Yes, in my backyard in the suburbs. He was followed by a lot of policemen with rifles who scared me more. Fortunately we live by a swamp and he escaped.
I’ve seen a ton of black bears, only one grizzly. The grizzly was far away (thankfully).
My favorite time was when I was little my mom and I had just watched Star Wars, and she ran in from the garage yelling about how there was a man in a cloak stealing our garbage can.
@f00l We’ve been to the GC, but decided not to take the mule ride. I’ve heard some really distressing stories about neglect and mistreatment of those animals so we decided to forego that tour. But it’s true of all trail horses that no guidance from the rider is needed, trail horses are well accustomed to their routine and even an experienced rider can have a lot of trouble convincing one to deviate a couple of feet from the trail. I’ve been on trails where the horses were slogging knee deep in slippery mud on the trail ride beside firm grass, but trying to get the horse to take a couple of steps over was well nigh impossible.
@f00l Ah, now that I go back and look, the GC mules appear to be fine, it’s the horse trail ride by the Havasu tribe that has received so much negative press. In fact I couldn’t get very far into this article before I had to stop lest the urge to fucking kill someone became to strong to ignore. I’ve been hearing about this for years and didn’t realize the mule ride was a different organization. Couldn’t have done it anyway, one of the people I travel with won’t ride. But maybe I’ll go back on my own.
There was a bear at work once. Stealing blackberries on the walking path. Everyone lined up at the windows to watch.
Also had a close encounter with some cubs on a Rogue River rafting trip. If only I’d had a Canon EOS Rebel T6 18-55mm DSLR Kit.
@canuk nope, not option 3. they were taken with an Olympus digi-cam. please feel free to browse my album of other selected photos from the trip. https://goo.gl/photos/sfQD22pK5DNzTnoR7
Eight or nine years ago I was driving up to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, taking some country roads over the mountains, when I came upon a large black dog running down the road in front of me. Not so much running as jogging, really. It was only when it turned its head back to look at me, without breaking stride, that I realized it was a black bear. It nonchalantly glided across the road and into the woods, maintaining its pace, like a car taking an exit on a freeway. It was almost like its glance back at me was the bear simply checking its blind spot. I really wish I had a dashcam back then!
@jqubed When the bear ran up the cul-de-sac and through our backyard my first thought was “That’s the biggest dog I have ever seen”. Except the gait was off- loping sort of. They say in the spring the young males get kicked out of the house for good and sometimes don’t know where to go- that’s how they end up in suburban yards.
Seen two, not too close, heard about more. Coworker was out hiking with his wife, stopped to take pics, looked up and saw a Grizzly circling around towards his wife, who had kept walking. The guide had .454 caliber bear medicine but fortunately his air horn and shouting were enough to make the bear veer off.
Cubs are cute; bears are not. Black bears may be less dangerous than brown/grizz/polar but no thanks; if I see a larger than a cub, I’d be happy to be far away, heavily armed, or both. And a cub, even more so. Mama bear don’t like primates near her baby.
"In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field. We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle the bears that aren’t expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear.
It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear
activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference
between black bear and grizzly bear scat. Black bear scat is smaller and contains a lot of berry seeds and squirrel fur.
Grizzly bear scat has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray."
@f00l I’m as close to Indianopolis, In as I am the glades so I dont know much about it. There are bear crossing signs on all of the major roads here, most visitors dont seem to notice.
Does it count that when I look in the mirror I see one? When my son was young he asked why I was up all night while he slept and I told him that I was just making sure that he was safe while Daddy was at work (in reality it was when I was working and couldn’t fall asleep). So he decided in his five year old brain that I was a mama bear just making sure that her cub was safe at night while sleeping. As for ever encountering a bear IRL - thanks to my time with the Sheriffs Office, and growing up Southern, I’m a very good marksman and I love the carry concealment act. Although I don’t think I could easily shoot an animal - and a hand gun would be useless on a bear - unless something was really wrong with it. A human on the other hand…been there and done that. Only wounded him, instead of going center mass, so he could spend the rest of his time in prison contemplating what he could have done better with his life instead of ending up where he was. After what he did to his wife and kids I really wanted to go for center mass but I think I made the right choice.
