Have you ever encountered a bear when PrepHole? Are they an exaggerated fear by experienced hikers to scare normies off the trail?
Have you ever encountered a bear when?
Have you ever encountered a bear when PrepHole? Are they an exaggerated fear by experienced hikers to scare normies off the trail?
not all bears behave the same anon.
we run into bears on our property on a monthly basis (western OR, black bears).
they're docile and skittish, and pretty harmless. mothers with spring cubs excepted of course.
most of the time they run off when they see or hear humans. There was one time we had one in back yard going after suet in a bird feeder. had to scare him off with a BB gun. but overall, pretty harmless (still wouldn't want to surprise one of course)
Now, someone in Alaska who runs into grizzly bears would have a very different experience.
polar bears even more so.
I don't have any pictures of my encounters because I'm more concerned with reading the situation than recording it.
But i'll tell you this: Bears and other high mammals are a lot like people. Strong, furry, powerful people. They have emotions, they have egos. They usually want nothing to do with me, as said. But because they have egos, they respond to wounds to their pride.
For example: I was walking down a tundra hillside, when above me a brown bear was walking sideways to me about 200 meters away. He knew I was there but absolutely did not care. I just talked to myself at a normal volume and he kept walking away.
On the other hand, I was with a group of 3 and we were walking along another tundra hillside. We saw a black bear below us. We immediately began yelling and making noise to scare it away. This time, the thing developed a keen interest in us. It stayed in the valley for the entire day.
That showed me that bears respond badly to perceived challenges, just like people. You should only start making noise/freaking out once the bear shows interest in you. Otherwise, just speak in a normal tone and give the thing some space.
In my experience, I've had worse experiences with black than brown bears. Maybe this is only where their ranges overlap, but my theory is that blacks get picked on constantly by the big guys. So they are more aggressive towards weaker bears and people in turn. Whereas the big guys only get into scraps if its necessary to defend their territory or cubs.
>but my theory is that blacks get picked on constantly by the big guys. So they are more aggressive towards weaker bears and people in turn
There’s a pretty strong correlation between small bears living in high predatory/competitive pressure ecosystems and being highly aggressive. It’s why sloth bears are by far the most dangerous despite being small and non predatory
This.
I've only ever seen two bears in the 40 years I've lived in western Washington.
They're basically giant raccoons
>mostly only come out at night
pilfer trash
>pilfer camper food stash
>Will only frick Canadians
They come around every august but they're harmless, one may even buy you a drink
> scare normies off the trail
this is their basic function as far as i can tell, there is no need for exaggeration it is enough that they exist
never seen or met one but i am pretty sure they have seen me multiple times
I've seen three black bears in the wild. Only time I was able to get a photo was from the car, from a distance. The ones I saw while hiking ran away.
>I've seen three black bears in the wild. Only time I was able to get a photo was from the car, from a distance. The ones I saw while hiking ran away.
Saw black bears once or twice a week on my mountain bike route during part of last summer (I think berry bushes there were fruiting).
Got within about 10 yards (didn't see him since it was downhill on a blind curve, oops) then it ran off.
Black bears are generally pussies and run off. Only exception would maybe be if you got near their cubs, or are tiny and the bear is desperate.
Saw them a handful of times as a child picking blackberries on my old street as well, never any issues but we were a small group of kids - a solo child might be a bad time.
But Grizzlies are terrifying - saw many up in Alaska (Haines) - huge animals, would not want to be alone in their territory without a gun.
Nice bro
>eating ice & grass
fricking pussy why are people scared of bares again?
Your chances of being killed by one aren't high, but if it does happen, it won't be a pleasant way to go.
I wish I was a bear. No human responsibilities, just hunt forage and protect cubs if woman.
It's overexaggerated unless you aggrevate them. They always run away from me. But its always a good idea to carry a gun or pepperspray if legal.
In some areas bears can be more aggressive and slash tents or go after food but rarely attack straight up. Bluff charges are more common even if you are at a seemingly safe distance they could come sprinting at you.
All you need is one of these bad bois.
As you can see from that picture, those blue ones suck
The original yellow ones with the dime-screw locking lids have been cucking bears for decades though.
Personally I don't use either if I don't have to because bear vaults are annoying to fit into baggage.
I have one of those kevlar bear sacks that I use when I'm in bear country but I also leave it at home a lot if I'm not going too deep in the wilderness and I know there will be good options for doing a hang.
