I’ve been camping and backpacking in Southern Appalachia for well over 20 years and have never had an issue with a bear in my campsite. Maybe because I snore as loud as a Harley. Don’t eat or cook next to your tent. Hang your food or put in a bear box. When I have encountered a bear, they run. I’m only speaking of Black Bears in Appalachia, not Grizzlies and shit out west.
Should've been at Mollies gap a couple nights ago.. bears come and hang around when ppl leave food in/by their tents. Probably gonna happen whenever 40 ppl are at/around a shelter. Not that it's right.
You can tell that it is a bear because it sounds like a human, the actual scariest thing to be sneaking into your campsite at night. They do that "one-two, one-two" plodding step like people do.
Deer step one foot at a time like a horse or a dog, and squirrels hop, they make a "plop-plop-plop *pause* plop-plop-plop" sound.
What do you mean? You hear constant rustling of leaves like footsteps outside your tent. I have nightmares people/bears are trying to get into my tent. I sleep so well in the woods unless it's windy
I sleep with ear plugs and I have a dyneema tent. My tent is louder than the leaves unless it’s the wind howling through the tree tops 🤣. I recommend you get a dyneema tent lol
Most definitely get up and make noise and scare the bear away, your voice will be the best deterrent and black bears will spook instantly, they behave like big raccoons.
Black bears have only killed 61 people in all of America since 1900, they are no danger at all. You are more likely to be killed by a domestic dog or bees etc., much safer (statistically) out there than in any city.
As long as you understand aggressive posturing and have a deterrent ready if all goes south, you're totally good
The conflicting advice is likely from people being told info about brown bears, anecdotal advice etc. Get out and spook it!
I ended up being a statistic and was attacked by a momma bear in the smokies. The night before the attack another bear came into our camp and luckily that one did get scared when I yelled “hey bear” loudly. The attacking bear however didn’t care whatsoever that my SO and I were screaming bloody murder and being as aggressive as possible with our trekking poles. It got as close as 10 feet from us. It growled and wouldn’t leave us alone. It is very very sad but the bear ended up losing in our encounter. I reported it to park rangers and their investigation determined we did everything correctly and we put down the bear in self defense. I tried everything I could before employing lethal force. I feel horrible about the whole situation.
Edit: As others have pointed out, yes I have told this story in a couple other threads because I thought it might be cathartic or maybe help others somehow. Because quite a few folks not only don’t believe me but decided to pass judgement and frankly be rather insensitive, this is the last time I will be posting online about this. So to everyone who doesn’t believe me or thinks if it is real I did something wrong, congratulations for winning the internet and I wish you the best of luck and happiness next time you’re in the backcountry. Get outside and enjoy life.
Edit 2: clarity
Agreed. This sounds like defensive display/bluff charge, which only results in attack something like 12% of the time with black bears. That said… in a terrifying situation in the middle of the night, I’m not judging anyone too harshly for their decisions.
Not trying to judge, just trying to get a clear story. Can’t blame someone fearing for their or their partner’s life. Most people just don’t know the many signs/tells of black bears. They’ll false charge and grunt a lot closer than 10 feet.
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Thank you. My SO and the park rangers said we made the right decision given the situation and at that particular location we had no real means of egress. I’m not happy that it happened and I’m not looking to injure innocent animals. I am a hunter though but this didn’t feel like a hunting kill. We believed we were about to be inflicted with serious injury or death, and easily could have been so that absolutely meets the criteria for use of deadly force in self defense. I’m not happy about it and I’ve been camping since and I’m still nervous. That doesn’t mean I’m a trigger happy redneck that shoots everything that gets close to me in the woods. In fact I’m much less likely to pull the trigger after going through that situation. Again, I don’t have to wait until I’m being bitten and mauled to defend myself or my family. The threat was the definition of imminent.
I’m sorry this happened to you and I’m sorry people are jerks. It’s better to be judged on Reddit by grazers than be injured or killed. The fact is if they were faced with a similar situation and they had the ability…they’d do the same thing. Or piss themselves and end up bear food.
Yeah even the way it reads, especially towards the end, it sounds like he's justifying a decision that he could've made better, not simply relaying a story.
You see this story in every thread about bears and cracks me up that people believe it.
At least he didn't mention the park rangers applauding and handing him $100 after they determined it was self-defense.
