Dealing With Black Bears in the Woods
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2024
- My bear bag: bit.ly/2dRtdtq
I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2015 and aim to accomplish the PCT next year! I hope to encourage folks get out on the trail and enjoy nature. Thanks for following :)
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I must be old school but I can't imagine wearing ear buds while hiking on the trail. The big reason I go into the wilderness is to get away from all the noise, pollution and chaos of civilization. Being surrounded only by nature's sounds was part of the experience. I once spent 2 weeks backpacking in the Sierra's of California. On my last day, as I approached the parking lot near the trailhead, I was genuinely startled by a car horn.
Sensory overload- music plus new experience plus physical exertion - it helps with physical and emotional pain - hope this helps you understand others instead off judging. We all go out there for different reasons you never know their back story- otherwise this is literally the opposite of hike your own hike that everyone preaches
@@sheilasunshine9173 oh my godddddd you’re so annoying, op didn’t even judge anyone and you’re sitting there getting all offended because you wear headphones on hikes, so now you wanna get all condescending and preachy. You’re probably one of those people missing out on everything around you even if it’s something that would benefit you, I bet you’re one of those people that don’t even acknowledge someone when you pass by. We get it, you’re wrestling emotional demons, oOOooOOoo.
He isn’t judging he just said I can’t imagine…
Hiked Baker and Rainer in the NW. Ran into bears occasionally, but the funniest incident was the huge elk I ran into. We scared each other to death. He then hid behind this skinny tree and peeked around it, imagining that I couldn't see him. lol
I had a few elk encounters now alone ..They can be quite intimidating..
Stay safe out there Dixie!
LMAO This reminds me when Is ay outside as a kid and the ice cream man came around. I didn't have money so I hid behind the baby tree in my yard. If I can't see him he can't see me 😂 🙈 he could totally see me.
@@christopherwg4236 You gotta hear Survivorman's story about the time he was chased by a moose 😂 He said it was actually the scariest encounter he'd ever had.
Usually I flash my pokemon card binder at the bear to show him who the real alpha is.
Ursaring got your back
😄
I usually just pull the trigger on my spider Man silly string web shooter.
Lmao
"i don't know a single hiker that carried a bear spray on the AT."
me raising my hand.
you don't know me, but i carried it, dammit, I CARRIED IT WITH PRIDE!
and i always will
And I will have mine with me as well !!
@@stevendillivan6488 I've got it and peace of mind is worth the weight.
Bear horn. Pepper spray even a whistle.
If you don't carry a bear spray in bear country, you're an potential Darwin award nominee.
RavenPoe that makes me feel quite week at the knees. I saw a documentary once about human encroachment into bear territory. This couple paid a lot of money to have their upper deck porch bear- proofed. First day after it was finished the bear climbed easily up and looked through the window
Thank you for admitting your mistakes and caring enough to share them so others may benefit!
Yup, I lived in Alaska for a while and the first thing they tell you is running just makes you look tastier.
Robert Donovan lol
For about a half a second ......I thought Hank was a bear creeping into the video.
Glad I wasn't the only one.
r v'tek Read your comment while watching the video and thought, hä? And then 😳😀😀😀😀....now I know 😀😀😀 agree
Yep
"Hey Darlin'"....LOL, classic! Thanks for sharing....glad you're open enough to use your own goof to educate the rest of us!
I like your matter of fact, down to earth honesty. I've viewed many hiking videos in the past. Yours, hands down, are the best. Continued good luck.
I appreciate your honesty and glad that nothing happened!
Excellent advice Dixie. Thank you for touching on this topic.
"Hey Darlin" Ha! Enjoying your videos. Good luck on the PCT adventure. Can't wait to watch. Fyi. your hiking alone and staying in shelters alone gave me the courage to do a solo backpacking trip in the Smokies. Headed out in a week or so for 77 miles and 6 nights alone. *Thank you for that.* Excited and skeered. Hoping I don't get eaten by a bear or banjo people.
You're pretty darn good at telling your stories and thanks for sharing even the embarrassing ones. I've never seen a bear out hiking yet but I do really want to. I still can't get over how close that deer came towards you.
Look at your actions this way; "You made some serious errors in judgement, you lived to share your experience and mistakes with everyone." Lesson learned and duly noted. If you made the same mistake again then I would say...well you can fill in the rest. Great video and I have loved watching your continuing journey on this channel.
