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7 hours ago, JERSEYHAWG / Glenn said:

We were in Bryson. I liked it there.

Franklin is about 15 miles from Bryson City. We are about half way up on a mountain side and the US Forest service is our back door neighbor. 

[WHX?? 48,782]

22 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

They usually stay awake thru December Jim.

That's odd as they usually den up around late Oct. early Nov. in Northern WI. Depends on food availability & weather. 

Takes us around 7 years to get drawn for a tag, some areas past 10. Three more to go for me! 

[Pullstart 62,795]

On 12/2/2019 at 4:28 AM, ebinmaine said:

No reason whatsoever to be afraid of a standard issue black bear folks.

They don't want anything to do with a human.

 

 

 

Brown fur?

Now that's different.....

 

 

Is that 100% accurate in your area EB?  We recently (Rylee’s classwork... but I usually learn the most) learned that brown bears have a distinct hump across their upper back, whereas a black bear doesn’t... but that’s not to say a brown bear might be black, or black bear might appear brown.  

[Pullstart 62,795]

double post...

Edited December 4, 2019 by pullstart
Oops double post

[ebinmaine 67,277]

22 minutes ago, pullstart said:

 

 

Is that 100% accurate in your area EB?  We recently (Rylee’s classwork... but I usually learn the most) learned that brown bears have a distinct hump across their upper back, whereas a black bear doesn’t... but that’s not to say a brown bear might be black, or black bear might appear brown.  

I want to just start this answer by saying I'm no biologist.

 

Trina and I  "live outdoors"  so we know what we need to know to be happy and safe as possible.

 

Other than the ultra rare far distance roaming solitary animal there are nothing but black bears in the Northeast United States or Southeast Canada.

 

Now let me put a disclaimer there.

 

You are absolutely right that... Not all black bears are black.

 

Here in western Mass, New Hampshire, and Maine where I've spent my life I've never even heard of anything other than a black bear being plain black.

 

 

https://geology.com/stories/13/bear-areas/

 

I haven't looked it up for a few years now but to the best of my knowledge there has NEVER been an unprovoked bear attack in the state of Maine.

The only bear you need to worry about anywhere near around me is a mom with cubs and that's really only if you get between them which is nearly impossible.

 

An extremely large bear in Western Massachusetts is around 500 lb.

Here in Maine and northern New Hampshire they regularly reach that... and often go as high as 700 lb.

 

In fact over the last several years there has been numerous sightings right on my mountainside by residents and game wardens alike of a Maine state record sized big bruin.

700+....

 

Are we afraid of black bears? Absolutely not.

I am not a bird feeder or a trash can or a tree full of berries.

 

Do I understand the damage that they could possibly inflict? You bet.

 

But to be honest I could say exactly the same thing about BBT....

 

 

 

 

[Pullstart 62,795]

41 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Do I understand the damage that they [black bears] could possibly inflict? You bet.

 

But to be honest I could say exactly the same thing about BBT....

 

 

 

   

 

For y’alls meet and greet events, has anyone dared to approach her?  I bet she just wants a hug like you want one from a bear!  She’s such a trooper, putting up with all of (my) our crap!  

[ebinmaine 67,277]

6 minutes ago, pullstart said:

 

 

   

 

For y’alls meet and greet events, has anyone dared to approach her?  I bet she just wants a hug like you want one from a bear!  She’s such a trooper, putting up with all of (my) our crap! 

 

 

 

.... just imagine trying to live with me. imagine the back and forth that we have on this site times like 47,000.

 

 

The fact that I'm still alive should give an easy indication of her level of patience.

[Ed Kennell 38,022]

A few thoughts based on my 60+ years living, hunting and camping in the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains.

I believe truly wild creatures fear  and prefer to avoid contact with humans.

The exceptions are:

 Extreme hunger when they lose their ability to hunt efficiently due to disease and old age.

Their need to protect their food source  or kill.

 Their need to protect their offspring.

Losing their fear of  humans due to illegal feeding.

 

Black bears exist in nearly every county in Pa.    They are normally black in color, but cinnamon colored black bears are not uncommon.

I have had many sightings and close encounters with black bears,  most of them while hunting spring turkey in the Appalachian Mountains in W Va,  Md, and Pa.

One very close encounter occurred while hunting spring gobblers in Savage River State Forest in western Md.  

I was walking a ridge top trail where I would stop every 100 yds, set up against a tree and do a series of hen calls.

I had just stepped about 5 steps off the trail to set up against a big oak and started my calls when I saw black movement in the laurel  15 yds to my left.

I thought I was about to bag my gobbler,  instead a 400 lb sow with 3 cubs in tow stepped out and was about to pass on the trail 5 steps in front of me.

The thoughts racing through my head,  please God do not let them detect me and force me to protect myself.  My fear was they would be alarmed and one of the cubs would scamper up the tree I am sitting against putting me in danger.  The last thing I wanted to do was be forced to protect myself by killing this this bear and orphaning her 3 cubs.

Luckily as the sow passed 5 steps in front of me, she caught my scent, gave an alarm whoof, turned off the trail and the cubs followed her down the side of the mountain.

I have had close encounters with black bears that were suffering from extreme loss of fur due to mange.   This is a very sad sight and I will not post those pictures here.

 

I have no personal contact with brown bears, but my understanding is this species is called brown , grizzly or Kodiak  based on the area where they exist.

I

 

 

 

[lynnmor 7,302]

A friend of mine has a home at Cherry Springs in Potter County, PA.  He regularly has guests in the yard.  While visiting, these guests came right to the porch.  Did you know that they stink in the hot summer?

 

[WHX?? 48,782]

Holy crap Lynn...that's getting close but as Ed said please don't get them too used to people. ESPECIALLY with younguns.

 

Yah they stink real bad .... that's where the old saying came from "now we know where the bear $hit in the buckwheat" 

 

Nother old say when someone asks you if them hubs were hard to get off, you say is the does the pope $hit in the woods, is a bear Catholic ? 

Edited December 6, 2019 by WHX24

[Ed Kennell 38,022]

On ‎12‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 9:12 AM, WHX24 said:

 

Takes us around 7 years to get drawn for a tag, some areas past 10. Three more to go for me! 

The annual bear harvest in pa was less than 600 from 1915 thru 1970.   Then biologist Gary Alt after several years of studies, implemented a bear management plan.

The  annual harvest is now 3-4000 bears with bear licenses available over the counter to any resident or non resident of Pa.

[Pullstart 62,795]

10 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

The annual bear harvest in pa was less than 600 from 1915 thru 1970.   Then biologist Gary Alt after several years of studies, implemented a bear management plan.

The  annual harvest is now 3-4000 bears with bear licenses available over the counter to any resident or non resident of Pa.

 

That’s such a drastic increase!  I imagine it’s less about the biology and ecosystem than it is a large fund raiser?  Seems deer hunting rules and regulations are that way in Michigan... if not padded by insurance companies.