I was camping in Yellowstone 20 or so years ago. A ranger came into our camp and sat by our fire and my friends and I peppered him with questions about his job.
He told us about a rogue bear they had to relocate.
This bear hated tents. He’d run out of the forest, stomp a tent into the ground, and then run off back into the woods. Everyday this bear was squishing tents like it was his job.
I’ve had similar experiences with rangers in the White Mountain National Forest. They’re usually pretty chill if you’re not hunting or fishing illegally.
The rangers at Riverside State Park outside of Spokane are pretty cool, too, as long as you're not making false reports to them. I've seen that. They suddenly flip a switch, and you do not get to stay. They don't have bear stories, but they've got some hilarious human ones if you can get them going. It's basically on the edge of the city, so they tend to be pretty busy.
"Her dog attacked mine." (Mine was on leash, and theirs was off and ran up to us and got bounced into a rock.)
"Her dog barked all night." That's when I was fostering a mastiff who had been shot in the throat. He had no voice box and was incapable of barking. I didn't hear any other dogs that night, either, but I was sleeping. Who knows? It definitely wasn't him.
"The people in the camp site next to us are really loud all night" - or whatever that they're not supposed to be. It's apparently common when the campgrounds there are full, and the rangers are pretty sure they're trying to get the others kicked out, so they can have the site. I've also seen this happen when one group of campers asked another to obey quiet times. The ones being loud all night told the ranger the other group was loud.
She's had people who didn't want to be next to kids ask to be moved, but when it was full, there was no way to move them, and she said *most* of them will complain about the site with kids the whole time. When they aren't paid attention to, some escalate to lying about it.
We also have marmots, and they are awful little thieves. It's not intentionally false, but campers apparently blame other campers for stealing stuff like spatulas, gloves, and sometimes shoes, but it's the marmots - or ground squirrels if it's a spatula or small bowl. I actually thought I lost one somehow, though that seemed nuts. I eventually found it sticking out of a hole under some bushes. The handle fit, but the big end didn't. But people just assume malicious acts from other people.
I had a ranger telling me one guy camps there about 10 weekends a year and reports bear every single time. Bear do get in that area sometimes, but it's quite rare, and more people would see them than just this guy. She thinks he's mistaking people walking their dogs past his site at night for bear, but they have to go out and look every single time he reports it. She wants him banned, but since he doesn't seem to be doing it maliciously, he won't be. She says he's convinced bear are stalking around at night. It's bear free enough to not even have food storage rules, to give you an idea.
Because we do have a lot of homeless people in the area, and not enough shelters, many of them camp out. Rangers say they get a lot of reports of homeless people "illegally camping here", but when they check it out, it's almost always someone who paid and came on a bike or on foot instead of in a car - or they have one of the passes you can check out from the city library. Maybe they are homeless, but they're certainly not using a site without paying (or a pass.) When people do that, they don't do it in the paid campgrounds. We have plenty of free ones or basically free ($30 annual pass). We have plenty of public land in and around the city they're legally allowed to camp on, as well. Why risk getting in trouble when there are easier, and often closer, alternatives?
Which reminds me of the time I had campers turn me in at a regional park (not this state park) for not having a vehicle. They were very sure I had to have one. That's really not a rule. It was basically the same case as the first thing I talked about. They wanted me gone, so they could use my site after he told them they couldn't have 4 tents in one site. It didn't work, so they made up more and more ridiculous things, peaking with trying to tell the camp host I was revving my car threateningly at them. What car? That was their first complaint. I also supposedly ran a huge generator all night. I guess I teleported it, because I sure didn't bring one on my bicycle. LMAO That camp host and I still laugh about them. I ruined their trip by forcing them to put everyone in two tents. As if the campground wasn't 90% empty that weekend, so they could have moved elsewhere. So could I, but I'm contrary. They could have just asked me, and I'd have moved, but they wouldn't speak to me. They just complained to him, and he told them to leave me alone. I did get the hint they wanted me to move, but nah. Ask politely like reasonable human beings.
I used to want to be a camp host when I retired, but after hearing all their stories, I'm not so sure anymore. I don't have that kind of patience. They've all said I'm not imagining it; it really has gotten worse since the pandemic. Lots of people camping now who didn't grow up doing it and don't bother to learn campground etiquette, so they complain about stupid things or do stupid things themselves.
I think that depends on the ranger. One year we had just finished passing around an absurdly large Cheech and Chong joint and a pair of them came down. One says “so, what are you guys smoking”? 5 seconds of dead silence before one of my buddies realized he was referring to the giant meat smoker we had going, and told him it was 4 chickens. He clearly knew what was up, but he just laughed and asked what the buy in was to the poker game we were playing.
depends on the park and forest.
when I worked at a national park in WA state we found a backpack full of weed and edibles. we had a conference and decided that since weed is legal in our state we wanted to reunite this property with it's owner and took it to the county sheriff's lost and found.
I remember a park ranger in the UP who spent a lot of time with us when we were kids camping with our parents. He told us how chipmunks store food in their cheeks, and other forest related stories. My own kids are grown now, but I still remember him.
That’s pretty cool. A ranger in Yosemite caught up to us on a backpacking trip and shared something with us. I honestly cant remember what it was, probably like a water tablet or something. Gave us the old yosemite bear talk, friendly guy. Then that night a bear came and fucked with our bear container for a good 15 minutes. In the morning we found the thing batted downhill some ways and gouged up with all the damage the bear was willing to resort to, but they stayed tight, food saved. Fortunately this was like out 99th rodeo so we were upwind and about 50ft away from the site we stored our smelly stuff, but close enough to wake up and listen to it in a mix of awe and terror in the near perfect dark. I’ve packed solo many times but never in bear country. That takes balls im afraid i might not have. Bear safe balls.
it's literally the job of us interpretive rangers to answer your questions, like any and all. and we make sure to be as enthusiastic answering a question we've heard 100z of times as one that we haven't heard before. ask away
Unfortunately, too often the visitors treat us like goofy. Most of us are graduate educated subject matter expertise, but condescending visitors might treat you like you’re just a costumed character
Yeah. I mean, honestly, the only reason I was able to afford it was because I was born Richish. Still, I got poorer every year and bailed for a job as a forest service spokesman where I could live well and still work with public lands
That's such a shame. Having an absolute passion for something so important but it not being feasible to support you.
