BEAR!

[+Andromeda321]

I'm in New Hampshire visiting my folks who summer up here and they decided we should go hiking- ok cool, I picked out a few caches in the area that would be easy and near the place we wanted to eat dinner, and off we went on one that promised views of a pond along the way. I stop to search for the first cache (this one actually) and while poking around GZ looking at my GPS when something moved out of the corner of my eye, saw something dark and big leaning against a tree a few hundred feet away, and then her cub running by her confirmed the suspicion. "BEAR!" I shouted, and we got the hell out of there.

 

Rather crazy because I've been coming up to New Hampshire in the summer for nearly 20 years and have done lots of hiking around here... but I saw my first bear here so close to the road that you could hear traffic!

 

So anyone else see a bear while caching? Stories of other deadly animals is also acceptable.

[+hydnsek]

Yep, several times. One bear even upended the original hiding spot of this namesake cache. I'm usually disappointed cos they are running the other way before I can get a photo; other cachers have been more fortunate and gotten decent shots, some near my caches on Cougar (!) Mountain. More often, we see bear scat and claw marks on trees. One time in Jasper (Canada), an adolescent bear actually walked down the road in front of our car, squatted, and took a dump. This definitively answered that age-old question (although, technically, he was on the road and not in the woods). Locally, bears sometimes have to be relocated when they get too fond of our neighborhoods.

 

I've spotted bobcats (including one with a dead hare in its mouth), oodles of coyotes, deer, and elk, and a couple of moose (they are the mean ones). No cougars in the wild, although I've stumbled on cougar kills. I was briefly stalked by a pack of coyotes in New Mexico, and I had five separate rattlesnake encounters on one hike in Eastern Washington a few years ago. But my only really scary encounter was with a fully camoed, well-armed bow hunter when I was hiking alone in the woods. Other animals seems less worrisome after that.

 

I've also seen grizzlies, bison, etc., but that was in places I was supposed to see them, like Yellowstone.

Edited August 17, 2012 by hydnsek

[+Harry Dolphin]

Yup. We've got over 3000 bear in New Jersey. I've met fifteen or twenty whilst hiking/geocaching. I've even named some of my caches after the bear I've met. I don't often get photos of them. Either they run away too quickly, or they sit and stare at me. Here's a photo I've posted a few times. This is Cindy Bear.

 

[+Packanack]

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=06bbe85a-cb59-4224-b7b8-34816434fe4b

 

You almost can't miss seeing them here in NJ, a few years back we did a group hike to actually go and find some, we did. It was fun, although we do miss ole slow Joe.

Edited August 17, 2012 by Packanack

[+plumbrokeacres]

Being in northern British Columbia, bear sightings are common in the trail (even in my yard) as well as moose (the animal I am more wary about) I have followed Cougar tracks but they are pretty rare. I almost always carry near bells or keys on a chain to make some noise. Healthy bears have no interest in being near us and will run only attacks I've ever heard of are ones that were surprised (which is why u carry Bells)

[+BlackRose67]

Haven't seen any bears, but they have been spotted in an area where there are a number of caches.

 

I saw a coyote heading into the woods a few hundred metres ahead of me last month.

I quickly made my way to the GZ and then got back on the trail and headed for the car.

[+rtyrie]

I've only had one bear encounter while caching, coincidentally, just a couple weeks ago. It was near Patricia Lake, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The bear didn't even look up at us, it was too busy digging around. So we just continued along our way.

 

However, I've had many encounters before geocaching. Way back in university I used to work as a tree planter in northern Ontario as a summer job. In some areas bear encounters were a daily occurrence. I probably had at least 50 bear encounters back then. Out of all those encounters only one bear was aggressive, but that encounter turned out okay as well.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Bears are very common around here (Upper MI). We have regular visitors around the house most all of the time. As they usually associate people with food, they scope out all the houses around, usually at night -- but not always.

 

Just learn to live with them and that means to NOT be quiet while geocaching in the woods. 'Tis better to let them know you are coming rather than to surprise them!

 

Backyard bears:

 

Slider screen door -- the deck is a story up from ground level:

 

Have been caught a number of time between mamma and cubs. Best thing to do then is freeze, then VERY SLOWLY creep away backwards (don't turn your back on a bear).

Edited August 17, 2012 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+Ringrat]

All the time. Saw 3 bears in 2 days on the trails through town early this week.

[+terrkan78]

Heard it. Never saw it. It was on the other side of a wall of bushes - too brushy to see through. I didn't know what it was at first - loud, deep grunting noises, like some really big dude was having serious issues over there - but then it dawned on me that I was in bear country.

