Bear attack of hammock camper last night in GSMNP

[dakotaross]

The fact that they caught it when it returned to the campsite is an indication that the bad conduct of earlier visitors had habituated him to the site.

But their bad conduct is easily explained as being due to the effects of Global Warming.

I'm not getting that last remark, but I'm too serious anyway...

What is "bad conduct"? Since this is a thread about where to place your food at night. Clearly, anything not LNT is bad conduct (spirit, not the letter). What else? Are odors bad conduct, and if so, does the placement of odors have any effect on what is proper conduct? A bear can smell what's in a tree as well as what's hung from a hammock. Could it be that food that is properly hung nevertheless has a cumulative adverse effect on the bears and their fear of humans vs the search for food?

[dakotaross]

And I will begin putting a little change or something that rattles in my BV.

[SGT Rock]

And I will begin putting a little change or something that rattles in my BV.

That is pretty smart. Low tech and simple, good thinking.

[sargevining]

I always figured global warming would mean more warm weather, you know warming and all, seems like more food with longer growing seasons. Seems the bear is as confused as me at all this global warming, in the 80's I was disappointed the 70's ice age predictions failed too, so confused, where's my hammock...

DD, you are so right looking at the small framed guy who jumped on the bears back and started punching the bears face, that is the very definition of courage.

All I care about is that people understand that most bear attacks are as a result of human activity---but its the choices everyday people make about where they live and how they conduct themselves in the woods that are doing it not some invisible political boogieman who will go away if they vote for the right people making the woods safe and sweet and smelling like granola.

[cjayflo]

Since I was in the park last weekend when this happened and we came across a huge bear along the roaring fork road I have been doing a lot of reading. Coming from Mi I have to be honest and say that bears were really not that much of a concern to me. I have always kept a clean camp and bear bagged but after seeing a big one close enough they are now a concern for me.
I came across this post on Section Hiker's site. The post itself is good, the comments that follow are worth the read.

http://sectionhiker.com/bear-bag-ran...ing-your-food/

So many proposing its better to sleep with your food because bears are more afraid of you is not something I would do. I would think you would have to sleep on top of your food or hug it to you all night.

[lori]

So many proposing its better to sleep with your food because bears are more afraid of you is not something I would do. I would think you would have to sleep on top of your food or hug it to you all night.

Here in California, the only injuries attributable to black bears are due to hikers sleeping with food, or leaving something interesting in the tent that smells like it. Really dumb idea. In RJ Secor's classic work, High Sierra: Peaks, Passes and Trails (3rd edition) he describes a hiker along the John Muir Trail using his food for a pillow and losing an ear when the bear decided to investigate and reacted adversely to the hiker's reaction to the bear ripping into his tent.

BTW, no recorded deaths in California due to black bears... they really are not interested in us. But habituated bears in very popular heavily traveled areas will do pretty much anything for your food.

[mistone]

Well i have always hung my food in a sack away from camp .Hard to say about this situation. I know brown bears out west are more Aggressive Towards people. Black bears are the Opposite around here!I think there getting use to more people being around and smelling food just my thought! Hope the young man has a full Recovery.

[CorrosiveCookie]

Hmmmm, makes me think about making room in my ridgeline organizer for a can of bear spray.

In that scenario spray would have probably killed the kid as bear spray is pretty much lethal to humans and the bear had him by the head. I do know this with what I bring with me for protection the headlines would have been very different. Hats off to the dad for overcoming any fear and jumping on a bear to save his child, he's a baller! If I ever meet him I will buy him a steak and a brew!

[UrsaMajor1887]

I hope the kid bounces back quickly and gets back out to the woods with his dad who is truly amazing.

Last year we were at Fort Mountain in N. Georgia and a bear came through our campsite (state park) every night we were there (3 nights). On the last night he/she walk under a hammock sleeper brushing his back on the hammock and terrifying the occupant. He did not have a tarp and was hung across a trial that lead up into the woods where we had seen the bear the day before. He said the bear walked all the way around my hammock (under HG standard) never touching a guy-line. There was another camper in a hammock the bear didn't go near. The bear also walked around the fire ring (of course) and around several tents not disturbing anything.

Last weekend We were up at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee doing some fishing and saw a bear about 500 feet up the river next to the road. One several people started pointing and looking in the direction of the bear it scurried off.

It definitely seems that over the last 3-5 years there are a lot more bears in the woods around here. Maybe I will get some bear spray and bells too.

[Ratdog]

In that scenario spray would have probably killed the kid as bear spray is pretty much lethal to humans and the bear had him by the head. I do know this with what I bring with me for protection the headlines would have been very different. Hats off to the dad for overcoming any fear and jumping on a bear to save his child, he's a baller! If I ever meet him I will buy him a steak and a brew!

Meh, we camp with a guy who took a whole can of bear spray to the face and down the throat, he was fine....in a couple of days The hike formerly known as JShep is now JPepp and he laughs at puny bear spray cans.

Others can tell the story better than I, is plenty survivable but more than a little unpleasant. Can't imagine it would have done much good in this case, bear had him by the old noggin and Pops jumped into action.