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Has anyone ever had encounters with bears or other wild dangerous species while boondocking?


The Few

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Oh goody....I get to tell ALL my bear stories while working as a professional Forester!!! There I was in the summer of 1971............

 

All that said, Moose. Stay away from them. Bears....well Grizzlies are a special case, but Black Bears with cubs come close.

 

The two NEAR DEATH experiences over 40 years in the woods.....yellow jackets. After the second, my daughter asked if she and her mother would be ok if I died. I said yes....but for the rest of your life you would have to explain how your father died from ONE well placed yellow jacket sting.

 

Go....and boondock. Pay attention, but it is much safer in the middle of somewhere, than in any city in the world.

Vladimr Steblina

Retired Forester...exploring the public lands.

usbackroads.blogspot.com

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This from a 25-year backpacker with lots of trail head camping experience in established parks before I headed up:

 

This is all for the OP alhough I'd love to comment on the above posts, almost all of which I agree.

 

Even if you think you're going to be a park Rver, much of how to prepare yourself for bookdocking applies. There's just no kind of RVing you can do without knowing as much of the answers to your questions as you can.

 

Next, don't take the trouble to learn unless you (and family) are committed to pay attention to what you learn and practice the protection craft.

 

Don't think you have to know it all at first; and give yourself permission to try a technique and either don't do it right or forget to do it a few times. OTOH, don't stop practicing. Build upon each skill and technique learned. You'll be surprised how soon things will become instinctive for you and family members.

 

You will get a very helpful lesson one night after you've surveyed your camp, pronounced it safe, gone soundly to sleep, and an hour later your 6-year-old wakes you up frightenly asking, "Mommy, did Daddy remember to hang the trash on the bear rope?" Of course, you had forgotten and remember last putting it under the RV steps so you'd be sure to sure to see it. Outta warm bed, dressed to be outdoors if something happens to you, laced up shoes, headlamp, whistle, trash bag in hand, you walk the 100' to the tree that was easy to find in the daylight, undo your rope, lower the other stuff you didn't want in camp, and put the trash up. As you walk back now fully awake you are kicking yourself for forgetting the obvious, upset that you nearly brought a predator or skunk to your family's front door, and very proud that what you've been learning and teaching at least stuck with the little one.

 

All bears in North America have the same thing in common: they have the best smeller, 10 times better than a trained bloodhound. There's an old Indian proverb taught to the young as they ventured into the world. "A tiny pine cone fell from a tree. The eagle flying very high overhead saw it fall. The deer feeding deeper in the forest heard it fall. The bear a mile away smelled it fall."

 

Point: if you have smellables in camp around your RV, on tables, on the ground, or on you or your clothes, a bear, lion, skunk, or raccoon WILL smell them. The only question is will they come your way. If the smellables are still outside after dark or before sunup, odds are they will.

 

Lesson: Take great care to cover, re-package, refrain from bringing at all, or putting them in a smell-proof container (whatever that is!). Learn from comments like the lipstick and deodorant thing; but don't focus on trying to memorize a list. Here' the MAIN DEAL: a bear is not attracted to any particular smellable (unless they actually have chowed down on a makeup bag before). They are attracted because they are curious. There's probably no more curious an animal other than a cat. They think it might be something to eat. Even if we know it's not, they don't.

 

Jerry L

2008 Country Coach Allure 470 38'

425 Cummins, 4 slides, tag

2014 4-dr Jeep Rubicon

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Wildlife can be very dangerous. I have been attacked and bitten multiple times by the most dangerous animal of all, responsible for millions of deaths each year (due to the diseases they carry) - mosquitos.

 

Snakes are also pretty dangerous, but they can be avoided. Nevertheless, I recently had a beloved cat killed by a water moccasin. At least rattlers give you a warning - most of the time.

 

Bears and cougars (the 4 legged kind) are not very dangerous as encounters with them are rare. I was hiking the AT once through a section in the Smokies when a black bear came up behind me and actually passed me on the trail. I guess I was moving too slow for her. ;) I just stopped a little ways off the trail and let her by. She showed no interest in me whatsoever. Grizzlies are more aggressive, so if in Griz country, I recommend always carrying bear spray.

