Posted: 9:44 am PDT June 11, 2010
Updated: 10:02 am PDT June 11, 2010
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. -- The heavy snow and lingering winter conditions in the Sierra are forcing black bears into the valleys around Lake Tahoe, where an unusually large number of them have had to be put to death in recent weeks.
Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist Carl Lackey says officials already killed eight bears this spring, compared with a typical death toll of just one or two by this time.
"I attribute that to the late winter weather conditions," he said.
Unlocked food or trash lures the bears into trouble in cars and homes. Adding to the problem, Lackey said, is Washoe County has no ordinance requiring bear-proof trash receptacles.
Hot spots are centered near South Lake Tahoe, Tahoma and Highway 89 near the Squaw Valley and Alpine ski resorts.
Cristen Langner, a wildlife biologist for California Fish and Game, said the California side of the Tahoe basin has had three permitted bear deaths this year, which is not uncommon for this time. Each of the deaths was also a result of residents not locking up food trash or food, she said.
Langner echoed Lackey's words of caution and said residents should always be bear-aware and keep doors locked and food secure.
"The big thing is that every time these bears are successful (finding stored trash or food) it just reinforces that behavior," she said.
Ann Bryant, president of the Homewood-based BEAR League, said she's concerned about the death toll.
"I'm pretty shocked because it's only going to get worse as the season goes on," she said.
Bryant said based on calls, sightings and onsite observations, the BEAR League has observed more newborns this year than any other, as well as an increased number of sightings and conflicts.
Usually bears aren't spotted out of hibernation until May or June, Bryant said, but she's seen them as early as March and April this year.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Apr 30 2015 8:29 pm
by chumley
Grasshopper wrote:Best not to mess with Karl
I'm gonna have to get more practice in barroom brawls before I try this for real.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Apr 30 2015 9:23 pm
by Nighthiker
Bar room brawls ? Pool balls were great though you may need to ice up your shoulder.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: May 01 2015 10:49 am
by JasonCleghorn
That guy reminds me a little bit of my dad, god rest his soul. When I was about 8, we were being robbed at a gas pump. My dad calmly but VERY quickly, literally in a flash, stuck a pistol's barrel literally up the assailant's nose leaning into the truck. The raised site got stuck in his nose and the assailant tripped backwards into a 55 gallon trashcan and he couldn't get out of the trash can.
True story.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: May 15 2015 7:35 am
by chumley
Don't worry. They're as scared of you as you are of them!
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Jul 17 2015 8:44 am
by chumley
Nobody drinks Busch beer!
Bear downs 36 cans of beer and passes out at campground
Fish and Wildlife enforcement Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear did try one can of Busch, but ignored the rest. The beast then consumed about 36 cans of Rainier.
I guess the next time I do Mt. Wrightston I will have to bring a few cans of Rainier Beer with me as a distraction...
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Jul 18 2015 8:27 pm
by outdoor_lover
Got to see a Bear yesterday. First time I've seen one in the Wild in AZ. Big, healthy Black Bear. Saw it for about 2 Seconds and then he was gone. Tried reacquire him, to get a Photo or two, but he must have heard us at that Point and Booked it out of there. I'd seen a couple in MN when I lived there, but had been striking out here until now. Quite a Thrill. Just sorry I didn't get even one hurried shot off, but I may go back there again.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Jul 18 2015 8:33 pm
by big_load
You got plenty of scat shots, though.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Jul 20 2015 10:13 am
by rcorfman
chumley wrote:Nobody drinks Busch beer!Bear downs 36 cans of beer and passes out at campgroundFish and Wildlife enforcement Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear did try one can of Busch, but ignored the rest. The beast then consumed about 36 cans of Rainier
Wow, I guess the wild Rainiers will have more to worry about...
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Jul 21 2015 4:27 am
by azbackpackr
chumley wrote:Nobody drinks Busch beer!
Last winter at the RV park that's all they were drinking. Something about one guy had been getting headaches from his beer, and Busch was the only beer that didn't bother him. I'd switch to water in that case...
Oh, was this supposed to be the BEAR thread? Oh, so sorry. I thought it was the BEER thread.
