Penn's/Hemlock Bear
 

I forgot to report- on my way down the hill from Hemlock on my way to
fish Spring Creek last Friday (8/5) I spotted a bear! It was walking
up the road about 1/2 the way from the entrance to Hemlock Acres to
Penn's Creek. I stopped along side it and it moved quickly into the
woods (on the side away from the campground). I got out, looked at the
bear about 30 yards away, opened the back of my SUV to get my camera
but by the time I got it, he/she was gone!
That was my first PA bear sighting!
I thought that the bear would have at least hung around long enough to
get directions to Frank's cooler.

"Gene Cyprych" wrote in message
ups.com...
I forgot to report- on my way down the hill from Hemlock on my way to
fish Spring Creek last Friday (8/5) I spotted a bear! It was walking
up the road about 1/2 the way from the entrance to Hemlock Acres to
Penn's Creek. I stopped along side it and it moved quickly into the
woods (on the side away from the campground). I got out, looked at the
bear about 30 yards away, opened the back of my SUV to get my camera
but by the time I got it, he/she was gone!
That was my first PA bear sighting!

Stick around Hemlock for a while and it probably won't be your last.

I thought that the bear would have at least hung around long enough to
get directions to Frank's cooler.

Directions I'd be happy to provide any time I'm not cocooned next to it.
:(

On a somewhat more serious note......

What are the odds that someone might actually get mauled by a bear at a
campground in central Pennsylvania......one in a million?......one in ten
million? The trouble with probabilities is that the **** doesn't need to
wait till the ten millionth event to hit the fan. Given the number of
reported bear sightings, I'd say Hemlock Acres is a ****ing tragedy just
waiting for the right opportunity.

Wolfgang

You may be right Wolfie.......There are alot of bears in the area of
Hemlock Acres.....99.9 percent of the time the bears will move on
away.........I have fished Three Streamer Stans with bears in the area
i have seen scat at Ingleby.......I have seen Rattle Snakes at Big
Fishing Creek.....Yes Rudy could proberly do a little more to deter the
bears from hanging around the campgrounds but so do people camping.....
When we were there in June Rudy was picking up the garbage on a daily
bases... He did have warnings at the store and on the bulletin board of
bears in the area he did personal tell me of the bears and has a sign
to stopp and see him upon arrival..... Any idea what else he could
do......i know of at least 3 bears that hang out over at Stans which is
over the hill from Hemlock......There are several down at The Cherry
Run Cabin area.......Wild life is a part of the mystic we call
flyfishing I myself enjoy it as much as fishing itself.........I grew
up with wild life in the woods of Maine our nearest neighbor was 3/4 of
a mile away the bus stop was 1 1/4 mile from home my brother and i
carried loaded rifles to and from the bus stop yes we walked....... The
property is now a sportsmens club........Most of my encounters have
been in the east some in Ga, SC, Texas,& Ca.....We all know as
sportsmen that food stuffs are to be kept cleaned up and stored
properly Frank admits he did not do that but knew to do that I don't
think the bear was interested in chowing on you or Frank but barley
stew but ya gotta admit looking for a place to sleep wearing only your
BVD's was funny......Most human/animal encounters are caused by human
error ie right place wrong time food stuffs just lieing around the list
goes on and on......As the country gets more developed the less
habitate animals have thus more encounters and we all know the animal
get the short end of the stick........Here in Ct we have had around 75
bear sightings this year alone..........Enough of my ramblings just
wanted to put my $.02 in........................