 

I have seen many kinds of animals over my lifetime in the woods. I swam with gators in Louisiana. I saw black panthers twice - the 4 legged kind. My DW saw one once at 10:00 AM in broad daylight. I've had my campsite invaded by Javelina, skunks, deer, turkeys, coons, poisonous snakes, scorpions, tarantulas and even bears and cougars, but never felt threatened by any of them. Other campers may make you feel safe, just remember that is a false sense of security. The wilderness can be dangerous if you let your guard down and don't use common sense, especially where pets and kids are concerned. Gators only rarely attack an adult, but dogs and kids are more the size of their natural prey, so are vulnerable.

 

I was only attacked by wild game once, when charged by a large wild boar. The Lord was with me that day, and a lucky, well placed shot from my bow brought the charge to a immediate end. I was deer hunting a the time and had my bow, but no gun. Had I been completely unarmed it would have been very bad for me indeed. A can of bear spray would be a far superior method of defense, besides it's non-lethal too. Such an event is so rare it's hardly worth mentioning, however take note of the possibility if you do frequent areas where feral hogs or wild boars are known to live, and take precautions.

 

Here's an idea of what I'm talking about:

 

Chip

 

Hello Sushidog, I have a few questions for you..

 

1). Where in the world do you live or camp, for you to have seen all of these wild animals?

2). Regarding Bear spray, does it cost a lot, and how effective is it to a charging animal?

3). What would you recommend as a powerful enough weapon to kill ( or protect yourself), but not overbearing or TOO much??

The Few

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After almost 50 years on Kodiak Island we relocated to the mainland a few years back after I retired. We are now in the Wasilla area and generally see moose most weeks.

Later,

J

PS Very beautiful is an understatement. Our ATV blueberry picking trip a couple days ago was specular and that's not counting more berries than you could possibly pick.

 

We were in Your area a few years back onward to Seward from a short visit from anchorage.. There was some sort of animal zoo/farm for tourists to visit, which had one of alaska's larges and oldest bears living there... Was very interesting...

 

Tell Sarah Palin, to clam down the next time you see her please!!! LOL

The Few

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Oh goody....I get to tell ALL my bear stories while working as a professional Forester!!! There I was in the summer of 1971............

 

All that said, Moose. Stay away from them. Bears....well Grizzlies are a special case, but Black Bears with cubs come close.

 

The two NEAR DEATH experiences over 40 years in the woods.....yellow jackets. After the second, my daughter asked if she and her mother would be ok if I died. I said yes....but for the rest of your life you would have to explain how your father died from ONE well placed yellow jacket sting.

 

Go....and boondock. Pay attention, but it is much safer in the middle of somewhere, than in any city in the world.

Where were you stung by the Yellow Jacket???

The Few

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This from a 25-year backpacker with lots of trail head camping experience in established parks before I headed up:

This is all for the OP alhough I'd love to comment on the above posts, almost all of which I agree.

Even if you think you're going to be a park Rver, much of how to prepare yourself for bookdocking applies. There's just no kind of RVing you can do without knowing as much of the answers to your questions as you can.

Next, don't take the trouble to learn unless you (and family) are committed to pay attention to what you learn and practice the protection craft.

Don't think you have to know it all at first; and give yourself permission to try a technique and either don't do it right or forget to do it a few times. OTOH, don't stop practicing. Build upon each skill and technique learned. You'll be surprised how soon things will become instinctive for you and family members.

You will get a very helpful lesson one night after you've surveyed your camp, pronounced it safe, gone soundly to sleep, and an hour later your 6-year-old wakes you up frightenly asking, "Mommy, did Daddy remember to hang the trash on the bear rope?" Of course, you had forgotten and remember last putting it under the RV steps so you'd be sure to sure to see it. Outta warm bed, dressed to be outdoors if something happens to you, laced up shoes, headlamp, whistle, trash bag in hand, you walk the 100' to the tree that was easy to find in the daylight, undo your rope, lower the other stuff you didn't want in camp, and put the trash up. As you walk back now fully awake you are kicking yourself for forgetting the obvious, upset that you nearly brought a predator or skunk to your family's front door, and very proud that what you've been learning and teaching at least stuck with the little one.

