Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 16:58:15 -0600
Reply-To: mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: camping amidst bears, safety question
In-Reply-To: <205582.33315.qm@web111718.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
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---- Scott Greiner <greines@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I would like to ask the people that camp in bear country that bring dogs. Do
dogs help with safety or cause bears to come closer when sleeping in a Westy and
the dogs start barking when they hear the bears coming near the camp site? I am
>talking medium to large dogs. We have a blank lab and a golden retreiver.
Scott, this from the Coronado National Forest Camping site:
. "Won't my dog protect me against wild animals?
Most dogs will sound an alarm when they sense nearby wildlife. It is also true that many dogs will defend their owners if necessary. And despite the occasional heart-warming story of a dog saving her owner from a bear attack, the fact is that a single dog, no matter what the breed or how large, is no match for a hungry bear or lion. Even these heart-warming stories often end in tragedy for the dog.
Unfortunately, dogs in the wild often become the prey of prowling black bears and mountain lions -- the scent of a dog in the breeze may actually draw these large carnivores into your camp. Generally, dogs unused to wild surroundings will spend most of the night warning their owner of every rabbit, ground squirrel, and cricket within a hundred yards, until the sleep-deprived and frazzled owner tells the dog to shut up. It is usually about that time -- when the owner is angrily chastising the dog for its incessant warnings -- that a bear or lion wanders into camp.
Also, remember that skunks are common visitors to campsites, and they seem to take special delight in spraying curious puppies. So, unless you brought five gallons of tomato juice camping with you to neutralize the skunk odor, the ride home with Lucky in the back seat will be quite memorable.
Conclusion
We all love our canine friends, and we want to take them with us wherever we go. And though it may be fine to exercise Scruffy on a trail or a picnic during the daylight when the weather is appropriate, camping with a dog -- especially a dog that is unused to wild surroundings -- can be a significant challenge for the owner, the dog, and any other campers within earshot.
As a rule, if you have not previously introduced your buddy to the wild with many day hikes and picnics, don't bring him camping.
Also as a rule, if your dog is boisterous and poorly behaved at home, a camping trip will not improve the dog's behavior. You'll do him -- and any nearby campers -- a favor by leaving him at home.
Finally, please remember that wild areas can be very dangerous places for dogs. Use great care when bringing your pet with you."
________________________________
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Sat, February 12, 2011 6:39:34 AM
Subject: Re: camping amidst bears, safety question
Re if they find nothing, they will not come back: In Yosemite, where campers
outside the developed campgrounds are required to use bear boxes and advised to
sleep 100 yards from their storage and cooking site, they are also told to leave
the bear box in plain site. The bears have learned that if the box is there, it
means that they can't get food. Here I am talking about the portable boxes that
we carry when backpacking. I have not camped in Yosemite, nor even near there
in many years, but I reviewed the regulations last year when I was considering
it. Chose another trip for other reasons. In Yellowstone, however, we were
told that even if we carry a box, we must hang the box. Same in Glacier, though
at some locations in Glacier, there was nothing to hang it from.
mcneely
---- neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 2:25 PM, Richard A Jones <Jones@colorado.edu> wrote:
>
> 1) more and more campgrounds have bear-proof food lockers so
> > there will NOT be bear problems. As they say: A Fed Bear Is A
> > Dead Bear. If one wanders through camp and finds nothing it
> > might not come back. If it does find something it will come back.
> >
> >
>
> Good point. Hadn't thought of my Jedidiah CG experience in that light.
>
> They are creatures of habit. I can attest to that. Like clock work, any time
> the neighbours leave their garbage out the night before pickup, Mr. or Mrs.
> Bear comes by, eats the garbage in my yard and leaves a coil of a calling
> card.
>
> ;)
>
> Neil.
>
>
>
> --
> Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
>
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
--
David McNeely
--
David McNeely
| 