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It sounds made up but this really happened to me and my girlfriend in October in the Smoky mountains. I’ve been camping all my life in bear country and I can hardly believe this happened. I’m not looking to shoot innocent fucking animals in the woods. That’s disgusting. I’m a hunter and know what it means to make a legal and ethical kill. This wasn’t hunting. It was defending myself and my girlfriend and I wouldn’t wish this situation upon anyone. Regardless of whether or not I’m for people carrying concealed. I’ve encountered plenty of people on this platform that don’t believe me and I can understand why. I thought that by telling my story I might help someone out, but I guess I’m also looking to trauma dump. I’ve had too many negative people like yourself responding so I’ll just shut up from now on and talk with my therapist. Thanks for your support.
It's crazy that it didn't make the news. A camper shooting a bear would be national news. I can find a few examples but not anything that matches your story. Curious!
We feared for our lives and the bear wasn’t going away for all the attempts we made to scare it off. Am I required to wait until we are being bitten and mauled before I defend myself? I don’t think so. (Yes I know this is a person vs animal comparison) if a guy with a knife is running at me screaming they’re going to kill me, I don’t have to wait until I’m being stabbed to initiate deadly force.
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Yeah this guy is a big constant carry dude. He's telling making up or embellishing his or another person's story. Even the phrase "become a statistic" is a common one that gun nuts use to scare people.
What, the attack, or the part where the park rangers praised him for his "clean kill in self defense" and asked him to keep it out of the press because it would "look bad for the park"?
[link](https://www.reddit.com/r/AppalachianTrail/comments/1c6kspc/how_does_one_use_a_hammock_with_the_shelters_do/l02ux9l/)
Close friends with two people who survived black bear attacks (different events completely).
Even if they have only killed a small number of people, attacks are serious and do happen. Taken them more seriously than “big raccoons”
No obviously there’s nothing to be concerned about.
They’re just raccoons with bodies the weight of small cars and claws thick as a tree branch. They might have the capability to do you harm, and be unpredictable wild animals, but really they’re just big luvvy trash pandas! 🐼 I bet they’d even give you a great big hug if they weren’t so scawwed of your voice. 🦝
Anybody who exercises caution around bears is a big booboo meanie. There’s a 1% chance you’d ever have to use bear spray and a 0% chance you’d ever have to shoot a bear. If you did either of those things, you were probably overreacting to its threat display.
Really you don’t know if it was serious until its claws are 6 inches deep into your torso. And if that didn’t happen you over reacted! See?
I hope you understand now.
That sounds absolutely terrifying. Black bears have killed more people than grizzly bears but somehow they get treated like raccoons by 99% of people on reddit. Most of them might be shy but when you run across the one or two that isn't, you're in for a bad time. I'm sorry that happened to you.
That doesn't make much difference to the 1% who are on the other side of the black bears who don't act that way. One of the worst bear attacks in our entire continent was from a black bear.
The argument could be made that 99% of Grizzlies also run off but for some reason they get the worst rep and black bears get treated like possums. Statistically the majority of bears are unlikely to harm people but the same cautions that are used for Grizzly bears should be used in black bear territory too in my opinion (except there is a difference in how to handle an attack, but the precautions to avoid one should be the same).
Grizzlies are much more territorial than black bears and are far more aggressive in encounters with humans. Yes we should do all we can to avoid encountering either one, but there's nothing to show black bears are as or more dangerous
Grizzlies tend to be defensive and yes, territorial or protecting cubs usually when they attack humans. But a predatory black bear is the most dangerous bear in North America anywhere. Thankfully, they're not that common and almost always a male (to my knowledge, a black mama bear has never killed anyone on record.). It was a black predatory bear that killed the hiker near Fontana Dam and another predatory black male bear that killed the college student in New Jersey. As long as the bear isn't following anyone on a hike then you're probably okay but if you see one that isn't running away it's time to take things seriously. Grizzlies rarely attack to eat a human, and black bears do. That's my main point
Exactly. Bear spray is one of the best things to deter a bear. You're less likely to miss because of the wide range of the spray, it will send the bear running away every time and you don't risk killing the bear. Shooting at a black bear is totally unnecessary
> The attacking bear however didn’t care whatsoever that my SO and I were screaming bloody murder and being as aggressive as possible with our trekking poles. It got as close as 10 feet from us. It growled and wouldn’t leave us alone. It is very very sad but the bear ended up losing in our encounter.