Those were opened by mice not bears. Nothing can stop a hungry rodent. They will even chew through concrete.
Only once, in Tennessee in the 80s. I want to see a black bear in Arizona, so I move quietly in the forest like I'm hunting.
> hunting in the 80s
Please tell me what that was like? God it sounds amazing
I wish wild animals killed like 20-30 people per year, that'd really help with the hordes of people that have increased over the last 5 years
Polar bear population boom
yeah a bunch of them like 10 at the park, but in different days most i seen is 4 at one time little ones and a big one, they looked at me and ran off
Bears are completely harmless. There hasn't been a bear attack in North America since the 1800s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America
The people who were attacked were taunting the bears. Do you expect a bear to just ignore it?
>he just skimmed over the page and came to conclusions without actually reading the page
How will spraygays recover?
He should have brought a filled can
this is why so many people go "missing" in the woods every year. responsible /outists should be packing heat.
rest in bear induced peace morons
I don't bring a gun, but I'm still packing, if you know what I mean
Damn polar bear in Alaska killed 2 just three days ago
Polar bears are one of the only animals that hunt and eat humans. Try to avoid them.
There's only one confirmed kill of a single human vs a grizzly bear without a gun. The dude had a knife and the bear fricked him up, but he survived and it didn't. He also ripped out the bear's throat with his teeth. He was white of course, an old time mountain man.
Impressive you managed to type this post with such big paws, Mr./Mrs. Bear!
T. bear internet defense league
Yes, several times. Last was a sow and what I believe was a large cub. Black bears. It was late summer and they were fat and happy, and they scooted the frick off when we started talking at them.
Bears don't keep me out of the woods, but I turn around if I see one between me and where I am going.
nice anon, a sensible and logical approach to this.
this is the right attitude folks, threads over.
now let's get back to talking about the important stuff
>hatches
>knives
oh and
>boots, boots, boots omg!
You really always do need an excellent pair of boots
seen plenty of black bears in my area. Generally they're big pussies and not much to worry about. Only time I've been legit scared around one is when I saw the cub and not the mother.
a woman and her child got killed by a polar bear in alaska recently
I don't think this represents fatalities, just attacks
we haven't had a a fatal bear encounter in the southern Yukon in at least 10 years
checked and also what god among men was attacked by a wolf at the top of the world?
made me check some of these and to learn that recently there was a fatal polar bear attack in alaska where it charged thru town and ate a women and child
120 bear attacks in one year?
God damn Black person
Don't talk to me or my son ever again!
Did you just say "no cap" you fricking homosexual?
Bumped into one while doing fieldwork, black bear. He was probably more scared of the hooting hairless apes than we were of him. Frickin big though. Wouldn't want to surprise one in dense brush alone.
I once lived at what was basically a "health club" turned rental houses near Asheville. It was a collection of 5 houses that rich fricks used to send their whoevers when they needed fresh air or whatever stupid bullshit they believed in 1900. The complex abutted miles and miles of wilderness, and was at the end of a spit of civilization so we'd have bears show up all the time. The parking situation were basically repurposed horse stalls which were open to the world, went out to my car a few times to find black bears just chilling in a stall. They'd freak out and run off, it was hilarious.
The worst experience when I got home from work and there was a momma bear with her two cubs just hanging out in this big oak tree not 20 feet from my front door. I sat in my car over an hour waiting for them to frick off, my girlfriend was inside the house panicking. I told her to open a window and bang on a pot to scare them off but she was too freaked out.
I guess none of this was really PrepHole though. The few times I've seen black bears while out I just hoot and holler and they frick off. Havent come across any momma bears while on the trail thank god. And frick grizzlies, those guys will eat you for fun.
no. just in my living room.
Dawww. Who's a cute little killing machine? YOU are!
She was a small cinnamon black bear with 2 cubs (one of each color) likely would have run away if I banged on the window but go out there and try and frick with her cubs and she no doubt could do some damage.
lookin for pic-i-nic baskets?
I see black bears all the time. I rarely see grizzlies but I see their tracks a lot. Even got one on my trial cam once. This griz was out walking the fields on a fine Fall day.
here is the trail cam griz. small fellow
I live in Southeast Alaska and went through my pic folder an I have pics that look just like OP's. I hope those things aren't up here.
i spent a lot of my youth and teenage years working in petersburg with my family, cheers former neighbor.
