What might happen if you encounter a wild North American black bear on the AT or anywhere else. The bear following joggers - • Pawzing Workout Resumi...
Thank you...this is the video from you I have been waiting for. My daughter and I are preparing for a thru hike in the Spring. Your videos are great because you are very matter of fact. By the way, my son said he loves the way you talk! :-) we also made our own alcohol stove going by your video. He was surprised that it worked so well without having to get his dad to help. I said we don't need dad...I've been watching flatbrokeoutside!
Thanks for this! In over ten years of hiking, we have only seen one black bear (south end AT). It ran away from us very quickly, and like you, we couldn't even get a photo.
Thank you for correcting the "Mama Bear will kill you if she has cubs"myth. It is a trait more closely associated with Grizzlies because they evolved on the prairie where there were no trees to climb. My preference is to talk gently to bears if they are close. You can scare them away if they are at a distance but if you startle them , shouting may scare them into a bluff charge. A Bluff Charge is not an attack but can be quite scary.
Another great video bro. Really makes me glad to be in the Black Hills of South Dakota. If we have bears...no one I've talked to has seen them only mountain lions. No recorded lion attacks for like 100 years. Hiking solo can really mess with your head at 2 am when something comes tromping through your camp. LOL.
I live in Pennsylvania Tioga Forest and I have been bluff charged by a black bear. It was because some locals decided to put food out for the bears first thing in Spring. I had walked into camp to do some work and noticed the bear at the feeder. As a truck approached he charged it. I had my car close to the camp so knew I needed to make a fast retreat to the car as the bear was defending the food source. As I guess the bear charged but I was in the car quick. So yes, it does happen in the East.
Great video. I'm from Pa. any we have a good population of black bears. I've seen many over the years and have never had a problem with them. If you respect them and give them a space they will most of the time retreat. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy & be safe !
The only animal I'm truly afraid of is the mountain lion. Mainly because they stalk and sneak up from behind. I feel like keeping my distance with other animals is good enough but cougars... haha.
0:22 - "fluffy babies" well, call them what you want but bears are never your friend (ah- I see you understand this throughout the video shame on me for prejudging it, sorry). Bears are amazing to see (safely) and to be respected. I'm highly cautious hiking in backcountry and bring options to deal with them if a bear should make me choose one. This is a great video with useful information. In fact - Subscribed. You have a lot of useful hiking videos here. Thanks for putting in the time to share.
The movie Back Country taught me to take some one with me ,if I travel in bear country, that I'm willing to sacrifice!lol! Thanks Flatbrokeoutside for allowing me to live vicariously though you!
Excellent commentary. Just a few added points: 1) don't run away from a bear, you'll trigger its chase instincts; back away slowly, keeping your eyes on the bear and staying ready for other measures such as making loud noises or pulling your pepper spray. 2) Not all black bears are "black." They have a couple color phases in different ranges, with some appearing quite brown. 3) One of the best and handiest bear tools to carry is a very loud whistle, such as a coach's or ref's style (I had excellent success with a classic metal Acme Thunderer in Michigan's Porkies -- which has a healthy bear population) or the pea-less plastic model such as the Fox 40. A whistle is also an important signaling tool. I would add that the bear bell isn't so much to "scare" off bears as it is to alert them that you are approaching so there are no surprises. Most just don't want to deal with you, though they won't be scared of you -- unless you are in areas where they are hunted regularly. That's why I think parks with no hunting seem to have higher bear/human interactions.
Random Button Pusher Good tip on the whistle. I bought a ref whistle for mean-bear use but lost it before I went hiking. Good to hear that they work. Thanks again for watching!
Saying "hello bear" got its attention -- the whistle, blown as loud as I could muster, sent it crashing like a bull through the thick scrub bushes and trees atop the Escarpment. I eventually got all my hearing back a couple days later, lol. That's what I get for hiking in the North Woods during blueberry season!
Random Button Pusher i finally herd somebody mention a whistle as protection for black bear i spooked a mama and three or four cubs mama was furious i was bluff charged and then forced into a tree fox40 whistle saved me the bear went back and forth getting closer and closer every time the bear would look up i blow the whistle i could see it hurt bears ears and the closer it got the harder and louder i blew bear shook its head and left
There is no scientific evidence that "running" will trigger an aggressive response from a bear. That is a Canine characteristic. The National Parks warn "Not to run away" as a defense against an attack in progress.because they can run faster. You are better off standing your ground for Black Bear attacks. However, a bear who is strolling along eating berries is not going to attack you because you are jogging. Contact the wildlife Research Institute in Ely Minnesota for reliable scientific info on bears.
Have come across a few black bears walking through the woods.All ran away except one that followed from a distance for a few minutes.He was a young one and I think he was more curious then anything.I live in the country so use to seeing bears in my backyard....like literally feet from my house... Once I walked in my back door and not 10 seconds later looked out the window and there was a bear sniffing at the door I just walked in and another 20 feet away sniffing around likely because I throw all food scraps out back to save the animals ripping my garbage apart...
Rob Cochran Lots of raccoons coyotes wolves bears deer that I have seen in my backyard. There is a big pack of coyotes around every night singing and some big beautiful wolves.