All bears in North America have the same thing in common: they have the best smeller, 10 times better than a trained bloodhound. There's an old Indian proverb taught to the young as they ventured into the world. "A tiny pine cone fell from a tree. The eagle flying very high overhead saw it fall. The deer feeding deeper in the forest heard it fall. The bear a mile away smelled it fall."

Point: if you have smellables in camp around your RV, on tables, on the ground, or on you or your clothes, a bear, lion, skunk, or raccoon WILL smell them. The only question is will they come your way. If the smellables are still outside after dark or before sunup, odds are they will.

Lesson: Take great care to cover, re-package, refrain from bringing at all, or putting them in a smell-proof container (whatever that is!). Learn from comments like the lipstick and deodorant thing; but don't focus on trying to memorize a list. Here' the MAIN DEAL: a bear is not attracted to any particular smellable (unless they actually have chowed down on a makeup bag before). They are attracted because they are curious. There's probably no more curious an animal other than a cat. They think it might be something to eat. Even if we know it's not, they don't.

Jerry L

 

Perfect, well said!!!

The Few

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Here' the MAIN DEAL: a bear is not attracted to any particular smellable (unless they actually have chowed down on a makeup bag before). They are attracted because they are curious. There's probably no more curious an animal other than a cat. They think it might be something to eat. Even if we know it's not, they don't.

The bear who stuck his nose in my pack may have been smelling some toiletry item as I'm positive there was no food in that pack. I'm glad we packed back out that evening, though, because he came back and stole packs from three other campers that night. Apparently he had learned packs can mean food. And I would not have wanted to be one of the ones trying to get my gear back out of the woods with no pack to carry it in. If you are in a place with bear boxes, use them. If not be sure to haul everything up an appropriate tree if you are in bear country--including the clothes you were wearing when you fried bacon.

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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So true, Linda. One of the most irritating and frustrating thing about keeping bears, lions, skunks, raccoons, ground squirrels, mice, and especially marmots in the backpacking world is the smellables eventually permeate the inner pack cloth. This is particularly true with food. What happens is we are really careful to keep food scraps and crumbs off the ground and get them all inside the zip bags. Unfortunately, our hands that handled the food have touched the outside of the bags. Most of us try to diminish the effect of this by putting the plastic bags in another larger bag. Alas, that was touched, too. This point becomes worse depending on how greasy or oily our hands were re-packing the food. If we store our clothes worn during cooking in the pack, that'll do it, too. Same with pots and dishes, even if they've been cleaned.

 

How, does this apply to car camping (sic. RV)? It's unlikely a predator or critter will bother your outdoor kitchen or picnic table during the day if you are there. It's happened; but I would call that very rare and only in places the Bears have become tremendously habituated to humans and fear them not. However, if you leave camp to,go hiking, fishing, or boating amd leave your s,ellavles amd their containers out, you will be qualifying for an early place in the really-dumb line.

 

Unless you are in a pretty hard RV, I recommend hanging your smellables at night. And not on one of the short 6' lantern pipe in camp. Google how to ha g and you'll get several ways. Which technique is best depends on your surroundings. I DO NOT recommend hanging up on the ladder behind an RV. All that's going to accomplish is getting your ladder broken by a 350 lb bear or enjoy the potter patter of little feet on your roof as they enter your trash, etc. from the top after climbing the ladder. Putting everything inside before bed is the best we can do. Yes, trained bears can pry open bay doors, car doors, and even trailer doors; but the odds of your being in a park where they've learned to do this is extremely rare. I think you'd be told by the rangers at check in if that was a problem. Out bookdocking I don't think they'd have learned the skill. Disregard last statement if you've left ,eat, chicken, or fish out in the open in your car or SUV to defrost where it can be seen through the window.