"Hey Darlin'!" HAHAHAHA, love it! Good video, good to hear first-hand experiences of both right and wrong ways to deal with bears.
"Hey Darlin' " how many times did you say that aloud and laugh or roll your eyes? My wife heard this and laughed & said..."That is exactly what I would do!" ha!
I JUST came across your channel and LOVE IT. I am what you would call a day hiker...I have 3 kids and we take them hiking with us. I love nature so much and hiking makes me happy, relaxed and nourishes my mind and soul. I don't know if I will ever become a backpacker or hike the AT. I just enjoy the journey not just the destination and feel when you hike such a distance like the AT it becomes so much that you just can't wait to get to the end and really miss out on the beauty of the trails and the wilderness!
Thanks for sharing, it's super helpful and we can all learn from other's mistakes. Its funny how the thing they tell you NOT to do, is the first thing we do. I was told on a snowmobile tour, if your machine rolls, DON'T put your arm or leg out to stop yourself. Well guess what. I rolled my snowmobile after going too fast and getting over in a bit of a ditch. Rolled to the right and you guessed it, out goes my right arm. It wrenched my shoulder pretty bad but no permanent damage. I was thrown off into a snowbank but the snowmobile literally did a complete 360 barrel roll and kept going!! I had to chase it to stop it. So we can't always control our first instincts. But now that it's happened, we will be better prepared next time!!
My wife and I enjoy your videos! We are hikers, day hikers but we're about to embark on our first overnight and section hike Chestnut Ridge area of the AT. We watched this video and learned a few things. Today we looped hiked trails in the Great Smokey Mountains Nationals Park. At .8 miles, we surprised the biggest black bear we've ever seen when we came around a bend in the trail. A little screaming and making ourselves big it took off. About 4 miles later, the same situation. A bend in the trail and yet another, very large black bear. To me, this bear wasn't as afraid as the first and stood his ground for a second. Finally moving along at it's own pace we continue. The second encounter, to me, was more frightening. Moral of the story is one of the first things we thought of was your advice. Thank you! And happy trails!
John & Jessica
Very good that you were with a group of people, which black bears usually avoid. Strength in numbers.
You are very brave, for a lot of reasons, to hike alone. Stay safe and God bless.
Really interesting and informative. Not sure how useful it will be here in the UK but I'm off to Finland next year so who knows. Thanks for posting.
This was the first video of yours I saw. You were very humble.
It might be cool to do a video on all the different types of wildlife you saw on all your different through hikes.
Great advice. Glad you were not attacked. I love seeing black bears in the wild but have never had one quite that close.
I once ran into a medium sized black bear that propelled itself against a tree and started huffing and scratching the tree. I thought it was just being cute, so I used typical bear encounter protocol by yelling at it and waving my arms to look big, and proceeded to walk past it like a boss...
About 30ft. later I heard the tree shaking behind me and wondered if the bear was going crazy. I turned around and there were 4 cubs in the tree, so I had just antagonized a mamma bear! Had I realized this beforehand, I probably would've backed away slowly and bushwhacked to get further up the trail instead.
Since then I always make it a point to broaden my vision and look for cubs whenever I see bears on the ground.
Another great video Dixie! Thanks!
Good video! I've seen plenty bears on the trail and mostly I saw their butts as the were running away from me. The place most people have trouble is in camp and with improper food storage.
Love the Auburn skull cap...War Eagle!
I keep a .357 magnum with bufallo bore 180 grain hard cast as a last resort. Mostly for 2 legged creatures. From what I understand, black bears will high tail it rather than fight
haha... when hank approaches right as if you are talking about bears, it almost looks like he is one mozying on up to you! Great video!!
Thank you for the information. I really enjoy your videos.
There is some good advice in this video. It also helps to know more about black bears. As the video correctly advises, never ever run from a bear. However, what the video does not mention, and should, is that black bears can climb trees as quickly as any squirrel. So climbing a tree is no defense against a black bear. It is sound advice when encountering a grizzly, but you are not going to encounter a grizzly bear on the Appalachian Trail.