I have covered 431.5 miles of the AT over the span of 30 years and have seen 2 bears in all that time. People frequently ask me when I announce I am going on the AT, "What about bears"? I have to explain that there is not a bear hiding behind every rock and tree and they will not chase and growl at you like people's dogs. The two animals to worry about on the AT are shelter mice and chipmunks. Both will gnaw holes in your gear if left on the ground. A female hiker recently told me she was sleeping in an AT shelter and woke up to find three mice gnawing on her hair. The roll of toilet paper next to her was completely shredded and urinated on by the mice.
Appalachian Swede On Isle Royale it is the red squirrels that dig into your pack, and the Canada jays that raid your camp if food is left out. You may even have a red fox check you out, as they are quite used to backpackers. The wolves? You never see them (and now not many remain anyway).
***** Oh yes! Some thru-hikers have had all of their gear destroyed by shelter mice because they did not hang their pack up. They had to go to a town and buy all new stuff.
Bears are the ballerina's of the forest, you will rarely hear one near by. Squirrels and birds on the ground make more noise. Talk alot, sing often, make noise. They'll hear you and 99% of the time leave the other way. The 1% is your worry so only worry 1% and enjoy your trek. Be 100% more worried about TICKS... That's is your real enemy in the forest.
The boy who was attacked by the bear, I believe was hiking/camping in N. Carolina. His father awoke to his screams and the bear had the boy's head in it's mouth and was dragging him away. The father tried to get the bear to drop his son but when the bear wouldn't the father jumped on the bear's back and started punching him in the nose. That is how he got the bear to release his son. So if all else fails that appears to be effective.
I spoke to a ranger after the incident at Hazel Creek. The prevailing theory is that the father/son had cooked dinner that night, and that the bear was attracted to the scent of food on the boy who was in the hammock. Either way, predatory attacks in the Appalachian mountains are rare, but they have occurred
Bears have much better noses than a blood hound and even my bird dog can smell if I have handeled food,he will smell my hands and if hesmells food he will start to lick my hands so you know if they ate anything the Bear could smell the food on them .Bears really love the smell of Bacon and bacon grease and Honey mixed and heated in a tin can over a small fire is a great way to get a Bear to come and pay you a visit while hunting.my neighbor says they like to come to his grill when he is cooking out and lick up the grease from any burgers he has been cooking ,but he lives right in the middel of the woods high up the ridge above me .
I Dont question a bears motives but I do question the assessment that they are harmless creatures only needing a shout to cure their aggression.. Some do some definitely dont.
My friend was bluff charged while sitting on a so called privy, just a pipe with a toilet seat attached and no walls in the Minnesota Boundary Waters. We take 0 chances when in the back country. 10mm always as last resort.
Also...How do you dispose of your dirty dish water without pouring it onto the ground? If you did this, would it attract the bears to camp sites even more?
felicia mckee I believe it would! Let me tell you how I avoid dirty dishwater. I eat from the cookpot. After I eat everything I can with a spoon, I switch to a thin nylon pot scraper and eat what's left with the pot scraper. The scraper has thin, sharp edges. When I am finished there is virtually nothing left in the pot. I then heat 1 or 2 oz of water in the pot and swish the sides with a toothbrush. If I soak the toothbrush in the hot water before the swishing, I can drink the water. Or, because the water is about 99.5% clean, I can dump it without fear of attracting an animal. You can view the pot and scraper in my "Keeping stuff clean" and "Weird food choices" videos. To do all this I have to use a pot I can fit my hand into, of course. Thanks for watching!
When backpacking the Northern Sierras and NW CA mtns, we carried small firecrackers in ziplock bags. While hiking or from a tent, the loud BANG and flash scared away all bears. For worst case encounters, a double barrel .45/.410 Derringer was the ultimate but never used protection. Better safe than sorry!
This would be easily solved by a can of bear spray... I am open to carrying guns but the fact is that spray is much more effective than guns (and firecrackers???)
By the time a bear gets close enough to use a spray, you could be in deep doo doo from the rare aggressive bear. The loud crack from a firecracker or the blast from .410 buckshot is effective. The .45 Colt barrel in the bear face is the last and deadly choice. Black bear are nosy when hungry but rarely get too close. My decades of experience.
I have found many hikers on the John Muir trail who are very concerned with the danger of encountering Grizzly bears. This is particularly surprising considering the fact that the last Grizzly in California was killed in 1924. Yet people love scary stories, and a shudder of fear has its appeal around the campfire on a dark night. With a considerable number of "Pilgrims" on the AT, it is not surprising that fears about bears abound. I have drilled out smoke grenade tops to fit a 209 shotgun primer, making a very loud trip alarm when a line is trip tied to the ring The tops are available online, and instructions on RUclips. I have used them more for canoe thieves than for bears. I think bear bells are more to prevent surprise than to scare animals. The bear becomes aware of your approach, and quietly leads her cubs away and avoids you, who in her opinion, are a bad influence on her children.. An Alaskan geological explorer I know swears they work well.
