I live in black bear heaven....even more so now that our rather infamous spring bear hunt has been cancelled for several years. I also had the joy of being "sacked" by a bear while on a canoe trip in one of our larger provincial parks. Four men, camping on an island (the buggers swim like olympic athletes) woken up in the middle of the night by the snuffling and grunting of a foraging bear. Four men, yelling and banging pots together behind the dubious shelter of a large tent sans fly...bear, oblivious. The next morning, bear scat sporting granola bar wrappers...not our brand. They never get shot at in the parks, so they're very bold. This was the one night we didnt suspend our food packs from a rope strung between two trees. I blame the booze. Black bears are great climbers, so I'm not too confident on the poptop canvas. Having said that, I've never heard of one infiltrating an occupied vehicle. Standing up and shaking an occupied camper, yes, but bailing when human presence (with large guns) was made known. It seems the park bears know the routine, the "wild" ones aren't too concerned about the rules. Another tip on bears. Don't worry about running faster than the bear. You can't. Just make sure you can run faster than the folks you're camping with :-) |
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