Bear bites car camper in Smokies

“A bear bit a car camper in the Smokies as he was sleeping in a hammock. He had barbecued chicken earlier and didn't change his clothes. Here's a link:

Bear wants chicken wings”

“wow, bit in the "smokies". What part of a man is called the "smokies".

Bear said the man tastes like chicken, lol.”

“A man's "smokie" area is where it's dark and hard to see ... or is that the woman's area? LOL!”

“elkmont campground.....every time!”

“I bit the SOB because he was a car camper!”

“LOL & Buddha Bear!!!!!”

“a teenaged boy was killed by a black bear in the great white north a couple weeks ago.”

“Nice, BB, I'm going to wish that you meet the girl of your dreams and when you are good and hooked, she tells you she wants to turn you into a car camper!

So you all carry a whole set of clothes just for cooking? Or just for cooking very arromatic food, like fish? What clothes, a lightweight jumpsuit? I'm thinking one of my husband's old buttondown dress shirts might work. When we went camping last weekend, I didn't bring steak or hotdogs because I thought it would draw the interest of the bears. I made chicken, gravy, stuffing and green beans, and my husband was happy, but I would like to cook steak or hotdogs, since the kids like that better. Soup also gives off a wonderful aroma. The problem to me seems to be that on the trail you cook away fom your campsite, but in car camping you cook right next to your campsite.

I welcome your advice, you are saving bears and kids by giving it.

Elkmont sounds like it has had too many slobby campers, the bears are trained now.”

“when i'm tailgating, all i cook is steak, hotdogs, eggs, and stuff like that.”

“I'm sorry, Rad, can you elaborate? Is tailgating car camping? Up here it's something you do at a football game in a parking lot. Do you cook that food next to your car, in known bear country, without separate cooking clothes? And no problems?”

“Lyndy-
I don't bring clothes just for cooking, but instead, I bring clothes just for sleeping. I usually cook wearing whatever I hiked in that day, and hang it in my bearbag. After a couple of nights, my hiking garb is pretty well smelled-up...

I don't fret over that during the day, tho - especially in the east. I follow bear aware stuff mostly in the Rox...



I've never seen a blackie in the backcountry, but I anticipate an eventual encounter... like in N. CA next month?”

“sorry, lyndy. what i call 'tailgating' is car camping, but usually not at a regular campsite.

i ususally take the jeep way back on some trail in the mountains and set up a camp there. it's like backpacking, but without a backpack, and with a lot of steak and beer.”

“and i don't hang my clothes. i usually just clean up.

sometimes i change.

when backpacking, especially in summer, i almost never change. but, then again, i don't cook a lot of steak when i'm backpacking.”

“Sounds interesting, Rad. Is this government owned wilderness that you drive into? Dirt or grassy roads, or offroad? One time when houses were being built at the end of my street, a van pulled in and stayed, late at night. I called the police. They called me back and said they had called the license plate address of the van. A man answered and said that his son liked to walk alone in the woods, and was not a threat to anyone. I said to the police "And you are okay with this?" He said that as long as the man did not cause trouble, and the landowner did not catch him and press charges, there was nothing he could do. So I guess you can car camp in the woods anywhere remote as long as you don't get caught by the landowner.”

“it's in national forest and wildlife management areas.”

“I suspect the man also had the smell of chicken and BBQ sauce on his arms as well as the smell of smoke.

At Philmont we were taught to use separate clothes for sleeping and keep anything associated with food or cooking away from our tents. We only ate near the fire ring and all smellables were hung at night or when we were away. Anyway, the key is 100% participation so the bears don't thing there is any percentage in visiting you. Philmont is in an area with one of the highest density bear populations in the country, and yet has very few bear related incidents.

Bear cannisters are doing a good job of reducing bear problems here in California where people are using them. Not everyone has them because of weight and cost. However, I suspect they will both improve as the market expands.”

“A bear cannister is a good idea, but a training course on LNT should be a requirement before you are allowed to camp at state/national parks, just like girl scouts require CPR training each year. Stokes StF gives a detailed pamplet on bears to anyone renting a campsite, and yet my family had to clean up after the previous campers at our site. They left bread pieces and cheese on the ground around the picnic table. Once the bears are trained to look for food at a campsite, it probably takes years for them to forget.”

“Cook naked”

“Also, how do you hang your food bag? You would need a long horizontal branch about 12 feet high or so. Too close to the tree and the bear would just climb the tree, is that right? We had no such branches near our compsite and paths last weekend. We put everything in the car, but we had wanted to show the kids the right way to hang food. We could have walked into the woods but poison ivy was everywhere. A bear canister sounds like it is much easier.”

“I would warn against cooking bacon while naked. It's usually OK to eat it naked though.

