do you carry bear spray?

[outsider]

wildtrout2,

I don't spray them directly with the ammonia. Yes I have thought of the reaction they might have if I sprayed them directly in the face. If they are close, I spray some ammonia into the air so they pick up the odor. That usually does the trick. The local Game Commission officer advised me to spray them directly with wasp spray (the kind that shoots a 20' stream) if they become too threatening. I actually feel sorry for them. Man made them into the nuisance they are today.

My wife and I are building a deck extension to our porch which will have handrail all around to act as a safe-guard. We're going to name it "The Bear Pen".

 

[The_Sasquatch]

The amount of bears in the Kettle Creek area is staggering, to me. I see far more down there than I do at my camp in Potato City.

 

[outsider]

Sasquatch,

The situation is becoming unBEARable. Our cabin is located on the top of the mountain at the Leidy iron bridge on Kettle Creek. We can't even enjoy an outdoor meal on the porch without having someone on "bear watch".

 

[bjb27_99]

Per an article in F&S, pepper spray or bear spray is your best option. It takes about 4-5 shots from a pistol to drop a bear and that's only if they're good shots. Bears apparently have a keen sense of smell, hence why a spray is the best potential defense. The article did a study of bear attacks over a 80 or 90 year period and had some interesting facts. Plus, black bears can climb trees. PM me if you want a PDF of the article.

 

[dryflyguy]

I'd like to know if there is by chance, anyone out there who has tried spraying a charging bear - and how well it worked.

 

[krayfish]

Had several encounters with them on the Delaware. Not all run from people. One actually pursued me. I had to yell and throw rocks in order to get him to stop. Thank God it was a younger/smaller bear.

Last year I found one swimming across the river and rowed after him to get some close up photos. Bad move. As soon as he could touch bottom, he turned back at me. He stood on his hind legs and started clacking his teeth. I wouldn't have needed to be much closer and he could have gotten me. I had the camera on macro w/o flash so the pictures didn't turn out anyhow.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

outsider, that's just unreal. Up on Denton Hill, we see bear tracks around the camp several times a year, but we're lucky if we get a glimpse. Even our late night campfires/cookouts haven't brought any visitors. Every now and again, one will walk through the yard, but I can make half a dozen trips up there and not see anything.

 

[PatrickC]

When I camp, I use a camping hammock. I was in northern MI 2 years ago in an area with a healthy black bear population. We were warned to take precautions because they are getting pretty accustomed to people. I never did see a bear, but in the middle of the night, something walked under my hammock and brushed up against my backside. I just kept still and it wandered on through. I don't know if it was a bear, but I assume it was. We left nothing around for a bear to be interested in. I'm guessing it was just out and about looking for whatever it could find and assumed with people around, it had a chance of finding something.

 

[StarvinMarvin]

I have noticed the increase at my camp as well. Up until last year I didn't carry any but a couple close encounters in the remote woods and at camp made me buy a can. We cooked steaks and walked over to the neighbors to give them which is only maybe 25 yards, as we walked out of yard and into theirs, a well fed cinnamon bear walked up and grabbed the last two steaks right off the grill.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

That would **** me off, and that bear would be runnin' for his life! Don't be stealing my steaks!

 

[StarvinMarvin]

maybe you could scare him squatch, not someone whose 5'10 and 155

 

[Chaz]

The_Sasquatch wrote:
The amount of bears in the Kettle Creek area is staggering, to me. I see far more down there than I do at my camp in Potato City.

Maybe they don't like potatos. He, He!

 

[BradFromPotter]

The_Sasquatch wrote:
outsider, that's just unreal. Up on Denton Hill, we see bear tracks around the camp several times a year, but we're lucky if we get a glimpse. Even our late night campfires/cookouts haven't brought any visitors. Every now and again, one will walk through the yard, but I can make half a dozen trips up there and not see anything.

You need to come & camp in my backyard right in Galeton!

 

[outsider]

Bears are pretty smart critters, but here's a short story about one dumb-azz bear:

Two weeks ago my wife and I left the cabin at 10:00 in the morning. Under a small table table on the porch was a few unopened plastic bottles of Coke and a few cans of beer. Aside of the table was a gallon container of ammonia. It was 3/4 full, and the cap was on tight.

We came back around 3:00 in the afternoon and the first thing I noticed was the ammonia bottle laying at the back of the cabin. I walked down and discovered the bottle was almost empty and it was punctured with teeth marks. I kept the bottle if anyone would like to see it.

About an hour later, a bear came walking down our lane and he laid down in the small valley behind the cabin. We thought he died. We yelled at him and every once in a while he lifted his head up. My wife was crying. But 20 minutes later he got up and walked away. Probably had a bad belly ache and the runs.

By the way, the most bears in one day at our camp was 6, sighted between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm back in April. Three of them had mange.

 

[the_last_waltz]

Patrick, that happened to my grandfather at his camp in tionesta back in the 50's. He said it sniffed him, and moved on.

As far as bear spray goes, no, I have only carried it out west. Had several close encounters with them in maryland, including surprising the heck out of one in really close range. He just stared at me for a little bit, then i waved my hands and yelled, he broke his trance, and ran away extremely fast. Way faster then I ever thought a bear could run, actually.

 

[bikerfish]

ever since I bought some for out west, I've been trying to remember to carry a can with me here, but more for the hilljacks and methheads than for the bears!

 

[franklin]

We now have five of em hanging around the cabin in Union Cnty. Largest is around 600 lbs. Coming from a family of old bear hunters black bears are not hard to put down. In the old days quite a few were killed with 38 specials. At one time the state record bear was killed with a single shot from a .222 Rem.

 

[outsider]

A 12 year old girl was attacked the other day in Michigan by a black bear. When she saw it, her normal reaction was to run from it ( which is the wrong thing to do). It ran her down, biting and clawing her. When the bear stopped and walked away, she got up and ran. Again, it ran her down, biting and clawing her.

On a closer front, a few weeks ago the bear that I reported to the game commission a few months ago as a problem charged a camp owner up the road from our cabin. She backed off about 15' when he confronted her, and she stood there woofing and growling.

 

[BeastBrown]

Guys relax, it's not like you live in a state with the current world record black bear or anything, or the state that holds 11 of the top 20 largest skulls of all time in the world. Nothing to fear.....they will play nice, like black labs, only fluffier.

http://www.petersenshunting.com/2013/05/15/bc-world-record-book-20-biggest-black-bears-of-all-time/

Number 1 is a pick up skull, which makes number 2 world record from Monroe County, Pa. He was protecting your favorite class A, lol.

19 bradford county pa 604 pounds
18 armstrong county pa
17 pike county
15 luzerne county pa
13 sullivan county pa
12 carbon county pa
9 bedford county pa
8 monroe county pa
6 fayette county pa
3 lycoming county pa
2 monroe county pa

Notice how many records are in the past 15 years, a lot after 2000. Think the large mast crops of mature forests may be influencing that.

 

[Brownie101]

Shortrod wrote: "According to PA Fish and Game Commision no human has ever been killed by a black bear in PA" According to Afish's link, there was one in Wilkes-Barre in 1883. It was described as a "terrible struggle."