They're Baaaack!

[+Team Rampant Lion]

They're not all passive..

 

Man survives bear attack in NJ

[AddedValue]

I was hiking the yellow trail near Glen Gray in Mahwah today. Ahead of me on the trail was a black bear sitting there staring at me. I stopped and he continued to stare. He then lost interest and continued across the trail and was followed by another bear that I did not know was there. I waited a while and then continued on my way to where they were, making a bit of noise as I traveled. Glad I did not look too much like dinner.

[+Keruso]

Geocachers experience a warm, fuzzy feeling when they are wanted and appreciated.

 

 

This spooked me for a minute!!!!! my Real name is Kevin

[+Team Rampant Lion]

On my way into Newton, NJ this morning saw a large bear dead on the road on Sparta-Newton Road. On my way back, about an hour later, saw a very small cub hit by a beemer at exactly the same spot. First one must have been mom. Bummed me out.

[+Team Rampant Lion]

Clearly I am not out caching enough - now the bears are following me home. This one and two cubs were out front of my house drinking water out of my sailboat. You can see one of the cubs ears in the background. Not a great pic as it is a download from a video camera.

 

[+GerIRL]

Encountered my first ever bear in the wild yesterday at BrianSnat's The Best Cache in NJ (a.k.a. Hamburger Lady) . Big boy too. http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/1266bb...3359c526d2f.jpg and http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/54433d...b6e43dab8b3.jpg . very cool!

[+ramapo]

I was up near Pierson Ridge in Ringwood State Park today in an aborted go at the new cache there but I just ran out of time. As I was following the carriage roads down to the white trail, I spooked a good-sized bear that was evidently not far off the trail, around a bend and up ahead of me. He ran off into the woods and then stopped to check me out.

 

I had been thinking about bushwhacking down because, if you know the area, there are long switchbacks that really add to your mileage. Once I saw him, I figured I better stick to the trail and leave the rest of the woods to the bear.

 

I continue on noisily, pick up the white trail and wind up cutting back in the direction towards where I passed the bear, but a good bit lower in elevation. So, who do I see off to my right but Mr Bear. He's thankfully still back in the woods a bit, but checking me out again. I step up my pace a bit and get louder.

 

A few hundred feet ahead, I glance over my shoulder and guess who is now following me down the trail? This is where I begin to get more than just a little disconcerted. It looked as if the bear was just ambling along, but he was still going in my direction. I didn't really think he was following me, but it sure felt that way, enough to have thoughts about what to do if he really was following me!

 

I moved along faster, as quickly as I could without drawing attention. I rounded a bend and lost sight of him. I guess he found something better to do with his afternoon since I didn't see him again. Not that I stopped to let him catch up! I was painfully aware that he could run a lot faster than me...

 

A little scare for Friday the 13th.

Edited October 14, 2006 by ramapo

[+Team Perrito Blanco]

I was up near Pierson Ridge in Ringwood State Park today in an aborted go at the new cache there but I just ran out of time. As I was following the carriage roads down to the white trail, I spooked a good-sized bear that was evidently not far off the trail, around a bend and up ahead of me. He ran off into the woods and then stopped to check me out.

 

I had been thinking about bushwhacking down because, if you know the area, there are long switchbacks that really add to your mileage. Once I saw him, I figured I better stick to the trail and leave the rest of the woods to the bear.

 

I continue on noisily, pick up the white trail and wind up cutting back in the direction towards where I passed the bear, but a good bit lower in elevation. So, who do I see off to my right but Mr Bear. He's thankfully still back in the woods a bit, but checking me out again. I step up my pace a bit and get louder.

 

A few hundred feet ahead, I glance over my shoulder and guess who is now following me down the trail? This is where I begin to get more than just a little disconcerted. It looked as if the bear was just ambling along, but he was still going in my direction. I didn't really think he was following me, but it sure felt that way, enough to have thoughts about what to do if he really was following me!

 

I moved along faster, as quickly as I could without drawing attention. I rounded a bend and lost sight of him. I guess he found something better to do with his afternoon since I didn't see him again. Not that I stopped to let him catch up! I was painfully aware that he could run a lot faster than me...

 

A little scare for Friday the 13th.

Well, you know how they like to fatten up before they hibernate....

Edited October 14, 2006 by Team Perrito Blanco

[+nikcap]

Encountered my first ever bear in the wild yesterday at BrianSnat's The Best Cache in NJ (a.k.a. Hamburger Lady) . Big boy too. ... very cool!

 

Holy Smokes!

 

 

I hope you were using the zoom on your camera when you took that one!

[+Team Rampant Lion]

I've received a number of logs for my Other Side cache in Kittatinny State Park in Andover, NJ about a bear interfering with cache hunts. Was out in the area yesterday and got this picture of him (her?).