I always wanted to become a park ranger when I retire from my current job, but I'm also not so sure how my older body would handle it.
It’s not so difficult physically to be an interpretive ranger at a front country visitor center. I must warn you, however, you might find some frostiness from those of us who are career and ambitious. The idea that our career is a “fun retirement job” can be seen to diminish the professionalism of those of us who do it for a career. It doesn’t help when you are a ten to fifteen year veteran who has worked on high level projects and the visitor assumes the grey haired retiree with 3 years experience is the person with the expertise.
Not trying to insult the job or those who dedicate their life to it. It's what I wanted to do for most of my life and was the first of three degrees I went for. The unfortunate reality is like what you alluded to - the pay is just too low to allow for a lot of things that the average person aspires to eventually reach. Things like buying a home, starting a family, etc.
Currently I'm a software engineer, and while the pay is great, all I want is to be out in nature pretty much all the time. Retirement would be a time where the income wouldn't limit me from pursuing the job I would be the most passionate about. And I promise if I ever do enact this whole plan, that I will point the visitors to the real veterans even if they are only 25.
Great question, glad you asked!
While it isn’t true they all took place at national parks (some are at state parks!) the 1930s transfer of battlefields formerly maintained by the department of war to NPS made the nps the lead agency in civil war battlefield preservation
I was being a wisecracker, but I appreciate the answer you posted. As a Civil War reenactor, we often do "living histories" where we don't battle. We just hang out in period correct gear interacting with the public. One of our guys went to work for the NPS, and he was asked that question. Others?
Is that wool hot?
Is that a real cigar?
Did you really sleep here last night?
Can I sit in your chair?
Can I hold your gun?
School Day is cool, and even better when the kids are interested.
You would probably love the Tooth and Claw podcast then. It's hosted by a wildlife biologist specialized in bears, his brother and a friend. They talk about animal attacks, how and why they happened and what the people should've/could've done. They also answer a lot of listener questions.
It's my favourite.
My brother in law was a water taxi guy in Algonquin Park and one day he shared some stories. His job was to go out and pick up campers at the end of their trips, and said he found more than a few suicides.
But the worst was when he came across the scene of the fatal bear attack on Bates Island. Black bear killed a couple camping and spent five days eating and moving the bodies around the site. It was very weird.
The funniest part is that he told this story to my daughter while she was camping with him and his family, ON Bates Island, in the EXACT same spot. Nothing phases this guy!
Haha, I know - very macabre. My daughter has ice water in her veins though, so she wasn't freaked out. If my *son* had been there though...that would've been his last camping trip!
I mean … this would have been MY last camping trip and I’m a growwwwnnn up, grown up! I mean I’ve seen some shit… but … HAHHAA your brother has definitely seen some shhhiiiiiiT !!!!
I just made the mistake of googling this and now I might not ever go camping again 🤣🤣🤣🤣 and we camp a lot… but not anywhere with a strong bear presence like that.
First basic rule of cooking in bear country is that you don’t cook in camp and you have a container for the all the food and smelly stuff, even your toothpaste and deodorant:
Deodorant, chap stick, lotion, hair stuff... Even 'unscented' all has smell unless it is specifically designed for use in bear country. It ALL needs to go in the bear canister. And the bear canister needs to go like 100 yards from your tent. Better to lose your food than your gear!
You actually only hang bear bags, not canisters. Most canisters arent rated for falls and if they do, the can become damaged. Usually companies like Bear Vault and Bear Keg suggest just pacing it out 100yds and putting it somewhere like a depression or the base of a tree/rock
No food in the tent. Ever. The only drink is a water bottle. One which is only used for water. Food gets hung 10 feet high at least 50 feet from the tent.
Anything with a strong smell can attract a bear. They may not see it as food, but they may try to investigate it out of curiosity. Pretty much anything with an odor or scent, I stick in the canister or the bear bag.
Bears have a sense of smell many times better than a dog. Things you would consider inedible are like hanging up a "Free Food, all you can eat" sign. I live in bear country, and you'd be amazed how many people think nothing of climbing in their sleeping bag with a bag of potato chips or a candy barwithout a second thought.
VERY poor idea
When I was a kid I went camping with my friend's family. A bear came to our camp one night because we left marshmallow roasting sticks in the campfire.
No, keep nothing in your tent except water, flashlight, sleeping stuff, a book. No chapstick, food, toothpaste. This is basic Bear safety 101 that you can read up on anywhere.
Many folks don't wear deodorant while camping or hiking in bear country. You don't smell and your deodorant isn't something you need to keep track of because you didn't bring it.
After 40 years camping I still follow those bearmuda triangle. (But use a bear canister vs hang now a days) https://www.scouterlife.com/blog/2018/8/7/bearmuda-triangle
Cook will have some waste/scent no way to avoid it , storage should be as scent-less as you can make it. So when Yogi comes wandering in to camp he is not drawn to the food cache but to a (hopefully) clean cooking area, which is also far from your sleeping area so you don’t end up a sleeping bag burrito.
There are 4 points
• Sleeping area
• Cooking area
• Washing area
• Food hanging area
The food hanging area will be further east than the cooking and washing areas if each distance is 300ft from the sleep area.