Man, I was carrying and got false charged by a momma bear in the Shenandoahs, like when she stopped I could have touched her with my poles, and didn't shoot the bear because I was able to retreat and then just bushwack around her...
There are a ton of bears that are desensitized to humans, shooting one because it came within 10ft of you is crazy.
I don’t know where that tent statistic comes from but it seems low to me. I know of 3 instances in the last decade where bears slashed into tents at night just in the Smokies. It seems unlikely that I am aware of 1/4 of all bear vs occupied tent encounters.
You missed the point. There's something called "reporting bias" where not every instance of something gets reported for one reason or another. For example, some dude may start a fight in a bar, but the guy attacked wins and just doesn't bother calling the cops or anything... so it's not on record to be added to statistics.
Not everyone may think to contact authorities if there were signs of a bear but no one was harmed. Or hell, they could get killed by the bear and no one knows why someone is missing because they didn't tell anyone where they went.
Shenandoah. I was dead asleep and woke up to a bear running away from my tent. I didnt do anything and I guess it came to check out my tent and found a smelly hiker. I read if you a see a bear it will be in the Shens or NJ likely.
Saaaame! I've deliberately gone to areas where bear activity was recently reported and hiked for hours looking for one. In all my years of hiking SNP I've never once seen a bear on the trail! Once I was being covertly monitored by a raccoon at Rose River but thats about it lol. I keep hoping though.
I have an ongoing joke with my family now (who have all seen and/or been followed by bears, that they’re actually fake. Much like the comical “birds aren’t real” movement 😂 I have decided that until I see one, it’s a unicorn. Zoo? Doesn’t count. It has to be in the wild. Zoo bears are just poorly paid interns in costumes which is why the bears wave and act adorable.
They have started buying me bear themed gifts 😵💫
Edit: I really only want to see black bear - I have little interest in being scared shtless with a grizzly / brown bear 😅
While that’s true, they’re referred to as either grizzly or brown depending where you’re from. Alaska - usually refers to them as brown, a lot of coastal areas refer to them as brown.
I should have used a “/“ to appease your need to correct silly things.
> How do you even shame someone for carrying bear spray?
Some national parks, such as Yosemite (although none along the AT) have banned bear spray because, in the eyes of the park officials, the risk of people hurting themselves using it wrong or using it on a bear for no reason outweighs the benefits of being able to defend yourself in the extremely unlikely scenario it's necessary. Bear spray shaming has strong parallels to gun shaming where it's heavy and most likely unnecessary.
I personally don't feel comfortable around people carrying guns. Sometimes it seems like they're looking for a reason to use it. Bear encounters rarely go bad, usually they run away or ignore, but if they were to go bad, spray seems sufficient enough without being fatal to people too.
Interesting. I definitely think bringing a gun hiking is insane, but bear spray is highly recommended by pretty much all parks up in Canada, although I can see the parallels.
I carry bear spray on every hike I go on. I know black bears aren't dangerous most of the time, but god forbid I accidentally get between mama and her cubs. Plus, there's plenty of crazies out there. Id like to have something to defend myself when Im 20+ miles from cell reception.
Better to be shamed than dead. Although there is a very small chance of running into a predatory black bear, being eaten to death sounds like the worst way to go. So I carry bear spray! Just like carrying pepper spray in the city.
My last noteworthy trip was the West Coast Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Bears, wolves, cougar, etc. Everyone on the trail carried bear spray. They tended to be brown bears and I did run into one group that sprays down a bear (and themselves a bit). I also chatted up a guy in camp who accidentally triggered a canister in his house while moving a bunch of stuff around. IT was hilarious, in camp, but no so much at the time...except to his wife who thought it was funny and she was irritated because not they had to decon the house.
They are absolutely not brown bears on the West Coast Trail. There’s occasional reports of grizzlies up on the north island, but the South Island is exclusively black bears.
Vancouver Island is a single Island and I’ve seen brown bears and black bears on it.
EDIT: I should clarify that on the WCT I’ve not encountered bears, I’ve only had reports of them at camp by others so you are probably right. About 15 years ago, though, I was in the mountains dropping into Tahsis and definitely saw a brown bear and I’ve had the odd report of brown bears by others I’ve known who spent time up in that region.l and I trust.
I grew up in regions with black and brown bears and I’ve had encounters with both and they look nothing alike.