I have a 55lbs Black German Shepherd. I often thought about bringing her with me. She is a nice dog. My concern is people trying to pet her, and her trying to snap at the hand. I work at an academy and I have sprayed many people with expired Pepper spray. Its still very effective. Make sure you get the cone delivery system. The stream, or foam takes more accuracy. The cone has more of a Shot Gun pattern. I have carried my a compact pistol out a few times. The issues are in order for it to be effective you must have it handy. It ust be close to your body. So when you sweat it will rub and give you a rash. I tried putting it in a cargo pocket, but then it slammed into my leg with every step. Most people cant hit a bear with a pistol anyhow. Then you have a 180 grain bullet moving 1000FPS going some where. I have decided if a Black Bear wants to kill me, well it will be a neat story for the Grand children to tell. Grandpa got killed by a BEAR!
After one experience I had, I'd avoid eating tuna or salmon in bear country. (it involved a picnic table and a designated garbage can.) The idea of packing out a can of tuna, even one that it has been cleaned out by our standards would make me nervous. I also try not to smell like a flower or anything that a bear might be interested in LOL
Bear Bells: Pavlovian response would eventually teach them a human is near, and humans can be robbed for food. probably not a good idea. bears are smart.
I sometimes carry a short flare in bear country. Probably not advisable in the summer monthes but hey, if you're in trouble like those guys in Canada I would not think twice about lighting one off as protection. Bears or anything else is not going to tangle with that noise, smell, or flame in your hand. Beats being mauled!
I live close by the AT in VA>and there are plenty of Black Bears here ,they often come near my house after dark and my dogs always let me know when they are around.I watched one 2 weeks ago when it seen my bird dog who was lunging on my fence he raised up but then it musta heard me and it dropped down and ran back in the woods it had been raiding my neighbors shed and carried off his Chicken feed and ate most of the bag but spilled alot of it,so I gave him some rubber buckshot for his shotgun ,so he wouldn't have to kill the Bear maybe it will hang around till bow season and give me a chance to stab him with my crossbow,if he don't wander out onto I77 and get hit by a car or truck the Interstate highway is only about a mile east of where this Bear is ,and I see 3 to4 dead bears along that road each year and no counting the number of dead deer that I see each year.alot of animals get killed trying to cross that road each year.
Just a little info: How do you know when hiking if the bear scat that you come across on the trail is from a black bear or a grizzly bear ? Black bear's scat is full of seeds and berries. Grizzly bear scat is full of jingle bells !
i put a link to this video on one of my blog posts for those managing different fears about the AT. I've enjoyed many of your videos over the past year for great info! Hope you get some more followers!! vitamindirtblog.com/2018/07/27/managing-fear-self-doubt-when-it-comes-to-hiking-on-the-appalachian-trail-5-common-worries/
Hiro's Life ヒロライフ There have never been any black bear attacks in any area that I was visiting. Compared to some other bear species, North American black bears are not usually aggressive. Thanks for watching!
Hiro's Life ヒロライフ Follow all the advice in the video when out hiking, and when you go to American tourist spots that have bears, don't try to feed them and stay in your car when they are around.
You can buy a 68 caliber paint ball gun that uses CO2 cartridges and is magazine feed, they make tear gas balls that you can shoot in it. First squeeze of the trigger punctures the cartridge. They shot about 150 feet, I believe this is a better option than a can of pepper spray. Just rapid fire those CS pellets at it's head. I am thinking of getting a sub gun model and a couple of magazines and putting it on my pack in a scabbard on the side for the AT. Down wind won't matter much if they balls are breaking over 50 feet away.
flatbrokeoutside Not sure about the scabbard, but here is the gun and CS balls I was looking at the other night, and let me know what your take is on this. www.tippmann.com/p/magfed-tcr?pp=24 www.tippmann.com/p/trufeed-12-ball-extended-magazine-2-pack?referring_products=%7C0ae538e35499936b22c6cc353a7fe072 www.amazon.com/Salt-Supply-Pepper-Rounds-Defense/dp/B01DUEEM1K/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483317849&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=68mm+paintball+pellets+cs I don't have any weights on these items yet, but we can email them and find out. I would probably order the above items, and use what I needed out of it. Take only two of those 12 round magazines loaded, and a couple of C02 cartridges, and the gun itself, maybe a cheap red dot sight, or I might take all the 12 round magazines loaded, that's 36 rounds. Accidentally flagged your comment, and couldn't get it to unflag, sorry about that.
I suppose the main issue is do we want to carry the weight? If it was me I'd paint the muzzle orange so nobody would freak out if they saw it. I would consider that 'trail courtesy' so to speak. It seems that a growing number of successful AT thru hikers say no bear spray is needed at all. They say cans of the stuff end up discarded in hiker boxes. They have a point that getting attacked by a bear is statistically very rare. And will we be wide awake and ready to react if a bear pulls us out of a hammock? But like I said, I had one right outside my tent in Shenandoah National Park, which has a very high density of bears per square mile, compared to the rest of the trail.
flatbrokeoutside I am certain that most hikers never have a problem, but bears are not the only threat, and if you are not one of the lucky hikers, then you are in trouble. I will be mostly stealth camping by myself, which will push me more into I could have a better chance of having a problem category, both human or animal. As far as painting the muzzle goes, that won't help one bit, as that is hidden in the scabbard anyway.If a paintball gun on my pack scares people, that's their problem. I am not going to be waving this around or anything threatening. If anyone looks alarmed, I will just say, "Don't mind that, it's just a paintball gun",
Always fight a black bear. Grab a rock or large stick and strike on the top of the snout as hard as you can if it comes in that close. Most animals can be knocked out with this move. Knocked out not dead. Move on quickly afterwards. It won't be pleased when it wakes up.