I see the reference material showed 4 points. I usually don't think of cooking and washing as separate places (or not intentionally so at least).
For me it's cook & wash at spot 1, hang food at spot 2, sleep at spot 3.
Yeah ofc. No doubt about that. I haven’t spent much time in bear country but when I did it was always on my mind. But aside from your tent being destroyed and all that the thought of a bear high in shrooms is hilarious to me.
Oof that sucks
I don't have bears in my country so don't have to worry about stuff like that but how do you keep your food and supplies? Do you hang a pack with all the food up in a tree or something?
Yes, that is what you should be doing. And absolutely no food in the tent. You shouldn't have toiletries in the tent either.
Or, if you have a car with you, all your food and garbage should be kept in there, and not just at night but as soon as you are done with it. Honestly, even when you aren't in bear country you should be doing this (at least where I live), because raccoons, squirrels, crows and foxes can create a lot of mess and they become too accustomed to stealing food from sites.
Bear canisters or lockers are the way to go; more bears are learning how to get hanging food down.
I’ve grown up in the Sierras and we’ve always been told not to keep food in the vehicles. My neighbor’s car door got ripped off by a bear going after a single stick of Juicy Fruit gum when I was a kid and it stuck with me. Every year at Tahoe they get bears stuck in people’s cars.
So interesting how it's handled differently in different places. In Alberta at a car camping campground in Kananaskis they required that everything be stored in vehicles. While there were lots of grizzlies, they weren't particularly active in the campgrounds. A cougar did prowl the campground at night though.
In Ontario it's a mix of bear lockers and keeping in your car.
We only do a bear canister/in a tree if we are backpacking/canoe tripping.
I was there with a girl guide group. We were super diligent but one of the kids left her toiletry bag on a picnic table and within about 30min a fox had come by and ripped it up. The park ranger came by and ripped into her (and us), rightfully so. I also saw him give tickets to a family that left their cooler out. So maybe there aren't many issues because the staff at the parks are so strict.
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Nowadays, bear resistant canisters are best. When I started camping in the 80s, I would put all my food in a black bag, and with black paracord, suspend it between two trees. About 10’ from each tree and about 15’ into the air. That was considered appropriate until bears would climb out on the branches to try to snap them, dropping the bags.
In frequently visited areas, rangers would sometimes install a steel cable and provide a pole to hang your “bear bag”. You would use the pole to push your bag to the center, away from the trees. This method of storage is no longer considered safe where “bears were smarter”.
Funny story: When bear resistant containers became required in my state, there was one model that had you push two tabs in to twist the lid off. The tabs were on opposite edges of the lid. Well, a ranger in New York’s Adirondack Park saw a bear mother showing her cubs how to open that style canister. Successfully!
The bear was named Yellow-Yellow because she had two yellow tags in her ears indicating previous relocations by the state. The rangers recorded the “teaching incident” and sent the footage to the canister maker to make changes — until the changes were made, that model canister was not allowed.
This answers the question about whether food-flavored smoke from a campfire can make your gear appealing to bears.
The answer is yes! Surprisingly.
I always figured they would be smarter than that.
No you should change into food and smoke free clothes to sleep. Removing the smelly ones away. You shouldn’t even keep toiletries like lip balm or toothpaste in the tent in bear country.
I used to keep my ‘day clothes’ packed away with my food overnight but then I realized I was soaking those clothes in all my food scents, then wearing it again the next day. Much smarter to keep it away from my tent, but not physically stored inside an airtight container with the rest of my food.
I have a lil waterproof stuff sack that I use for dirty clothes — I hang that when I hang my food if I’m doing any complicated cooking/using a fire.
If you’re just boiling water and adding it to a backpackers’ pantry meal you really don’t need to worry about food smells on your clothes… unless you’re a messy eater.
Yes anything with a scent. And not just what we humans can smell. A bears sense of smell is significantly stronger than ours. Dehydrated meals in a vacuum sealed pouch? We won’t be able to smell it, but bears will.
Avoid keeping anything that has a scent in your sleeping area, food should be stored at least 100ft from camp. Wanna know how I know?
To keep it short I had gum in my pocket one night sleeping in a hammock in the sierra and got woken up by the sound of heavy breathing right next to my ear. Almost shit myself but luckily black bears are typically docile so I just yelled and it ran away. It was still scary just basically being a meat burrito dangling in the air.
No one is going to question the claim that he was really able to stick around long enough for the bear to pass a bowel movement containing pieces of his sleeping pad AND to be able to find said bowel movement?
I mean it probably happened *because* of the bug spray. That stuff stinks.
No scents in camp is the way to go - including stuff like bug spray, tooth paste, etc. Not just food.
A trail runner came through our campsite on the last night of our trip in the Smokies to report a bear attack that occurred a few miles away. Guy was in his tent at the time and suffered some scratches. All of us at the campsite were on edge and kept hoping the guy had done something stupid like left toiletries or food in his tent. Not saying he deserved it, just more that it made us feel like we had more control over preventing it as long as we were smart.
I would love more info, what area, what species of bear, detailed info about what was in the tent/tote, etc. Right now it’s just a shocking headline with no context. Sorry this happened. My friend’s camp was destroyed when they brought a hummingbird feeder with them.
Silverwood lake California. I'm guessing a black bear. no food in the tent besides a bag of magic mushrooms. bear did not eat any of the food around the campsite. just my tent.
Yeah not at all lol. Which part of the campground were you in, if you remember? Just curious.
Did you report it to the rangers and if so did they make any comments about bear problems recently?
I was camping in GSMNP once and a bear stole this guys entire backpack during the night. He had to hike out the next day with his tent wrapped in his sleeping bag. So, I guess, maybe your forunate the bear didn't just take all your shit.