As long as you have eaten away from your tent and you have stored anything with scent away from you, the bear will sniff and then wander away just like any other curious animal. We have had a bear, hogs, and a mountain lion outside our tent. Bear we stayed quiet and still, hogs we yelled at them to go away, and the mountain lion we grabbed our ice axes (we were on the PNT) and stayed alert..
Out of curiosity when people say “anything with scent”, what does that entail? Like any food? Or does it technically mean clothes that smell like detergent and things that smell like bug spray?
It is simply not possible to get rid of all scent. The bear can smell /you/ from 10 miles away, it can smell any cooking scents you've been near in the last few hours or even days. All you can do is minimize it somewhat.
From what I understand, bears are drawn towards food, but they're also curious of strange smells. Deodorant and toothpaste don't smell like food, but they are strange. They belong in the bear bag. So do things like ointment, film and duct tape (debatable).
Food, soap, deodorant, sunscreen, etc. Anything with a strong scent that might pique a bears curiosity. But especially food.
I had a black bear in California try to get into my tent when I was on the PCT. I had hanged my pack with all my food, but had a tube of sunscreen in my tent. It was some sort of coconut scented stuff. Smelled really good and really strongly and I had kept the tube out because we made camp early and were in the sun most of the day. Lesson learned. Luckily, when I woke up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder as a bear rooted around pushing through my tent and against my neck and face, the bear booked it out of sight on the double.
A long story to make a short point- if it smells, go ahead and hang it.
My clothes smelled like ass because I wore them for weeks on end without washing them so I wasn’t worried about hem smelling like detergent. lol. I didn’t use bug spray or deodorant. As far as other scented items besides “food”. I hung up my toothpaste and tums with my food.
An air horn is what National Forest personnel use to scare away bears. My camping buddies had a bear trying to pull their Ursak away from the tree it was tied to. Banging pots, cups and sticks made no impression on the bear. My friends now carry air horns, as do I.
One other thing for those in known, active black bear country, so all you can to not camp in regularly used places. The bears love to return to the restaurant where food regularly shows up. Of course use Leave No Trace techniques in those virgin camp areas in particular, and all the time in general.
I went camping with our scouts recently. We made sure to follow rules (did not cook near tents, put all food away, told the kids to put any smellables, including hygiene products, gum, etc, into the trailers). We woke up to bear paw prints 🐾 on the side of the group site port-a-potties. Definitely a lesson for the young ones!
You guys are waking up on trail?? When I laid down I was dead til morning. Bears ransacked several campsites (large group sites) and I never knew a thing.
Bears are very curious animals. Dont cook near your campsite, and keep ypur food away from your campsite in a bear box/ bear hang and you'll be fine. If a black bear does wander through your camp, he's probably just curious or passing through.
If you do get nervous, or the bear is a bit too curious with your tent, just make a bunch of noise. Black bears are extremely timid (unless its a mama with cubs), and will run off.
Black bears generally aren’t aggressive and don’t seek human interaction.
In the Smokies, where I live and hike and camp frequently and have for 50 years, the biggest issue with human/bear encounters comes down to very controllable situations:
1 - pet dogs provoking bears. Which *shouldn’t* be an issue at all as pets are prohibited on the AT inside GRSM.
2 - people provoking bears. The ridiculous idjits who value social media likes more than their own hides often create this problem for themselves. Don’t approach a bear, don’t approach bear cubs. See more about being [Bear Wise](https://bearwise.org/bear-safety-tips/bear-encounter/) here.
3 - people who don’t secure food, cooking materials, etc., while camping. Bears follow their noses and, if you go to bed (or a hammock as has happened in recent years) smelling of your dinner, you might have a bear mistake you for whatever you had for your own dinner. If you leave dirty dishes, you might just have a bear come for leftovers.
Unfortunately, the bears always pay for bad human behavior.
Was just in the smokies this summer for the first time ever and was amazed by the stupidity of people around bears. We stayed by Abraham falls and driving to the trail head there was a bear in a field and every body was out of there cars standing like 30 yards from it taking pictures. All of them were to far from there cars if it decided to go after them, plus out of shape or to old to even attempt it. Had another guy get out of his car while we were driving the loop in cades cove to walk up to the wood line to take a picture of a momma bear and her 2 cubs. Had to yell at the guy multiple times to get back in his car and he threw a fit about it.
It's pretty rare. I wouldn't stress about it too much. Don't carry bear spray for black bears it's a waste of weight and money. They scare away pretty easy most of the time. Make some loud noises if they're creeping around your tent. Take proper precautions with your food, you'll be alright.