Standin In A River Wavibg A Stick

Mike

I would second what my Handy Pal says. Black bears come with the territory
in the East. More so every year, which is a good sign for the natural
environment being improved. To my knowledge, there haven't been any maulings
in PA or any other Eastern local by black bears in a long time. To
characterize Hemlock Acres as some sort of tragedy waiting to happen is
unfair to Rudy. He has learned, and quickly, and has done what has to be
done. If campers want to be stupid or careless, that is on them. The only
potential issue, as I see it, is someone letting a kid approach a
bear.....especially a mother with cub(s).
tom

On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 18:03:17 -0500, "Wolfgang"
wrote:

(snipped)

What are the odds that someone might actually get mauled by a bear at a
campground in central Pennsylvania......one in a million?......one in ten
million? The trouble with probabilities is that the **** doesn't need to
wait till the ten millionth event to hit the fan. Given the number of
reported bear sightings, I'd say Hemlock Acres is a ****ing tragedy just
waiting for the right opportunity.

Wolfgang

The odds you'll get mauled are better / worse in a campground where
there's a resident garbage bear than they are out in the woods.
That's even for the wary who know bear rules. For the new camper, the
careless camper, the just plain dingbat or drunkie, the odds get much
heavier. "Hold my beer while I go pet / scare / fight the bear, will
ya'?" "He's in cooler. Get the cooler back from him." "Little
Jimmie, there's a bear there. Run away. Run away. Run fast!" "Oh,
let the dog loose. It'll chase the bear away." "Grab all the food
and hide in the tent with it." "Little Jimmie, take a donut over
there to feed the bear, we'll get a picture."

Whereas, if they met the bear in the woods, they'd most likely scream
and freeze and the bear would scram.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

"Cyli" wrote in message
...

The odds you'll get mauled are better / worse in a campground where
there's a resident garbage bear than they are out in the woods.
That's even for the wary who know bear rules.
Cyli

Not according to these folks.

"Offensive attacks include all the killings by black bears. These are
generally unprovoked, predatory attacks. Most victims were eaten. Offensive,
predatory attacks have almost always been in remote areas where the bears
had little or no previous contact with people. Black bears that raid
campgrounds or garbage cans are almost never involved. The rarity of the
killings goes along with the non-confrontational, timid disposition that's
been bred into black bears. But why approximately one black bear in 600,000
becomes a killer is a mystery. None of the killers had rabies. Some had
common physical problems. There is no consistent explanation."
(http://www.bear.org/Black/Articles/H...ack_Bears.html)

Mark

To my knowledge, there haven't been any maulings
in PA or any other Eastern local by black bears in a long time.

Better than that, Tom. The PA Game Commission says there is no record
of a black bear *ever* attacking a human in PA.

Twenty or so years ago, according to that unimpeachable source, the
CDT, a resident of Pleasant Gap (near State College) saw a mother bear
and her cub in his garden. The dummy rushed out and tried to chase
both bears away. Mama cuffed him a good one, and both bears left.

Dummy suffered only minor scratches.

That was a case of a man attacking a bear, not a bear attacking a man.

vince





To
characterize Hemlock Acres as some sort of tragedy waiting to happen is
unfair to Rudy. He has learned, and quickly, and has done what has to be
done. If campers want to be stupid or careless, that is on them. The only
potential issue, as I see it, is someone letting a kid approach a
bear.....especially a mother with cub(s).
tom

For the new camper, the
careless camper, the just plain dingbat or drunkie, the odds get much
heavier. "Hold my beer while I go pet / scare / fight the bear, will
ya'?" "He's in cooler. Get the cooler back from him." "Little
Jimmie, there's a bear there. Run away. Run away. Run fast!" "Oh,
let the dog loose. It'll chase the bear away." "Grab all the food
and hide in the tent with it." "Little Jimmie, take a donut over
there to feed the bear, we'll get a picture."

Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify as
the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.

--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify
as the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.


Uh, drunkie camper. Was that slightly Freudian? Ever so slightly.

--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 20:09:55 -0400, "Guyz-N-Flyz"
wrote:


"Cyli" wrote in message
.. .

The odds you'll get mauled are better / worse in a campground where
there's a resident garbage bear than they are out in the woods.
That's even for the wary who know bear rules.
Cyli

Not according to these folks.

