Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:32:56 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: camping amidst bears, safety question
In-Reply-To: <20110212175815.YJ44B.1026515.imail@eastrmwml44>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
All good advice. City dogs are usually not very good in camping situations,
especially in proximity to many other campers...like forest service
campgrounds. Most highly structured camping areas discourage dogs, and
rightly so for the most part.
Don Hanson
On Sat, Feb 12, 2011 at 2:58 PM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
> ---- 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
>
| 
