[yoe]

I couldn’t open the full article, but my guess is those Scouts had food smells all over them if not on them along with using their clothing to wipe hands after eating and perhaps had been actually baiting the cubs. No perfumed hair shampoo, rinse, flavored lipstick, deodorant or sun-tan oils or screens when camping. No food left in the tent or on the ground or left out anywhere, are good rules to follow.

[ZULU]

So what??

Bears are inherently a dangerous, potentially aggressive animal and when they loose their fear of people through intimate association in a densely populated state like Jersey, they are a menace.

Only regular large bear hunts will succeed in habituating the black bear population to a fear of humans.

[d-back]

Yoe: There is nothing at all in the story to suggest that these Boy Scouts were "baiting the cubs."

The kids had Pop Tarts in their backpacks, which certainly contributed to the situation, but it would be foolish to suggest that Boy Scouts cannot carry snacks or food with them when hiking in New Jersey without inviting a bear attack.

There are simply too many black bears in our heavily-populated state, and they have little if any fear of humans.

The answer to the problem: Control the number of black bears in New Jersey by instituting a regular hunting season.

[monday]

"but my guess is those Scouts had food smells all over them if not on them along with using their clothing to wipe hands after eating "

lol... the scouts smelled like food because they are food, for bears. You are too. News flash. Bears eat people. They are omnivores and you are on their menu. You can do all of that stuff if you want, but better defense is to wear a cow bell so bears can hear you coming and won't be startled, and carry a .45 or .357 mag hand gun for protection.

[SauronOfMordor]

No perfumed hair shampoo, rinse, flavored lipstick, deodorant or sun-tan oils or screens when camping. No food left in the tent or on the ground or left out anywhere, are good rules to follow.

In addition to: always have bear spray AND a camp-ax/tomahawk on your belt if you cannot have a .44 mag or shotgun