Black bears, like all bears, have terrible eye-sight. They are very near-sighted, but there sense of smell is particularly acute. Which means that you should be paying attention to the direction the wind is blowing. If you walk with the wind, then you are very unlikely to surprise a bear. However, if you are walking against the wind then it is very easy to surprise a bear, particularly if you are not making noise. If you see bark freshly scraped away from trees, fresh tracks, or fresh scat, then there is probably a bear in the neighborhood. This is why it is important to pay close attention to your surroundings when hiking.
Your camp should be set up in a triangle, with one area set aside for your sleeping area. One area set aside for your cooking and eating area, and one area set aside for hanging your food when not in use. Each of these areas should be at a minimum of 25 yards apart, and no food of any kind should ever be brought into the sleeping area. Clean all your dishes, pots, and pans after use and maintain a clean camp. Hang your food between two trees at least 20 feet apart and at least 10 feet off the ground when not being used.
Best, most informative bear-facts video ever! Great story.
Good info. Glad the bear situation worked out safely! This week is Cruisin' the Coast in South Mississippi, and on the way home today, I passed a vintage VW Bug with a tiger tail and Auburn stickers on the doors and front. He must've been from your neck of the woods.
A couple of guys are out hiking when one guy stops takes off his hiking boots and puts on a pair of sneakers, the other guys asks why he did that, the sneaker clad guy says, Bear country, the first guy says what kinda moron are you, you can't out run a bear. to which sneaker guys replies I don't have to out run a bear, I just have to out run you.
Yeah but the sneaker guy would be the only one to run so he's gonna be the only one after by the bear
"hey, darlin'" ….BUWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! Good presentation with an unexpected belly laugh as well.
With bears, the rules are not set in stone. They live long lives and develop their own personalities. Some are good souls that will play with your dog. Some are mean bastards that will shake you up, or worse. They don't always attack when their cubs are around, but may attack for no reason at all. Most just amble away or run off, but you never know. My last encounter was a very dicey one, and my whole view of bears has been highly modified, to say the least.
What was your last encounter?
@@pratikbothra6768 Well, since you asked: My first encounter went well and fit the "normal" view of black bears, that they run away if they see you. It did. Some years later, my second encounter was chilling and changed my ideas that bears are predictable forever. I was camped in September at a lake I have been to dozens of times - on the primitive side with no vehicle access. Just boats or boots get you there.
I was awakened at about 1 or 2 am by a loud thump and the feeling of the ground being shaken. I knew it was a bear rolling logs about 100 feet behind my tent. I presume he was looking for ants or slugs. I got up and shined a weak flashlite his way but could not see fur - just eyes. Then, no eyes as he turned to my right and moved. I lost him since bears don't show up well at night unless they are looking at you. In a second, he was showing the eyes, then he wasn't, but still moving to my right. I could hear him getting closer to the camp and then I saw him pretty good in the light.
He was a big one and not afraid if me. He was coming straight towards the camp on the trail and those eyes were right on me. I was standing there with a Ruger Vaquero .45 and a weak flashlite. I was yelling but he didn't really care, although he stopped and sniffed the air a bit, then kept coming. At about 30 ft, he reared up to his full height - taller than me - and started the jaw popping, salivating, and huffing that usually predicts an attack.
I kept yelling while trying take aim with my revolver, knowing that he was close enough to survive my one good chance of stopping him, since a large blackie will cover 30 ft in about 1.5 seconds. That's too fast for an accurate follow up shot and he would certainly have his way with me before he died.
After a few seconds of a stand-off, he decided to drop to all fours and amble away. But he did so with what I can only describe as contempt for me. Slow walking, cowboy bow legged like they do, and casually looking back until I couldn't see him any more. I think he was embarrassed for me, with the loud knocking of my knees during he meeting. Needles to say, I did not go back to sleep, but put on a lot more wood and sat with my back to the fire all night til dawn.
When dawn came, I put it together: I was camped in his huckleberry patch. The berries were ripe and all around the area. That's what drew him in and he was pissed that wasn't leaving.
That bear made a decision completely independent of me. He decided the fight wasn't worth it. I was the one with no choices.
@@OutnBacker Thanks for sharing! I have hiked mostly in Europe, and bits in India, and wild animals pose no threat here. Always interesting and scary to hear how these encounters go.
love the honesty. Thanks
Very informative for newbies well done
I like the frequent videos, Keep on going!
Good info! I'll take my bullhorn which includes a siren, then whip out my guitar and play & sing "Running Bear" loudly!
