears, you might easily mistake her for a small brown bear.

The Grizzly Bear was officially ruled to be extinct in Colorado in 1953. Interestingly, an elk bow-hunter was seriously mauled by a Grizzly Bear in Colorado in 1979. The hunter managed to mortally wound the bear during the mauling, and the bear's skeleton and hide are on display in a local museum. It's confirmed that a Grizzly existed in a state that ruled them extinct 26 years earlier. Every year hunters and hikers report Grizzly sightings in the state, but the bears are still considered extinct in the state.

Last year, Colorado residents voted to reintroduce Gray Wolves into the state after they were ruled extinct in the 1940s. The rural community largely voted against this measure, and the citizens of the highly populated Boulder and Denver areas (many of whom will never spend time in the wilderness) largely voted in favor of it. There was news coverage when the first litter of wolf pups was born in Colorado, and the local television stations proclaimed the great success of wolf re-introduction. In the last few weeks, there have been reports of Colorado livestock being killed by wolves. Many people are shocked. Why would a wolf pack go after innocent cattle instead of deer or elk? Why would a cattle or sheep rancher feel compelled to shoot a gorgeous, majestic wolf? Much hand-wringing has taken place.

I don't bring this up to make a political statement, but rather to point out that despite our best efforts to control nature and wildlife, and tailor their lives to fit our desires, we fail. Wildlife is just that... wild. Nature will do what nature does.

I think people camping in the wilderness need to respect nature, and be prepared for the unexpected. The things you read in a book or a brochure aren't always the things that you encounter in the wild.