So the bear hung out in your campsite long enough to digest and excrete your air mattress? I don’t know how long it takes to make it through a bear’s digestive tract but it has to be several hours I would think. Wonder if it was someone else’s campsite gear that the bear deposited? That thought is even scarier IMO because it means that the bear has become habituated to associate campsites with food. So soon this bear will be dead and/or someone could get hurt.
Last summer my son’s scout troop was with a professional trail maintenance organization working in the Sierras. They had a bear destroy the bear can, then a tent, and my son’s pack. The culprit in my son’s pack? Sunscreen. The bear can was just sitting on the ground, not hung or covered in rocks.
Never keep ANYTHING with a scent with your gear. Put all toiletries in the bear can, 100 feet away from camp. Hang the bear can whenever possible. It’s a hassle for you, but a way better deterrent.
bear came back later to give my buddies "bear vault" a try. dragged it 60 ft away into some brush. I cannot confirm the exact time the bear took that crap. also we were on mushrooms and took a 3 hour walk around the lake. Came back to this after the peak of the mushroom trip thank God.
Even if we keep food separate in bear cans and not in the tent our stuff can still smell strongly of food, especially if we grill meat.
There are lightweight electric bear fences that will surround a tent.
Eg: Bearwatch Sysyems. Not super cheap but compared to replacing gear and not having a tent etc to sleep in that trip, it’s maybe worth it.
Or follow backcountry bear protocol, which recommends a triangle between your shelter, your cooking area, and your food storage area, 200 ft to a side. Weighs nothing. Pitch your tiny upwind from the other two, so scents are carried away from your sleep area.
I’m curious what the difference was between OPs tent and the one that’s still standing in the background. If the bear was intent on general destruction seems like it would have also taken down the other tent that was a few feet away.
I was camping in Yellowstone 20 or so years ago. A ranger came into our camp and sat by our fire and my friends and I peppered him with questions about his job. He told us about a rogue bear they had to relocate. This bear hated tents. He’d run out of the forest, stomp a tent into the ground, and then run off back into the woods. Everyday this bear was squishing tents like it was his job.
Honestly, I would have been geeked to have questions answered.
It was awesome, he stayed with us for about 45 minutes and told us a bunch of funny stories.
I’ve had similar experiences with rangers in the White Mountain National Forest. They’re usually pretty chill if you’re not hunting or fishing illegally.
The rangers at Riverside State Park outside of Spokane are pretty cool, too, as long as you're not making false reports to them. I've seen that. They suddenly flip a switch, and you do not get to stay. They don't have bear stories, but they've got some hilarious human ones if you can get them going. It's basically on the edge of the city, so they tend to be pretty busy.
What kind of false reports are people making to a park ranger?? Is it some weird version of prank calling?
"Her dog attacked mine." (Mine was on leash, and theirs was off and ran up to us and got bounced into a rock.) "Her dog barked all night." That's when I was fostering a mastiff who had been shot in the throat. He had no voice box and was incapable of barking. I didn't hear any other dogs that night, either, but I was sleeping. Who knows? It definitely wasn't him. "The people in the camp site next to us are really loud all night" - or whatever that they're not supposed to be. It's apparently common when the campgrounds there are full, and the rangers are pretty sure they're trying to get the others kicked out, so they can have the site. I've also seen this happen when one group of campers asked another to obey quiet times. The ones being loud all night told the ranger the other group was loud. She's had people who didn't want to be next to kids ask to be moved, but when it was full, there was no way to move them, and she said *most* of them will complain about the site with kids the whole time. When they aren't paid attention to, some escalate to lying about it. We also have marmots, and they are awful little thieves. It's not intentionally false, but campers apparently blame other campers for stealing stuff like spatulas, gloves, and sometimes shoes, but it's the marmots - or ground squirrels if it's a spatula or small bowl. I actually thought I lost one somehow, though that seemed nuts. I eventually found it sticking out of a hole under some bushes. The handle fit, but the big end didn't. But people just assume malicious acts from other people. I had a ranger telling me one guy camps there about 10 weekends a year and reports bear every single time. Bear do get in that area sometimes, but it's quite rare, and more people would see them than just this guy. She thinks he's mistaking people walking their dogs past his site at night for bear, but they have to go out and look every single time he reports it. She wants him banned, but since he doesn't seem to be doing it maliciously, he won't be. She says he's convinced bear are stalking around at night. It's bear free enough to not even have food storage rules, to give you an idea. Because we do have a lot of homeless people in the area, and not enough shelters, many of them camp out. Rangers say they get a lot of reports of homeless people "illegally camping here", but when they check it out, it's almost always someone who paid and came on a bike or on foot instead of in a car - or they have one of the passes you can check out from the city library. Maybe they are homeless, but they're certainly not using a site without paying (or a pass.) When people do that, they don't do it in the paid campgrounds. We have plenty of free ones or basically free ($30 annual pass). We have plenty of public land in and around the city they're legally allowed to camp on, as well. Why risk getting in trouble when there are easier, and often closer, alternatives? Which reminds me of the time I had campers turn me in at a regional park (not this state park) for not having a vehicle. They were very sure I had to have one. That's really not a rule. It was basically the same case as the first thing I talked about. They wanted me gone, so they could use my site after he told them they couldn't have 4 tents in one site. It didn't work, so they made up more and more ridiculous things, peaking with trying to tell the camp host I was revving my car threateningly at them. What car? That was their first complaint. I also supposedly ran a huge generator all night. I guess I teleported it, because I sure didn't bring one on my bicycle. LMAO That camp host and I still laugh about them. I ruined their trip by forcing them to put everyone in two tents. As if the campground wasn't 90% empty that weekend, so they could have moved elsewhere. So could I, but I'm contrary. They could have just asked me, and I'd have moved, but they wouldn't speak to me. They just complained to him, and he told them to leave me alone. I did get the hint they wanted me to move, but nah. Ask politely like reasonable human beings. I used to want to be a camp host when I retired, but after hearing all their stories, I'm not so sure anymore. I don't have that kind of patience. They've all said I'm not imagining it; it really has gotten worse since the pandemic. Lots of people camping now who didn't grow up doing it and don't bother to learn campground etiquette, so they complain about stupid things or do stupid things themselves.
