Not Going to Fight this Guy

[Critical Care]

Here are a couple pictures on my mother’s property of some damage to trees caused by some dude that needless to say I didn’t want to mess around with.

Since some trees were totally stripped, I immediately thought that deer were to blame. But, then I began to notice all of the vertical claw marks, generally in sets of five, and these claw marks would go some distance up into the trees where even acrobatic deer wouldn’t go.

It may be hard to judge size, but those are hefty trees in the pictures. I couldn’t spread my hand wide enough to span the claw marks. What really made my hair stand up on end were the fresh droppings on the ground.

[D Felix]

It's things like that that make me glad I'm in the middle of Indiana, in no-wild-bear country!:)

Methinks if I lived where you did and I saw those marks, I'd be packing anytime I left the house for the woods....... Something much bigger than the .22 pistol I take with me now!!

Stay safe.


Dan

[Critical Care]

Umm... don't know about that, Dan. I'm not too sure I'd like to face a big Hoosier bagrilla down a dark alley.

Actually, my mom's place is up a canyon out on the coast. Nothing to worry about out here other than a mountain lion or two.

[D Felix]

I think I'd rather face a bear than a cougar. Bears usually only attack if they feel it is necessary, whereas cougars will attack because, to them, you are food....

Again, stay safe!


Dan

[AGLA]

Hell, I might have inadvertently added to his pile, if I saw that.

P.S. Are you sure the fresh pile was his?

[activelandscaping]

Those trees have an uncanny resemblance to a pair of legs, think I would be using mine to get me the hell outta there.

BTW,
Don't leave any open garbage can's around, although you probably know that. :)

Regards,
Active

[dcondon]

Black bears are more scared of you then you are of them. The only time you have to be careful is when they have cubs. :)

[Doogiegh]

What really made my hair stand up on end were the fresh droppings on the ground.

Did they come from you? <G>

[Critical Care]

Did they come from you? <G>

Actually not... but I always carry another pair of pants just in case.

I've had some people say, "Hey bud, you don't know sh**!" But, in this case I think I have it pegged. Saw enough of this - stuff - up in the artic.

Anyway, don't know how you'd protect your trees from these monsters, outside of packing a howitzer.

[activelandscaping]

Black bears are more scared of you then you are of them. The only time you have to be careful is when they have cubs.

That would be one scared bear. :p

A sow w/cub's will sure make a mess of you. If bears are well fed there not too bad, they don't generally see you as food but a hungry bear is a pissed bear.
I was around bears quite a bit when I was in Sitka AK. They pretty much ignore you on the salmon flats, tons of fish and happy bears.

Regards,
Active

[D Felix]

A buddy of mine works landscaping in Vail, CO. Over the summer he sent a couple of pics of some bears that had wandered onto the job site.... One of them was up in a tree, apparently one of the guys that was working with him that day took off chasing the bear with a hacksaw.;) Don't know why he chased it, let alone with a hacksaw, but I can surely think of smarter things to do!


Dan

[blafleur]

Kinda a liked to see the bear let him catch him just to see what he was going to do with the hacksaw. Probably be like the time my dog finally actually caught a cat, he never went after another one.

Bryan

[Critical Care]

Heh heh, sounds like your dog learned his lesson - not all do. My brother while working fires with the forest service got treed by a bear, while in Wyoming both of us set the state record for running down the side of a mountain.

I wonder, Dan, if that buddy or yours would have chased after that bear if the situation was a bit different and he was out in the woods alone? He'd probably say, "I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid," eh?

[work_it]

This thread reminds me of a picture my dad took of one of the neighbors in Star Valley Ranch, Wyo. If I can find the picture I'll post it here, but it was a mountain lion laying on the bottom branch of a tree next to a golf course in my dad's back yard. Guess he was just waiting for some dinner wearing plaid pants to come walking up. :p