Black Bear caution
On Monday, July 25, 2016 1:05 PM,
Rich Beaudry wrote:
I haven’t read all the posts here about black bear sightings, but one comment sent up in alarms me. “When back packing in the mountains of North Carolina, I was never afraid of black bears, as I’d never, ever heard of one harming a human. I did string up my food in a tree (ha ha) at night.”
Let there be no mistake — black bears are as potentially dangerous as grizzlies. People have been killed in the Smokies for not treating black bears with proper respect. I have seen the bears in the Smokies (and elsewhere in NC) numerous times. They are big (typical 300-400 lbs), they are fast and can out run you, they are immensely strong. Years ago, after an all night encounter with a black bear visiting our campsite every hour, we reported the incident to a ranger. He said that on that same night, a woman had been killed in her tent when a black bear ripped the tent open along with her skull to get to the peanuts she had with her. Mostly black bears will avoid you or simply go for your food, but they can be unpredictable and there is no accounting for human stupidity in relation to bears. Another ranger told us about stopping a woman who had wiped honey all over her toddler’s face so that she could get a picture of a black bear licking it off! Black bears don’t just idly lick honey — they tend to maul the objects they want.
As for “stringing up” your food when camping or back packing — that is not adequate. Bears will sit on the branch and haul the rope up to get the food. I once tied my pack about 12 feet out and 15 feet above ground on a large branch. Hearing a ripping noise in the night, we ran out with flashlights while banging pots and blowing whistles — but could find no bear. Then I heard a roar directly over my head. The bear was stretched out below the branch, rear claws anchored in the tree trunk, hanging from the branch by one paw while striking at my pack (shreadded it!) with the other. Seeing several hundred pounds of snarling bear directly over my head will stay with me for the rest of my life. I moved…
“History is just one damned thing after another” – Arnold Toynbee