Trouble for bears

"Aren't you afraid of bears?"

That's one of the questions I get most frequently from folks who know I do a lot of hiking, camping and wilderness backpacking.

The answer is a qualified "No."

I definitely respect bears. They are large, powerful predators, after all. I take reasonable precautions to avoid bad encounters with bears. But I don't fear bears.

Bad encounters between humans and the black bears that inhabit the northeast are rare. Most human-bear encounters these days are a bear taking advantage of a ready food source from a backyard bird feeder, pet dishes left out overnight, unsecured garbage cans, etc. These encounters are always the human's fault and therefore preventable.

Unfortunately, human/bear encounters these days often end badly for the bear.

Have you ever heard the saying "A fed bear is a dead bear?" It's true. Feeding a bear, whether unintentionally, for from some foolish person deliberately putting food out, can mean death for the bear.

Here's the reason:

Bears that learn to associate humans with food sources almost inevitably start acting aggressively to defend what they consider "their" food source. It's bears being bears. Unfortunately, aggressive bears get shot.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Dave Shedd and I were camping in a remote spot we visit several times each year. There are bears in the area. We've seen them fairly often and always see fresh signs of bears.

We probably should take normal precautions, keeping our cooking area and all our food well away from the pitched tents. But, I admit we aren't as careful as we could be. This is hunting country and the bears are naturally shy. We've never had a problem here.

In fact, I've never had a problem in any remote campsite. As a result, we may have gotten a little too careless and may be setting ourselves up for trouble in the future. It's time to re-assess. We usually have pepper spray with us, but that's a absolute last resort. It's far better to take precautions to avoid trouble before it begins. Again it's a matter of respecting bears being bears.

Driving home from that trip, I encountered the young bear I photographed from my car.  He was hanging out not far from a commercial campsite and showed no fear of my car or me. Dead bear walking. It's only a matter of time.

Problems often begin where people camp regularly. Lots of people leave lots of food around -- intentionally or unintentionally. Bears find and eat it. The bear learns that campgrounds mean food and they start protecting it.

Eventually, they get trapped, tagged and transported away. If they come back, or find another human-associated food source, they get shot. Sad end of story.

I'm really, really careful in drive-in campsites. You should be, too, unless you want to be the first recorded bear attack in the northeast in recent history. You can avoid any potential for trouble by keeping your campsite clean and all food safely stored away in sealed containers inside your car.

I'm also wary in established backcountry campsites such as the shelters and designated camping spots along major trails. These are places where people stay and eat. If a bear has discovered a reliable food source, it's only a matter of time before trouble develops. Camping shops now have "bear proof" containers for food storage. They add weight and bulk to your pack, but they also help keep your food, you , the people who follow you, and the bears themselves, safe.

So if you're out in bear country, be prepared to give these animals the thought and respect they deserve.

Bear Essentials

There's more good bear information to be had at these web sites:

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

For bear-proof storage containers, check out: Bearikade, Bear Vault, and Ursack. They aren't cheap, but they do protect your food from bears and other critters. Most good camping shops will have one or more available.

Moose to Mice to Mosquitoes

As far as I'm concerned, the most dangerous large animal in the northeastern woods (other than people, of course) are moose. A mama moose with a baby nearby is nearly a thousand pounds of overprotective mother-love waiting to stomp any perceived threat. 

Likewise, a bull moose drunk with testosterone in the height of the fall rut is nothing to fool with.

Generally speaking, I try to keep my distance from moose. Here's a link with lots of information on seeing moose and being safe around them.

Rabies is another danger that rears its ugly head in summer. It's rare, but not rare enough. Be aware of your surroundings. If you see an animal that isn't afraid of you, move away. If you get bitten by any mammal, even if its in your backyard, see your doctor.

Rodents are always a potential source of annoyance when you're camping. Mice proliferate near campsites. A few weeks ago I was camped in a shelter along the Appalachian Trail and spent half the night fending off attacks on my food supply by aggressive mice.

The best prescription for mice, and other occasionally troublesome critters like raccoons, is the same one as for bears: Keep a clean camp and secure your food supply.

In my mind, the title for most dangerous and annoying critters in the woods belongs hands-down to black flies, mosquitoes and ticks. They can drive you nuts with their relentless attacks and knock you down with disease if they get through. Sure, the diseases are rare, but the bugs themselves aren't. Why take a chance.

For the past couple of years, I've been using an insect repellent called Ultrathon. It contains a timed-release form of DEET in a cream or spray-on base, and lasts much longer than any other product I've tried.