"Offensive attacks include all the killings by black bears. These are
generally unprovoked, predatory attacks. Most victims were eaten. Offensive,
predatory attacks have almost always been in remote areas where the bears
had little or no previous contact with people. Black bears that raid
campgrounds or garbage cans are almost never involved. The rarity of the
killings goes along with the non-confrontational, timid disposition that's
been bred into black bears. But why approximately one black bear in 600,000
becomes a killer is a mystery. None of the killers had rabies. Some had
common physical problems. There is no consistent explanation."
(http://www.bear.org/Black/Articles/H...ack_Bears.html)

Mark

Yeah, but those are predatory bears. A whole different forest of
trees. Mostly way up north, like MN, WI, Ontario, etc.. The last
case I heard of in MN or WI was decades ago. The experts find that
they're generally very large bears who probably have gotten into the
habit of eating smaller bears and found the eating to be good.
Predatory bears are very rare. Almost everything you hear about bear
maulings is by ordinary black bears who were startled or otherwise
bothered by humans. Seldom does this result in death because the
bear's real first priority is to get the heck out of there or get back
to his / her food.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

"Thomas Littleton" wrote in message
news:xguLe.355$286.190@trndny09...
...The only
potential issue, as I see it, is someone letting a kid approach a
bear.....especially a mother with cub(s).

And where would this hypothetical someone be allowing a theoretical kid to
approach a probabilistic bear.....with or without potential cubs?

Wolfgang
who knows than an academic issue ain't worth squat if you can't find a place
to test it.

"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
...

...Dummy suffered only minor scratches.

That was a case of a man attacking a bear, not a bear attacking a man.

Serves him right for leading with his chin.

Wolfgang
and they call ME a harsh critic! :)

"Frank Reid" moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote in message
...
Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify
as the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.


Uh, drunkie camper. Was that slightly Freudian? Ever so slightly.

--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

"Looks like we're going to need another [Jimmy]!"

Wolfgang
who has heard that extinction last for like a REALLY long time! :(

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 21:51:09 -0400, "Frank Reid"
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:

For the new camper, the
careless camper, the just plain dingbat or drunkie, the odds get much
heavier. "Hold my beer while I go pet / scare / fight the bear, will
ya'?" "He's in cooler. Get the cooler back from him." "Little
Jimmie, there's a bear there. Run away. Run away. Run fast!" "Oh,
let the dog loose. It'll chase the bear away." "Grab all the food
and hide in the tent with it." "Little Jimmie, take a donut over
there to feed the bear, we'll get a picture."

Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify as
the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.


Gee, you're harsh on yourself. I'd only have thought careless. And
that only because I didn't think you'd properly taken care for
raccoons or 'possums. Since no one had informed you there was a camp
garbage bear. Maybe dingbat on the running part. But the bear
already had food and you guys are a tad bigger than a kid, so, as was
proven, were pretty safe.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

"Cyli" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 21:51:09 -0400, "Frank Reid"
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:

For the new camper, the
careless camper, the just plain dingbat or drunkie, the odds get much
heavier. "Hold my beer while I go pet / scare / fight the bear, will
ya'?" "He's in cooler. Get the cooler back from him." "Little
Jimmie, there's a bear there. Run away. Run away. Run fast!" "Oh,
let the dog loose. It'll chase the bear away." "Grab all the food
and hide in the tent with it." "Little Jimmie, take a donut over
there to feed the bear, we'll get a picture."

Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify
as
the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.


Gee, you're harsh on yourself. I'd only have thought careless. And
that only because I didn't think you'd properly taken care for
raccoons or 'possums. Since no one had informed you there was a camp
garbage bear. Maybe dingbat on the running part. But the bear
already had food and you guys are a tad bigger than a kid, so, as was
proven, were pretty safe.

Not exactly what those in the sciences would call a rigorous proof.

Wolfgang
um.....well, o.k., maybe the neurosciences.

Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify
as the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.


Uh, drunkie camper. Was that slightly Freudian? Ever so slightly.


"Looks like we're going to need another [Jimmy]!"

SPLORK! POTW!
--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

vincent p. norris wrote:
To my knowledge, there haven't been any maulings
in PA or any other Eastern local by black bears in a long time.

Better than that, Tom. The PA Game Commission says there is no record
of a black bear *ever* attacking a human in PA.

SNIP


vince


http://ap.lancasteronline.com/4/pa_bear_attack

Three young adults were camping in a "no camping" area of Hickory Run
State Park and had an "encounter" with a bear. The injuries weren't
life-threatening, but the campers did stupid tings. The park assistant
manager calls the incident and "encounter" rather than an "atttack."

Steve

That was a case of a man attacking a bear, not a bear attacking a man.

Serves him right for leading with his chin.

Wolfgang

Absolutely! Even if he had been badly mauled, he asked for it!

vince

On 14 Aug 2005 06:49:02 -0700, "Steve" wrote:
..... The PA Game Commission says there is no record
of a black bear *ever* attacking a human in PA.

Three young adults were camping in a "no camping" area of Hickory Run
State Park and had an "encounter" with a bear. The injuries weren't
life-threatening, but the campers did stupid tings. The park assistant
manager calls the incident and "encounter" rather than an "atttack."

Steve

I'd call that a pretty serious "encounter." Even if the campers "did
stupid things," perhaps the Game Commission should revise its
statement.

Perhaps "there is no record of a black bear ever attacking a human in
PA, except when they sorta provoke it."

vince

And where would this hypothetical someone be allowing a theoretical kid to
approach a probabilistic bear.....with or without potential cubs?

Wolfgang

I recall reading, years ago, that a visibly agitated Yellowstone Park
Ranger went into his supervisor's office, slapped his badge down on
his desk, and said, "I quit!"

After his supervisor calmed him down a bit, he confessed he had just
slugged a tourist. (Note: Rangers are not supposed to do that.)

Said tourist was putting his little kid on the back of a bear so his
wife could take a cute picture.

vince

Not exactly what those in the sciences would call a rigorous proof.

Wolfgang
um.....well, o.k., maybe the neurosciences.

um.... well, they sure have a lot of nerve!

vince

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 21:58:41 -0400, vincent p. norris
wrote:

On 14 Aug 2005 06:49:02 -0700, "Steve" wrote:
..... The PA Game Commission says there is no record
of a black bear *ever* attacking a human in PA.

Three young adults were camping in a "no camping" area of Hickory Run
State Park and had an "encounter" with a bear. The injuries weren't
life-threatening, but the campers did stupid tings. The park assistant
manager calls the incident and "encounter" rather than an "atttack."

Steve

I'd call that a pretty serious "encounter." Even if the campers "did
stupid things," perhaps the Game Commission should revise its
statement.

Perhaps "there is no record of a black bear ever attacking a human in
PA, except when they sorta provoke it."

vince


I read the stories and followups when the news was fresh. I think the
bear may have been acting in self defense (or food defense, once he'd
found it), though it's hard to tell what happened, as almost
everything the kids said, except the one who was up in the car and had
no clue anything was going on, sounded like a doper's story made up to
cover the very few injuries that the girl had. Evidence was that the
bear had whacked her or bitten her once. The rest of her very minor
injuries could have been from floundering around in the brush.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

vincent p. norris wrote:
"Steve" wrote:
Three young adults were camping in a "no camping" area of Hickory Run
State Park and had an "encounter" with a bear. The injuries weren't
life-threatening, but the campers did stupid tings. The park assistant
manager calls the incident and "encounter" rather than an "atttack."

I'd call that a pretty serious "encounter." Even if the campers "did
stupid things," perhaps the Game Commission should revise its
statement.

No, I don't think so. If a bear "attacks" a human it must
be destroyed. The PA Game Commission is correct.

