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Need Some Advice Regarding Bears


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My family is planning a trip to Western Massachussettes and my wife asked what kind of wildlife they had there. I did a quick search and came across several articles talking about black bears. There was also This Forum Post discussing bears. Being from an area where there are no bears except in the zoo, I am concerned about encountering them in the wild. However, I don't want to be afraid if there is no cause. I figure the best way for us to approach this is to draw on the experience of the "locals". How many of you Eastern NY/Western MA cachers have seen bears while caching/hiking/etc. Do you normally carry a weapon or bear spray?

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Here's my advise on black beers:

guinness.gif

 

Oooh.. beArs... Sorry.

 

I've never actually encountered a bear before and I would consider myself lucky if I did. From what I understand you should make a lot noise. Unless the bear is with cubs they will run away. Of course, like I said, I haven't tested this theory so let me know how that works out for you.

Edited by JMBella
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Of course, if you come across a brave, belligerent, blind, back bear… the noise that JMBella suggests will help it locate you. In that case maybe moving away… quietly and quickly may be best.

 

Now I have never met a bear while geocaching but I have seen a number of them in northern Wisconsin garbage dumps… I stayed in the car with windows up.

 

Now back to black beer… have a Guinness… and relax

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The chances are that you won't see one, and if you do, it will be crossing the road ahead of your car. I've done a lot of hiking in black bear areas, have seen a few, and had one encounter with a bear that had become a nuisance at back-country campsites in the Adirondacks near the south side of Mt. Marcy. That said, if you see one on a trail, especially in the spring, look for a cub, and don't get between the cub and its mother. Keep a healthy distance, back off and wait for the bear(s) to leave. Black bears are generally docile and if you leave them alone, they will do likewise. One reason we don't see tham often is because they are very wary of humans, and will avoid contact when they sense we are near.

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I've encountered bear a few times while out hiking. In most cases they took off like a shot the instant they sensed me (they are FAST). If a few instances they slowly walked the other way (those were in NJ where they seem to be accustomed to humans).

 

No need to carry a gun. Bear spray is fine if it makes you feel better. If you do encounter a bear, it should take off. If it doesn't, DO NOT RUN AWAY. First, you can not out run a bear. Second, if you start running, their senses may tell them that you're dinner. Instead, back away slowly...while facing it (but not making eye contact) and talk to it in a firm, steady voice. I know this is easier said than done, but if it does charge you, stand your ground. It is usually a bluff charge. This has never happened to me, but it has to my brother-in-law and he said not running was the hardest thing he ever did. In his case the bear stopped about 10 feet from him, then retreated.

 

Generally, black bear are non aggressive so consider yourself lucky if you see one (unless it eats you :D ).

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Bears have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, so you need to be sensible about what kind of food you take with you in bear country. It would be asking for trouble to barbeque in known bear habitat. They are not looking to eat you, just your food, so keep your camp clean and store your food away from where you sleep, preferably hung from a tree on a line. They are expert tree climbers, so just looping a food bag over a branch won't work. Don't count on a cooler to protect your food or disquise it's odor from the bear. Bears that have become campground robbers are not easily deterred by yelling or banging on pots. Those of you that have not yet had a run in with such a determined food poacher will quickly tire of the novelty, nor will it seem so funny when he is tearing apart your camp kitchen and eating your food. I have seen a bear tear a backpack off the frame of a pack that was hung in a tree to get food carelessly left in the pack. A firearm is a bad idea, as these food raids occur in the dark and it would be too easy to hit another camper by mistake. A large dog may deter the bear, but you may not get much sleep as he howls his head off, and he would probably be killed or injured if you unleashed him on the bear. I did drive off a bear once by letting off an M80 firecracker, but this is highly illegal. If you are worried, I would advise that you talk to the local park officials in the area you plan to visit.

Edited by jonboy
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Go caching with someone that runs , slower, then you :D

 

I've encountered plenty of Bears in the woods of N.W.N.J. and I have never felt threatened by them. This past fall, I even had one climb 1/3 the way up the tree that I was bow hunting from!!!!! Once I let my presence known ..(By saying "There ain't enough room up here for the two of us")He retreated VERY quickly.