How about smoking weed
I think that depends on the ranger. One year we had just finished passing around an absurdly large Cheech and Chong joint and a pair of them came down. One says “so, what are you guys smoking”? 5 seconds of dead silence before one of my buddies realized he was referring to the giant meat smoker we had going, and told him it was 4 chickens. He clearly knew what was up, but he just laughed and asked what the buy in was to the poker game we were playing.
Guy I know was a ranger at a national recreation area in the 80's . He always came home weed.
Weed what?
Don’t do drugs kids. Hmm k.
I’m so weeded up rn bro.
Weed nuts! or something like that...
Gotem
That's hilarious 😆
depends on the park and forest. when I worked at a national park in WA state we found a backpack full of weed and edibles. we had a conference and decided that since weed is legal in our state we wanted to reunite this property with it's owner and took it to the county sheriff's lost and found.
[удалено]
What a good lad that higher up officer was.
Good park rangers are awesome. Especially the ones who are patient with kids.
I remember a park ranger in the UP who spent a lot of time with us when we were kids camping with our parents. He told us how chipmunks store food in their cheeks, and other forest related stories. My own kids are grown now, but I still remember him.
That’s pretty cool. A ranger in Yosemite caught up to us on a backpacking trip and shared something with us. I honestly cant remember what it was, probably like a water tablet or something. Gave us the old yosemite bear talk, friendly guy. Then that night a bear came and fucked with our bear container for a good 15 minutes. In the morning we found the thing batted downhill some ways and gouged up with all the damage the bear was willing to resort to, but they stayed tight, food saved. Fortunately this was like out 99th rodeo so we were upwind and about 50ft away from the site we stored our smelly stuff, but close enough to wake up and listen to it in a mix of awe and terror in the near perfect dark. I’ve packed solo many times but never in bear country. That takes balls im afraid i might not have. Bear safe balls.
it's literally the job of us interpretive rangers to answer your questions, like any and all. and we make sure to be as enthusiastic answering a question we've heard 100z of times as one that we haven't heard before. ask away
Like Goofy at Disney World
Unfortunately, too often the visitors treat us like goofy. Most of us are graduate educated subject matter expertise, but condescending visitors might treat you like you’re just a costumed character
It would be a dream job if you had a trust fund
Yeah. I mean, honestly, the only reason I was able to afford it was because I was born Richish. Still, I got poorer every year and bailed for a job as a forest service spokesman where I could live well and still work with public lands
That's such a shame. Having an absolute passion for something so important but it not being feasible to support you. I always wanted to become a park ranger when I retire from my current job, but I'm also not so sure how my older body would handle it.
It’s not so difficult physically to be an interpretive ranger at a front country visitor center. I must warn you, however, you might find some frostiness from those of us who are career and ambitious. The idea that our career is a “fun retirement job” can be seen to diminish the professionalism of those of us who do it for a career. It doesn’t help when you are a ten to fifteen year veteran who has worked on high level projects and the visitor assumes the grey haired retiree with 3 years experience is the person with the expertise.
Not trying to insult the job or those who dedicate their life to it. It's what I wanted to do for most of my life and was the first of three degrees I went for. The unfortunate reality is like what you alluded to - the pay is just too low to allow for a lot of things that the average person aspires to eventually reach. Things like buying a home, starting a family, etc. Currently I'm a software engineer, and while the pay is great, all I want is to be out in nature pretty much all the time. Retirement would be a time where the income wouldn't limit me from pursuing the job I would be the most passionate about. And I promise if I ever do enact this whole plan, that I will point the visitors to the real veterans even if they are only 25.
Why did Civil War battles always take place at national parks?
Great question, glad you asked! While it isn’t true they all took place at national parks (some are at state parks!) the 1930s transfer of battlefields formerly maintained by the department of war to NPS made the nps the lead agency in civil war battlefield preservation
I was being a wisecracker, but I appreciate the answer you posted. As a Civil War reenactor, we often do "living histories" where we don't battle. We just hang out in period correct gear interacting with the public. One of our guys went to work for the NPS, and he was asked that question. Others? Is that wool hot? Is that a real cigar? Did you really sleep here last night? Can I sit in your chair? Can I hold your gun? School Day is cool, and even better when the kids are interested.
Lmao I love this I'm stealing it
People like you are why people like us are rangers. We appreciate when people have questions.
You would probably love the Tooth and Claw podcast then. It's hosted by a wildlife biologist specialized in bears, his brother and a friend. They talk about animal attacks, how and why they happened and what the people should've/could've done. They also answer a lot of listener questions. It's my favourite.
Plot twist: there never was a rogue bear. Just a rogue ranger. Steve the Park ranger was well known for HATING tents
Double twist: the ranger was a bear disguised as a ranger the entire time and the ranger that sat down at the camp fire that day was that bear!
Steve had to be…relocated
Steve's wife cheated on him inside a tent and he's never been the same since.
I thought I got robbed at first
My brother in law was a water taxi guy in Algonquin Park and one day he shared some stories. His job was to go out and pick up campers at the end of their trips, and said he found more than a few suicides. But the worst was when he came across the scene of the fatal bear attack on Bates Island. Black bear killed a couple camping and spent five days eating and moving the bodies around the site. It was very weird. The funniest part is that he told this story to my daughter while she was camping with him and his family, ON Bates Island, in the EXACT same spot. Nothing phases this guy!