I'm surprised that your trail name didn't become "Darlin'!" 😊
another get video I hope more hikers well support Dixie on her PCT hike
wowww thnx for sharing!!! great story.
Thank you for the insight!
Great video! I have been lucky enough to encounter three black bears over the years. The first was from my car while driving into the backcountry. The second was from the safety of my canoe (although bears can swim). The third was the coolest. I was hiking along a portage trail in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario Canada, and suddenly there was this noise about 30 metres from me. The bear must have just heard me coming and it took off like a canon ball through the forest. It is really neat seeing a bear in the wild.
I simply convince them they already ate. Yes there is a jedi aspect to that.
Great informational video, when you walk the PCT you may have to deal with black bears and mountain lions
Loved the info
Howdy Wonderwoman. Buben here. Love your videos for sure. I've been a wanderlust most my life of 63 years and lived in Alaska 22 years amongst those brownies. Was never afraid to go into their home and explore but respected them as very unpredictable. I only had two, er, uncomfortable experiences. And one was a black bear that was hibernating with her cubs. The other was another sow brown bear with two cubs almost as big as her. I was a logger in south east Alaska logging the Tongass. Way back in the 80's.
As a young man I did buy the best and lightest gear for camping, north face down sleep bags, kelty tent etc. and winter camped in minus 30 degrees above treeline and unbelievable tales to tell. A moonrise at two a.m. that woke me into believing it was morning, wolves howling. I never felt more alive. All solo. 160 inches of snow. Could have been twice that and probably 140 below zero.
I was hiking on the A.T. in Maryland. I had been putting my food in a bag on a bear pole each night. One night I asked a local guy if they ever see bears there and he said absolutely not. He told me had been camping in that area for many years and never even heard of a bear near the trail there. So wouldn't you know just a few months after that, the first reported bear attack in Maryland in decades occurred not more than 3 or 4 miles from where I had that conversation.
Wow! Bet you were glad your friends were there!
Add Ct. to your states. Last Sat. (Oct. 15th) I was at my post at a gated community, and looked up from my desk just in time to see a black bear swaggering across the road about 75 yards in front of the gate house. It went up the embankment and back into the woods. Big fella! Probably doing some last minute fattening up before hibernation. Great video! Wish I'd gotten my cell phone out quick enough to get a pic. Would have no desire to see him any closer! Powerful animal!
Great advice, and definitely don't feel bad about your bear story. It's easy to forget everything you've learned in a moment like that if you haven't been able to put it in practice yet. Regarding items to go in the bear bag, I was just wondering earlier today - should hand sanitizer go in there with everything else? I'm not sure if something like that would smell interesting to a bear.
This is an excellent video on how to react to black bears. Your encounter reminded me of an incident I had on the High Sierra Trail. The trail was blasted out of the side of a steep, nearly vertical slope. It's a LONG way down and a long way up. I'm on my last day of a weeklong trip and I'm cruising, thinking about steaks and cabernet, when I nearly bump into a male black bear (radio collared). We're both startled. By reflex I take a step backward and he puffed himself up and walked toward me with his head swinging back and forth. I held my ground and yelled at him, which stopped him. After less than 30 seconds he went up and over me on the very steep upslope. I slid past. An hour later a ranger informed me that this was a known problem and aggressive boy. So I didn't file a report lest the NPS be required to take measures. Like you, I learned my lesson. Even one step backward can trigger them to be naughty. Fortunately we came to a mutual understanding.
Dixie, I enjoyed both your video as well as your pretty smile. You gave some good advice. And yes, the urge to run is understandable and difficult to overcome. I get that way around doctors. Living just a few miles south of the AT in the Asheville area, we have bears wandering through our yard frequently. I'd've walked right past them unnoticed had it not been for my Rat Terrier warning me, "Hey, stupid human. There's a bear right there." I get absolutely no respect from that dog. Ganging together was a smart move. It has the effect of puffing up. Reminds me of that cartoon movie where some small creature was about to be eaten. In a panic he suddenly remembered, "Puff Up! Puff Up!" Puffing up really does work. A can of bear mace carried in a cross draw holster is a good idea too, if it is allowed in a federal park. Stumble into a mamma with cubs and you'll be glad you brought it along. The holster and mace together weigh considerably less than a pound. The most important thing, as you point out, is DON'T FEED THE BEARS! This is where most of the trouble starts. A fed bear is a dead bear, and the bear may take a person or two with them before the rangers put him down. Your advice to make every effort to keep human food away from bears is the best. Happy trails.
