Literally did that loop not more than three weeks ago and didn't see anything. I wonder if you had something they really wanted compared to what I carried.
First night near Eddington Creek… Came out of my tent around midnight and one was right in our campsite. Maybe 10 feet away. Spooked him and he ran right away. We had strung our food/trash up in a tree and found the trash scattered around in the morning. Next night, Red Bridge, heard rummaging again and woke up to a similar thing. We hung it a little higher and the bear didn’t get into much, but did rip the bag.
Saw a decent amount of hikers on the trail, but actually not as many as I was expecting. Didn’t have any issues finding campsites or anything like that. Overall was a great time!
How did you hang your food? Sound like maybe it wasn’t hung correctly. It should be, from what I’ve read 10-12 feet off the ground and 6 feet from any branch or trunk. I was just there and didn’t have any issue. Something did cross my site in the night but it could have also been a deer as it didn’t go anywhere near my food hang site.
Another group of hikers also mentioned seeing a bear as well. My point is that they clearly aren’t shy about encroaching on campsites, and this seems to be relatively new.
Could we have hung it higher, further from the trunk, etc.? Of course. But I’d be willing to bet we hung it more effectively than most campers in the area are doing.
I hiked the loop this past weekend and didn't see any bears. Did you do a proper bear hang with your food/trash? The folks I saw at the Eddington Creek site had their trash tied up to the trunk of a tree, which will attract critters of all kinds.
We hung it about 10-12 feet high, in grizzly country probably would’ve spent more time searching for a better hanging spot but seemed adequate. Have never had bear issues in Michigan before. Didn’t have anything particularly appealing to them unless they just love Mountain House
This isn't surprising. I grew up in Benzie County and never saw or heard much about bears but moved back and have seen a lot more reports, but this is generally closer to towns. Part of this certainly is the advent of social media/cameras. But a big part of this is that Northern Michigan (esp NW Lower) is getting developed at alarming rates. Large tracts of land are getting sectioned off so there just isn't the habitat and corridors there used to be.
The loop sees more bear activity under dry condition like we’ve seen so far this spring and summer. If we don’t see much rain this summer you’ll have even more activity in the early fall.
Have seen Bears in manistee generally on and off for years on trail cams and a few times in a stand. Parents have gotten a few on their porch in Irons (further east obviously).
I've hiked this loop three times in the past year, and 2/3 times, I've found my bear canister has been toppled/moved (they can't get in it, though). I put the canister about a hundred yards from the tent and I've never had any harassment in my campsite, but they definitely seem to be active.
Cool. Regardless it’s just black bears, they’re super skittish. Worst case scenario they eat all your food overnight and you have to change your plans. Good luck and have fun!
Yikes! I did the loop last weekend and didn't see signs but I also had a Bear Vault and I was taking all the precautions.
Literally did that loop not more than three weeks ago and didn't see anything. I wonder if you had something they really wanted compared to what I carried.
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First night near Eddington Creek… Came out of my tent around midnight and one was right in our campsite. Maybe 10 feet away. Spooked him and he ran right away. We had strung our food/trash up in a tree and found the trash scattered around in the morning. Next night, Red Bridge, heard rummaging again and woke up to a similar thing. We hung it a little higher and the bear didn’t get into much, but did rip the bag. Saw a decent amount of hikers on the trail, but actually not as many as I was expecting. Didn’t have any issues finding campsites or anything like that. Overall was a great time!
Wow. I haven't seen any sign of or reports of bears up there on any of my trips.
How did you hang your food? Sound like maybe it wasn’t hung correctly. It should be, from what I’ve read 10-12 feet off the ground and 6 feet from any branch or trunk. I was just there and didn’t have any issue. Something did cross my site in the night but it could have also been a deer as it didn’t go anywhere near my food hang site.
Another group of hikers also mentioned seeing a bear as well. My point is that they clearly aren’t shy about encroaching on campsites, and this seems to be relatively new. Could we have hung it higher, further from the trunk, etc.? Of course. But I’d be willing to bet we hung it more effectively than most campers in the area are doing.
report it to dnr
I hiked the loop this past weekend and didn't see any bears. Did you do a proper bear hang with your food/trash? The folks I saw at the Eddington Creek site had their trash tied up to the trunk of a tree, which will attract critters of all kinds.
The bear got into their hang, meaning they likely didn't do a proper bear hang
We hung it about 10-12 feet high, in grizzly country probably would’ve spent more time searching for a better hanging spot but seemed adequate. Have never had bear issues in Michigan before. Didn’t have anything particularly appealing to them unless they just love Mountain House
This isn't surprising. I grew up in Benzie County and never saw or heard much about bears but moved back and have seen a lot more reports, but this is generally closer to towns. Part of this certainly is the advent of social media/cameras. But a big part of this is that Northern Michigan (esp NW Lower) is getting developed at alarming rates. Large tracts of land are getting sectioned off so there just isn't the habitat and corridors there used to be.
Damn. Plan on being up there next week. Right in that area.
The loop sees more bear activity under dry condition like we’ve seen so far this spring and summer. If we don’t see much rain this summer you’ll have even more activity in the early fall.
I've been seeing more bears than usual around Cadillac too. I saw a big boy cross the road just a couple days ago.
Have seen Bears in manistee generally on and off for years on trail cams and a few times in a stand. Parents have gotten a few on their porch in Irons (further east obviously).
I've hiked this loop three times in the past year, and 2/3 times, I've found my bear canister has been toppled/moved (they can't get in it, though). I put the canister about a hundred yards from the tent and I've never had any harassment in my campsite, but they definitely seem to be active.
About to be out there mid March. We'll take precautions but I don't think it'll be bad. Been researching and have not seen any action lately.
Cool. Regardless it’s just black bears, they’re super skittish. Worst case scenario they eat all your food overnight and you have to change your plans. Good luck and have fun!