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  1. #71
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    Has anyone used a camping perimeter monitoring system? It sees a little overly paranoid for most hiking but if I was in grizzly country I might consider one.

  2. #72
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    I read a book a few years about about a couple, a man and his wife, who spent their summers boating along the coast in the high northern latitudes. If I recall correctly they did avalanche research in the winter months in the Rockies and had their summers off. One of them paddled a kayak and the other a row boat. I don't recall the title of the book.

    Anyway, in the story they would camp along the shore, traveling along the western coast of Alaska. A remote area where big bears had little contact with humans. They slept in a dome tent on the beach areas and wrote of several incidents where a bear would come an push on the side of the tent. The tent was an unusual object to the bears and they believed the bear was being a little cautious of the unknown. Not knowing if it might be food or something that could harm them. They would yell " hey, bear go away" and the bears always did and they were never attacked.

    I can't say whether the bear not being able to see them was a help or not. Maybe yes maybe no. However, I couldn't help wondering if there had been other people making similar adventures into remote areas who had similar encounters with bears but the bear didn't run away and did attack and those folks never got back home to write a book about their adventure because they were turned into bear scat.

    Or otoh - maybe it's a good story to illustrate that we really shouldn't worry to much about bears. The risk of an attack may indeed be low. We just have to trust that we don't have an encounter with that one bear, one of the 1%ters, who is just more aggressive than the majority of the bear population. The abundance or lack of wild food may have an effect on how aggressive the bears become. Maybe in times of low natural foods we ought to be more cautious of bears. Otherwise , don't worry to much or you'll never venture into the woods.

  3. #73
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    Check out the Timothy Treadwell story that took place in Alaska not too long ago.

  4. #74
    Member Dain Bramage's Avatar
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    My final thoughts on this thread are, as David mentioned, I think we give the bear much undo worry. I have a friend who hikes the Rockies endlessly, with his dog/and possibly one of his sons, and he has never had an encounter with a predator. And I really can't recall him mentioning even seeing one.

    I would like to interject here, that when comparing bears, there are many different species. And the differences between the black bear, and the grizzly are wide and blatant. The closest k9 relative to the wolf is, believe it or not, the Shiz-tzu (saw this on Animal Planet). Huge difference. So comparing bears is much like comparing the loving little dog to the cunning grey pack hunter of the wild. They are just waaaaay different.

    There is also the rogue bear to be considered. Either having been injured by man, or another predator, or even sick, bears can become vicious killers and have been noteworthy foes in recent history. Old Ephraim, or Old Three Toes was said to have killed thousands of sheep and cattle, and literally put ranchers out of business. He was a 10 footer that roamed the Cache Range and killed, just to be killing. There have been many reported rogue bears, black and griz. Though the griz being the largest, garners the most horrific tales and therefore the most attention. Only recently, a woman was killed trying to defend her two daughters from a black bear. The bear returned and took the six year daughter too. The differences in defending yourself between the two species of bear is just broad as well. So, being safe in Griz country, is not the same as being safe in a predominantly black bear populated area.

    It should actually be two different threads. But again, both species are given too much attention when it comes to worry and precautionary measures in the field. However, the stakes are much higher when dealing with ANY bear. It isn't a matter of having your bread stolen by coons. Or coyotes running off with the pomeranian. Bears of any species can and have killed humans, for whatever reason. So the stakes are very elevated, thus the issue raises lots of angst.

    I think we have determined, that it makes little difference what type of TEMPORARY shelter we use. And that bears can smell for miles...a thin layer of silnylon will not hide your scent. Although hiding our visual human aspects may make the bear more leary. But if the bear wants in, it's coming in.

    Geographical location makes a difference too. Are you hiking in the vast wilderness of the Alaskan interior, where bears may never have encountered humans? Or are you hiking the trail in some maintained national or state park in eastern Tennessee? There are just too many factors to consider for one broad ranging question....Are we safe in bear country?

    The answer is...NO.

    How safe are you walking down the back streets and alleys in your own town? Do you take precautions then? Or just avoid the area altogether? We can be killed playing football. We can die crossing the street. Even love making carries certain mortality risks these days.

    My question is...How safe do you want to be?

    There is a lot to be said for, delving into the unknown, taking the plunge, playing with fire. "Just Do It" is a popular moniker for a sports shoe. Recklessness, NO. But I say YES, to adventure. Leave a little peril to fate. Be prepared, but don't dwell on it, and have a good time.
    "Are you gonna eat that?"

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  5. #75
    Senior Member photomankc's Avatar
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    I just can't see the rational basis to fear a bear in a hammock more than in a tent. In either case the nose has told them what is in there already. I can see maybe a little more difficulty in getting out and away from a hammock quickly in an attack but people attacked in tents don't often get out either once the bear attacks.

    I think a hammock gives you one advantage not mentioned that I saw. The ability to shun established camp sites. Bears seem to know where people camp and I really hate being forced to camp in established campgrounds in serious bear country. I think they create a perfect storm for problems. Bears know to come there for food, bears encounter people there often in assoc with food, and they learn people are not really much immediate threat to them. That is a recipe for bad stuff to happen.

    Bottom line, I carry things that I can defend myself with. I like to travel with my dog who doesn't let even a coon sneak into camp. I keep my camp spot clean as much as possible. I just don't worry about it that much. Far more likely to have an adventure due to injury than a bear attack.

    The article written as a bear was rather... childish.

  6. #76
    Senior Member Agfadoc's Avatar
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    You are more likely to get killed walking in downtown anywhere USA than being attacked by a bear..

    General rules apply in both situations.. Know where you are, consider the environment, be alert, take precautions, and most of the time it is the ones who aren't doing those things are the ones being attacked.

  7. #77
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    Bears

    I think this is a subject to which we should apply rational thought. The first thought is that "burrito" is obviously incorrect. In a hammock, one is not wrapped. It is obvious that the correct term is "taco". However, it is an upside down taco, and as we all know, if a taco is upside down, all the stuff worth eating has fallen out. A bear coming across a camp site will smell the tasty human, but will see an upside down taco, so will think to itself "Oh, upside down taco, all the good stuff has fallen out. Maybe it is in that muffin across the way, let's see..... Yet another good reason to hang the tarp and tie down the sides at night!

    I might add that this is rational thought from one who is from a country which has not had wild bears for several hundreds of years.

  8. #78
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    My thoughts on bears vs hammock with me in it goes as follows... Sounds of me sleeping... sound of bear smelling his soon to be treat... Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang... sounds of reloading... bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang... Sound of zipper openning and logs being added to fire... me asking my dad for salt and pepper... dad?... Dad?
    I LIVE FOR THE DAY AFTER TWO DAYS BEFORE TOMORROW.

  9. #79
    Senior Member NorseAmerican's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeeps View Post
    If you bring an extra hammock you will have nothing to worry about.....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB-vQivWd-c&NR=1

    99% of the time they will choose the empty one to relax in

    Jeeps
    LOL!!!! Maybe we need to worry about a bear getting inside, cuddling up and getting friskie!
    Last edited by NorseAmerican; 03-05-2011 at 20:33.
    "It's like a giant net for catching lazy people"
    "You never see anyone crying in a hammock" -Jim Gaffigan on Hammocks
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