hey buddy late last year i was walking thur the Smokies via road from Cherokee North Carolina to Gatlinburg Tennessee then work my way up back to the trail . me and my dog made it 3 miles in the park and saw a herd of elks nothing much to worry about there. . so we spent 2+hours amused over the elks and glanced at my watch and noticed it was 4pm so me and my dog decided to press on and sleep in TN side by morning right... in my head earlier that day i though to myself it would be nice to see a actual bear this trip not at the small bear zoo that i went too in Cherokee North Carolina... well .. me and my dog are used to bears nothing new.. as soon i came back to reality its dark really dark and every mile we went my headlamp fades.... tree lines are about 10+feet from me too my right and barely no walking distance from the road cars passing without care... we must have been walking for at least 13miles... and then i hear this noise like batting the ground hard and i freaked the heck out and i try calling 911 and soon found out that was useless... so i gathered myself and my dog and went back too Cherokee North Carolina... now i guess i have to watch out for what i wish for right... we made it back to the trail.. but that was short lived after i had a full fledged anxiety attack so we had to leave the trail....
My state, Florida, just killed off 295 black bears. In late summer when their natural food sources dry up in the summer heat, the bears come into town for a meal of pet food. They have been known to enter a house and serve themselves. Last week, a man a few miles away was mauled by a black bear, and yesterday children described to me a bear cub in their yard that was taken away by the FWC. Many bear attacks involve surprising sow and cubs, involve mentruating women, or improperly stored food. We can control some of these factors and greatly reduce any chance of bear attacks. But bear attacks have never been a big worry to me. The greatest danger is our own clumsiness, particularly in remote areas. If AT videos are any indication, falls, blisters, food poisoning, ill fitting gear, and other self inflicted difficulties make up most of the problems. The primer is indeed for noise only, as an alarm. A live cartridge, or even a tight fitting primer causes the device to come under ATF restrictions. Thanks for another great video.
+tom jackson There is some evidence to suggest black bears are increasing in population, and increasing their range, in a number of areas. They are acknowledged to be roaming, for example, in areas of southeastern Ohio, a thing unheard of 10 years ago. I completely agree than an AT hiker is likely to be the cause of any trouble they experience, compared to trouble caused by black bears. And thanks again for watching!
Grizzley's will go out of their way to kill you, if the bear has it in his head. They are intelligent and have an evil streak, just like humans. Even polar bears are afraid of them. No animal or human logic applies to the grizzley. Sometimes they just choose to be cruel, and many animals, including black bears and other animals, and humans have been their victims. Why do I say this? The evidence shows grizzleys skinning animals and people alive and leaving the bodies uneaten. And they kill each other in circumstances that you can't call anything but murder. Male grizz murder other bears. Females murder humans and other animals. I think they do it simply because they can. Black bear behavior is NOTHING like this. They act far more like a rational animal that doesn't have the Devil in it.
+Kaiser Frost While I have personally seen a couple of peaceful-looking grizzlies I certainly agree that black bears are pretty rational the great majority of the time. Except maybe when they think they can get an easy meal. And thanks for watching!
Thank you...this is the video from you I have been waiting for. My daughter and I are preparing for a thru hike in the Spring. Your videos are great because you are very matter of fact. By the way, my son said he loves the way you talk! :-) we also made our own alcohol stove going by your video. He was surprised that it worked so well without having to get his dad to help. I said we don't need dad...I've been watching flatbrokeoutside!
felicia mckee I love you guys! :) Thanks again for watching!
Let us know when you decide to start your guided hike service! :-)
Thanks for this! In over ten years of hiking, we have only seen one black bear (south end AT). It ran away from us very quickly, and like you, we couldn't even get a photo.
Always hike with someone you can outrun.
This video is very informative, thank you for sharing. We always carry when we are hiking for these reasons. Better safe than sorry.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for correcting the "Mama Bear will kill you if she has cubs"myth. It is a trait more closely associated with Grizzlies because they evolved on the prairie where there were no trees to climb. My preference is to talk gently to bears if they are close. You can scare them away if they are at a distance but if you startle them , shouting may scare them into a bluff charge. A Bluff Charge is not an attack but can be quite scary.
Glad you like the video and thanks for watching!
Another great video bro. Really makes me glad to be in the Black Hills of South Dakota. If we have bears...no one I've talked to has seen them only mountain lions. No recorded lion attacks for like 100 years. Hiking solo can really mess with your head at 2 am when something comes tromping through your camp. LOL.
KdawgCrazy I'd love to see a mountain lion. Or even a bobcat. Thanks again for watching, my friend!
I've been out in SNP all Summer, and I've seen sooo many bears. Saw a mom and cub on Old Rag fire road just this morning.
I love that place. Crawlin' with nice fluffy bears! :) And thanks for watching!
Great video, helps my thoughts of thru hiking various locations a great deal. You make superb videos, keep it up!
+carbonfiberbutterfly Best wishes on your future hikes and thanks a lot for watching!
I live in Pennsylvania Tioga Forest and I have been bluff charged by a black bear. It was because some locals decided to put food out for the bears first thing in Spring. I had walked into camp to do some work and noticed the bear at the feeder. As a truck approached he charged it. I had my car close to the camp so knew I needed to make a fast retreat to the car as the bear was defending the food source. As I guess the bear charged but I was in the car quick. So yes, it does happen in the East.