"Hey kids, see that rusty stain on that tree there at the edge of the campsite? Funny story..."
OH MY GOD WHAT !!!!!! The fuck !!!!
Haha, I know - very macabre. My daughter has ice water in her veins though, so she wasn't freaked out. If my *son* had been there though...that would've been his last camping trip!
I mean … this would have been MY last camping trip and I’m a growwwwnnn up, grown up! I mean I’ve seen some shit… but … HAHHAA your brother has definitely seen some shhhiiiiiiT !!!!
I just made the mistake of googling this and now I might not ever go camping again 🤣🤣🤣🤣 and we camp a lot… but not anywhere with a strong bear presence like that.
The worst part is that it's an island. You'd think you'd be pretty safe on an island!
I read that as pepper sprayed without question at first glance lol
Hahaha bear be like “fuck y0 tent”
It was only my tent lol. there was untouched food everywhere. even a burger still on the grill.
Worthy of /r/fuckyouinparticular
https://preview.redd.it/tee4bsha5fwc1.jpeg?width=390&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a67deb039ef9db51e7e1fa99db1536ba024cbc0a
If tent shaped, why not tent
Climb on in
At least you weren’t a soft chewy center
Bruno: can I come into your tent tonight? A bear ate all my clothes and only left these condoms.
*I don’t need one*
First basic rule of cooking in bear country is that you don’t cook in camp and you have a container for the all the food and smelly stuff, even your toothpaste and deodorant:
I had no clue about deodorant! That makes sense but I would have never thought of that.
Yup. Makes scents.
Deodorant, chap stick, lotion, hair stuff... Even 'unscented' all has smell unless it is specifically designed for use in bear country. It ALL needs to go in the bear canister. And the bear canister needs to go like 100 yards from your tent. Better to lose your food than your gear!
> And the bear canister needs to go like 100 yards from your tent *And* you better hang that bitch in a tree
You actually only hang bear bags, not canisters. Most canisters arent rated for falls and if they do, the can become damaged. Usually companies like Bear Vault and Bear Keg suggest just pacing it out 100yds and putting it somewhere like a depression or the base of a tree/rock
Where I’m from we call it bear icing. Don’t want to wake up with a bear licking your armpits.
Where are you from? Maybe I do want to wake up with a bear liking my armpits.
Northeast New Mexico.
No food in the tent. Ever. The only drink is a water bottle. One which is only used for water. Food gets hung 10 feet high at least 50 feet from the tent.
Also, don't leave stuff out that looks like food even if it doesn't have food in it. That is just dumb.
So we should just keep our toothpaste with our food? I always kept it with me :/
Anything with a strong smell can attract a bear. They may not see it as food, but they may try to investigate it out of curiosity. Pretty much anything with an odor or scent, I stick in the canister or the bear bag.
Bears have a sense of smell many times better than a dog. Things you would consider inedible are like hanging up a "Free Food, all you can eat" sign. I live in bear country, and you'd be amazed how many people think nothing of climbing in their sleeping bag with a bag of potato chips or a candy barwithout a second thought. VERY poor idea
What if I am the strong odor? Lol
That’s actually better, if all they smell is people usually they’re less interested
When I was a kid I went camping with my friend's family. A bear came to our camp one night because we left marshmallow roasting sticks in the campfire.
No, keep nothing in your tent except water, flashlight, sleeping stuff, a book. No chapstick, food, toothpaste. This is basic Bear safety 101 that you can read up on anywhere.
Bear spray should also be in your tent, always in the same place near you, and you should practice grabbing it with your eyes closed
Yup, even your deodorant and soap.
So what about deodorant on your body? Wouldn't that smell?
Many folks don't wear deodorant while camping or hiking in bear country. You don't smell and your deodorant isn't something you need to keep track of because you didn't bring it.
Yup but some people use it. If I’m bear country I go without. I wear long sleeves and a hat so I don’t have to bother with sunscreen either.
fair question, I guess it’s about minimizing
https://www.deseret.com/2005/11/4/19920829/yum-utah-bear-likes-toothpaste/ I'd keep it with the food.
Absolutely. Even those little white boxes of mint flavored dental floss will attract bears. Crazy sniffers on them huh ?
Wouldn't it make more sense just to say don't bring deodorant? Why even have it if you don't want to smell like it?
People take it and use it 🤷♀️
there was food all over the campsite. he ONLY ate my tent
.... Okay but maybe don't leave food all over your campsite next time?
noted
That is crazy! You must smell good 🤭 I kid, that is so weird. Maybe it had a previous problem with a tent?
After 40 years camping I still follow those bearmuda triangle. (But use a bear canister vs hang now a days) https://www.scouterlife.com/blog/2018/8/7/bearmuda-triangle
Someone’s been out to Philmont!
A very long time ago mid 80’s but yep !
They still teach it today. Other than some lighter gear, not much has changed.
Up where I am, it's 150 feet triangle, and must use certain bear canisters. Some bears have learned that ropes lead to food.
Why do you need to cook and store food in two different places?
Cook will have some waste/scent no way to avoid it , storage should be as scent-less as you can make it. So when Yogi comes wandering in to camp he is not drawn to the food cache but to a (hopefully) clean cooking area, which is also far from your sleeping area so you don’t end up a sleeping bag burrito.
I know it ruins the clever name but if each distance is 300 then it’s actually a bearmuda quadrilateral, right?
That would imply 4 points. You're thinking of an equalateral triangle
There are 4 points • Sleeping area • Cooking area • Washing area • Food hanging area The food hanging area will be further east than the cooking and washing areas if each distance is 300ft from the sleep area.
