Dang!

an infestation of grizzlies? Crikey! be careful!

I guess I'm way behind the times, but I thought grizzlies were only found in Alaska! Infestation of grizzlies sounds like a new way to say "really bad situation," lol. I'm sure there will be bear experts here who can advise you. Please, please be careful!!

Now you've got me curious, what place is this? :) Or is it top secret, Kathleen?

Be careful and get some fantastic photos...and most importantly, have fun and enjoy yourself!

Cheers!

i heard they are scared away, if you wear a meat dress.

but remember they are more afraid of you, then you are of them... or is that the other way around?

---Mike Savad

Grizzlies can be found the in Rockies - Glacier National Park, Banff, Jasper etc.

I just came back from Banff and many trails required parties of four or more. You certainly don't want to be tent camping in these areas.

That sounds like a place I would WANT to go!

Do what I do. I take street pics of the down and out from inside my car. So I advise you to take pics of the bears from inside your Jeep Wrangler (4 door).

MEAT DRESS?????????????

Sai, not a secret. It's a huge chunk of mountains and canyons starting east of the Tetons/Yellowstone and running north toward the Bighorns. Apparently their numbers have increased dramatically since the last time I was out there. After that I'll be dropping down through Utah where hopefully, grizzly infestations will peter out. I've never been particularly afraid of black bears, though I know enough to keep my distance, but grizzlies scare the bajezuz out of me. I watched one fishing from my hidey-place on a ledge above the lake and I couldn't believe how powerful and fast they are. If one came at me, I'd freeze in place and forget I had bear spray in my holster.

Edward, I stopped tent camping years ago. I sleep in a hard-sided truck but now I'm having visions of an infestation of grizzlies coming out of the woods at night and opening the truck like a tin can.

MIke! lol!

Attacks are rare up there but they happen. Sometimes even when you do everything right. The best part of these trips for me is having complete solitude to wander along trails without the distraction of other humans and if I don't talk myself out of this bear nonsense that will be spoiled. Even if there are no bears, I'll be hearing them and seeing them with every step I take. If my friend was just some random yahoo I wouldn't pay much attention to the warnings but he spends his life in the field and knows that country like the back of his hand so I have to respect that he knows what he's talking about.

Are you camping off grid, or in a designated CG? I know you can rent bear proof containers and some of the CGs have bear proof food lockers. I wouldn't leave any food in the camper when hiking even if it is hard sided. There used to be a video on the NPS website with a bear tearing open the the door of a jeep.

Just don't keep food in your truck and you should be fine. Rope it up over a tree branch as high as you can at night if you have it. And sleep with a big knife - that's what I did :)

All the places I've done archaeology I've had to avoid rattlesnakes and alligators... never really worked areas that had bear nearby, but the Yellowstone/Tetons area is teaming with them. Did have to watch for cougar in Colorado, hence sleeping with big knives - I had to camp out while doing digs in more remote areas there.

lady gaga invented the method of getting attention, it should work for bears. should make for a good picture anyway, let me know when you plan to wear it.



i think she tossed her purse at Cher during an award thing.

according to that site, the turned the dress into jerky to preserve it. they said the process made it look dark, so they painted it to make it fresh again.


---Mike Savad

Sleeping way off grid for the most part. Have places scoped out where I've slept before and found a couple new ones. I use 4-wheel to get further back in as needed but I may still run into hunters. I can never keep track of which animals are legal to kill when, so I always have to assume other humans will be out there in the fall. The only place where I may make an exception and use a public campground will be within Yellowstone because it would cost more in gas to drive out to free sites than to pay for a park site. I'm old, so there are rate discounts. Most grizzly killings happen in public campgrounds, BTW. I'm still wondering if I'll chicken out on walking some of the trails I really want to do this time. Bummer.

I'm thinking I won't have any meat in the truck (including Mike's meat dress) until I get farther south but there's no way I can empty all the food out of the truck. I bring enough with me to last a couple months so there's very little to buy, other than ice, along the way.

OK, Mike, I'll wear a bacon g-string whenever I hike. Will that be sufficient?

Can you take a dog with you? Would that even help?

only if it's smoked.


---Mike Savad

nah, the dog will ear her dress.

---Mike Savad

actually thinking about it, there was a thing on the news where the dog seemed to have attacked the bear, and when the owner pulled the dog away, the bear bit the guy and mashed up his legs and other areas non specific. while they said thank goodness for the dog - as the dog distracted the bear, the guy hit the bear with a rock or something. i think it was the dogs fault to start with. i heard that if you just make a lot of noise, they will move on. i'm not sure about the playing dead thing though, always wondered if that worked or not.

---Mike Savad

Patricia, none of my rescues are bigger than bite-size. They're mostly little designer dogs with the exception of the spotted hound,a Dalmation/Basset named Fred who's too lazy to roll over most of the time. They'd be nothing but bear bait and I couldn't risk having them hike in the desert with rattlers either.

Mike, I think a lot of the folks who played dead, really were.

i think if i saw a big bear near me, i don't think i can play dead. i can wet my pants just fine though. maybe that could scare them off. if i were a ninja i could use my sword.

for now you should carry bear mace or something. maybe have a gun on you. but your just a cat and it will be hard to hold.

---Mike Savad

Mike, you're forgetting I have a prehensile tail.

Heather, I do keep a wicked knife and bear spray near me when I sleep in the truck (for 2-leggeds) and I carry bear spray when I hike in bear country. I can't keep up with laws from one state to the next so I don't carry anymore. I was told that bear spray is more effective than bullets on grizzlies anyway and in any case I don't want to kill any four-leggeds. They are just doing their job, LOL.