+Paula Martin This is good to know. Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!
Enjoyed your talk.
Great video. I'm from Pa. any we have a good population of black bears. I've seen many over the years and have never had a problem with them. If you respect them and give them a space they will most of the time retreat. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy & be safe !
Dennis Kuenze Thanks for watching!
The only animal I'm truly afraid of is the mountain lion. Mainly because they stalk and sneak up from behind. I feel like keeping my distance with other animals is good enough but cougars... haha.
+Dany Ella It's probably been a long time since anybody saw a cougar anywhere near the AT. And thanks for watching!
@@flatbrokeoutside6921Yes they say they have gone extinct on the AT.
Good job very informative thank you I look forward to hearing from you again
Thanks for watching!
0:22 - "fluffy babies" well, call them what you want but bears are never your friend (ah- I see you understand this throughout the video shame on me for prejudging it, sorry). Bears are amazing to see (safely) and to be respected. I'm highly cautious hiking in backcountry and bring options to deal with them if a bear should make me choose one. This is a great video with useful information. In fact - Subscribed. You have a lot of useful hiking videos here. Thanks for putting in the time to share.
That bear in the pic looks emaciated, he could of been luckier than he realised that day!
The movie Back Country taught me to take some one with me ,if I travel in bear country, that I'm willing to sacrifice!lol! Thanks Flatbrokeoutside for allowing me to live vicariously though you!
You're very much welcome and thanks again for watching!
Excellent commentary. Just a few added points: 1) don't run away from a bear, you'll trigger its chase instincts; back away slowly, keeping your eyes on the bear and staying ready for other measures such as making loud noises or pulling your pepper spray. 2) Not all black bears are "black." They have a couple color phases in different ranges, with some appearing quite brown. 3) One of the best and handiest bear tools to carry is a very loud whistle, such as a coach's or ref's style (I had excellent success with a classic metal Acme Thunderer in Michigan's Porkies -- which has a healthy bear population) or the pea-less plastic model such as the Fox 40. A whistle is also an important signaling tool. I would add that the bear bell isn't so much to "scare" off bears as it is to alert them that you are approaching so there are no surprises. Most just don't want to deal with you, though they won't be scared of you -- unless you are in areas where they are hunted regularly. That's why I think parks with no hunting seem to have higher bear/human interactions.
Random Button Pusher Good tip on the whistle. I bought a ref whistle for mean-bear use but lost it before I went hiking. Good to hear that they work. Thanks again for watching!
Saying "hello bear" got its attention -- the whistle, blown as loud as I could muster, sent it crashing like a bull through the thick scrub bushes and trees atop the Escarpment. I eventually got all my hearing back a couple days later, lol. That's what I get for hiking in the North Woods during blueberry season!
Random Button Pusher i finally herd somebody mention a whistle as protection for black bear i spooked a mama and three or four cubs mama was furious i was bluff charged and then forced into a tree fox40 whistle saved me the bear went back and forth getting closer and closer every time the bear would look up i blow the whistle i could see it hurt bears ears and the closer it got the harder and louder i blew bear shook its head and left
There is no scientific evidence that "running" will trigger an aggressive response from a bear. That is a Canine characteristic. The National Parks warn "Not to run away" as a defense against an attack in progress.because they can run faster. You are better off standing your ground for Black Bear attacks. However, a bear who is strolling along eating berries is not going to attack you because you are jogging. Contact the wildlife Research Institute in Ely Minnesota for reliable scientific info on bears.
Have come across a few black bears walking through the woods.All ran away except one that followed from a distance for a few minutes.He was a young one and I think he was more curious then anything.I live in the country so use to seeing bears in my backyard....like literally feet from my house...
Once I walked in my back door and not 10 seconds later looked out the window and there was a bear sniffing at the door I just walked in and another 20 feet away sniffing around likely because I throw all food scraps out back to save the animals ripping my garbage apart...
Most people don't see bears in their back yards - What state do you live in? Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!
flatbrokeoutside
Southern Ontario couple hours north of Niagara Falls.
Rob Cochran
Lots of raccoons coyotes wolves bears deer that I have seen in my backyard.
There is a big pack of coyotes around every night singing and some big beautiful wolves.
I have covered 431.5 miles of the AT over the span of 30 years and have seen 2 bears in all that time. People frequently ask me when I announce I am going on the AT, "What about bears"? I have to explain that there is not a bear hiding behind every rock and tree and they will not chase and growl at you like people's dogs. The two animals to worry about on the AT are shelter mice and chipmunks. Both will gnaw holes in your gear if left on the ground. A female hiker recently told me she was sleeping in an AT shelter and woke up to find three mice gnawing on her hair. The roll of toilet paper next to her was completely shredded and urinated on by the mice.
Appalachian Swede Mice can be a real pain on the AT, for sure. Thanks again for watching!
Appalachian Swede On Isle Royale it is the red squirrels that dig into your pack, and the Canada jays that raid your camp if food is left out. You may even have a red fox check you out, as they are quite used to backpackers. The wolves? You never see them (and now not many remain anyway).
Random Button Pusher I know of backpackers who have had to leave the AT on their thru-hike because the mice ate holes in all their gear.