You could, and should, look for bears on a typical lovely street in a wonderful neighborhood in London.
Wise children do this.
"Lines and Squares"
by Alan Alexander Milne, 1924
Whenever I walk in a London street,
I’m ever so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares,
And the masses of bears,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
The sillies who tread on the lines of the street
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, “Bears,
Just look how I’m walking in all the squares!”
And the little bears growl to each other, "He’s mine,
As soon as he’s silly and steps on a line."
And some of the bigger bears try to pretend
That they came round the corner to look for a friend;
And they try to pretend that nobody cares
Whether you walk on the lines or squares.
But only the sillies believe their talk;
It’s ever so 'portant how you walk.
And it’s ever so jolly to call out, “Bears,
Just watch me walking in all the squares!”
The stuffed animals that belonged to Christopher Robin Milne
The real stuffed toys owned by Christopher Robin Milne and featured in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. They are on display in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in New York.
With all these bear sighting stories, maybe Stephen Colbert was right that bears are America’s number one threat.
I wonder what else he was right about?
We had a vacation house in the Poconos when I was young and the neighbors two doors up liked to feed the black bears from their back door. While it was cool (and scary) to see them so close, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Knowing where food was to be found, I was constantly expecting to hear about the bears breaking into their house.
We would vacation in Canada when I was a kid. We always took a drive to the dump so we could watch the bears. My parents were smart enough to not let us get out of the car, even though my brother always wanted to go “wrestle” one. Seems silly that I have fond memories of going to the dump, but I do.
Tons of black bears (including some that got our food despite having hung it on park provided bear lines so we had a 3 day forced march on an empty stomach in Yosemite, got bear snot on us while we were in the tent - that one sniffed us through the tent door netting in Yosemite, one that jumped our tent guy-line in a campground and climbed the tree right next to our tent while we were in it…), other occasions to numerous to count while backpacking, several grizzlies (and one with 2 cubs we almost surprised at a stream but saw it before it saw us and backed up) and one polar bear on the shore keeping pacing with us while we were canoeing down the Albany river near James Bay.
I live in NH and they are every were
Yes, in my backyard in the suburbs. He was followed by a lot of policemen with rifles who scared me more. Fortunately we live by a swamp and he escaped.
I’ve seen a ton of black bears, only one grizzly. The grizzly was far away (thankfully).
My favorite time was when I was little my mom and I had just watched Star Wars, and she ran in from the garage yelling about how there was a man in a cloak stealing our garbage can.
Did someone say bear???
My dream is to go to Yellowstone and feed a bear.
and then go to China and play with some Pandas.
and whenever I am mad, I imagine I come off like this little guy.
@ConAndLibrarian
@jqubed Well fatten yourself up before you go so you at least make a good meal.
@ConAndLibrarian I wish I’d known about the bear feeding when we were at Yellowstone, I would definitely have done it. Now I feel robbed.
@moondrake
Did you ever go to the Grand Canyin and ride the mules down and then up again?
Do they still do that?
I have never done this, but my parents did it one summer before they had kids and loved to talk about it decades later.
BTW, if this ride is still available, according Mom, the mules you ride down DO NOT need to be steered by their riders while on the path.
They know the way better than any rider. They don’t wanna fall down the canyon, either.
@f00l We’ve been to the GC, but decided not to take the mule ride. I’ve heard some really distressing stories about neglect and mistreatment of those animals so we decided to forego that tour. But it’s true of all trail horses that no guidance from the rider is needed, trail horses are well accustomed to their routine and even an experienced rider can have a lot of trouble convincing one to deviate a couple of feet from the trail. I’ve been on trails where the horses were slogging knee deep in slippery mud on the trail ride beside firm grass, but trying to get the horse to take a couple of steps over was well nigh impossible.