 

Marmots really are the worst. Three of us left our packs in a saddle about 400' below the summit of a 14'er in Colorado one time. We just saw no need to carry full packs to the top. We left them in the open on the saddle but they were completely closed and secured as if they were on our backs. When we returned, one guys pack had been pulled away from the others and a. If hole eaten EXACTLY opposite where he had a full package of Oreos. They ate through that bag, too. ALL that was left was the wrapper, not even a crumb! Ken was livid. Muon could hear him yelling six mountains away. Not only did he lose the Oreos, whose weight he'd carried for three days at altitude, but they also chewed a hole in his down sleeping bag getting to the cookieso

2008 Country Coach Allure 470 38'

425 Cummins, 4 slides, tag

2014 4-dr Jeep Rubicon

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So true, Linda. One of the most irritating and frustrating thing about keeping bears, lions, skunks, raccoons, ground squirrels, mice, and especially marmots in the backpacking world is the smellables eventually permeate the inner pack cloth. This is particularly true with food. What happens is we are really careful to keep food scraps and crumbs off the ground and get them all inside the zip bags. Unfortunately, our hands that handled the food have touched the outside of the bags. Most of us try to diminish the effect of this by putting the plastic bags in another larger bag. Alas, that was touched, too. This point becomes worse depending on how greasy or oily our hands were re-packing the food. If we store our clothes worn during cooking in the pack, that'll do it, too. Same with pots and dishes, even if they've been cleaned.

 

How, does this apply to car camping (sic. RV)? It's unlikely a predator or critter will bother your outdoor kitchen or picnic table during the day if you are there. It's happened; but I would call that very rare and only in places the Bears have become tremendously habituated to humans and fear them not. However, if you leave camp to,go hiking, fishing, or boating amd leave your s,ellavles amd their containers out, you will be qualifying for an early place in the really-dumb line.

 

Unless you are in a pretty hard RV, I recommend hanging your smellables at night. And not on one of the short 6' lantern pipe in camp. Google how to ha g and you'll get several ways. Which technique is best depends on your surroundings. I DO NOT recommend hanging up on the ladder behind an RV. All that's going to accomplish is getting your ladder broken by a 350 lb bear or enjoy the potter patter of little feet on your roof as they enter your trash, etc. from the top after climbing the ladder. Putting everything inside before bed is the best we can do. Yes, trained bears can pry open bay doors, car doors, and even trailer doors; but the odds of your being in a park where they've learned to do this is extremely rare. I think you'd be told by the rangers at check in if that was a problem. Out bookdocking I don't think they'd have learned the skill. Disregard last statement if you've left ,eat, chicken, or fish out in the open in your car or SUV to defrost where it can be seen through the window.

 

Marmots really are the worst. Three of us left our packs in a saddle about 400' below the summit of a 14'er in Colorado one time. We just saw no need to carry full packs to the top. We left them in the open on the saddle but they were completely closed and secured as if they were on our backs. When we returned, one guys' pack had been pulled away from the others and a big hole eaten EXACTLY opposite where he had a full package of Oreos. They ate through the food bag, too. ALL that was left was the wrapper, not even a crumb! Ken was livid. You could hear him yelling six mountains away. Not only did he lose the Oreos, whose weight he'd carried for three days at altitude, but they also chewed a hole in his down sleeping bag getting to the cookies!

 

Jerry

2008 Country Coach Allure 470 38'

425 Cummins, 4 slides, tag

2014 4-dr Jeep Rubicon

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Hello Sushidog, I have a few questions for you..

 

1). Where in the world do you live or camp, for you to have seen all of these wild animals?

2). Regarding Bear spray, does it cost a lot, and how effective is it to a charging animal?

3). What would you recommend as a powerful enough weapon to kill ( or protect yourself), but not overbearing or TOO much??

I've camped all over, but mainly in the south east and southwest. I grew up in Louisiana where I now reside. Bear spray is about $40-60 bucks a can. Much cheaper than a hospital visit or funeral expenses. There are many testimonials online as to it's effectiveness in stopping an attack - much better than a firearm. I recommend UDAP (the big can). It's what I use. http://www.amazon.com/UDAP-18CP-Super-Magnum-Spray/dp/B001QGTZIU/ref=pd_sim_200_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1N8RJCFVW8F8X7GK473F

The best weapon to have in the woods is a 12 ga shotgun, but you are not likely to carry it around with you as it is big. A short barreled pump is an ideal camper gun for defense against whatever comes your way.