***** Oh yes! Some thru-hikers have had all of their gear destroyed by shelter mice because they did not hang their pack up. They had to go to a town and buy all new stuff.
Bears are the ballerina's of the forest, you will rarely hear one near by. Squirrels and birds on the ground make more noise.
Talk alot, sing often, make noise. They'll hear you and 99% of the time leave the other way. The 1% is your worry so only worry 1% and enjoy your trek. Be 100% more worried about TICKS... That's is your real enemy in the forest.
+drivenhome I agree with you completely about ticks. I talk about them in the "Don't go commando" video. And thanks for watching!
The boy who was attacked by the bear, I believe was hiking/camping in N. Carolina. His father awoke to his screams and the bear had the boy's head in it's mouth and was dragging him away. The father tried to get the bear to drop his son but when the bear wouldn't the father jumped on the bear's back and started punching him in the nose. That is how he got the bear to release his son. So if all else fails that appears to be effective.
+deborah gracie So it would seem! And thanks for watching!
+flatbrokeoutside I wonder if they ever confirmed if the boy had food on him or smell-able items? This is what prevents me from using a hammock too!
+Kyle Shores The stories I read said they took precautions like hanging their food. Beyond that it's hard to say.
I spoke to a ranger after the incident at Hazel Creek. The prevailing theory is that the father/son had cooked dinner that night, and that the bear was attracted to the scent of food on the boy who was in the hammock. Either way, predatory attacks in the Appalachian mountains are rare, but they have occurred
Bears have much better noses than a blood hound and even my bird dog can smell if I have handeled food,he will smell my hands and if hesmells food he will start to lick my hands so you know if they ate anything the Bear could smell the food on them .Bears really love the smell of Bacon and bacon grease and Honey mixed and heated in a tin can over a small fire is a great way to get a Bear to come and pay you a visit while hunting.my neighbor says they like to come to his grill when he is cooking out and lick up the grease from any burgers he has been cooking ,but he lives right in the middel of the woods high up the ridge above me .
I Dont question a bears motives but I do question the assessment that they are harmless creatures only needing a shout to cure their aggression.. Some do some definitely dont.
The video I linked to shows that indeed some do not.
My friend was bluff charged while sitting on a so called privy, just a pipe with a toilet seat attached and no walls in the Minnesota Boundary Waters. We take 0 chances when in the back country. 10mm always as last resort.
Also...How do you dispose of your dirty dish water without pouring it onto the ground? If you did this, would it attract the bears to camp sites even more?
felicia mckee I believe it would! Let me tell you how I avoid dirty dishwater. I eat from the cookpot. After I eat everything I can with a spoon, I switch to a thin nylon pot scraper and eat what's left with the pot scraper. The scraper has thin, sharp edges. When I am finished there is virtually nothing left in the pot. I then heat 1 or 2 oz of water in the pot and swish the sides with a toothbrush. If I soak the toothbrush in the hot water before the swishing, I can drink the water. Or, because the water is about 99.5% clean, I can dump it without fear of attracting an animal. You can view the pot and scraper in my "Keeping stuff clean" and "Weird food choices" videos. To do all this I have to use a pot I can fit my hand into, of course. Thanks for watching!
Great advice! I KNEW there was a solution. I watched those videos you mentioned but I must have missed that part our been distracted. Thanks!
When backpacking the Northern Sierras and NW CA mtns, we carried small firecrackers in ziplock bags. While hiking or from a tent, the loud BANG and flash scared away all bears. For worst case encounters, a double barrel .45/.410 Derringer was the ultimate but never used protection. Better safe than sorry!
Agreed. And thanks for watching!
This would be easily solved by a can of bear spray... I am open to carrying guns but the fact is that spray is much more effective than guns (and firecrackers???)
By the time a bear gets close enough to use a spray, you could be in deep doo doo from the rare aggressive bear. The loud crack from a firecracker or the blast from .410 buckshot is effective. The .45 Colt barrel in the bear face is the last and deadly choice. Black bear are nosy when hungry but rarely get too close. My decades of experience.
I have found many hikers on the John Muir trail who are very concerned with the danger of encountering Grizzly bears. This is particularly surprising considering the fact that the last Grizzly in California was killed in 1924. Yet people love scary stories, and a shudder of fear has its appeal around the campfire on a dark night. With a considerable number of "Pilgrims" on the AT, it is not surprising that fears about bears abound.
I have drilled out smoke grenade tops to fit a 209 shotgun primer, making a very loud trip alarm when a line is trip tied to the ring The tops are available online, and instructions on RUclips. I have used them more for canoe thieves than for bears.
I think bear bells are more to prevent surprise than to scare animals. The bear becomes aware of your approach, and quietly leads her cubs away and avoids you, who in her opinion, are a bad influence on her children.. An Alaskan geological explorer I know swears they work well.
+tom jackson I assume you are relying only on the sound of the detonated primer, with no other explosive used?
