Matt Broze wrote: [in response to what I said:] >>>>>>Note: "dumb bear" = one that has not figured out people food is bear food (yet); smart bear = otherwise<<<<<< > I disagree, I think there are only smart bears that have been protected from > humans (and therefore don't fear messing with their food or walking into > their cars or camps and helping themselves) and smart bears in the wild that > have been hunted by humans. This second group of smart bears try to avoid > being seen by humans and tend to run like hell when they are surprised by > one. Probably true much of the time, Matt. Most of my 35 years of time in bear country was where bears could be hunted (WA and OR Cascades). A counterexample: In the Charlottes, inside the Park, where bears are protected from hunting, I have several times had to camp on/near the "bearpath" that bears used on their foraging for intertidal food. Couple times, I have had bears waltz through while we were eating ... and they kept on waltzing, completely ignoring our food, even the time we had the salami out. They avoided us by shifting their routine a little inshore one time, but were otherwise unconcerned. Now and then, a bear at a popular Charlottes camp site will learn that people food is good to eat, and the Parks Canada folks put that site (Benjamin Point) off limits to sea kayakers. One of those sites had such a bear in 1996. I had lunch on that beach in 1998. A young black bear came out of the brush, and munched seaweed no more than 75 yards from us as we (nervously ... and rapidly) munched ours. That bear had no interest in us or our food. Ignored us completely as we packed up and skedaddled. Go figure. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Jun 03 2002 - 00:46:03 PDT
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