Bear Sighting Reported in Monterey at Jacks Peak Park

KSBW ^ | Nov 7, 2017 | Amy Larson

[nickcarraway]

Hikers reported seeing a black bear at Jacks Peak Park in Monterey on Monday.

Monterey County's parks department issued a public warning about the bear. Park rangers tried to find the bear, but were unable to locate it Monday afternoon.

County spokeswoman Maia Carroll said the warning was issued to park visitors out of an abundance of caution.

"Jacks Peak is quite wild. You have to know you're among nature," Carroll said.

The park's peak is the highest point on the Monterey Peninsula.

[nickcarraway]

This park is named after the same Scot Monterey Jack cheese is named after.

[UCANSEE2]

Exclusive video of the Bear Sighting.

[nickcarraway]

Jack’s Peak has 8.5 miles of trails for 525 acres, which is not bad. The view of Monterey and the coast are a highlight. The trails are a mixed of covered and exposed.

[Vince Ferrer]

City? State? Country, even?

[nickcarraway]

Monterey is in California.

[MileHi]

Hikers reported seeing a black bear...

Yeah, so?

[Does so]

Yeah, so?

Wife and I were passed by a black bear at Yosemite. Maybe five feet away.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Wow...didn’t know there was a park located between Carmel Valley Road and CA-68! And a Bear at Jack’s Peak! That’s cool. And so close to Carmel, too!

I’ve driven over the mountain range from Carmel Valley Road to Laguna Seca on Laureles Grade Road east of Jack’s Peak.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

That is hilarious! Thanks for posting...hadn’t seen that before.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Bears were hunted out of the California Coastal Ranges a hundred years ago. This bear is just east of Carmel, CA on the coast.

Hey, Bear!! Lot’s of plump good tourist eating in Carmel and Monterey.

[MileHi]

Black bears are common here, they get in my trash if I leave it out so I keep the barrels in the garage. They mess with my wifes hummingbird feeders in the fall.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Here's how he got to Monterey County...

California Black Bears Head Up the Coast
August 4, 2014. Prior to 1950, there were no reports of black bears occurring in San Luis Obispo County or Monterey County. It's hypothesized that it's because those two counties were typically inhabited by grizzly bears, which on the food chain are much higher up than black bears. It's likely that grizzly bears excluded black bears from that area before they were extirpated from California in the 1920s.

Some studies have shown that the black bears in the Central Coast region are most closely related to the southern Sierra Nevada black bears. We hypothesize that those bears have traveled up and over the transverse ranges and are moving their way up along the coast now.

---

Great...the SF Peninsula is going to get bears real soon.

[UCANSEE2]

[ProtectOurFreedom]

LOL..."Meat Map"

In reality, thank goodness the bears are rather lazy...

[docman57]

Wow?! Really?! How novel.....somebody sees a freaking bear in California and this is just soooooo important! Get a freaking life! Where I live we see wildlife of all sorts everyday! I chased 3 wolves away from cattle last week! Go find something important to Post!!

[Bob434]

“A” Black Bear? Criminy- we have tons of black bears around us- and many many people hike and there’s never been an attack- perhaps some close encoutners- but no attacks- I had a close encounter myself- bear was over a hill, clapping it’s jaws at me- huffing- and ran off- i never did get to see it- I wouldn’t even want to guess how many bears I’ve walked past i nthe woods without even knowing it-

“A” bear was spotted- lol

[21twelve]

*** “A” bear was spotted- lol ***

Now - if it were a spotted bear, then it might be newsworthy!

Hmmm - I did a search and couldn’t find anything on an actual species such as a spotted bear.

But - lots of places like Spotted Bear Ranch, Spotted Bear Creek, etc. So - I guess spotting a bear IS a big deal!

Although lots of those place names were in Montana. Manhattan I could understand it being a nameworthy place - but Montana? “Okay so go up the river until you hit that creek where that guy saw the bear...”

[Sivad]

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was built by Father
Juniper (his staff, that is) in 1772. The description
at the time was: ‘In the valley of the bears, halfway
place in the mission chain’.

My mother’s ancestors first came to the general area of
San Luis Obispo in the 1870s. I have resided in SLO Co
three different times myself, including college years.
I don’t recall ever hearing of a bear sighting in the
region from my lifetime. On the other hand I was
raised and currently reside in the Northern Sierra
Nevada foothills area and as an adult not only have I
seen those damn black bears in my very rural yard, I
actually had one steal a bag of corn chips off my
kitchen counter while I dozed in a recliner in the
next room over. When I awoke I had a sudden ‘what just
happened?’ moment and checked around the house. When
I looked out in front there he was spread out at yards
edge munching tortilla chips one at a time out of the
bag. When he finally spotted me he picked up the
bag in his mouth and off he trotted.

[Sivad]

*note:
Father Juniper was, in fact, Father Junipero Serra.
I can’t blame it all on spell check....this time.

[MarMema]

Mostly they can kill small dogs. Used to have them crossing main roads in daylight and breaking into cars on the Long Beach Washington peninsula.

It was irritating to come home from work and find one in your fenced back yard though.