I have a 55lbs Black German Shepherd. I often thought about bringing her with me. She is a nice dog. My concern is people trying to pet her, and her trying to snap at the hand. I work at an academy and I have sprayed many people with expired Pepper spray. Its still very effective. Make sure you get the cone delivery system. The stream, or foam takes more accuracy. The cone has more of a Shot Gun pattern. I have carried my a compact pistol out a few times. The issues are in order for it to be effective you must have it handy. It ust be close to your body. So when you sweat it will rub and give you a rash. I tried putting it in a cargo pocket, but then it slammed into my leg with every step. Most people cant hit a bear with a pistol anyhow. Then you have a 180 grain bullet moving 1000FPS going some where. I have decided if a Black Bear wants to kill me, well it will be a neat story for the Grand children to tell. Grandpa got killed by a BEAR!
JSG 155 Thanks for the pepper spray tips. And thanks for watching!
After one experience I had, I'd avoid eating tuna or salmon in bear country. (it involved a picnic table and a designated garbage can.) The idea of packing out a can of tuna, even one that it has been cleaned out by our standards would make me nervous. I also try not to smell like a flower or anything that a bear might be interested in LOL
+Barbara Roberts Good approach. A bear has an amazing sense of smell. And thanks for watching!
Bear Bells: Pavlovian response would eventually teach them a human is near, and humans can be robbed for food. probably not a good idea. bears are smart.
Interesting point and thanks again for watching!
I sometimes carry a short flare in bear country. Probably not advisable
in the summer monthes but hey, if you're in trouble like those guys in
Canada I would not think twice about lighting one off as protection.
Bears or anything else is not going to tangle with that noise, smell, or flame
in your hand. Beats being mauled!
I am interested in this idea - Where you do find the flares for sale? And thanks for watching!
I definitely have been charged by a mother bear in great smoky mountains also had one digging through trash outside of the hotel I stayed in
Christian halla Any idea how close she got to you? And thanks for watching!
Within 10 feet, I ran the opposite direction and she stopped chasing me. She had a. A baby bear with her an I think she was trying to protect it.
Never run from a bear
I live close by the AT in VA>and there are plenty of Black Bears here ,they often come near my house after dark and my dogs always let me know when they are around.I watched one 2 weeks ago when it seen my bird dog who was lunging on my fence he raised up but then it musta heard me and it dropped down and ran back in the woods it had been raiding my neighbors shed and carried off his Chicken feed and ate most of the bag but spilled alot of it,so I gave him some rubber buckshot for his shotgun ,so he wouldn't have to kill the Bear maybe it will hang around till bow season and give me a chance to stab him with my crossbow,if he don't wander out onto I77 and get hit by a car or truck the Interstate highway is only about a mile east of where this Bear is ,and I see 3 to4 dead bears along that road each year and no counting the number of dead deer that I see each year.alot of animals get killed trying to cross that road each year.
Thanks for watching!
Happy Days hangin' with bears
I love seeing them. And thanks for watching!
flatbrokeoutside
Don't ever stop sharing
Just a little info: How do you know when hiking if the bear scat that you come across on the trail is from a black bear or a grizzly bear ? Black bear's scat is full of seeds and berries. Grizzly bear scat is full of jingle bells !
haha fond memories ofCol.Jeff Cooper!
no Griz along the AT.
love this vid
Glad you liked it and thanks for being a viewer!
i put a link to this video on one of my blog posts for those managing different fears about the AT. I've enjoyed many of your videos over the past year for great info! Hope you get some more followers!! vitamindirtblog.com/2018/07/27/managing-fear-self-doubt-when-it-comes-to-hiking-on-the-appalachian-trail-5-common-worries/
your videos are awesome
Denis Bergin Thanks a lot and thanks for watching!
I like bear as well :) btw have u ever heard it has attacked humans around u? bear seem dangerous sometimes, in short range to it especially xD
Hiro's Life ヒロライフ There have never been any black bear attacks in any area that I was visiting. Compared to some other bear species, North American black bears are not usually aggressive. Thanks for watching!
Hiro's Life ヒロライフ Follow all the advice in the video when out hiking, and when you go to American tourist spots that have bears, don't try to feed them and stay in your car when they are around.
You can buy a 68 caliber paint ball gun that uses CO2 cartridges and is magazine feed, they make tear gas balls that you can shoot in it. First squeeze of the trigger punctures the cartridge. They shot about 150 feet, I believe this is a better option than a can of pepper spray. Just rapid fire those CS pellets at it's head. I am thinking of getting a sub gun model and a couple of magazines and putting it on my pack in a scabbard on the side for the AT. Down wind won't matter much if they balls are breaking over 50 feet away.
flatbrokeoutside
Not sure about the scabbard, but here is the gun and CS balls I was looking at the other night, and let me know what your take is on this.
www.tippmann.com/p/magfed-tcr?pp=24
www.tippmann.com/p/trufeed-12-ball-extended-magazine-2-pack?referring_products=%7C0ae538e35499936b22c6cc353a7fe072
www.amazon.com/Salt-Supply-Pepper-Rounds-Defense/dp/B01DUEEM1K/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483317849&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=68mm+paintball+pellets+cs
I don't have any weights on these items yet, but we can email them and find out. I would probably order the above items, and use what I needed out of it.
Take only two of those 12 round magazines loaded, and a couple of C02 cartridges, and the gun itself, maybe a cheap red dot sight, or I might take all the 12 round magazines loaded, that's 36 rounds.
Accidentally flagged your comment, and couldn't get it to unflag, sorry about that.
