what caused that smell?

[tjm]

What animals smell really really bad? like, wake you up in the middle of the night bad?

I was solo camping in the White Mountains earlier this summer about 200 yards off a trail but about 8 miles from the nearest trail head, so fairly remote for New Hampshire. I was hanging on a little peninsula where a descent sized brook joined a large stream. [where the Jumping Brook joins the North Fork, off of Thoreau Falls Trail]

I woke up in the middle of the night due to a god-awful smell. It wasn't me And not a skunk or wet dog, that's for sure. Worse then any manure smell too. I haven't smelled a lot of dead things in my life but not sure how else to describe it.

Was unable to see or hear anything and was kind of glad that I couldn't. The smell quickly went away...

My Dad says that bears coming out of hibernation are stinky [but too late in the year for that], but a wet bear probably stinks too.

Any ideas? I would really like to hear them, thanks.

[Hawk-eye]

As a father ... ahem ... my guess is that trail meal didn't agree with him that evening and well ... nature took it's course. When you were little it was easier to blame you

... now it's the bears!

[Ramblinrev]

Wet fur stinks. Period. Don't matter what critter is wearing it. But so does the rut musk for the deer family. What the ladies find so attractive about that is a matter of acquired taste I guess. If I am correct, the rut is around the corner. Could be staking out the battle grounds and you got lucky.

[grannypat]

According to Lynrd Skynrd, its the smell of death or the angel of darkness.

[Hawk-eye]

According to Lynrd Skynrd, its the smell of death
... .

That would hold true with my theory too!

[Fronkey]

My guess is Bigfoot. They call it the Skunk Ape in Fl because it smells so bad. But, it could be a bear too.

Fronkey

[Kallorne]

Well a wet bear smells terrible, like a extremely powerful wet dog smell. Not what you described, my guess would be a carcass a ways off and air shifted just enough to let have a good whiff. I was about 3 days into the sawtooth and hit that dead animal smell, like walking into a brick wall. I'm talking eyes watering and gagging from the smell. A mile further we found a horse carcass that had its innards freshly removed. Anyway something like that would do it. It's a very distinctive smell.

[Beast 71]

Wet fur stinks. Period. Don't matter what critter is wearing it. But so does the rut musk for the deer family. What the ladies find so attractive about that is a matter of acquired taste I guess. If I am correct, the rut is around the corner. Could be staking out the battle grounds and you got lucky.

The rut won't start for about 2 months, depending on latitude and temperature. I'd go with big foot or a rotten fart trapped in your top quilt.

[Flangler]

I've nearly gagged from driving past a moose with the window down. That would be my guess.

[NCPatrick]

Maybe the bear just ate a moose or skunk?