Twice, most recently while hiking with a buddy in Montana last year (pic related), was hiking up a forest service road to the trail head. About 50ft up the road a fairly small Grizzly came running out from one side of the road and disappeared into the forest on other. It was large enough that I don't think it was a cub but it definitely didn't seem full sized. What surprised me the most probably was how quiet it was, aside from the occasional branch break you would almost have no clue it was coming. Felt a bit on edge for the rest of the hike but other than that nothing of much note, bear had zero interest in us.
The other time was when I was like 8 on a family vacation in yellow stone. Grizzly was hiking through a meadow, there were probably around 50+ tourists parked on the side of the road taking pictures of it. We pulled over to gawk along with the rest. That one seemed fairly accustomed to humans, it didn't give two shits about the crowd 100ft away.
Missions?
Cabinets
i can see the cabinets from my porch, based range
Yes, mostly black bears. They're extremely fast to the point where I don't know whether I could draw and fire in time or not, but I've never had one charge me. It happens often enough I know people who have shot bears in defense, but I've actually been charged by moose before so I'm a bit more worried about them.
I live in the middle of the USoA, so nope.
In the sierras and in the san gabriel mtns where I live. have seen several from afar, never seen one too close, maybe 100 feet or so away. I assume several have seen me that I didn't even know were there.
bears are pretty chill unless their starving. Every bear run in i ve had, the bear wandered off in a hurry. They dont want trouble. Moose, on the other hand are stupid and dangerous.
Ran into two black bears but thankfully that’s it. One time was at an outlook and the bear was blocking the only way down. We both looked at each other and it ran off. The other time I was like 3 hours into a solo hike and turned around a curve in a field and the mf was right there like 20 feet away, but it ran off immediately.
I was freaked out both times but looking back nothing happened and they ran away like the babies they are. I always carry bear spray just incase. Yes I know black bears don’t do anything, but I know that with mt luck I’m going to come across a bear with some fricked up disease and with cubs and I’m going to die. I need to start carrying a gun with me instead since wolves and moose are becoming more common in my area.
I hate fricking bears so godamn much.
i've encountered them on several occasions. just yell at the top of my lungs like a crazy person and they got scared and ran off. except for the mama bear with her cub. in that situation i just started talking loudly to let them know i was circling around. You really need a gun for bear country. bear spray does frick all against a hungry bear.
Why do you hate them? That seems moronic and thus YOU seem moronic.
i hate them because they keep going after my garbage bins, and are strong and smart enough to rip off the bungee cords we use on the lids.
they then proceed to leave a trail of trash out into the woods that i have to clean up. this happens once a month or so. even if we spray them down with bleach to mask the odor.
i chose to move out into the woods, so it's on me, but my god they are gigantic fricking pests.
bears are buttholes
they are like giant rats except that instead of chewing a hole in your wall they will just smash the window or break down the door so they can eat all your brown sugar and chocolate and shit all over your cabin while you're not around
yes but you would do the same if you were one.
>hurr durr if you were a Black person you would also steal and do crack
Relax you fricking autist
I saw one going through my gran's backyard once. And I didn't personally see it but a neighbor saw one on my porch. There's a lot of bear traffic through the area.
Would firecrackers scare off an angry bear?
Possibly, but if they don't you're better off with at least a knife or a pointy stick
Yeah man I bring a machete
A black bear walked into my campsite on my trip last summer. I had barely laid down after setting up the tent. Wasn't even sundown. It was prob about 10-20 feet away. I got up and started yelling at it and after pausing like a kid who got caught sneaking around, it walked away.
>black bears
Usually timid and unlikely to attack. They’re still a several hundred pound predator though and most predatory bear attacks are from black bears, so it’s not like they’re totally harmless. This is mainly due to how common they are compared to other bears though
>brown bears
Generally speaking much more aggressive and predatory than black bears. Fear of predatory brown bears can be exaggerated, but fear of defensive brown bears is usually pretty deserved. This depends heavily on what population/subspecies we’re talking about though. Generally speaking coastal brown bears and Kodiak bears are less aggressive compared to the smaller interior grizzlies, which are less aggressive compared to the even smaller barren ground grizzlies. Don't be out when they are starving and looking for whatever food they can get after hibernation and you’ll probably be alright.
