Bear - Cougar Warning

[Pipestoneflyguy]

Just a heads up to anyone headed into the mountains - Buffalo berries are out early this year so watch for bears at the lower el's. Even found a black bear at the end of my driveway as I left for work this morning.

 

There was a couple close calls with bears this past weekend, couple illegal campers in Yoho were lucky to be out of their tent while a bear ripped their junk to shreds (left food in the tent durrr...) - also in Kootenay, a couple folks were stalked by a cougar - check with the info centre if your plans include fishing in the area of KNP, the Kindersley-Sinclair loop has been closed as a result.

 

The river is like chocolate milk and even the lakes are pretty chalky so a friend and I ended up gorging ourselves with wild strawberries instead of fishing this weekend anyway - I can see why the bears love this time of year...One of those if you can't beat em, join em things

[cdock]

Thanks for the headsup. I'll have to stop cooking beans and bacons on the shore for awhile I guess. LOL!

[Guest rusty]

There is very little in the world better than a bowl of wild strawberries smothered in heavy cream.

[trailhead]

Yeah I just heard a couple of mountain bikers were chased by a Grizzly sow with cubs in Banff and a woman mountain biker was killed by a black bear at Panorama. Be careful out there.

[pigl]

Is there any decent and up-to-date internet site where you can read reports of bear activity in Alberta?

[dube]

sorry to hijack but rusty, I would have to say that saskatoons and cream take wild strawberries any day.

 

If I see fish cops I'll ask them about any wildlife concerns, I figure they would have the most up to date info on any given day.

 

There were a few bear attacks this weekend, not so cool.

 

I could take a bear

[SteveM]

sorry to hijack but rusty, I would have to say that saskatoons and cream take wild strawberries any day.

 

If I see fish cops I'll ask them about any wildlife concerns, I figure they would have the most up to date info on any given day.

 

There were a few bear attacks this weekend, not so cool.

 

I could take a bear

 

Would you take that bear before or after you pissed your pants? ( Apologies to Hawgstoppah )

[mountainx]

Is there any decent and up-to-date internet site where you can read reports of bear activity in Alberta?

 

 

www.trailex.org

 

this is mostly for climber, hiker and mt biker but I think you will fine it helpful

 

cheers

[pigl]

www.trailex.org

 

this is mostly for climber, hiker and mt biker but I think you will fine it helpful

 

cheers

 

 

Thanks MX.

[dryfly]

With the dryness is the high country the black bears will be thick along the riparian areas this fall. Huge saskatoon crop.

 

Eating saskatoons

The result .. beeg bear ... deep purple scat with saskatoon seeds...

.

[greatbigc]

Clive

 

When I grow up I want to be like you...

 

you got way too much time on your hands, you need to take me fishing!

 

C

[OneMoreLastCast]

Those bears better watch their backs when my Wife goes for her Saskatoons.

If you think that Big Griz looked scared of the Momma Cougar, wait'll you see the look on their faces when they see my wife walking up with bucket in hand.

 

mmmm....Saskatoon Pie.

 

I agree with Rusty though. I like Wild Strawberries so much, I planted a bunch in the backyard. So good when I can get to them before the kids.

[dryfly]

Geez..that's TWICE today someone said that.

 

Just decompressing in my AC-ed home office after one week working on the hot rod.

 

Too hot to fish. Maybe Thursday.

[bulltrout]

was camping on private land (permission was given) and on Sat. i was stalked by a cougar for approx. 1 km on the Oldman between Hwy 22 and the Gap this last weekend...spotted him and started making my way back upstream to camp and he followed me the entire way...grizzly sightings abound in the general area as well from adjoining land owners...word of advice, keep the shotguns loaded and the bear spray updated....

[Glenbow]

I saw 3 black bears on the road at both upper & lower K yesterday, they're really out there. Seen a few griz on the #40 also recently. Bear spray is a must I'd say. Cougars are what really scare me though. I know how sneaky my own cats are, thank the lord they're not big enough to eat me.

[EvilWeevil]

I also had a coagar follow me last night .I made the mistake of making eye contact just before leaving the sylvan lake saloon,thankfully I made it into the cab before she attacked

[dryfly]

DBT...oooo scary stuff. Perhaps the cougar kept slipping on somehting.

[Weedy1]

was camping on private land (permission was given) and on Sat. i was stalked by a cougar for approx. 1 km on the Oldman between Hwy 22 and the Gap this last weekend...spotted him and started making my way back upstream to camp and he followed me the entire way...grizzly sightings abound in the general area as well from adjoining land owners...word of advice, keep the shotguns loaded and the bear spray updated....

 

So why do you think he didn't attack you? Or was he just ensuring you left his area?

[dryfly]

So why do you think he didn't attack you?

 

Ho man ... even a cougar can stand only so much wader smell.

[bigalcal]

I saw a grizzly this morning close to a car parked (fisherman?) on the FTR between Racehorse Campground and Daisy Cr bridge. I went to the random campsite near where he was parked. I didn't see him but I honked my horn SOS. Hopefully it is short-short=short, long-long-long, short-short-short. Hope it helped.

[lonefisher]

DBT that kitty just heard that if he bugged you enough you'd toss him some salmon eggs

[matt1984]

DBT, that's scary stuff. I had a cougar stalk me last fall for a good twenty minutes. It was damn scary, and I had a gun in my hand. The thing is it was in thick bush and I could never get a shot at him if I needed to, I gave a warning shot but that didn't help and I figured I should save the last two shots. I'm sure many people have been stalked and just don't know it, but this one was making a throaty growl, deep breathing sound the whole time. He wanted me to know I was being followed.

[bulltrout]

So why do you think he didn't attack you? Or was he just ensuring you left his area?

 

he was on the opposite side of the river on the top of a steep hill face...more than likely he was just making sure i was getting out of his area or else maybe he was waiting for the terrain to level out...either way, it still creeped the hell out of me...the way they navigate rocks and boulders etc. without even taking their eyes off you...

[bulltrout]

DBT that kitty just heard that if he bugged you enough you'd toss him some salmon eggs

 

i'm not gonna live that one down am i...lol

[Weedy1]

The majority of my life I have fished in the region north of Rocky anywhere up to the Kakwa area. I have never encountered a cougar and the bear encounters have been little to worry about. For the most part the bears take off in a flash when encountering humans. I have been charged twice, once while in a vehicle and once in a clearing when I was about 10 years old. (The cubs were curious of my brother and I, mom charged when the cubs were 10 feet from us. More of "lets get the hell out of here" thing.)

 

Anyways, I am curious. Due to the south being a more popular area tourist wise than the central and northern regions, combined with the heavy pressure the region sees, is it possible the cougars and bears are becoming used to humans to the point they have little fear anymore? Or is it just the weather we have been experiencing this year?