What to do with bears

R

RenegadeRows

Joined
May 21, 2007
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The ones that are smarter than the average bear ...

I'm going camping in NH which has black bears... interested in what to do in case a bear wants my picnic basket.

Run ? Scream and yell ? Put up my dukes ? Play possum ?
 
bear spray is best, but if not, act big, spread your jacket or raise your pack above your head; there are lots of stories of people fighting off bears with their pocket knife, but that would be horrible.I think that if you play dead- expect what the bear does to carcasses. Make noise, sing a song or two, and have fun camping!
 
Open fire. Preferably with a 12 ga. and heavy slugs.

Generally speaking, black bears are shy and don't mess with people much. Make a lot of noise so the bears know you are there. Keep all of your food in sealed containers and in your car. The same goes for your trash. You should be fine.

If a bear comes at you seriously and you don't have a gun, there are multiple theories as to the best solution for dealing with them. No matter which theory is posted, several people will doubtlessly chime in with opposing viewpoints. Bury an axe in the bear's skull, then eat its heart. Your buddies will be impressed!
 
Keith_H said:
bear spray is best, but if not, act big, spread your jacket or raise your pack above your head; there are lots of stories of people fighting off bears with their pocket knife, but that would be horrible.I think that if you play dead- expect what the bear does to carcasses. Make noise, sing a song or two, and have fun camping!
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HeHe, Fighting off a bear with my kabar ... now that would be a story to tell the grandkids :)
 
RenegadeRows said:
The ones that are smarter than the average bear ...

I'm going camping in NH which has black bears... interested in what to do in case a bear wants my picnic basket.

Run ? Scream and yell ? Put up my dukes ? Play possum ?
Click to expand...

You'll be fine. Keep your coolers and your food out of reach. Keep them in the truck/camper or tie them up in a tree out of reach. Black bears can climb well, so tie it out on a slim branch that will support the weight of our food/cooler but not the bear. Burn trash if you can have a fire. It is unlikely a black bear will enter your camp while you're there. If one does, be ready to use your knife to cut your own throat to save him the hassle;):D
 
moonwilson said:
Open fire. Preferably with a 12 ga. and heavy slugs.

Generally speaking, black bears are shy and don't mess with people much. Make a lot of noise so the bears know you are there. Keep all of your food in sealed containers and in your car. The same goes for your trash. You should be fine.

If a bear comes at you seriously and you don't have a gun, there are multiple theories as to the best solution for dealing with them. No matter which theory is posted, several people will doubtlessly chime in with opposing viewpoints. Bury an axe in the bear's skull, then eat its heart. Your buddies will be impressed!
Click to expand...

Bwahahaha. Great post, thank you.
Like this guy? http://stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_stupid/Bear_Fight/
 
Make as much noise as possible, make your self big and intimidating, and that should usually work. Don't run or climb a tree because black bears can do both better and faster than you
 
Has anyone reading this had problems with bears? All I have ever encountered have took off when they realized I was there.
 
I have had serious problems twice, once in Cades Cove Tennessee and another time camping in the mountains of western NC. The bear in TN ran us away from our picnic table and proceeded to eat our food, when I yelled at it and threw rocks it bristled chuffed and made several false charges at me. When I complained to a ranger she told me I was the visitor that the bear lived there, a week later a young girl was attacked and required a lot of stitches.

The second time I was camping on Snow Bird creek in Graham County NC and a bear raided our camp while me and my best friend were sleeping. I had no idea I was this sound of a sleeper, the noise of the river might have helped, but he drug our cooler into the woods and ate everything in it including all the fish we had caught. There were muddy bear prints on almost everything in camp. The next day we saw a bear with a blue tag in one ear and a red in the other which I believe was the bear that raided us, we threw rocks at it and ran it off. Probably a park bear that was causing problems, relocated to the wilderness so that he can cause more problems. I believe that bears should be shot when they stop fearing people and start thinking of them as a free meal, there are plenty of bears in the wild and this will not hurt the population but might save someone getting hurt and a lot of money in damages to property.

