Posted on 05/13/2016 12:19:27 PM PDT by StCloudMoose
A black bear bit through the tent and into the lower leg of a man who was hiking the Appalachian Trail and camped for the night at a national park in Tennessee, park officials said on Thursday. Bradley Veeder, 49, of Las Vegas, was sleeping around 11 p.m. local time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday when the bear attacked, park spokeswoman Dana Soehn said by telephone. Because it was so dark, Veeder and nearby campers did not see the bear, which was initially scared away by his screams, Soehn said. Park officials said it was a black bear based on the wound and damage to tents, as well as fur and saliva collected at the scene. Black bears are the only bears found in the region. Veeder and the other campers retreated to a nearby shelter and the bear subsequently returned, destroying two tents, Soehn said. Rangers carried Veeder on horseback from the campsite for about seven miles on Wednesday to an ambulance that transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and released, Soehn said. He suffered puncture wounds and swelling. The shelter has been closed temporarily and park wildlife staffers are at the campsite, monitoring the area for more bear activity, Soehn said. The injury is a very rare occurrence, she said. In the last 10 years, thereve only been nine human-bear encounters which led to injury in the national park that straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. There has been just one bear-related fatality - in 2000 - since the park opened in 1934, Soehn said. There are about 1,600 black bears in the park, which is visited by 10.7 million people annually.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Plenty of hunters disagree with you.........
I don’t know of any...I’ve hunted bear, hogs, bobcat and coons for forty years...Bear are wanderers...A bear can roam up to 50 miles a day during the fall when searching for food for the winter fat buildup...
I don’t know where you are, but in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, the most successful way to bear hunt is with dogs....
That was an interesting story. (Have I ever mentioned how I hate bears?) If you ever tell it in print again, though, you may want to elaborate with a few more words in key places. Maybe just a prepositional phrase would do. I mean, we're talking about the difference between you being perceived as a rational, intelligent human or a complete dumbazz who needs supervision.
"I started chasing it, then AFTER TAKING ONLY 2 STEPS FORWARD, I thought better of it."
Reader: "Wow, this person is really intelligent! I bet he's a really good camper and has a ton of common sense that serves him well in life!"
Or, if the reader is left to his own active imagination:
"I starated chasing it, AND AFTER 30 MINUTES OF RUNNING AROUND ALONE, IN THE DARK, IN THE MIDDLE OF BEAR COUNTRY, MOMMA HEARD, SMELLED,AND SAW ME CHASING HER CHILD, SO SHE STARTED CHASING ME TO KILL ME DEAD, AND I thought better of it."
:-)
Some of us have very active imaginations. (Did I mention bears are on my hate list?)
Here’s how it went, in detail:
I ran about ten yards and stopped to pull out my Fenix LD20 flashlight. I lit up the trail and saw a small set of eyes about 30yds away. So I looked down to adjust the beam to max brightness and then lit up the trail again.
This time, I saw TWO sets of eyes. One distinctly larger than the other.
I go to Shenendoah National Park several times a year. In fact, I’m going there this Thursday. I’ve run across bears every time. The last time, a cub ran across the trail in front of me and climbed up a tree. Danger, Will Robinson. So I stepped back a few years and got really nervous. I carry a Glock 22 everywhere while hiking/camping, but I was in no hurry to use it. I looked around and saw the mother bear 50yds up the hill, watching her cub and me. So I beat feet down the trail about a hundred yards before slowing, just in case.
Off topic ?: Is there a place with an overpopulation of black bears and wild hogs where it’s legal to combine both into one hunt? Closer to the west coast would be preferable, but all suggestions welcome :)
I once hiked the ENTIRE width of the Appalachian Trail.
Thank you. Now I know you’re a sane person!
Personally, though, I wouldn’t step foot into woods where bears live without carrying a full auto .50 caliber long gun with 10k rounds of backup ammo. Lol.
I’ve heard of cars being destroyed over gum left in the car. We can’t even fathom a bear’s sense of smell.
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