>polar bears
Obviously the most predatory, but the killing machine reputation is way over exaggerated. They are more predictable and less bad tempered than grizzly bears. They’re simultaneously the most likely to attempt a predatory attack and the easiest to scare off during an attack. They’re not territorial like grizzlies either, so a polar that isn’t hungry is a non issue. Just don’t be in polar bear country, there’s frick all up there anyways
I respect the bears
the question is, do the bears respect you?
Once but I was blackout drunk and don't remember
I hunt black bears. Don't see them as much more than large raccoons. Not to be underestimated, but not explicitly dangerous.
Encountered a few grizzly as well. Never had one attack though. I am always armed in the woods, but would never want to encounter an aggressive griz. The idea is terrifying.
How do they taste?
Anyone got that video where some dumb twenty something is super close to a bear outside of his tent and says shit like "be kind to nature and you get great surprises like this"
believe it was PNW
I went to Sequoia NP last summer and saw a lot of black bears. They were cute, far away, and seemed to be actively avoiding people. Black bears seem kinda chill, Grizzly Bears seem super not chill
Several.
I carry a pistol and bear spray in grizzly country, even had one experience where I got a little too close to a very large silvertip grizzly but didn't need either. Later I spoke with a game warden who explained that all the precautions in the world won't matter if you ever come up on a grizzly bear on a fresh kill, he also explained that they won't even euthanize the bear in these instances because it's a natural defense mechanism.
Only advice I'd give in Grizzly country, you should try to make a good amount noise while hiking, you do not want to spook one.
You should always be correctly storing and handling you food regardless of the types of bears in the area.
Everyone should keep food out of the tent, avoid sleeping next to fire rings and properly store their food. I also wish people would just burn their trash and uneaten food rather than throwing that shit where people might later set up a tent.
I was in the Rockies smoking a cig on my stoop
Looked over and there was a bear 25-30ft away
As I stood up it false charged me
Split second I turned, ran inside and closed the door
Looked out through the glass and it was standing on it's hind legs in front of my door taunting me
Pretty scary and funny
ive seen lots of bears, they terrify me stil
theyre dangerous because theyre always trying to get people food
Once had a small black bear come on to a trail in front of my brother and I and we walked with it for a while, chill bear.
I've had a grizzly encounter before. Female sow with two spring cubs. Not 20 feet away from me and my girlfriend in the dead of night. I was walking her home.
Basically spoke calmly to my girlfriend to start backing away, and then I did the same body turned to the side.
Mama watched the whole time, but once we were away, when back to eating dandelions.
Very polite of you to walk the bear home, but maybe you should have left your girlfriend out of it
bring your bear spray anon and you'll be fine
Encountered at least a dozen black bears at home in the southwest, Maine/NH and nor Cal. Gave them plenty of space, kept moving, never had a problem. Passed many grizzlies and cubs while kayaking Lake Clark AK but it was late August they were busy gorging on salmon. Never had a bear go on the defensive & don't carry spray
Rural NorCalgay here: I've only run into black bear a few times, and every time they knew I was there all they wanted was to get away. They make more noise than anything except a drunk person.
When I was a teenager my dad ran a sporting goods store and one of our steady customers was a guy who handled problem bears for the Park Service. I never used anything besides an air horn and a 12 gauge loaded with rubber slugs. Make unholy noise until they flee, then thump them in the ass with a slug. Apparently the idea that you can be over HERE and he is over THERE and you can TOUCH him really blows a bear's mind.
Some of what I recall of his wisdom: 90% of all bear attacks in Cali are on women who are either menstruating or wearing perfume, so don't smell like food and you ought to be OK. Also, their tears ducts are in their throat. When they start slobbering, they aren't being vicious or rabid or whatever. They're scared. They're crying. WAAAHHH PLEASE DON'T KILL ME I JUST WANTED THE TWINKIES!
Bear spray is bullshit. The best bear medicine is .45 GI hardball. Shoot them in the head if you have to. Otherwise, give them a chance to back off and they almost always will.
Oh yes, and let me add to the chorus: Frick griz. I'm glad they're extinct here and from what I hear from friends in Montana I'll be happy if I never see one in my entire life.
>I'm glad they're extinct here
>im glad I live in a denuded, dying ecosystem full of methbillies and dude weedbros
>Also, their tears ducts are in their throat
what the actual frick are you talking about
I've come across a lot of black bear. Even when they have cubs the most that's happened is a bluff charge once. Never seen a grizzly but I want to.