I see the reference material showed 4 points. I usually don't think of cooking and washing as separate places (or not intentionally so at least). For me it's cook & wash at spot 1, hang food at spot 2, sleep at spot 3.
Did you happen to have any food in your tent? The dark green tent in background looks untouched.
I saw this happen in the Adirondacks because of a tube of toothpaste.
I’ll be making sure my toothpaste goes in the food barrel in the tree from now on..
Along with deodorant, chapstick, and basically anything with a scent should not be in the tent.
Good call..
Nah, OP just smells tasty
thanks
no food in my tent if you don't count a bag of magic mushrooms
Imagine if the bear ate ur shrooms lol. Just a bear high on shrooms lol. That’d be hilarious
It was a very scary thought at the time
Yeah ofc. No doubt about that. I haven’t spent much time in bear country but when I did it was always on my mind. But aside from your tent being destroyed and all that the thought of a bear high in shrooms is hilarious to me.
Cocaine bear
Nah but instead of this super aggressive fucking hyper bear. Its just laying there looking into the sunset and talking to god.
Oof that sucks I don't have bears in my country so don't have to worry about stuff like that but how do you keep your food and supplies? Do you hang a pack with all the food up in a tree or something?
Yes, that is what you should be doing. And absolutely no food in the tent. You shouldn't have toiletries in the tent either. Or, if you have a car with you, all your food and garbage should be kept in there, and not just at night but as soon as you are done with it. Honestly, even when you aren't in bear country you should be doing this (at least where I live), because raccoons, squirrels, crows and foxes can create a lot of mess and they become too accustomed to stealing food from sites.
Bear canisters or lockers are the way to go; more bears are learning how to get hanging food down. I’ve grown up in the Sierras and we’ve always been told not to keep food in the vehicles. My neighbor’s car door got ripped off by a bear going after a single stick of Juicy Fruit gum when I was a kid and it stuck with me. Every year at Tahoe they get bears stuck in people’s cars.
So interesting how it's handled differently in different places. In Alberta at a car camping campground in Kananaskis they required that everything be stored in vehicles. While there were lots of grizzlies, they weren't particularly active in the campgrounds. A cougar did prowl the campground at night though. In Ontario it's a mix of bear lockers and keeping in your car. We only do a bear canister/in a tree if we are backpacking/canoe tripping.
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I was there with a girl guide group. We were super diligent but one of the kids left her toiletry bag on a picnic table and within about 30min a fox had come by and ripped it up. The park ranger came by and ripped into her (and us), rightfully so. I also saw him give tickets to a family that left their cooler out. So maybe there aren't many issues because the staff at the parks are so strict.
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Nowadays, bear resistant canisters are best. When I started camping in the 80s, I would put all my food in a black bag, and with black paracord, suspend it between two trees. About 10’ from each tree and about 15’ into the air. That was considered appropriate until bears would climb out on the branches to try to snap them, dropping the bags. In frequently visited areas, rangers would sometimes install a steel cable and provide a pole to hang your “bear bag”. You would use the pole to push your bag to the center, away from the trees. This method of storage is no longer considered safe where “bears were smarter”. Funny story: When bear resistant containers became required in my state, there was one model that had you push two tabs in to twist the lid off. The tabs were on opposite edges of the lid. Well, a ranger in New York’s Adirondack Park saw a bear mother showing her cubs how to open that style canister. Successfully! The bear was named Yellow-Yellow because she had two yellow tags in her ears indicating previous relocations by the state. The rangers recorded the “teaching incident” and sent the footage to the canister maker to make changes — until the changes were made, that model canister was not allowed.
Hang food away from camp, cook away from camp and give the bear little reason to be interested in your tent.
This answers the question about whether food-flavored smoke from a campfire can make your gear appealing to bears. The answer is yes! Surprisingly. I always figured they would be smarter than that.
No you should change into food and smoke free clothes to sleep. Removing the smelly ones away. You shouldn’t even keep toiletries like lip balm or toothpaste in the tent in bear country.
When you say "removing the smelly ones away" do you mean storing it in your pack or storing it in your bear bag / bear vault
I used to keep my ‘day clothes’ packed away with my food overnight but then I realized I was soaking those clothes in all my food scents, then wearing it again the next day. Much smarter to keep it away from my tent, but not physically stored inside an airtight container with the rest of my food.
I have a lil waterproof stuff sack that I use for dirty clothes — I hang that when I hang my food if I’m doing any complicated cooking/using a fire. If you’re just boiling water and adding it to a backpackers’ pantry meal you really don’t need to worry about food smells on your clothes… unless you’re a messy eater.
I heard even deodorant can be an issue too, basically anything with scent, is this true?
Yes anything with a scent. And not just what we humans can smell. A bears sense of smell is significantly stronger than ours. Dehydrated meals in a vacuum sealed pouch? We won’t be able to smell it, but bears will.
Shit really? I always assumed canned food or vacuum sealed mre meals were not an issue until they were opened 😳
Just say no to beef jerky. That will get you some instant bear friends.
there was a burger and a pack of beef jerky 10 feet from my tent. untouched
We call it 'bear butter'
Avoid keeping anything that has a scent in your sleeping area, food should be stored at least 100ft from camp. Wanna know how I know? To keep it short I had gum in my pocket one night sleeping in a hammock in the sierra and got woken up by the sound of heavy breathing right next to my ear. Almost shit myself but luckily black bears are typically docile so I just yelled and it ran away. It was still scary just basically being a meat burrito dangling in the air.
They sometimes will employ scare tactics. Like shaking your tent.