A good friend of mines jeep was literally destroyed by a bear in Copper Canyon AZ IIRC, because he left food in it. The damage to the Jeep including the body was unbelievable. Chris
 
Never had a Black Bear come into camp in daylight. LOTS came into camp at night in the Sierra Nevada and Rockies. Food -- and anything with a strong scent (toothpaste) -- went in "bear bags" up a tree --beyond reach from ground or main trunk.

Two bags (containers) at each end of a rope to balance each other over a limb (Sometimes "bear cables" are provided.) prevents the REALLY smart bears from untying/chewing through a tied off rope. (Some have learned that goodies are at the end of a rope tied to a tree.) Using such a setup requires a way to reach the balanced bags. A hook on the end of a walking stick is good.

Around here, bears are mostly in areas where bear hunting is allowed, so they stay away. Other critters are the problem.

Storage in a vehicle in areas where bears are a really big problem can result in damage to the vehicle. Claws trying to open a door can be hard on the paintwork. I tried to explain this to a guy with a Olds convertable once upon a time, but he wouldn't listen. After entering through the cloth top, ripping out the back seat to get at the trunk space, tearing open the cooler and eating the contents (Mmmmm. Bacon!), Mr. Bear peed all over the white leather. This was after fifteen minutes of trying to just pop the trunk.
 
I have had the same account, the bear saw me, after coming kind of close to check me and my fellow hiker out. I stopped about 35' away and turned tail, BUT a black bear can attack, its just not something you need to be overly worried about. If you are attacked, and you don't have a gun, you have no choice but to fight...playing dead on a black bear doesn't work, sooner or later, its bites will kill you, and even if you survive, you would probubly be missing some fingers and your scalp...I wouldn't like to loose either. I'm not hyping any sort of risk, just stating what I understand to be the only way to deal with a charge...stand your ground, and try to look scary..fight like hell.
If you make some noise while hiking, as in talking or slapping your walking stick against a tree evey once in a while, you should have no problem.
Gene
 
I encounter black bears pretty much every single time I go anywhere in North GA or TN. Keep your food in a bear container because they are crazy smart and can get something down that you tie up in a tree. Like Thomas said, they will usually bother you at night. By then, you are usually done eating and can get everything in a bear container away from your camp. Don't give them any reason to approach you, including deodorant, toothpaste, etc. Keep all of it in a bear container. I have a post about an encounter with one around here somewhere...
 
I saw video of a bear opening a car door , no big deal but rough on the car !! Food storage [in a bear proof box] ,cooking and eating should be 50 yds from your camp . Make SURE your kids understand NO food in tents !!
 
RenegadeRows said:
The ones that are smarter than the average bear ...

I'm going camping in NH which has black bears... interested in what to do in case a bear wants my picnic basket.

Run ? Scream and yell ? Put up my dukes ? Play possum ?
Click to expand...


DUDE..Calls him and tell your feeling.... yourself :thumbup:LOL
 
A nice warm rug, a pretty bearclaw necklace, a bunch of rendered bear grease, some bear meat, and a heck of a story to tell.

Now the real question is whether I want my Cara Cara, my Clipper, my Kabar, or my Marine Raider Bowie? Decisions, decisions:D:D:D

That is IF we are excluding powder based tools, if they are in play, I would take my trusty 30/30 with some 170 flatnoses, and my faithful G23 stoked with 180FMJ's (no HP's for his furry tail, he needs all the penetration that little .40 has to get to his holler)

And if it was a face to face situation I could always blind him by smearing crap in his eyes. Where do I get the crap you ask?? Trust me, up close and personal with a PO'd blackie and I would have plenty to work with.:D:D
 
I live in N.H. and have had many encounters with Black bears in the Mount Washington Valley. Never a problem, as soon as they saw me they ran off. Keep your food secured, not in your tent, and don't get in between a sow and her cub. If you feel threatened do jumping jacks and yell as loud as you can. The bear spray is a good idea. Discharging a firearm in a camping area might get you a visit to the local jail. Have fun.
 
Bailey Knives said:
buy a bear cannister
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Are they "one size fits all" or do you need bigger canisters for putting bigger bears in?? Also, are the Polar Bear canisters white? And can you get brown, blonde, and cinnamon colored canisters for the asst. grizzly colors?:D:D:D
 
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