However that may not be quite enough.
I had a teacher in high school whose job it was to wrangle bears on the North Slope.
He was not allowed to carry a gun, and had to resort to firecrackers and a broom to chase the inquisitive creatures away.
Once he saw a truck by the side of the road with a bunch of yellow stuff piled beside one broken window.
When he approached and knelt down he realized that was the stuffing from inside the seat cushions.
He said that he had a moment of terrible realization and stood up only to come face to face with a huge black bear that had manged to break the window and squeeze itself into the small opening in order to dig for the sack lunch the owner had stored under his seat.
He said they both panicked and he fell back onto the ground while the bear somehow turned itself around in the cab and smashed through the other previously unbroken window to get away.
I have never left food in my car while camping since.
I had a friend who worked the North Slope during the Alyeska Pipeline construction; he said they were told never to store their work lunches in the cabs of the worktrucks because they didn't want to teach the bears that food was to be found inside the cabs.
ReplyDeleteAnimals are so amazing!
ReplyDeleteA bear opening two doors is rare occurance... A Mama Grizzly picking the pockets of her worshippers happens on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteDing Ding!
DeleteLotions and other things with an odor can attract bears.
ReplyDeleteI bet Sarah Palins stench would repel bears into a full retreat. More powerful than a skunk.
DeleteI've never been to your majestic state, Gryph, but I sure remember childhood trips to Yellowstone in the 60's (my uncle was a forest ranger there). I saw bears maul cars for what was inside, even making mincemeat of a metal Coleman cooler for the couple pounds of bacon it housed. Amazing creatures!
ReplyDeleteI worked in Yellowstone for several seasons in the 60's. I remember the Rangers telling the campers to 'circle' their tents and cars with Parsons Ammonia.
DeleteOnce at a northern California campsite I ran into a family that was heading home early, a black bear had peeled open the front door of their truck, neatly, like you'd open a mailbox. This was an area not known to have "problem bears."
DeleteA friend that lives not far from Yellowstone had a bear get in her house (she was not home). The visit is commemorated with a picture frame neatly showcasing the claw mark on wall (it's a log home). It was not a small bear, that's certain.
ReplyDeleteWe have black bears follow a stream bed down off the mountain during dry summers, then mosey on through our rural backyards to see what they can see.
ReplyDeleteThis is in Massachusetts. See, Sarah, every state has its own wildlife, big and little. Alaska is gorgeous, but not unique.
My favorite Alaskan sign is in the tiny town of Talkeetna. One paved street and a small general store that is the "town center." Close by is a roughly painted sign made of long pieces of driftwood nailed above each other. It reads: Welcome to Beautiful Downtown Talkeetna.
ReplyDeleteThe people we met there reflected the gentle humor of the sign.
Talkeetna is not far from Denali. Climbers use it as a starting place, and the tiny airport has several people with small planes that will fly you around the 20,000 ft summit. Just about the most awesome experience of our life.
There is a realistic use for owning and using guns. To bad, as usual, idiot humans use guns for anything but real uses of self defense.
ReplyDeleteBlack bear was spotted 60 miles northwest of Chicago not too long ago.
ReplyDeleteMetheads too
Sarah should feel at home......meth heads and bears spotted 60 miles northwest of Chicago not too long ago.
ReplyDeleteBut keep her, we don't want her anymore than Alaska does.
EarthyMama/Chicagoland
Saw pictures of a friend's home in Tahoe after a bear visit. Total devastation of the kitchen and contents. Thought it was the worst until I saw the pictures of the damage done to my bosses' huge vacation house by squirrels and chipmunks.
ReplyDeleteThey knew who/what had done it because the visitors died in the house too. They had made it their new home, converting every square inch of drapery, cushion, bed covering or other fabric into nest fittings. Yes, they tried to raise a little family in there too. Furniture all but destroyed, rugs shredded. The stench of urine, feces and dead critters completes the scene. Total and utter devastation. In those days the house was checked only once a month, it's now weekly, needless to say.
So YES!, keep safe from bears but keep an eye on what the little guys can do if they find a way into your stuff.
Cougars are showing up in Portland. Don't think climate change has affected wildlife? Of course people here just want to shoot them dead for invading "their" space. Thank you, Alaska, for living harmoniously.
ReplyDeleteCan happen anywhere bears are. Friends in northern NH lost a garage door because they left their trash inside.They also lost a car seat in a car due to a candy bar being left under the seat.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the bears in Alaska, it always amazes me how people around here freak out from little black bears breaking into their trash cans. They usually scurry up a tree, are sedated, fall, then are moved and released.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing these two cubs frolicking by the side of a rest area and hearing people ooh and ahh as they scrambled to find something to feed them (not a good idea). The people we were visiting grabbed us, made a beeline for the car and we bolted back on the highway. He said "If there's baby bears around, the mother's not too far and pretty hungry because the cubs nurse while she's hybernating".
Black bears have been known to kill and maim people from the Northwest to the Southeast and points in between. Human casualties from any color of bear are low in the US. We can thank the bears for that.
DeleteOh, Lordy, those of us down here in arkansas just cant relate! Our problem is deer.
ReplyDelete