Also, roasted marshmallows are
usually scalding hot on the inside. Plus, they're usually attached to a sharp stick. Either way you look at it, they're dangerous for a naked person to cook or eat.

It's a good idea to avoid all flaming entrees while naked.”

“I believe you must cook naked if you own a Stephenson tent.”

“Thank you for your flaming advice, Violin. How's your little toots?”

“I think I'll hike naked this weekend, just to try it out. It sounds like fun, the only bad thing is that it will be asy to track me, with that line in the dirt between my footstaps and all.”

“Just you and the bugs, BB.”

“You're gonna hafta 'splain that one to me!

Just take care of your lil' smokie if you're hikin' naked!

Do bears like burnt weenie sandwiches?”

“Isn't June 21st 'Naked Trail Day' on the Appalachian Trail?




The baby is doing great. Thanks for asking Young&Lyndy. Gained 2 oz her first week and has finally sorted out the night/day thing.”

“Yeah, with my second, as soon as I thought the baby had a schedule, she would change on me, I think because of digestion or teething. The ambesol actually made her shriek in pain.”

“I agree w/ Gojo. I cook in the clothes I hiked in. And, I bring a set of clothes just for sleeping.

We had a black bear come into our camp while backpacking in the Porcupine Mtns last year. It was during dinner, of course! I suspect he was following the wonderful smell of my freeze-dried Polynesian Chicken! (seriously - it's my favorite one!) Anyway, ever since that experience, I am very paranoid and very careful.”

“I'm surprised the park service doesn't make an effort to alert campers about the high bear density at Elkmont. When we camped there last year there was a poster about the fatality on the backcountry board which we just happened to see. I signed us in and nothing was said about bears. I would have thought after that fatality they would make extra effort to educate/remind car campers of precautions. Guess not!”

“I would call this a minor incident involving a curious bear, yet this bear will be destroyed. The man admitted the incident was his fault. What does everyone think about this? Why not relocate the bear and give him another chance? With more and more people going into the backcountry (including ignorant people who know nothing about bear behaviour) are we going to kill every bear that encounters a person? Sounds like the first steps toward bear extinction, just like we did to the wolves.”

“"The bear will be destroyed!"
m-nutz

TT Death Pool Odds.....
Buddha Bear......1:1”

“Sleep Naked!
Dragging your trekking pole again BB.”

“What m-nutz said.”

“That bear at least bit someone.

Here in NJ, they destroyed a bear that had broken into a beehive - something like $800 damage. Killing a bear for eating honey?!! I'm sure it must be cost prohibitive to protect a beehive. Seems the Fish and Game folks are pissed that the politicians nixed the reintroduction of bear hunting and have adopted a ?one strike and you?re out? policy as a way of reducing the population ? no matter what the ?strike? is.

BTW ? I support a hunt were the numbers have outgrown the ecosystem?s ability to support a species as has happened in Northwest NJ. I would also rather share the woods with predators who fear me.”

“They killed my cousin Pooh Bear! !$%&s!”

“A couple of weekends ago we were gonna stay at Campsite 53 on Deep Creek in the Smokies but it was closed due to an agressive bear. We just went to the next site down the creek (54). I didn't see any sign of a bear at all. We did catch some fish though.”

“I really think they need to close Elkmont campground for a year or two. there have been to many stupid people there feeding bears just so they can get pics. its not the bears fault. as far as I know the rangers havent gone out telling the bears they will kill them if they come into the campground. by the way both bears they cought were killed. one just happened to be in the area didnt do a thing.”

“I support a hunt in New Jersey where the New York Yankees and fans have over run the ecosystem and decended upon Baltimore Oriole's games!”

“MOM - Both bears were killed?! Why?! I thought they were using dental records to find the offending bear? That is bu!!$h!^!!”

“I think they need to close the Smokies for a year or two. Not just Elkmont Campground. What's the fun in going camping if your up all night chasing off wild life? Car campers suck!”

“Okay, walkindude.”

“damn, dude. chill.

i like to camp out of the jeep, every so often. sometimes, after surgery, i can't backpack. tailgating is my only option.

or, sometimes, jen and i will tailgate camp at the beach.

i don't see a problem with car camping. if the people are doing something stupid, then they will pay the price, as evidenced in the barbeque/bear case.”

“I believe that m-nutz predicted that the bear would be killed and he was right:

Bear story

When will the humans ever learn?????”

“As far as my bashing Car campers; I was talking about the idiots like the guy in the smokies. He's supposed to be a bear hunter. He sure don't know sh!t about them.
I've car camped before but only on a road trip or just to use as cheap lodging. I don't make it habit to go for the heck of it.”

“Yup, that was my town, Violin. I'm sure that the people in the apartment complex had never seen a live bear before because that is a crowded part of town, but they have been on my street, as well.”

“Oh, no kidding. My boss lives in Randolph. Small cyberspace.”