[+lamoracke]

never one personally, but I remember Steve & Renee's log on the Washington Ape cache where it was like 300 feet from the ape cache itself as they were there.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=965497c3-649b-48e2-bc7a-b01124dedb73

Edited August 17, 2012 by lamoracke

[4wheelin_fool]

I noticed one a few weeks ago. We were doing a multi and at the final I noticed a large hole under a rock where there was obvious signs of recent activity, and I had to take a look despite there being pictures on the cache page of the bear which my girlfriend had showed me that morning.. Walking up on a bear stuck in an enclosed place, sheesh. I jumped and ran off.

 

During the winter we were looking for a cache and ran into another couple who joined in. A shadowy figure was spotted under some rocks, but I had to go up close to make sure only to see its 4 inch wide snout, and ran off. Bought some bear mace, but it will probably explode in the trunk from the heat, and it can't stop pure foolishness anyhow..

[+Turtle_Sask]

In my mind seeing a black bear is just not even on the same level as seeing a grizzly bear. If I happen to see a black bear I would try to get a picture. I am fortunate to never see a grizzly, those things scare the $hit out of me. you see one of those just act like you didn't see it and casually walk out of sight then RUN! I kind of wish here in Canada you could carry a pistol for your own protection while hiking, but this aint the U.S.A. lol

[+The_Incredibles_]

Have seen bears in the wild, but long before I knew about caching. Once saw a baby bear up a tree while downhill skiing.

 

Went caching in Northern B.C. and saw lots of bear scat. Does that count?

[+The A-Team]

I've had bear encounters on 5 separate caching days over the last few years (note, all of these were black bears):

Day 1: In a car driving up a logging road on the side of a mountain. Saw 3 bears crossing the road about 100 meters ahead.

 

Day 2: Walking an old water pipeline through the woods. Heard a grunting sound just off the side of the pipe beside us in the bush, followed soon afterwards by one on the pipe in front of us. I wasn't in front, so I didn't see the bear on the pipe, but the guy in front sure saw it!

 

Day 3: Doing a powertrail on remote logging roads. Encountered a treed baby bear about 50 feet from one cache. Of course I got it and logged it! 31 caches later we came up on an adult bear only feet from the cache. It quickly ran off and I was able to log the cache.

 

Day 4: Walking on my own on a logging road coming down a mountain. Came around a bend in the road and saw a bear in the road about 50 meters ahead. It high-tailed it into the bush and I could hear it crashing away from me for several minutes. It was putting in a lot of effort to get away from me, of which I was very appreciative!

 

Day 5: Found a cache in a small town. Nearby was an old walking bridge crossing a river. Some other walkers had noticed a bear hanging around up a tree beside the river. Not quite the same calibre of encounter as the other days.

[+Isonzo Karst]

In my mind seeing a black bear is just not even on the same level as seeing a grizzly bear.

 

Yep, this.

 

We saw a lot of black bears in the Ocala National Forest. As we were planning to return to the area, I did some reading on the FL Fish and Wildlife site about handling black bear encounters. Quite different advice there then you see about grizzlies.

In Florida, no known human deaths, and the few injuries. Those injuries are of people getting involved in bear - dog encounters. They suggest an active counter attack should you be accosted, but NOT to get involved in a bear/dog fight. If the dog is yours, the faster you move away, the better the odds that the dog will come away too. The bear is not apt to pursue.

 

But accosted is pretty darn rare, at least in Florida.

Edited August 17, 2012 by Isonzo Karst

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

In my mind seeing a black bear is just not even on the same level as seeing a grizzly bear.

This is soooo true -- it sort of makes you remember that you ARE NOT on the top of the food chain!

A black bear sow with cubs is nothing to trifle with though. It's the "surprise!" issue when you find yourself between mamma and the kids. You just never really know what she is gonna do! 99.999% of the time she and the cubs will run -- and until you see just how truly fast a bear can move, you all can keep guessing that you should RUN! If she possessed the chasing instinct, as a cat does, you ain't got a chance.

[+HarlansHollowFarms]

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.

They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.

It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

[ll JK ll]

I've never seen a bear while hiking but I think about it all the time. I live in Central VA and black bears are pretty common in the mountainous areas.

 

On one hand I think it would be awesome to see such a magnificent animal but at the same time thinking about a potential confrontation is unsettling. I know they try to avoid humans and will typically move along but you can never predict what a wild animal will do, especially if you happen to surprise it.

