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 ...
Put all your food in a bag and hang it in a tree folks. Do NOT have food in your tent. Though the article doesn’t say, the chances are good this guy had food.
“Though the article doesnt say, the chances are good this guy had food.”
Or chances are the bear thought he was food. Maybe the guy told the bear he was in his space space and the bear retreated.
Even one death is too many, and next time it might be a helpless child. KILL ALL THE BEARS.
ML/NJ
In one of my recent trips to the Adirondacks, some smart-ass Ranger hung a thick, HDPE drum, that had been literally shredded by a bear, with a sign that said “this is NOT a bear-proof canister.”
I’m told that bears are especially attracted by the smell of toothpaste, shampoo or even mouthwash - so don’t keep those in your tent as well.
The bear population has been making a comeback.
They are now regularly found in densely populated areas of PA and NJ.
Black bears aren’t necessarily out looking to tangle with humans, but if you leave food in the wrong place, or get between mama and her cub, ANYTHING could happen.
This is why I’m taking you with me should I ever go camping!
If you know #2, do you really have to go through all the investigation in #1?
Don’t camp where bears live!
Camp in a bear’s kitchen and somehow they’re surprised they get chewed on.
Was Mark Sanford in the area?
If I could only buy .348 I’d be a happy Model 71 owner.
I’ve run into a number on the AT in Shenendoah. I always carry my Glock 22, just in case. Turned around once and caught a bear cub rummaging through my pack. It took something white out and ran off into the dark. I started chasing it, then I though better of it.
When I got home, I realized it stole my tortillas.
Or you'll be sleeping in a zip-lock bag.
I’m glad he’s ok. It’s a bit interesting for me to see that now because I just started reading A Walk In The Woods, and there were several pages devoted to bear attacks and his fear of encountering a bear on the trail. I’m still pretty early in the book.
Right you are.
However, the only way to help minimize a bear encounter is to ensure ALL food, and toiletries (toothpaste & soap) are in an Airtight zip bag and then it’s recommended that you hang your food on a bear-proof bag or cannister 100+ feet away from your campsite.
*I have had a bear come right up to my tent, its nose against my head, even though there was Absolutely No food or wrappers in or around the tent.
The bear was attracted to the very faint peppermint odor in the toothpaste I used an hour prior to the encounter.*
Bears have incredibly sensitive sense of smell, and can detect and track the smell of food (through two new sealed zip lock bags) a mile away. Ziplock bags are slightly porous
My recommendation that has worked hiking hundreds of miles through bear country:
1. Get an Ursack and follow the directions Completely.
2. Carry a small 1 Oz bottle of PineSol and put two drops on your food bag before you hang it up outside your tent, as well as two drops on your pack, and both sides of your tent.
The USFS, and State wildlife Biologists attest to the fact that PineSol (7% turpentine oil) is very effective at masking faint food odors from being detected by bears.
Ursack.com
RE: “Put all your food in a bag and hang it in a tree folks. Do NOT have food in your tent. Though the article doesnt say, the chances are good this guy had food.”
That might be a trifle big for black bears but since it would be excellent for browns, why worry about color!
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