 

Go caching ....make some noise ....have fun !!!!

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http://www.adirondackjourney.com/Bear_Bags.htm

 

NY has now decided that hikers, campers in the Eastern High Peaks must use bear resistant containers. Bears are now becoming an issue there. As territory becomes more crowded in NJ they will become more of an issue, they will become garbage bears, which seems to be now happening in Wayne,NJ, the quintessential suburban community. Some recommend that if confronting a bear that you remove your back or day pack and if needed sacrifice it to the bear if it is intent on coming on. They also recommend that it be held high to give an appearance of size. I've never had to test either theory.

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Don't count on a cooler to protect your food or disquise it's odor from the bear. Bears that have become campground robbers are not easily deterred by yelling or banging on pots. Those of you that have not yet had a run in with such a determined food poacher will quickly tire of the novelty, nor will it seem so funny when he is tearing apart your camp kitchen and eating your food. I have seen a bear tear a backpack off the frame of a pack that was hung in a tree to get food carelessly left in the pack.

 

Don't even count on your car to protect your food. Bear have been known to rip open trunks and doors to get at food inside.

 

Some recommend that if confronting a bear that you remove your back or day pack and if needed sacrifice it to the bear if it is intent on coming on.

 

I read recently that this is a bad idea because the bear then learn this behavior and start "mugging" hikers with packs.

Edited by briansnat
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Everything you have heard so far us true, so now what? My experience with bear comes form Southwestern NY, the Catskills and central PA. Your mileage may vary in Western MA.

 

In central PA and the Catskills the bear I encountered caching, dashing and hunting immediately left the area. I have encounters in all seasons except deep winter (expected) In general they are not a threat. I never attempt to approach a bear.

 

The Western NY bears are a different story. These are camp ground bears and they have no fear of humans. I have not heard of an attack but I stay away from these bears because they are garbage bears and have no fear. During camping season they are not a threat on the trails because they are in the camp sites and well fed. After the summer camping season they go back up into the trail area and I hike with great attention to what I'm doing. Luckily I have mostly seen the behind of bears. I have bear spray.

 

So, as you can see, it will be wise to talk to the professionals in any park or other wildlife area you visit to get there assessment of the area. Every area can be different. After over 40 years in the woods I have never been threatened by a bear and have some excellent pictures.

 

Now, as for black beer I prefer Saranac! :D

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I lived in Albany for three years, PA the rest of my life. I've seen one bear in Eastern NY, and one in my current fromnt yard! What everyone has been saying is all good advice - contact local park personnel/wildlife professionals, use common sense when camping and storing food, stay away from cubs, etc. If you are hiking in a group and talking and generally making noise, chances are that any bears in your area will hear you and hightail it out of there before you are even aware they are nearby!

 

Now, on the beer issue, I'll take Yuengling Porter! (From America's oldest continuously operating brewery!)

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This has never happened to me, but it has to my brother-in-law and he said not running was the hardest thing he ever did. In his case the bear stopped about 10 feet from him, then retreated.

 

I'm not at all ashamed to admit that if that was me, I would have soiled myself.

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Thanks for the great advice.

 

QUOTE

This has never happened to me, but it has to my brother-in-law and he said not running was the hardest thing he ever did. In his case the bear stopped about 10 feet from him, then retreated.

 

I'm not at all ashamed to admit that if that was me, I would have soiled myself.

 

Agreed!

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I'm sure I've posted this in other areas... I've been hiking for about ten years now. Mostly in north Jersey, but also including a thousand miles on the Appalachian Trail (Pinkham Notch, NH to Swift Run Gap, Va). We section hiked (my sister and I) the one hundred miles of Massachusetts. We saw no bears there, though my sister did see a bobcat.

I've seen two bear in Maine, four in Virginia, and seven or eight in New Jersey. Several of them I would never have seen if they hadn't heard me coming, and made a lot of noise running away. One I saw crossing Skyline Drive, in Virginia, never saw me.