[+cerberus1]

We seem to spot lots of black bears during blueberry/huckleberry season. They don't pay much attention to us when chowin' down.

We probably spot more black bears on North Jersey trails than any other State we've visited. Whenever we had a sighting/problem with a bear that didn't eventually run away, it was in Jersey.

We steer clear when the youngsters are about in early Spring. Mom gets testy.

I don't hunt bear. Few I know do.

- But if I lose one more bird feeder...

 

We've noticed that the coyote population seems to be growing in NEPA.

Very early morning hikes, hearing the padding alongside you in the brush is a bit eerie, but they lose interest after a while.

One time we saw, then heard a "yip" from a youngster who just got nipped by mom for getting too close. CJ won't do night caches alone anymore.

[+Straight-Cache-Homey]

Not yet, but it's only a matter of time up in Morris County NJ.

 

We've seen logs on caches we went to where there was a bear very closeby in the same day. It's bound to happen eventually. Not looking forward to it!

[+dameetro]

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

 

[AZcachemeister]

I've seen a few bare things while caching, but no BEAR things (well, maybe some scat a time or two.)

[+RetallickRamblers]

Spotted this one near Redruth.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Had a report that one of my log books was 'very soggy'. So I wasted the morning (after the rain) replacing a barely damp log book. Harrumph! On the way out, I met up with Amparo Oso again. The Bears are my caching partner's relatives, so, he knows them by name. I've met her five or six times. I think she lives in Picatinny Arsenal. I tried to get a photo of her, but she hid behind the bushes, She did have me worried. One side of the trail was a thirty foot deep mine pit, with Amparo on the other side. But she stayed put, and let me walk up the trail. Quickly!

[+JL_HSTRE]

I saw a bear in Florida's Ocala National Forest going for a cache last year. Also seen wild hogs in Florida a few times while caching.

[+Shop99er]

I've never seen one while out caching, but I do have bear poop in my back yard right now.

[+popokiiti]

Like The A-Team, we were caching the VLH powertrail on remote logging roads. We had just finished for the day and were about to check out Franklin Camp - the location of an old logging town. I saw what I thought was a garbage bag in the distance, then it moved and grew 8 legs! Momma Bear and a cub. The cub went up a tree by the side of the road, and Momma was not satisfied, so said what she needed to and junior came down and went up a tree a bit further in. It was cute, because he was peering at us from around the back. Mom stood guard at the bottom, also looking at us. We did stay in the car.

Completing the powertrail on another day, we left the sunroof and windows of the car open when we went to snag a cache. On the way back, we were attacked................................................by the can of bear spray that dropped to the ground and ruptured. As I said, the windows and sun roof were open, and as it was a quickie, the engine was running, sucking in air and spray to the vents. Of course the hot still day suddenly sprang a breeze in the direction of the car. Any bears around would have had a good laugh at all the spluttering and coughing and crying!

[+popokiiti]

Like The A-Team, we were caching the VLH powertrail on remote logging roads. We had just finished for the day and were about to check out Franklin Camp - the location of an old logging town. I saw what I thought was a garbage bag in the distance, then it moved and grew 8 legs! Momma Bear and a cub. The cub went up a tree by the side of the road, and Momma was not satisfied, so said what she needed to and junior came down and went up a tree a bit further in. It was cute, because he was peering at us from around the back. Mom stood guard at the bottom, also looking at us. We did stay in the car.

Completing the powertrail on another day, we left the sunroof and windows of the car open when we went to snag a cache. On the way back, we were attacked .............................................by the can of bear spray that dropped to the ground and ruptured. As I said, the windows and sun roof were open, and as it was a quickie, the engine was running, sucking in air and spray to the vents. Of course the hot still day suddenly sprang a breeze in the direction of the car. Any bears around would have had a good laugh at all the spluttering and coughing and crying!

[+Ma & Pa]

MA and I were walking on an urban trail in the Ottawa area going for our last cache of the day. The gps indicated that the cache was in a depression under a large tree. I told MA to wait on the trail while I fought my way through the thick branches to the base of the tree and the cache. It was a farily large cache which I enjoyed going though looking for TB's and swag.

 

I looked up and noticed that MA was no longer there. I looked back down the trail and saw her walking away. I finished going through the cache and went back to the trail and saw that MA wa now quite a distance away. I hurried and eventually caught up to her. I asked what was wrong and she explained that she saw something big crossing the trail and she thought it might be a bear.

 

PA

[+jellis]

Seen two, one each on different trips. But both in the Eastern Sierras.