 

[+oldsoldier]

I heard SOMETHING crashing through the woods today..and, it was big. Big enough to knock over a dead tree. It was quite a ways ahead of me...but, I started wistling, loudly, as soon as I heard the first crash.

[+Packanack]

 

Muggles.

[+briansnat]

While placing a new cache on Beafort Mtn yesterday we encountered many, many piles of bear scat. It was like we were walking through a giant bear toilet. Didn't see Smokey though. We were bushwacking and making a lot of noise so any bear heard us coming form a long way off.

[+Team Rampant Lion]

Out in Kittatinny State Park on Friday and came across this guy.

 

 

 

[+Packanack]

TG @BIL's in Barry Lakes, near Waywayanda . talk of town is Park Ranger spotted Mountain Lion.

 

http://www.strausnews.com/wild/bearit.html

 

I'm an avid mountain biker and have been peddling the trails of Wawayanda for over 12 years now. On an average ride it is not uncommon to see deer, turkey, bear, bobcat, etc., but not common is what I saw on a Thursday evening ride this September. I was cruising, very fast, down Turkey trail just before it intersects with Cabin trail on the "Vernon" side of the park. As I biked down this trail I spooked something out from the side of the trail, it jumped out and started running away down the trail about 40 feet in front of me, a big cat, tan in color, long tail and fast. After about three seconds of following it, I realized it was a mountain lion. I know what bobcats and coyote look like and it was neither of those. I guess it didn't quite like that I was following it nor that I was going really fast. In the blink of an eye the cat seemed to downshift and disappeared as fast as it appeared. I contacted the State Ranger station the next day to report that I had seen a mountain lion in the park. The ranger indicated that they have had several sightings and that one of their rangers had also seen a mountain lion in this area of the park. I plan to keep riding in the park and feel lucky that I got an opportunity to see such an elusive animal.

John Orecchio <johnorec@optonline.net>

Hewitt, NJ USA - Wednesday, October 18, 2006 at 21:24:46 (CDT)

Edited November 24, 2006 by Packanack

[+NJBearChasers]

Bears are great...I take lots of Photos of them...I also made a video...All the hiking I did got me into Geocaching..

 

[

The REAL Quoddy and I had our first CLOSE encounter with a black bear today. Quoddy reacted just as I expected he would, which is why he's on the 26' extended leash, charged straight at it. By the time I looked the bear, approximately 300 pounds, was stopping about 80-90' away to access us, then continued his retreat. I couldn't get my camera out of the holder in time. Quite a "rush" to see one that close up, but amazingly, no fear. Spotted it on the way to Flora Glen in Massachusetts. Maybe the name should be changed to Fauna.

[+briansnat]

Bears are great...I take lots of Photos of them...I also made a video.

 

If you want more pix of bear just follow Team Rampant Lion around for a day.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Don't be silly, Packanack. There are no mountain lions in New Jersey. If you post a picture, everyone will tell you that it's a house cat. (You got a house cat like that, I ain't visiting your house!)

But, as to bears, I don't think I've seen any this year (which is perfectly okay with me!) So, my count stands at seventeen (including the one I almost stepped on.)

[+BMSquared]

Don't be silly, Packanack. There are no mountain lions in New Jersey. If you post a picture, everyone will tell you that it's a house cat.

 

Actually, the Jefferson town paper (AIM) had a story last week about a significant increase in mountain lion sightings throughout the northwestern corner of the state. Fish and Wildlife officials don't doubt the possibility, but they do not have definitive evidence yet. Eye witness stories included a woman in Vernon who saw a cat estimated at over 100 pounds. It was attacking the stray cats she kept on her property. I would tend to believe someone like that when it comes to house cat vs. mountain lion descriptions.

[+vanm]

Although Bears/snakes/etc are dangerous, and will attack when they feel threatened.... Mountain Lions are DANGEROUS - they think of YOU as PREY. When in California, we had a Mountain Lion near the LA area that STALKED MOUNTAIN BIKERS - it knocked one off her bike, and dragged her unconcious body (by the head) off into the undergrowth. That girl did live (and was not particularly traumatized, because she had lost conciousness getting knocked off the bike and never knew what hit her) by the aid of another passing cyclist who noticed the "crashed" bicycle, and was able to scare off the cat by throwing rocks and then stop another cyclist to go get help. Good think it was a fairly busy trail. They found evidence that the mountain lion had been stalking cyclists for awhile. I also think it took the wildlife authorities a few weeks to track the lion down afterwards (I imagine it was put to sleep when they finally found it).

 

As Kevin states in his cache pages, knowing what to do with bears/snakes/etc is important and should keep you safe. I have no suggestions on what to do when confronted by a mountain lion - it probably will be detered by pepper spray if you have it ready to squirt, but may not sit dormant while you search your pack for it.

 

Although I don't enjoy the thought of being cat food, I will probably still be out there hiking. If you see me being dragged off, please throw some rocks at the predator.