If anybody needs to be put down it's those three drunken
dimbulbs not the bear.

--
Ken Fortenberry

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 23:26:44 -0500, "Wolfgang"
wrote:


"Thomas Littleton" wrote in message
news:xguLe.355$286.190@trndny09...
...The only
potential issue, as I see it, is someone letting a kid approach a
bear.....especially a mother with cub(s).

And where would this hypothetical someone be allowing a theoretical kid to
approach a probabilistic bear.....with or without potential cubs?

Wolfgang
who knows than an academic issue ain't worth squat if you can't find a place
to test it.

Lots of stories around, mostly about tourons in Yellowstone or
Yosemite, who put their children in danger with bears and other wild
animals for the cute picture. One could write or email and ask about
the rangers, if one wanted the truth. I've been to Yellowstone and
seen the tourons, back when I was a kid and the rangers weren't yet
sick of killing 'problem' bears so weren't much enforcing bear rules
and saw things that now upset me, though none involved parents
directly putting kids in danger. Other than letting them hold jelly
donuts out the car windows for the bears to take. At the time, I
wasn't scared, just disgusted at the stupidity.

People whose big encounters with wildlife have been the bunny or the
squirrel in their suburban or urban back yard tend to act as if
they're all very dangerous or as if they're all like cartoon
characters when they finally see bigger wildlife. Disney and Yogi
Bear have a lot to answer for...

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 23:01:19 -0500, Cyli
wrote:

Following up my own post. Distinction to be made between maulings and
killings. You may get mauled on the way to being killed, so a death
would cover both, but most bloody difficulties with bears don't come
to death. The last US death by black bear I recall reading about was
that woman in Tennessee or somewhere in the southern mountains a year
or three back. Husband left her on the trail while he went fishing
and came back to find a bear and cub having a nibble of her dead body.
I don't, in this case, recall if the bear killed her or if it found
her dead or she ran from it and fell and got knocked out. Bear and
cub hunted down and killed in that case.



Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 00:01:30 -0500, "Wolfgang"
wrote:


"Cyli" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 21:51:09 -0400, "Frank Reid"
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:

For the new camper, the
careless camper, the just plain dingbat or drunkie, the odds get much
heavier. "Hold my beer while I go pet / scare / fight the bear, will
ya'?" "He's in cooler. Get the cooler back from him." "Little
Jimmie, there's a bear there. Run away. Run away. Run fast!" "Oh,
let the dog loose. It'll chase the bear away." "Grab all the food
and hide in the tent with it." "Little Jimmie, take a donut over
there to feed the bear, we'll get a picture."

Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify
as
the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.


Gee, you're harsh on yourself. I'd only have thought careless. And
that only because I didn't think you'd properly taken care for
raccoons or 'possums. Since no one had informed you there was a camp
garbage bear. Maybe dingbat on the running part. But the bear
already had food and you guys are a tad bigger than a kid, so, as was
proven, were pretty safe.

Not exactly what those in the sciences would call a rigorous proof.

Wolfgang
um.....well, o.k., maybe the neurosciences.

You're still alive, right? Only anecdotal evidence, but it worked.
Each anecdote is a datum. Enough data can make for provisional proof.
However, we only have one datum, so I'd not rely on it,
scientifically. Only in this one pragmatic case.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

Cyli wrote in
:


Gee, you're harsh on yourself. I'd only have thought careless. And
that only because I didn't think you'd properly taken care for
raccoons or 'possums. Since no one had informed you there was a camp
garbage bear. Maybe dingbat on the running part. But the bear
already had food and you guys are a tad bigger than a kid, so, as was
proven, were pretty safe.


So, aside from not setting up camp in a no camping area, and the fact that
nobody got hurt, how is this different than the stoners in the woods?

--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
...
That was a case of a man attacking a bear, not a bear attacking a man.

Serves him right for leading with his chin.