Section hiked the MA section of the AT this year. The first morning a bear came around the corner as I was packing up camp and cooking breakfast. Basically it was gonna be a picnic for him but I just made a lot of noise and movement and he ran off. My heart rate did jump from 60 to 160 in about 2 seconds though.
Tomorrow I'll go hiking in Virginia and to be honest I'm a little bit nervous about bears.
I know they normally don't attack, when you don't annoy them you but still...
This video was really helpful and I enjoyed listening to you talking :)
Thanks a lot !
wow this is so crazy... I watched nearly 50 videos last night about this topic. I was hoping that you'd make a video about it and you did!!
thanks for making this video
I'm glad you got away!
Fortunately in Australia, we very occasionally might see a koala bear! Don't get me started on snakes...
Great videos, thanks!
I'd rather have a billion bears I can see in North America than tiny creepy crawlies in Australia that could kill you 20 times over if you just brushed past the damn things. Australia is a scary place!
Thank God I live in Britain!
@@19822andy It seems like every time you see something with the title "deadliest," it lives in Australia!
Canadian here, and I'll gladly take our wildlife over yours. When I think about the local fauna I realize why roof top tents are so popular for you guys!
Australia: everything is pointy and venomous.
thanks for the great info Dixie! As to bear bells... I used to agree with you, damn annoying things. Used to have distant encounters with bear frequently with no concerns. Until I was stalked for 2.5 km by a black bear in Ontario. common area for bears. I now use one at all times, have had no more bear issues and in some areas of high use give my poles an extra ding ding to make sure I am heard. Also great to alert hunters.
From my limited knowledge, if you’re being stalked then that’s predatory behavior and bear bells wouldn’t have stopped it.
Thank you so much for posting this excellent information!! My son and three of his friends are backpacking into the High Uintahs in Utah this weekend, and I have forwarded your video to him to watch on their drive up. I've got to say, I'm a little nervous for them as bears are a common sighting up there, but you sharing your experience and wisdom with them will help calm me down a little!! : )
Great information!
Thank you!
LOL! Thank you for sharing this story. I know ive had these dumb moments before. I can just imagine you standing there like a big ole bologna sandwich in front of a hunger bear like "Hey darlin'!" .. haha, good story and important moral =)
Black bears have changed a lot in the past 10 years. When I was a little kid they always ran away. Now they are barely afraid of people at all. Had to fire a warning shot a couple years ago after a 300lb+ black bear wouldn't stop following us. I carry a Ruger sp101 357 mag with buffalo bore wadcutters. Lighter than a .44 and will drop a black bear no problem.
Your video was great, I really have been interested in Black Bears since I watched the series 'the Bear Family and Me' with the wildlife photographer and commentator Gordon Buchanan. Fascinating insight into them. Unfortunately here in Scotland the most fearsome most loathed creature is the Scottish midge. We have wiped out all the bears and wolves but cannot seem to get a grip on these infernal pests.
Thanks for this. We have Black Bears as well in the Sierras. So far, I haven't come across one, but hope that all of my knowledge of what to do doesn't fly out the window, too! haha
Here in North GA Appalachians I see on average 10 or 12 a year and have found bells,whistles,air horns,making lots of noise seem to attract bears,just my experience, so I tend to walk like a hunter and many times see bears before they see me.The ones in State parks are the boldest,in the wilderness areas the are just a black blur when they see me.Ya'll please take those ear buds out,you really need to hear the woods around you,people are scarier than the wildlife.
You are too funny! LOL.. Great info, thanks!