There are bear that are accustomed to people. They tend to live near places where easy food is available: garbage cans, bird feeders, campgrounds. The two bear that have stopped to watch me, and that I have taken pictures of, were near campgrounds. One in Shenandoah National Park, the other near Winnebago Boy Scout Camp, Rockaway Township, New Jersey. "Okay, bear. Please go away. Now!"

My most recent encounter with a bear was in Wawayanda State Park, NJ. I found GC5 cache, and climbed up Bearfort Mountain. On my way back down Terrace Pond North to Warwick Turnpike, I rounded a bend. Obviously, I was not making much noise. I think I missed the bear by about four feet. He ran off, very noisily, through the mountain laurel. I, um, almost had a heart attack!

Someday, I'll have to post my bear pictures.

If you're camping, hang your food from a tree, or a bear pole. Don't keep any food (or anything with a flavor or scent) in your tent. You should be okay. There aren't a lot of bear in Massachusetts.

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I see bears quite often as Sussex county NJ has more than its fair share. Despite their always taking my breath away, if you see one it is a real treat. They are beautiful animals that usually are not too interested in meeting you. Yell "Yo Bear" loudly and it will likely be gone.

 

As previously mentioned, don't carry food that is not well sealed. Go have a great time (and bring your camera).

 

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Ahh... Western Massachusetts. Pittsfield? Hinsdale? The Berkshires? As a child, I spent a great deal of time there.

Mt Graylock, Balanced Rock State Park (I believe that's what they called it) There is an awesome waterfall there. I always thought it was beautiful up there. Can I go with you? :-)

 

From what I remember and times might have changed in the past 10 or 20 years but I don't remember seeing any bears but we did see dear and rabbits early in the morning.

 

I do remember some dogs but my Grandmothers cat stood up to them and they backed off!! (The dogs belonged to the neighbors)

 

Dave

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On the trails and roads around North Lake State Campground in the Catskills, I have come across a total of four bears and five cubs on three different occasions. Mamas and the cubs were looking for garbage and food in the campground, and the two loners were on the trail.

I've seen plenty of berry filled scat on the trails around there, but no bells, whistles, or cans of pepper spray. :)

Edited by Marc G.
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Don't even count on your car to protect your food. Bear have been known to rip open trunks and doors to get at food inside.

I used to work at a boy scout camp way up in the adirondacks. We had bears all over the place. A common mistake was people locking food in the cars to protect it. I have seen bears smash windshields. I have also personaly witnessed a bear peel the weather stripping from around the winshields and remove the windshield almost intact.

 

Although I never saw them rip apart a trunk, I don't doubt for a second that they ccould if they wanted to.

 

I also had a campsite raided by bears one night. The bear bit through a large metal soup can can and sucked out the contents through it's fang punctures.

 

I have had face to face encounters and recommend following the advise from NJDEP that Team Rampant Lion posted. Don't try and run. Stand your ground and try to look big and sound scary.

 

On a day hike, you should be fine. Just keep an eye out for cubs. If you see any, get away quick. Where there are cubs, there are protective mothers.

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I've seen quite a few bears in North Eastern Pennsylvania. While bow hunting, I've had a mom & 3 cubs less than 10 ft. away from the tree I was sitting in. I just made my presence known, and mom & the cubs were off & running. If I was on the ground, it may have been different. Don't get caught in the middle though. A black bear in the woods is one of the best sights you can see, and not many people ever see one. If your worried about it, get a walking stick and attach bells to it. If they hear you coming, they'll be gone before you ever see them. Hopefully you'll be lucky enough to see one while driving to the caches.

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You know how to tell a grizzly bear from a black bear, right?

 

When you see it....run like hell and climb a tree.

 

If the bear climbs up after you and kills you - it's a black bear.

 

If the bear knocks down the tree and kills you - it's a grizzly bear.

 

Sounds simple enough, right? :blink:

 

 

In all seriousness, I've run into probably a couple dozen bear while out backpacking or camping (even a couple times playing golf in Sussex county). Once my 5 yr. old was with me and we just stood still while the bear walked 10 feet away from us (of course while people in the campground around us ran around screaming).