I like one of these so you can load one tube with slugs and the other with 00 buck.

http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=a6BMdyuA%2FVwY0JNkz%2FF0yoh4l5k2TGxc#.VcajRGpRGUk

The bottom 2 are NFA weapons which require a $100 tax stamp to be legal. They are all outrageously expensive. For most people a short barreled, generic 12 ga. pump from Walmart is more than adequate, and much more affordable. Whatever you get, practice often.

 

Needless to say that any weapon needs lots of training. I often carry derringer, mainly as a noise maker, but don't recommend one for most people. I would rather avoid snakes than shoot them. If you see one you almost always have enough time to get away. Therefore I don't recommend carrying a handgun in the woods unless you live in Alaska and are proficient in it's use. Then it would be a .44 mag and up. These weigh 3-4 lbs. Do you really want to carry this around on your hip? Plus you must practice with a handgun 10 times as much to be proficient, costing lots of ammo and range time. Anything less is just a noise maker. Handguns are much more likely to run afoul of gun laws too, as they vary quite a bit by location. Again, if you have to ask, I don't recommend them for most folks.

 

Chip

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1). Where in the world do you live or camp, for you to have seen all of these wild animals?

........................................

3). What would you recommend as a powerful enough weapon to kill ( or protect yourself), but not overbearing or TOO much??

I have lived and hunted in Wyoming for 18 years, in Colorado for 3 years, spent extended periods in Montana, Maine, and many other states with large populations of wildlife. We even spent two weeks on horseback in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area and have been a resident volunteer on 9 different national wildlife refuges. The one in Maine has the highest density population of black bears of anywhere in North America, partly because they do not have any brown bears (otherwise known as grizzlys). We have seen many a bear in or travels and even had one pause to rub his back on the corner of the motorhome during the night while at Moosehorn NWR in Maine, but we have never had any serious incidents. In WY we tented first, then traveled by popup for the 9 years and most of that time I also camped and went backpacking with our sons in Boy Scouts and later as Scoutmaster with my own troop. We camped in tents mostly in national forests of WY with no serious problems. I am sure that there were more bears who were aware of us than we of them. People who use proper techniques will very rarely have any danger from wildlife of any kind.

 

There is no gun that will be effective to stop a charging bear in the hands of the average person. I suggest that before you start shopping for a gun, take the time to read the results of this study on protecting one's self from bears. I have used and owned guns of various types for most of my life, I hunted big game nearly every season for about 20 years and have shot targets for more than 30 years, but I never carry a firearm just for protection from wildlife.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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You might go to this humor site to find a weapon sufficient for protection.

 

http://www.buckstix.com/howitzer.htm

 

which describes using a 12-pounder mountain howitzer loaded with a standard load of canister shot for the 12 pound Mountain Howitzer Cannon - is 148 individual lead balls, specifically, .69 caliber ( dia ) lead "musket balls". This is sufficient for protection from any wild critter(s). He does note that "...First, let me start by saying that I'm pretty sure that it may not be entirely legal to use a Mountain Howitzer Cannon for deer hunting, at least not in Wisconsin. ( I didn't actually ask the DNR about using a Mountain Howitzer, but according to Thomas Van Haren, a Conservation Warden & Natural Resources Policy Officer of the Bureau of Law Enforcement for the Wisconsin DNR - "the use of a Cannon is not legal for hunting any species of game in Wisconsin." )

 

Other than that, just be situationally aware.

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We had a black bear come into our site while boondocking in the Alberta Rocky Mountains. He was by the tent that my wife and son were sleeping in. I was in the RV ( dont ask )and about to let the dog out in the early am and saw the bear. I shooed it away and he went about 50 feet and watched us. I went out to the quad and started it and he ran a few more feet so I charged him with the quad a few feet and he took off. However he remained in the area so I started looking around and it turns out that we were in a site that had been used by hunters and there were a few deer scaps laying around.

 

We moved.