@f00l Ah, now that I go back and look, the GC mules appear to be fine, it’s the horse trail ride by the Havasu tribe that has received so much negative press. In fact I couldn’t get very far into this article before I had to stop lest the urge to fucking kill someone became to strong to ignore. I’ve been hearing about this for years and didn’t realize the mule ride was a different organization. Couldn’t have done it anyway, one of the people I travel with won’t ride. But maybe I’ll go back on my own.
@moondrake
My Mom never mentioned the miles looking to be in bad shape.
She was no equestrian, but she grew up with friends who were, rode plenty, and would have noticed and refused to ride any animal that was not healthy.
I’m not sure she was even aware that there was a competing Havasupai horse trail business.
There was a bear at work once. Stealing blackberries on the walking path. Everyone lined up at the windows to watch.
Also had a close encounter with some cubs on a Rogue River rafting trip. If only I’d had a Canon EOS Rebel T6 18-55mm DSLR Kit.
@KDemo
Any bear stealing blackberries: that kinda makes me hope the bear gets away with the blackberries.
@f00l - They pretty much take them away in their stomach, so I think that works out for them.
(Only Yogi uses a pic-a-nic basket).
polar bears up close and personal (photography trip) in Churchill, Manitoba. was one of my bucket list items.
@annwat Your next to the last bucket list item… the last being “kick”.
@annwat are you sure those aren’t from using option 3 in the write up?
@canuk nope, not option 3. they were taken with an Olympus digi-cam. please feel free to browse my album of other selected photos from the trip. https://goo.gl/photos/sfQD22pK5DNzTnoR7
@annwat nice album
@annwat They look so cute and fluffy and not at all like they will rip your arms off.
Eight or nine years ago I was driving up to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, taking some country roads over the mountains, when I came upon a large black dog running down the road in front of me. Not so much running as jogging, really. It was only when it turned its head back to look at me, without breaking stride, that I realized it was a black bear. It nonchalantly glided across the road and into the woods, maintaining its pace, like a car taking an exit on a freeway. It was almost like its glance back at me was the bear simply checking its blind spot. I really wish I had a dashcam back then!
@jqubed When the bear ran up the cul-de-sac and through our backyard my first thought was “That’s the biggest dog I have ever seen”. Except the gait was off- loping sort of. They say in the spring the young males get kicked out of the house for good and sometimes don’t know where to go- that’s how they end up in suburban yards.
Seen two, not too close, heard about more. Coworker was out hiking with his wife, stopped to take pics, looked up and saw a Grizzly circling around towards his wife, who had kept walking. The guide had .454 caliber bear medicine but fortunately his air horn and shouting were enough to make the bear veer off.
Cubs are cute; bears are not. Black bears may be less dangerous than brown/grizz/polar but no thanks; if I see a larger than a cub, I’d be happy to be far away, heavily armed, or both. And a cub, even more so. Mama bear don’t like primates near her baby.
"In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field. We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle the bears that aren’t expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear.
It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear
activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference
between black bear and grizzly bear scat. Black bear scat is smaller and contains a lot of berry seeds and squirrel fur.
Grizzly bear scat has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray."
Gulf Breeze, Florida. Reclusive garbage can raiders. Maybe aliens put them here.
@davido
Bears in the Fl Panhandle? I had no idea.
Do any bears live in the Glades?
@f00l I’m as close to Indianopolis, In as I am the glades so I dont know much about it. There are bear crossing signs on all of the major roads here, most visitors dont seem to notice.
We had to stop putting out bird feeders because the bears would just tear them off the tree and rip them open.
One time at Philmont in the outhouse…
Holy crap, that was fast! Pull your pants up.