 

You realize very quickly that unless the bear feels threatened (or feels its cubs are threatened) or it think's you're food (or thinks you're carrying food) - it has as much interest in you as you probably do walking by a bunch of squirrels.

 

Just don't feed 'em - and don't surprise 'em - and you'll be fine.

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Just don't feed 'em - and don't surprise 'em - and you'll be fine.

 

Also, do not, I repeat do not rub your entire body with a porterhouse steak, then smear honey and jelly all over it and run naked past a bear. This can cause problems (I speak from experience).

Thank God you posted this, I had this on my agenda for this very weekend! :blink::lol:

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Just don't feed 'em - and don't surprise 'em - and you'll be fine.

 

Also, do not, I repeat do not rub your entire body with a porterhouse steak, then smear honey and jelly all over it and run naked past a bear. This can cause problems (I speak from experience).

Alas, that is how the dinosaurs became extinct!

 

repuke.gif

Edited by avroair
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Just don't feed 'em - and don't surprise 'em - and you'll be fine.

 

Also, do not, I repeat do not rub your entire body with a porterhouse steak, then smear honey and jelly all over it and run naked past a bear. This can cause problems (I speak from experience).

I heard through the grapevine that putting a scratch and sniff photos of Brian Snat on the ground and backing away will keep the bears entertained while you exit the area.

 

Seriously though... answering some of the prior posts. First of all as for WESTERN Massachsetts - I lived there for 8 yrs - mid 80s on and there are DEFINITELY black bears (lots) of them around. When you see them on South Street (major road) in the city (!), you can imagine what is out in the hills.

 

as for living in Bearsville USA (Northwestern New Jersey), we had a visit from a huge bear (600 lbs or so) on our FIRST morning in this house. They also visited our old neighborhood - which is a multi-street subdivision with small lots and STILL go wandering through regularly looking for trash or other food sources.

 

When going caching you should keep a whistle tied to your pack where you can get to it in a hurry so you can make noise and (hopefully) scare them away. If that does not work, try the picture of Snat...

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Here are some tips on bears from the bear education program at Allegany State Park. If you see a bear, take a quick look around you for cubs. DO NOT get between a sow and her cubs. Back away slowly. Make yourself look as big as possible. If the bear is headed towards you, make as much noise as you can, wave your arms. If you are in a group, stay together. do not drop your backpacks, take everything with you. Black Bears are normally shy, cautious animals in the East. Western Bears are different, they tend to be more aggressive. If the bear huffs at you, you are too close. If he starts clacking his teeth, you are way too close and if he's pawing the ground you are too close. They do not growl like in the movies, so don't expect that kind of warning. Never throw them food or attempt to feed them. They will only want more and they won't know when you run out, they'll just expect you have more and will attempt to take it. Sows with cubs are particularly dangerous and as the cubs mature they tend to wander farther from the sow. She may be more agressive as the summer progresses because she has a harder time keeping her cubs nearby (even animals have unruly offspring).

In Allegany State Park the bears have become acclaimated to humans because of the fools that bait them and feed them all summer. They are still as dangerous or maybe are more so, then the really wild ones. The best tactic is BE RESPONSIBLE AND CAUTIOUS. They really don't want a confrontation, leave them an escape route and they will take it.

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Certainly DON'T walk softly, but by all means Carry a BIG Stick. As long as a bear can hear you coming, you are not likely to even see one. There was plenty of great advice above, but in case I missed it when I was scrolling through, NEVER get between moma bear and her cubs. You will take a fairly passive creature and turn it into a monster.

 

To add to the list of NO NO's by BrianSnat, Do not smear peanutbutter all over yourself and then fill your pockets with sardines.

 

Bear Spray does work, but not as well as a .454 Casule. Dirty Harry was wrong. The .454 is the world's largest handgun. Often, the sound of a gun will send a bear running in the other direction. If it does not, then save the last two rounds in the gun. Use the second to the last as the bear lunges for you. Try to stick the gun in his mouth and squeeze off a round. If that doesn't work, then save the last round for yourself, as you are about to die an extremely violent death.

 

The above is all a joke folks. I like wildlife and don't hunt, so please don't get your knickers in a twist. :blink:

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