 

That is the only incident of a large predator coming into our campsite. We have encountered both black bears and grizzly bears while out trail riding with our atvs but that is quite normal and the bears were not a threat. We do carry deterents with us however.

 

My biggest concern while out riding is not bears. It is Moose. An angry Bull Moose is not something even a bear will tackle.

 

Air horns work pretty good to get rid of unwanted critters....they dont like loud noises. Bear bangers and firecrackers as well as road flares are all pretty effective. I would use them before I would use pepper spray.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

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Read that a railroad in Canada had to change the sound of its horn because the Bull Moose considered it to be the challenge of another Moose. So be sure your air horn is not at the frequency of a Bull Moose cry.

 

Spray is supposed to be extremely effective. . Make sure to read directions. Folks have fired them incorrectly, in the wrong direction which is supposed to be quite painful and embarrassing.

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I thought some of you might like to read this blog by an experienced van dwelling boondocker who grew up in Alaska: http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/bear-spray-your-best-choice-for-predator-defense/

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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We used to make up Bear Scares with a cheap motion detector light. Yep without power they are of no use but some folks have inverters so I'll tell you how to make one up. I wire the light to an extension cord and mount it to a board of whatever length you have handy. Screw a 120 volt adaptor into one of the light sockets and a nice bright flood into the other. Plug a radio/boom-box/dog bark recording/your surround sound or whatever and turn it up. Plug it in and point it to cover an area of interest (works through windows just fine). Bingo instant alarm....should at least wake you up if something gets to nosing aground.

Later,

J

2012 Landmark, San Antonio

2013 Silverado CC, 3500HD, Duramax, DRW, 4x4

Backup, side and hitch cameras, Tireminder TPMS

 

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Hey wannabe!

I second the Banff PP tourists and campers. We were warned about the Elk and the females especially as most think only the bulls are dangerous. On the way to Alaska for five months of touring and fishing. We were near the top of the campsites in Banff near the upper meadows and sparse trees with that gorgeous view across the valley. We had several tiers between us and where we thought the Elk would be as we saw some tourists getting near one up there.

 

We traveled with our now deceased furkid Bogart The Wonder Dog, a large full blooded 60 pound Shar-Pei, in Europe, then San Antonio for one year, and all the seven years we fulltimed. where we bought him as pup.. (pics of him, and us 15 years ago on our website in my sig block below) First thing every morning I'd put his choke chain and leash on him, just habit as a precaution. Then even before I had my coffee he and I'd tumble out for his morning bladder relief. The stepson fivers are steep and as he hit the ground he yelped and so did I. Lying up against my tires was a full grown female elk who'd spent the night there. She was also getting up and I would not venture to guess who was the most startled. Rather than freeze like a deer in the headlights I literally picked bogie half up by the choke chain to get him and me inside.

 

The Elk stretched seeming unconcerned once we were gone and strolled away into the woods.

 

We've been part of the Rocky Mountain Herpetological Society started by the Reptile guy at the Broadmoor Zoo in Colorado Springs while teaching at the AF Academy for three years. We would put on snake shows to show folks how to tell the differences between the Prairie rattlers we had at that altitude, and the Bull snakes which mimicked them by shaking their tails in leaves. The few snakes at that altitude were precious to do some control of the prairie dogs and ground squirrels and other rodents there that carry plague. We found plague positive rodents at the Jack's Valley training area on the Academy grounds.

 

We would get the rattlers from a member that kept poisonous snakes. We only kept non poisonous as we had kids. He'd bring about ten rattlers in a plastic trash barrel and we would stand around in a circle with snake sticks (bent hook end, not noosed) and he would slide the snakes out in the middle of our circle and we'd pick them up with the sticks and put them in the aquariums in preparation for the people coming for the exhibit. No biggie except the first time.

 

Most folks that get snake bitten, I'd venture to say virtually all, either stepped on them or got too close unintentionally or intentionally. the best thing to do is to learn to identify the easily recognized triangular skull and heat sensing pits of the pit vipers, which all American poisonous snakes are save the coral snake. The coral snake looks identical to the king snake except for the positions of the color bands. (http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-the-Difference-Between-a-King-Snake-and-a-Coral-Snake ) Here in Louisiana we have the cottonmouth, or water moccasin, the only venomous water snake in North America. It gets a reputation for being aggressive. It IS the only snake that will stand its ground, instead of trying to get away, giving a warning by opening it starkly bright white mouth in contrast to its dark colors.