Wolfgang

Absolutely! Even if he had been badly mauled, he asked for it!

vince

Maybe so. But it seems to me that life is replete with examples of folks
who "asked for it" without engendering contempt for them or approval of
those who delivered it.

Wolfgang
or maybe i got lost somewhere and this isn't roff.

"Cyli" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 00:01:30 -0500, "Wolfgang"
wrote:


"Cyli" wrote in message
. ..
On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 21:51:09 -0400, "Frank Reid"
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:

For the new camper, the
careless camper, the just plain dingbat or drunkie, the odds get much
heavier. "Hold my beer while I go pet / scare / fight the bear, will
ya'?" "He's in cooler. Get the cooler back from him." "Little
Jimmie, there's a bear there. Run away. Run away. Run fast!" "Oh,
let the dog loose. It'll chase the bear away." "Grab all the food
and hide in the tent with it." "Little Jimmie, take a donut over
there to feed the bear, we'll get a picture."

Hey, Wolfgang, we done did that whole list in under 10 minutes (I'll
substitute you for Little Jimmy and the dog). Coool. I guess I qualify
as
the new, careles, dingbat, dunkie camper.


Gee, you're harsh on yourself. I'd only have thought careless. And
that only because I didn't think you'd properly taken care for
raccoons or 'possums. Since no one had informed you there was a camp
garbage bear. Maybe dingbat on the running part. But the bear
already had food and you guys are a tad bigger than a kid, so, as was
proven, were pretty safe.

Not exactly what those in the sciences would call a rigorous proof.

Wolfgang
um.....well, o.k., maybe the neurosciences.

You're still alive, right?

Even here in ROFF I'd expect most to accept the mere fact of our testimonial
evidence (irrespective of the specific content thereof) as acceptable and
sufficient to prove that we did indeed survive.

Only anecdotal evidence, but it worked.
Each anecdote is a datum. Enough data can make for provisional proof.
However, we only have one datum, so I'd not rely on it,
scientifically. Only in this one pragmatic case.

Cyli

The English language, she is a slippery beast. A single anecdote delivered
by the protagonist is rock solid proof that he or she survived whatever
adventure is under consideration. On the other hand, the testimonial
evidence of millions of survivors does nothing to establish even provisional
proof that say, warfare for example, is safe. In short, the ex post facto
determination that an activity is safe based solely on the survival of the
participants is fatally flawed. This is precisely the sort of logic that
leads people to dip their children's hands in a pot of honey so that they
can get a photo of a bear licking it off.

Wolfgang

On 15 Aug 2005 12:28:00 GMT, Scott Seidman
wrote:

Cyli wrote in
:


Gee, you're harsh on yourself. I'd only have thought careless. And
that only because I didn't think you'd properly taken care for
raccoons or 'possums. Since no one had informed you there was a camp
garbage bear. Maybe dingbat on the running part. But the bear
already had food and you guys are a tad bigger than a kid, so, as was
proven, were pretty safe.


So, aside from not setting up camp in a no camping area, and the fact that
nobody got hurt, how is this different than the stoners in the woods?


They neither touched nor were touched by the bear. Nobody pulled a
knife. They were able to give a coherent account of the incident
afterward. They didn't have to go to either a hospital or jail
afterward. They, unlike the kids, had had no warning of any problems
in the area (I figure illegal campsites are a warning in themselves.).
While they did run, they ran to a secure place (except in Yellowstone
and Yosemite and a few other overpopulated tourist places, cars and
trucks are pretty secure from bears). Nothing in they account
indicates that they did anything to enrage the bear.

They probably annoyed it in with the truck lights and the horn, but
garbage bears who have found garbage are pretty immune to such
irritations. Noise and light are actually recommended as ways to
chase away bears. I don't know why, because every report I've heard
where it was used had at most a 3% effect, temporary at that, once the
bear has smelled or intuited food nearby.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)