Excellent video. Where I live they are everywhere. Talking out loud so they hear you keeps away in the woods. In our neighborhood they don’t care they go where they want
Thank you because I've watched this before and parts of it probably play back in my mind along with lots of other training. Today was the first time I came across bear in the woods in the middle of nowhere in appalachia. They were crossing where three streams come together and just jumped on the path that I would have been walking on in another 20 seconds. Ran down the hill stopped in the gully 50 m in front of me. This is at the bottom of the forest too. After descending a couple hundred feet of a steep ridge. I was on a lookout for snake and instead of my surprise like I said come one came running down pause for a second I froze it ran up the other ridge Mama came bounding down stopped looked at me I looked at Mama, Cub number two came bounding down the ridge one and ran right past Mama right up ridge 2 and the 5 seconds at Mama and I had eye contact I was already big with a Forester helmet holding two friends in one hand and walking stick in another big backpack on big snake boots. I'm not a big person at all but I appeared to be big I did not say anything and just slowly backed up as my whole life passed in front of me. Freaking incredible. And once I was sure I wouldn't stumble backwards and land on my back because I was heavily laden also carrying another friend. I had to hustle back up The path up hill which is hard enough and then go back up those steep rope path that I had just descended for easy access and gave up on my plans too traverse the course of the property today. I never hustled so fast once I knew I was in the clear but many lessons learned in microseconds for what lasted 5 seconds. It took about 5 hours just to get the Willies back to normal. Lesson learned is to make sure if I'm caring to make sure the right load is there. Position where I put the bear spray for easier access. More to follow. But the animals vary. Last month it was rattlesnake encounter, this time bears, next time?
FYI for hikers this year,. In 2018 and 2019 the Smoky mountains have had an explosion in bear population. They are even seeing many in Gatlinburg proper. BTW, hey darlin' cracked me up...
One of the best points of this video is to NOT have earphones in both ears. I absolutely agree. I listen to music every day, all day long---Ive heard the sounds of nature so much in the 1000s of miles hiked that the Sound of Music---did I just say that?!?!---is vastly more interesting, now, than the trilling of the boids and the chirping o the crikketts. What I use are standard earphones that go over the head for the simple reason that I can rest the earpads agains my face directly BEFORE, and NOT over, my ears...thus allowing me to enjoy my music and hear EVERYthing thats going on behind me, including hikers catching up and wanting to pass me. Its very annoying when, as a hiker, you approach another hiker from the rear and they have no idea you are there because they have their ears stuffed with earbuds!!! It is enjoyable, however, when they about jump outta their skin when you "announce" your presence...heheh.
So what is the jist of all this longwinded writing?!?..Wear standard over the head earphones that you can rest against your face directly in front of where your ears begin...and LEAVE the earbuds at home.
...and listen to the Dixie chick.......
this is the third time at least that i have seen this vid, i love ya
"Hey darlin'!" lol in a "wow" kind of way.
Enjoyed it!
Thanks!
Excellent advice all-around. I saw 13 bears -8 adults, 5 cubs- on my thru-hike in '15. That included two that were freakin' enormous (Shenandoah and lower NY), and a mama that charged me in PA (I yelled, she retreated). That one was a little scary. Carry a knife that's easy to get to is my advice, they're good to have anyway, but it could save your life if you're attacked.
I have hiked 547 miles of the AT over the years and have only seen one bear. It was near Hogpen Gap in Georgia years ago. I was amazed at how fast it ran across the trail; like a German Shepard running along the side of the road. Lately the bear population has been growing along the AT here in Georgia from Hogpen Gap to Blood Mountain. I understand that Shenandoah National Park, which has the highest concentration of black bears in the world, requires bear canisters. They even want you to hang it up like a bag. The bear signs in your video are posted by Watauga Lake in Tennessee. It was a mother bear and two cubs which caused the Watauga Lake Shelter to be closed. Recently rangers killed the mother which allowed the shelter to be reopened for a while. Unfortunately, the cubs picked up bad habits from the mother and now the shelter is closed again. You forgot to mention that if you have a gun and see a bear coming at you, point the gun at the ground in front of you because by the time you get your gun ready that's where the bear will be. Just a little friendly razzing about the bear gun. Haha.
Appalachian Snapshot Shenandoah doesn't require bear canisters. They say to use a bear canister OR properly hang food using a bear bag. This is straight from their webpage.
Appalachian Snapshot I hear news from a friend on the AT of bears occupying shelters in NC.
Thank You.
hey ive learned from a zoo keeper and wildlife rangers told me that if you keep calm and hold your ground.. if you feel it will attack slightly walk backwards. ..
Dixie, how did you handle the Kendall Katwalk? Did it frighten you at all? I live close by in the Central Cascade Mountains and among our horse riding friends it is legendary.
If your planning on doing the PCT get the canister, I know for a fact from personal experience that kings canyon and yosemite require them and I've seen first hand why their important to have up there.