 

RVrs need to know the most likely venomous creatures they may encounter, black widow and brown recluse spiders, and in the desert southwest tarantulas and scorpions, in addition to the big diamondback and sidewinder snakes there. In Alaska we encountered black and brown bears on the side of the road, as well as moose, elk, caiobou, and Dall sheep in a herd waiting for blasting in 1999 by a mountain on the AlCan hwy. On that Alaska trip by way of the painted desert, the Grand Canyon, across the Hoover Dam before it was closed to traffic, the Great Salt Lake, Yellowstone N.P., Galcier N.P., crossed into Canada at Roosville, then to Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper Ice fields, then over to Prince George for the AlCan, and back on the Cassiar. We did Fairbanks, Denali, Anchorage, Soldotna for the first Red Salmon run, Seward for some Halibut and the first Silver run, then Valdiz, and then back down September 5th, with no ice thank goodness back. We encountered fresh bear scat. We were told to wear bells or make a lot of noise and carry bear spray. The way to tell if bear scat is by content. Black bear scat has mostly seeds and berries as well as fish, Grizzly scat has bells and smells of pepper spray. ;)

 

I did the paperwork and legally carried my Savage Model 24C Camper's Special .22lr over 20ga through Canada, through Alaska and back through Canada on the return trip. In Alaska while fishing and hiking I carried it with a 20ga slug loaded up. It was the lightest shotgun I could carry with me. I always carry when in bear country or in the boonies down here. Despite a few scares on and off duty I never had to shoot and that record continues.

 

The only encounter that really got me? A white sock no-see-um got me under my watchband while fishing Soldotna. The Doc there was from Colombia and had practiced in Alaska for tears and put me on a steroid z pack and antibiotics. My whole forearm swelled and did not fully go back to normal for a week. Eagles and barn door Halibut in the Gulf of Alaska along with some great Red snapper and Ling Cod really made it a gourmand trip in jeans.

 

Watch the little critters too.

 

Safe travels!

RV/Derek
http://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.
Retired AF 1971-1998


When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

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Very interesting observations and comments, It appears that many of us will never learn about how to enjoy the wildlife and be safe. Just think about what you are doing or about to do. If you do not know ASK!

 

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There are more than 30 species of rattle snakes many of which a can be found in our deserts and more. Some of these are more aggresive than others and come in a variety of colors. Just like most wildlife encounters one can lessen the danger substatially by just being careful.

Randy

2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift

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Yesterday and today on the news a report of an experienced Yellowstone worker being killed and half eaten by a grizzly and cub. Has anyone heard any follow-up on this event?

Everybody wanna hear the truth, but everybody tell a lie.  Everybody wanna go to Heaven, but nobody want to die.  Albert King

 

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Hubby's paper today had picture of HUGE black bear shot in someone's Kitchen in Kimberley BC after their yappy dog woke the husband to the presence. Times you love having a yappy dog eh? They'd left their kitchen open in known bear country, however with that said and done, they have been known to smash windows and doors and raid folks fridges in cabins. Reminded us of when a big Grizzly standing on a wall on his haunches and gnawing at a Lake Tahoe boarded up large windowed house as we were paddling around the lake back in around 2008. We warned the kids playing in the water next door and they didn't make any attempt to move indoors or tell their parents, just carried on playing.

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Where were you stung by the Yellow Jacket???

 

On the tongue.

 

I was drinking a beer. Normally, I do not drink beer. He got in the bottle and then into my mouth and bit the first thing he saw which was my tongue.

 

The tongue started swelling and within an hour I was NOT breathing even with a oxygen mask in the ambulance.

 

BTW....there are no grizzles in California. Well, the one on the flag does NOT count.

 

But there are very large black bears......there I was in Sequoia National Park standing in a meadow in 1975..................

Vladimr Steblina

Retired Forester...exploring the public lands.

usbackroads.blogspot.com

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