Re: Bear injures wisconsin hiker near Many Glacier
Postby GNP Jim » Fri Oct 02, 2015 7:52 pm
I would like to take this opportunity to describe the events that lead to my bear attack. Last Tuesday afternoon I was descending from the Henkel /Crowfeet saddle. I was on the Crowfeet side of the drainage when I observed a grizzly sow with two cubs on the Henkel side, roughly 200 yards away. I decided to watch their actions to determine which direction they were moving, because I needed to get past them to continue down. I watched them for an hour as they moved in and out of sight just on and over ridgeline, but never more than 30 feet from where I originally saw them. They just kept digging and eating in the same area. At this point my exit strategy was to traverse below the bears below a cliff band that was well down slope from them. I had clear access (no trees or brush ) to the scree shelf below the cliff band where I would be well out of view of the bears. I proceeded on this route, checking up slope just to make sure the bears were not descending. Once I was traversing along the base of the cliffs (about 10 ft. high) I turned my attention to the route ahead. My mistake! With no warning, I was startled by a loud roar and all three bears leaping down the cliff right at me. The sow landed right next to me with the cubs behind her. She slid just below me, then reached up and grabbed my left leg. The constant roar continued as she picked me up, spun me around and shook me. Fortunately she was holding me face up so I was able reach my bear spray and shoot her directly in the face. She dropped me immediately and left the area. I assessed my situation and had two immediate issues to deal with. I could not see very well because I had bear spray blowback on my face. My leg was also bleeding profusely. I wrapped my leg with duct tape to slow the bleeding. My eyes finally cleared enough to proceed down. I had 2000 vertical feet of mountainside to negotiate and about 3 miles to hike out. Obviously I made it. I am home and doing fine.
Jim
Couple of grizzly encounters
Mon Oct 05, 2015 8:50 am
The second hasn't made the news yet, but occurred on Saturday near Upper Whitefish Lake. Someone I know was walking with a friend, his son and his dog. A grizzly charged the dog and then turned on him. He shot the bear several times with a .17 caliber rifle to no avail (he was grouse and squirrel hunting with his son). His friend shot the bear twice with a .300 rifle which dropped it within 5 feet of the person I know. He called fish & game and they investigated and reported it to the Feds. The bear was estimated at 550 lbs. and was guarding an elk cache that the dog apparently approached. It remains to be seen what happens next. An unfortunate situation, but I am glad he is ok.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Oct 05 2015 2:19 pm
by outdoor_lover
Dogs in Bear Country do not Mix...They can certainly be a Catalyst even if the Human is doing everything else right.....
this is the one in the article from the Flathead Beacon. It actually occurred near Choteau Montana. He is a bow hunter... Interesting story. He says at the end:
“I want everyone to know that it wasn’t the bear’s fault. He was as scared as I was,” Dellwo said.
AZLOT69 wrote:Usually bears aren't spotted out of hibernation until May or June, Bryant said, but she's seen them as early as March and April this year.
Interesting.. I wonder what prompted this years change.
Sounds like the bears didn't have sufficient food last Fall before they went into hibernation. But, the presence of more cubs seems to contradict that. In lean years they don't usually reproduce record numbers of young. My guess is the lack of food because of the drought, same as the areas around Phoenix, Payson....?
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Sep 01 2016 2:06 pm
by chumley
Bears currently on the loose in Pasadena.
Live coverage ... actually quite amusing.
Some good dumpster time, as well as swimming in the neighbor's pool, and a good dog chase.
(Ignore the "these are not black bears, they are brown bears ... in Pasadena" as that is obviously wrong).
Amazing video from last week: a Yosemite bear got caught in strong current and was unable to get across the river.
The bear reportedly got out of the water downstream and walked away seemingly unharmed.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Jun 20 2017 6:05 am
by SkyIslandHiker
A Tucson woman was attacked by back by a bear last two weekends ago at the Point of Pines Lake Campground on the San Carlos Apache Reservation while she was sleeping under the stars in a lounge chair:
The bear ripped her scalp back which reminds me of a 2011 bear attack in Pinetop where a lady had her scalped ripped off.
Re: Bears In The News
Posted: Jun 20 2017 8:11 am
by azbackpackr
@SkyIslandHiker
And the attack on Anna Knockel at Camp Lawton in the Catalinas in 1996. Bear ripped her scalp, back, buttocks and thigh. (My 11-year-old daughter was also there at the camp at the time, which had been rented from BSA by local 4H club.)