Kinda. My fiancee and I saw a bear at Whistler when we were at a hotel courtyard. A black bear was chilling out in a tree by us and we didn't notice that was why a bunch of tourists we're pointing into the trees. Eventually one of them provoked it and threw a snow ball at it and it got scared and crawled under the deck to hide. I felt bad for the black bear rather than spooked. I've had a couple of other run ins with bears but that was my most recent one (2 months ago) and aren't be freaked out by them unless they're provoked. Heed your distance and if you want to be secure, bring mace, bear spray, and a good calibered gun
Yes and he got really close to me. I was minding my business fishing for salmon in a remote part of Montana when the fricker came out of nowhere and walked right up to me. Not much I could do since he'd already gotten so close before I noticed him. He was making grunting kind of noises and smelling me. He was really tall, stunk like absolute shit, and was obviously very hairy. I was frozen with fear and he just stayed there for a minute or two. Finally after I didn't respond to his offer to grab a drink later he walked away, not before slapping my ass and calling me a sexy twink though. I fricking hate homosexuals.
Slow burn, but good
Best commercial ever
>experienced hikers
Aren't afraid of black bears. Carry spray for to handle brown bears. Follow their lead.
https://www.aol.com/entertainment/cocaine-bear-strike-blow-staid-172808628.html
Yeah i saw one near gunsight lake in glacier. Walked around a turn and it was standing there near a little marshy area, looking at me over its shoulder. I think it just got done making scat. Thing got a bit agitated as i tried to hike past, so I heemed it. Wasnt there anymore on my way back out, so i think it got the picture.
Once I was hiking and saw some bear shit on the trail. It was very fresh. Couldn't tell if it was a black bear or a grizzly bear. I just turned around and went another way lol
I shot one in the head and now he hangs on my basement wall
I'm a midwestgay, so the worst I have to deal with are mountain lions. I have never seen a bear outside captivity. For those of you that camp with dogs, how do you deal with bears and keeping your pup close? My Rhodesian Ridgeback just turned 1 year old last week, and while she's familiar with wildlife - she has never encountered another predator. I want to do some camping in Appalachia(not too worried about black bears) and Colorado/Yellowstone this summer. I am struggling to find a group to go with, as I fear going alone without experience in those areas would be bad.
I'm going on a rant.
If you think your dog has good recall you’ll find out for sure when you encounter a bear. Appalachia is safe, black bears are huge pussies and will go out of their way to avoid you. I’m from an area with black bears and hiked a few hundred miles through grizzled country last year. If you’re in Yellowstone or glacier you’re going to be very close to them. I slept with my food and didn’t carry bear spray, never saw a grizzly. Moose scare me much more
these MOTHERFRICKERS are big fuzzy buttholeS that won't stop BITING MY WATER LINES and fricking RIPPING THROUGH TRASH
i buried the trash, i fricking buried it and the wienersuckers dug it up
cute tho
I have, motherfricker was 200 yards away from me. Best fricking meat I ever tasted. Can't wait to go out again next month to find one
What? If it's coming out of winter hibernation they taste like shit. Most gamey, nasty meat I've ever tasted.
I've only shot fall bear because the fat is delicious but I'll try to get one in May to see if there's any difference, I don't dislike gamey taste, I eat mostly elk and moose, can't stand the taste of pork
First time was at Boy Scout camp,at lake Huntington in the sierras. They would go for the dumpsters behind the mess hall like every night. You could safely post up and watch them looking around for food. Seen like two more over the years.
The last one I saw was like back in ‘08 on my way back from half dome. It was on the paved part in the on the way up to Nevada falls right where you turn off for the John Muir trail. Younger but not a cub. Just playing around with a log with all these people walking past. In that situation normies did not turn around scared but rather stopped walking and starting taking pics. My dad was one of those, trying to get closer even. I noped the frick out because I grew up reading Alaskan bear attack stories. I don’t care how small the bear is, I’m not sticking around. Not what I expected from the people around me at all.
Come up on Black Bears pretty regularly (Idaho/ Montana). Always a little freaky but have never had an issue,
I've come across 3 Grizzly bears on foot in my life and each time it is terrifying. Nothing happened any of those times, but you never know, and the situation can go badly very quickly.