Hey Dixie, I'm from Johnson City, TN, and just noticed in this video that you were standing next to the sign saying Watauga Lake Shelter closed; this area from Oliver Hollow Rd to Wilbur Dam on the A.T. is still closed to this day, and is in Tennessee (you said you only saw bears in VA, NJ, and NY, it seems this close encounter was in TN)! Bear(s) are very aggressive in this area because people have been careless with their food here, it is very accessible and highly trafficked area to many people at the lake for recreation, not just hikers.
And put a portable electric bear fence around your campsite. There’s one out there weighing only 2.4 lbs and it’s really capable. Passive deterrence for a good night’s sleep.
I've been reading a lot about how to react around bears and I feel so smart about it but I feel like I would be the crazy person running like hell trying to escape.
every time I have ever run into a bear on the trail I only saw its butt end as it ran away .... except for last week. Last week started the same way, hiking this trail and I hear this noise of something running to my left, I turn to see the butt end of a bear running away from the trail towards a river. It got close to the river and turned 90 degrees to run along side it, but it only ran a few yards and did another 90 degree turn where my mind suddenly said ... hey, that bear is running at you. Its about 50 yards at that time and they run really really fast. So I yell "hey bear" and it is still running. So I yell "hey few-choice-words-bear" in my loudest guttural voice possible where it stopped, less than 15 yards away from me. We did the eye contact stare down for a few seconds and I slowly walked away. For the next 8 miles I kept looking over my shoulder. lol
Ed Wiget lmaooo o hell naw
Amazing.Then yiu did the opossite als recomended abd you stared at the bear, but it worked!!
I drive a city transit bus & would love to have the courage to hike in animal filled woods. My bus is a little over your 15 yards long , and if I ever stepped out the front door, and glanced back to the rear bumper and saw a full grown black bear heading towards me , I know absolutely I could not stand my ground. But, could I even hold myself up to get back in the coach to turn on the air to shut the . . .
The lol at the end was a nice touch
@Anne Hedonia If you spend time in the woods, eventually you are going to run into bears.....most of the time they run but now I have twice they didn't. I guess I forgot to mention all of the above happened in about 5 -10 seconds. I had another scary bear encounter when I hiked bmt trail in 2018 ....me and the bear walked into each other in a clearing on a narrow ledge that had a lot of overgrown weeds .. neither of us wanted to turn around and go back into the weeds. Eventually the bear did though...and I stood there for about an hour giving him plenty of time to move along.
You could've taking him/her! I have no doubt! Nothing messes with Dixie! Hehe
I appreciate you being honest about the mistakes you made in your bear encounter. People think they know what they'll do in an intense moment like that but honestly who WOULDN'T have the instinct to run from a charging bear?
Loved the e-book Dixie! You really broke it down! There was definately a need for it!
What I heard about black bear attacks is that it is always a predatory attack (they intend to eat you). If it's about territory or protecting their young they will try to intimidate you with bluff charges.
So this comment is during COVID and the demonstrations et al.....it is SOOOOO cool to listen to you talk about bears, and YOUR first hand experience, you're a seasoned hiker! Instead of all the crap going on in the news here. Can't wait to get back out there and at night be like "....wht's that noise!!" kidding...sort of.
I see that Auburn hat, I go there! War Eagle!!
I have a couple of the small airhorns like people take to ball games. Super loud and I believe would scare a bear away. Never had to try it out though.
War Eagle! Saw your beanie and had to watch and sub.
I carry bear spray on all my hikes, last year I was face to face with a momma and 4 cubs. This year with my husband and son I ran into a bear on the same trail. Wawayanda in NJ
I've encounter many bears in Western NC and East TN.
Oh my gosh when Hank’s ears came in the frame I thought it was a bear!
So, where did you all look when you bunched together and raise your arms !? Very grateful for your vids. Thank you.
Hi have seen 38 so far from Georgia to Pennsylvania, Most were in North Carolina & Tennessee. Get big click your trekking poles above your head and click them together....definitely yell and hold your ground. I have seen a lot of bear scat on the trail in Georgia. Usually they freak out and run most just let you pass and are just hiding. The craziest animal I have seen was a wolf in Grayson Highlands following a group of day hikers I was down wind and it was quite startled...when I call the park ranger they told be they are in the area.
Merci ! Pour c'est petit truc !