Remote Bear Country-Should I hang? (long)

[Heydad!]

This may not be as funny as it seems (for sickos like me it is hilarious). There have actually been cases of folks using bear spray like mosquito repellent. Secondly, studies in AK showed that once the bear spray is deployed, i.e. on the ground, the bears would come and roll in it. Just like dog roll'n good, catnip for a bear.

I've heard that the way to distinguish grizzly poop from black or brown bear poop is that it smells like pepper spray and has a whistle in it....maybe it's true? ��

[bowl-maker]

Man you guys seem really afraid of bears. When's the last time someone was attacked by a bear in that area? The bear attack stories are always exaggerated out of proportion. I was just talking to a ranger in the Smokey Mountains and he said there's been one person attacked by a bear in the last 25 years in the National Park. This guy was eating peanut butter and jelly in his tent. It's really really rare for a bear to attack but it doesn't hurt to be prepared but some of this is over doing it

Your ranger may have been uninformed:

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/appal...ack1/216960737

http://www.wcpo.com/news/state/state...-national-park

http://yoursmokies.blogspot.com/2010...eat-smoky.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26155472/n...oky-mountains/

However, I agree with the consensus that the attacks are rare and typically involve people who don't follow guidelines (one guy a couple of years ago was bitten for trying to feed a bear in Cades Cove). If you're careful and watchful you shouldn't expect to have a problem.

[bowl-maker]

I've heard that the way to distinguish grizzly poop from black or brown bear poop is that it smells like pepper spray and has a whistle in it....maybe it's true? ��

That's hilarious!

[bubbamancub13]

I would agree with what has been said. With Blacks, you should be okay if you adhere to the general rules about bear safety. Have a deterrent, hang away from smellables, bring a dog. If there is any trace of Grizzly within half a mile that you know of, I would put u an electric fence if you have one and/or make sure to hang with a couple other people.

[joe_guilbeau]

The bears know where you live. They smell the cooking, they see you take the scraps out to the eagles. This is their world. That being said, take some Orange/Dye bear spray with you, at least the survivors will be able to identify the bear.

It is the 200 folks who rented the cabin before you... that hand fed the bears... that you have to worry about. Those scratch marks were from them when they tried to escape the bears...doh!

[bikerbobber]

Your ranger may have been uninformed:

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/appal...ack1/216960737

http://www.wcpo.com/news/state/state...-national-park

http://yoursmokies.blogspot.com/2010...eat-smoky.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26155472/n...oky-mountains/

However, I agree with the consensus that the attacks are rare and typically involve people who don't follow guidelines (one guy a couple of years ago was bitten for trying to feed a bear in Cades Cove). If you're careful and watchful you shouldn't expect to have a problem.

Using the stats in the last article.
In 2008 9 million people visit the Great Smokies a year. In the previous 10 years there had been 8 attacks including the one from the article.
Mathematically that makes your chance of being attacked .00000009% in the Great Smokies.
Only one of those attacks was fatal
.00000001%
I'll take those odds!

Bob

[Carver]

How many park visitors got over 100 yards from their car?

[Broadwater]

I was pretty shocked to hear a ranger told him that too. I agree that being attacked by a bear is EXTREMELY unlikely - you are much more likely to die in a car accident on your way to your destination, or have a limb fall on you.

That being said, the second story you mentioned (the WCPO story) about the boy being attacked was very well publicized, and I can't imagine how the park ranger didn't remember that one - it was less than two years ago in that same park. This story was of particular interest to me because the boy was sleeping in his hammock when he was attacked - the bear grabbed him by the head and started dragging him away. This is the only case I ever came across where the bear dragged someone out of a hammock. Again, this emphasizes how rare these attacks are.

Personally, I camped in an area known to be frequented by bears soon after reading that story. I didn't have any problems with bears - but I had a hell of time relaxing and putting all of those noises you hear at night out of my head. I imagine if you do choose to sleep outside at this lovely location and hear any noises, this mental comfortability issue for you too.

Good luck - I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter what you do there. If I had to give you a suggestion, I'd say take snoozes outdoors in the hammock (afternoons and first light!), and do your overnight sleeping indoors on the hammock. Best of both worlds!

Broadwater

[Caminante]

I did some bear research prior to going to Yosemite last September after hearing so much about bears there. Turned out that nobody had been attacked by a bear in California ever (which changed the month after I left: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/10/11...mountains.html). I researched the GSMNP bear attacks, somewhat numerous but typically not fatal, and was discussing it with the Yosemite ranger who was from GA. He said while the bears in Yosemite are craftier and peskier than GSMNP bears, they're much less aggressive and just want to pilfer food with as little effort as possible. Bear spray is illegal in Yosemite because it would cause more problems than it would solve. I felt much better.

Then I started researching a potential trip to the Banff area this year. Wow. Bears don't joke up there! Regardless of the frequency of attack and odds, they're more apt to kill you if you have an encounter. Bear spray highly recommended if not mandatory, mandatory minimum group sizes for some areas at certain times, etc. I found a list of fatal bear attacks online and noticed that the majority seem to be in Canada or the northern US Rockies. I think the OP is talking about Ontario which has had ~5 fatal attacks since the 70's.

Also interesting that you're roughly as likely to be killed by a polar bear in the zoo as in the wild.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._North_America

[Bigmeats]

Lots of great advice and stories. I am learning more than I thought I would on this subject!!! Thanks all