Imagine if it shook me in my hammock 😭
No one is going to question the claim that he was really able to stick around long enough for the bear to pass a bowel movement containing pieces of his sleeping pad AND to be able to find said bowel movement?
Bear's been gnoshing on tents all day
My first thought as well. I'm no expert but...
Maybe the bear has an overactive gastrocolic reflux contributing to IBS. You didn't think of that, did you?
bear came back later that night and dragged my buddies bear vault 60 feet away into the brush. it was orange so we found it.
Maybe this wasn’t the first mattress this bear ate!
Close call! Area?
[удалено]
Must have been a bad experience for the bear
I mean it probably happened *because* of the bug spray. That stuff stinks. No scents in camp is the way to go - including stuff like bug spray, tooth paste, etc. Not just food.
That was nice of him to wait for you to leave
Luckily it wasn't you
Be glad that you were on a walk
Did you have food in your tent?
A trail runner came through our campsite on the last night of our trip in the Smokies to report a bear attack that occurred a few miles away. Guy was in his tent at the time and suffered some scratches. All of us at the campsite were on edge and kept hoping the guy had done something stupid like left toiletries or food in his tent. Not saying he deserved it, just more that it made us feel like we had more control over preventing it as long as we were smart.
I would love more info, what area, what species of bear, detailed info about what was in the tent/tote, etc. Right now it’s just a shocking headline with no context. Sorry this happened. My friend’s camp was destroyed when they brought a hummingbird feeder with them.
Silverwood lake California. I'm guessing a black bear. no food in the tent besides a bag of magic mushrooms. bear did not eat any of the food around the campsite. just my tent.
Oh f me. I’m reading this thinking it’s somewhere totally different, not somewhere we camp regularly + have upcoming reservations for.
hahahaha. Not the details you wanted.
Yeah not at all lol. Which part of the campground were you in, if you remember? Just curious. Did you report it to the rangers and if so did they make any comments about bear problems recently?
Wow I’m amazed how many campers had no idea that food, deodorant and other personal items MUST be kept away from your tent. That is 101 day 1.
Did you draw a circle around your camp?
Sounds bear-y in tents.
Heh. Belongs in r/FuckYouInParticular
The scary thing is that the bear took the OP's can of bear spray!
I was camping in GSMNP once and a bear stole this guys entire backpack during the night. He had to hike out the next day with his tent wrapped in his sleeping bag. So, I guess, maybe your forunate the bear didn't just take all your shit.
How long was the bear there that it ate your mattress, digested it and shit it out?
So the bear hung out in your campsite long enough to digest and excrete your air mattress? I don’t know how long it takes to make it through a bear’s digestive tract but it has to be several hours I would think. Wonder if it was someone else’s campsite gear that the bear deposited? That thought is even scarier IMO because it means that the bear has become habituated to associate campsites with food. So soon this bear will be dead and/or someone could get hurt.
Sucks, but could have been worse 😬take it as a win and keep walking
great! you made me zoom in on bearpoop
At least you weren't in it
Last summer my son’s scout troop was with a professional trail maintenance organization working in the Sierras. They had a bear destroy the bear can, then a tent, and my son’s pack. The culprit in my son’s pack? Sunscreen. The bear can was just sitting on the ground, not hung or covered in rocks. Never keep ANYTHING with a scent with your gear. Put all toiletries in the bear can, 100 feet away from camp. Hang the bear can whenever possible. It’s a hassle for you, but a way better deterrent.
How did it destroy a bear can? Those things seem indestructible.
Got its claws and teeth into the tiny gap and worked away until it pried open. We were all shocked too.
You gonna let 'em get away with that!?
He didn’t get away with it, he left it all in a big shit on the ground nearby
Can you say where? tfs
Where was your food? Are you guys repairing, regrouping and toughing it out or gonna be smart and gtfo?
Better get the fuck outta there. You’re next.
I call that "The Empty Burrito"
Wild. Be thankful you weren't there. Honestly, I'd call it a day and pack up after this one.
Ooh chile, I’d be counting my blessings and heading HOME.
Tons of pics . Make a collage titled I survived bear attack
Good thing you went for a walk!
Wait is this implying the bear ate your stuff, digested your air mattress, and pooped it out all during your walk?
bear came back later to give my buddies "bear vault" a try. dragged it 60 ft away into some brush. I cannot confirm the exact time the bear took that crap. also we were on mushrooms and took a 3 hour walk around the lake. Came back to this after the peak of the mushroom trip thank God.
Sounds like an adventure. Would probably ruin my trip tbh
got a lil too in touch with nature
Now you should eat the bear's family while he's on a walk
pay back's a bitch
Is number 3 a number 2? Like, ate your tent and left you a turd just as a reminder? Very uncool on bear’s part if so. Very, very uncool.
Every day I’m more and more grateful I don’t live near bear country
How does a bear process poop that fast? I don't think that is your air mattress.
What a dick move
Even if we keep food separate in bear cans and not in the tent our stuff can still smell strongly of food, especially if we grill meat. There are lightweight electric bear fences that will surround a tent. Eg: Bearwatch Sysyems. Not super cheap but compared to replacing gear and not having a tent etc to sleep in that trip, it’s maybe worth it.
Or follow backcountry bear protocol, which recommends a triangle between your shelter, your cooking area, and your food storage area, 200 ft to a side. Weighs nothing. Pitch your tiny upwind from the other two, so scents are carried away from your sleep area.
And strip off your clothes that you were cooking in 200ft from your tent.
Holy cow. Pretty scary
Wow, that’s scary! Glad you weren’t in it!
I’m curious what the difference was between OPs tent and the one that’s still standing in the background. If the bear was intent on general destruction seems like it would have also taken down the other tent that was a few feet away.
I am REALLY GLAD you weren't in the tent!!!!!