Does it count that when I look in the mirror I see one? When my son was young he asked why I was up all night while he slept and I told him that I was just making sure that he was safe while Daddy was at work (in reality it was when I was working and couldn’t fall asleep). So he decided in his five year old brain that I was a mama bear just making sure that her cub was safe at night while sleeping. As for ever encountering a bear IRL - thanks to my time with the Sheriffs Office, and growing up Southern, I’m a very good marksman and I love the carry concealment act. Although I don’t think I could easily shoot an animal - and a hand gun would be useless on a bear - unless something was really wrong with it. A human on the other hand…been there and done that. Only wounded him, instead of going center mass, so he could spend the rest of his time in prison contemplating what he could have done better with his life instead of ending up where he was. After what he did to his wife and kids I really wanted to go for center mass but I think I made the right choice.
@WTFsunshine So you were the bear that time.
@duodec Yes, very much so! What humans do to each other still stuns me.
Oh…we were talking about shooting with a camera- got way off topic there - my apologies.
@WTFsunshine
No apologies needed.
Great story. And I really like your attitude.
@f00l
/giphy "awww shucks"
You could, and should, look for bears on a typical lovely street in a wonderful neighborhood in London.
Wise children do this.
"Lines and Squares"
by Alan Alexander Milne, 1924
Whenever I walk in a London street,
I’m ever so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares,
And the masses of bears,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
The sillies who tread on the lines of the street
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, “Bears,
Just look how I’m walking in all the squares!”
And the little bears growl to each other, "He’s mine,
As soon as he’s silly and steps on a line."
And some of the bigger bears try to pretend
That they came round the corner to look for a friend;
And they try to pretend that nobody cares
Whether you walk on the lines or squares.
But only the sillies believe their talk;
It’s ever so 'portant how you walk.
And it’s ever so jolly to call out, “Bears,
Just watch me walking in all the squares!”
@f00l I wish I’d known this when my 9-year-old daughter and I went to London.
@OldCatLady
All these are to be read aloud.
As Always-Right Grandmother did for us.
I might just owe her a lot. Possibly.
So have another one:
https://www.amazon.com/When-We-Were-Very-Young/dp/0140361235
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_We_Were_Very_Young
https://www.amazon.com/Now-Are-Six-Winnie-Pooh/dp/0140361243
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_We_Are_Six
The stuffed animals that belonged to Christopher Robin Milne
(From Wikipedia, A A Milne article)
With all these bear sighting stories, maybe Stephen Colbert was right that bears are America’s number one threat.
I wonder what else he was right about?
@elimanningface - Stephen Colbear?
@KDemo
Stephen KoalaBear?
I saw Dick Butkus at the airport once. Does that count?
@DrWorm was it in San Francisco?
@DrWorm was it around the late 80’s? Either we where at the same airport the same day or he frequents a lot of airports.
Why San Fran, but no “in Chicago I saw Da Bears” option?
@mollama 'cause da bears in chicaga are wimpy bears deez days.
/image drop bears
@narfcake
/image wet koala
@RiotDemon fake image. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/26/wet-koala-photoshop-hoax-picture-image_n_1705965.html
@elimanningface I don’t believe koalas have vampire fangs either.
We had a vacation house in the Poconos when I was young and the neighbors two doors up liked to feed the black bears from their back door. While it was cool (and scary) to see them so close, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Knowing where food was to be found, I was constantly expecting to hear about the bears breaking into their house.
We would vacation in Canada when I was a kid. We always took a drive to the dump so we could watch the bears. My parents were smart enough to not let us get out of the car, even though my brother always wanted to go “wrestle” one. Seems silly that I have fond memories of going to the dump, but I do.
Oh, OK: In Real Life - I thought you were asking about a bear’s web site or something.
Tons of black bears (including some that got our food despite having hung it on park provided bear lines so we had a 3 day forced march on an empty stomach in Yosemite, got bear snot on us while we were in the tent - that one sniffed us through the tent door netting in Yosemite, one that jumped our tent guy-line in a campground and climbed the tree right next to our tent while we were in it…), other occasions to numerous to count while backpacking, several grizzlies (and one with 2 cubs we almost surprised at a stream but saw it before it saw us and backed up) and one polar bear on the shore keeping pacing with us while we were canoeing down the Albany river near James Bay.