Bears!!
Whats the bear situation like in early OCT?
hummm....what do you say to that?
Yep, still bears out there. Still hungry. Yep, they still haven't caught that oneway UFO flight outta here.
Ps. on an interesting note. I remember reading a sign in the Shenandoahs back in the early 2000's that because of so much accessibility human leftovers that they no longer hibernate for any period of time. It was saying something like they may rest for a spell (a week or two) if the temperatures plummet but then they will go foraging again when the temperature rises above freezing or there abouts. I'm no bear scientist but ever since then I just expect that bears are around all the time.
* Warning: I bite AND I do not play well with others! -hellkat-
They typically only eat a couple hikers in October. Hike with two slower hikers and you should be okay.
Also, if you're worried about bears getting into your food, at camp, the method I use is load up a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter and I wipp that over by some tenters. Then I hang my food bag on the opposite side of the shelter. This method works two-fold. First you have a decoy and second you now have a couple of camp security guards who are up all night chasing off bears. If you find the bears are only mildly attracted to your campmate's tent then you can up the ante but stirring in some clover honey to the peanut butter gobs. always works for me.
* Warning: I bite AND I do not play well with others! -hellkat-
They are still out there... you might see one, but the odds seem to be against it... it just a hit or miss sort of thing.
Personal example, I took about 6 GSMNP trips last year and saw a bear during every one of them (even if most of them were simply seeing the back end of a bear running away from me).
I've been on 5 GSMNP trips this year, and I haven't seen any bears (even though the last time I talked to a ranger, they said they were getting more reports of bear encounters this year than last).
Many of those reports are from the front country though......
And some from the usual places like Cosby knob and Russell field shelter...
And likewise---while I haven't been in smokies this year, I've done about 15 weekends in Joyce Kilmer area and have not seen a bear....
I come to the wilderness looking for encounters with wildlife in the GSMNP. As such, it is hit or miss depending on the activity in the area you are visiting (Duh!).... I've been on two popular hikes this year and have encountered wildlife both times (depending on how you define it). Up Gregory Ridge to Rich Gap and to Moore Spring, I saw the biggest rattler in the GSMNP I've ever seen (light colored). Just up the trail on the Gregory Bald trail, my wife and others failed to notice another dark rattler just about 8 feet off the trail... Probably the best trip ever....
Then, we went on a beach vacation to SC, and stopped briefly in GSMNP. My three grandchildren needed to experience the first hike I'd ever taken my two kids on, Laurel Falls... As luck would have it, there was a mama bear and three cubs roamin' around above us.... Made for good tourism, but I just wished people would quit bringing wide strollers (I jog therefore I am) wide wagons and generally, lack of trail etiquette....
Getting back to October, the bears will be masting (I think), so it is a feast frenzy.... But don't worry, just follow the guidlines set forth and you will have little to nothing to worry about.... Enjoy the colors the serenity and, yes, wildlife because, to coin a phrase, "That's what it's all about Charlie Brown!"... Enjoy...
Yeah....October is a feeding frenzy for the bears....
Gotta get fat goin into the winter...
http://m.wbir.com/news/article?a=2791135&f=4526
Check this out.... :>)
21 pages of bear threads...
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sear...archid=4491002
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Originally Posted by Shmaybix
There must have been scat all over the sidewalk, poor little guy was probably having a heart attack!!!!
Na they are quite polite and only scat on trails!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHuthbpOUGg
Bears enjoy Pole Dancing......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AihvuZiDhsg
Well, that was em-bear-assing
Last edited by Wise Old Owl; 09-12-2013 at 08:17.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
I'm sure he was coach... just like i have a heart attack when I'm in the woods, at night, with them. There's no place to hide or RUN...I still get out there tho. I'd be lying to ya if I said I weren't a lil skeered.
Em-bear-assing!!
Bears got calendars?
Bears don't need calendars... they just follow the cycles of nature.
People have calendars... so that we can record the cycles of nature.
In other words, Bears don't start fattening up for the winter because the calendar says it's October. The calendar says it's October because the bears are fattening up for the winter.
FWIW we just went through the Smokies. In 4 days we did not see a single bear. You can read about the trip on my blog below.
Oh boy...In October there are still bears everywhere. They do not hibernate, they take long naps in between feedings on slower hikers. Make sure you wear a lot of scented creams like honeysuckle and sage hand cream, sun tan lotions with coconut essences in it, and honey usually helps with irritation on the groin. Where will you be hiking? Here in PA I help the bears sharpen the rocks in the northern section of the AT; it helps slow down hikers for the bears.
I am well again, I came to life in the cool winds and crystal waters of the mountains...
~ John Muir ~
Bears like Hiker Nuggets dipped in BBQ Honey Sauce.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
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