I suppose the main issue is do we want to carry the weight? If it was me I'd paint the muzzle orange so nobody would freak out if they saw it. I would consider that 'trail courtesy' so to speak. It seems that a growing number of successful AT thru hikers say no bear spray is needed at all. They say cans of the stuff end up discarded in hiker boxes. They have a point that getting attacked by a bear is statistically very rare. And will we be wide awake and ready to react if a bear pulls us out of a hammock? But like I said, I had one right outside my tent in Shenandoah National Park, which has a very high density of bears per square mile, compared to the rest of the trail.
flatbrokeoutside
I am certain that most hikers never have a problem, but bears are not the only threat, and if you are not one of the lucky hikers, then you are in trouble. I will be mostly stealth camping by myself, which will push me more into I could have a better chance of having a problem category, both human or animal. As far as painting the muzzle goes, that won't help one bit, as that is hidden in the scabbard anyway.If a paintball gun on my pack scares people, that's their problem. I am not going to be waving this around or anything threatening.
If anyone looks alarmed, I will just say, "Don't mind that, it's just a paintball gun",
Always fight a black bear. Grab a rock or large stick and strike on the top of the snout as hard as you can if it comes in that close. Most animals can be knocked out with this move. Knocked out not dead. Move on quickly afterwards. It won't be pleased when it wakes up.
Bear spray is about 90% effective.
Grizzly bear kills hiker in Yellowstone National Park. Body found Aug. 7, 2015 - news.yahoo.com/us-hiker-killed-grizzly-bear-attack-094922414.html
hey buddy late last year i was walking thur the Smokies via road from Cherokee North Carolina to Gatlinburg Tennessee then work my way up back to the trail
. me and my dog made it 3 miles in the park and saw a herd of elks nothing much to worry about there. . so we spent 2+hours amused over the elks and glanced at my watch and noticed it was 4pm so me and my dog decided to press on and sleep in TN side by morning right... in my head earlier that day i though to myself it would be nice to see a actual bear this trip not at the small bear zoo that i went too in Cherokee North Carolina... well .. me and my dog are used to bears nothing new.. as soon i came back to reality its dark really dark and every mile we went my headlamp fades.... tree lines are about 10+feet from me too my right and barely no walking distance from the road cars passing without care... we must have been walking for at least 13miles... and then i hear this noise like batting the ground hard and i freaked the heck out and i try calling 911 and soon found out that was useless... so i gathered myself and my dog and went back too Cherokee North Carolina... now i guess i have to watch out for what i wish for right... we made it back to the trail.. but that was short lived after i had a full fledged anxiety attack so we had to leave the trail....
did i tell you ive subscribed and added you to my featured channel list your pretty cool
+Jose sanders journeys Good story. And thanks for subbing.
Your welcome
+Ominous Loss meow lol we arent worthy of help
I seen a bear last month. I didn't expect them to be so fast, being so big.
JSG 155 They are fast. I saw one cover about 12 yards once with one jump. Thanks for watching!
My state, Florida, just killed off 295 black bears. In late summer when their natural food sources dry up in the summer heat, the bears come into town for a meal of pet food. They have been known to enter a house and serve themselves. Last week, a man a few miles away was mauled by a black bear, and yesterday children described to me a bear cub in their yard that was taken away by the FWC.
Many bear attacks involve surprising sow and cubs, involve mentruating women, or improperly stored food. We can control some of these factors and greatly reduce any chance of bear attacks. But bear attacks have never been a big worry to me. The greatest danger is our own clumsiness, particularly in remote areas. If AT videos are any indication, falls, blisters, food poisoning, ill fitting gear, and other self inflicted difficulties make up most of the problems.
The primer is indeed for noise only, as an alarm. A live cartridge, or even a tight fitting primer causes the device to come under ATF restrictions.
Thanks for another great video.
+tom jackson There is some evidence to suggest black bears are increasing in population, and increasing their range, in a number of areas. They are acknowledged to be roaming, for example, in areas of southeastern Ohio, a thing unheard of 10 years ago. I completely agree than an AT hiker is likely to be the cause of any trouble they experience, compared to trouble caused by black bears. And thanks again for watching!
Grizzley's will go out of their way to kill you, if the bear has it in his head. They are intelligent and have an evil streak, just like humans. Even polar bears are afraid of them. No animal or human logic applies to the grizzley. Sometimes they just choose to be cruel, and many animals, including black bears and other animals, and humans have been their victims. Why do I say this? The evidence shows grizzleys skinning animals and people alive and leaving the bodies uneaten. And they kill each other in circumstances that you can't call anything but murder. Male grizz murder other bears. Females murder humans and other animals. I think they do it simply because they can.
Black bear behavior is NOTHING like this. They act far more like a rational animal that doesn't have the Devil in it.
+Kaiser Frost While I have personally seen a couple of peaceful-looking grizzlies I certainly agree that black bears are pretty rational the great majority of the time. Except maybe when they think they can get an easy meal. And thanks for watching!
I AM TERRIBLY AFRAID OF GRIZLY BEARS AND NOT FOND OF BLACK BEARS😡😡😡
I have to admit my fear is over rattle snakes.
Chanda Harkins We should all be at least a little afraid of rattlesnakes!
@@flatbrokeoutside6921 water moccasins scare me more since they can throw themselves at you. We’ve got lots here in Florida