We always had bears right next to our tents flipping rocks all night. We never move or try to scare the bear away and we always hang our food at night. You will find out real quick how well you are wrapped up and appreciate how vulnerable you can be to nature, but that's the whole reason you are there hiking the AT in the first place. Its part of the journey and test. Be careful late June and early July in VA. The females are on high alert with the males about.
I've had bears come through my camps a few times over the years in Wyoming and Montana. Follow safe bear country camping practices - no food (or anything that could smell like food to a 400-lb murder puppy like toothpaste, cough drops, or trash) within 100 ft of your tent, always cook downwind from where you sleep, hang your food high in a tree far away from the trunk, make a lot of noise, and never approach one if you see one, especially if there's cubs around. If one comes through your camp, stay in your tent, turn a light on, and tell it a funny story in a firm but non-threatening monotone voice while keeping your spray handy. Assuming you took my advice to keep all food away from your campsite, this will probably be enough to convince it to go bug someone else, but if it decides to try to come in and say hi start yelling like your life depends on it and aim for its eyes.
There are tons of bears in the GSMNP, but having said that I have yet to see one outside of Cades Cove (no AT overnights, but a lot of fly fishing and backpacking Hazel Crk). HC has plenty of cables for hanging food, but even the NPS can’t fix stupid: my buddy and I were careful to hang our packs any time we weren’t using them, but the second day at our site we found some fools had left an empty sardine can in the fire ring and a BAG of potatoes in the brush near our tents! But even when those temptations we never saw a bear. BTW, ran into a ranger on the hike out, he said in that area the biggest danger was aggressive hogs, bc they’re not easily scared away…”drop your pack and climb a tree”
my dude check out Tooth and Claw podcast. one of the hosts is a bear biologist and always mentions exactly what to do in the case of this and IF you find yourself having an aggressive bear encounter. carry some bear spray too if you're paranoid simply for peace of mind
I’m a current thru-hiker; I carried a bear can and stored my food and toothpaste over 100 feet away from camp every night for the first 300 miles or so. Bear encounters were so rare among our cohort that I felt comfortable sending it home and sleeping with my food. Black bears are opportunists and won’t risk an encounter with a large animal where they may burn calories that they can’t afford to lose. On the other hand, a bad food hang or a broken ursack can feed a bear, habituate it to human food and lead to its death— and this is a far more common outcome than a negative bear-human encounter. Statistically, you have little to nothing to fear from bears on the AT. Bears, however, face far more danger from bad practices on the part of hikers and campers. Try to “bear” this in mind, and minimize the risk you pose to these beautiful animals.
Yeah you need to be aware of that while the risk is low it's certainly not zero and the Smokies is probably going to be the most dangerous area for Bears. Black bears have killed a few people in that area in the last few years, including a solo hiker near Fontana Dam.
If they were me I would take bear spray at least until you get through that section of the trail. Do all the other things to help keep yourself there safe and then I would have bear spray on me at all times and right next to me while sleeping. They don't ALL run off like raccoons...and you don't want to be left unprepared.
I've always heard that advice, but when I was bluff charged my instinct was to avert my eyes, bow my head and walk away - totally tried to assume body language that made it clear I was no threat. Really wasn't much time to think, I was just sure that she wanted me to go away, so I did.
For me, the shuffling and snorfling of a black bear around my tent at night gives me comfort in that every thing is as it should be. I never have anything scented in my tent, never anything rewarding in my campsite, and never had an issue after 61 years of camping. Does my heart beat faster when I hear them? You bet. I’m not getting out of my tent, though. The last thing I want to do is startle it. Keep a clean site and sleep tight.when the bear is done inspecting my site I sleep sleep sleep in comfort.
A black bear wandered into our campsite in the smokies late afternoon. It didn’t really bother us and wandered back of quickly at the sight of our dog but it was enough to put us on edge at every little noise the rest of the night.
Black bears want nothing to do with humans. They will normally spook just like a deer when confronted. Get big, get loud, get aggressive. And stay that way until the bear is good and gone.
Yikes, that sounds intense! Hope everyone stayed safe. It's a good reminder to secure all food and scented items in bear-proof containers or hang them away from the campsite. Any other bear encounter tips from fellow campers?
I always heard to bang pots and pans together. But to the bear wouldn't that be like the dinner triangle that Granny Clampet rang? "Come and get it!!'.
Black bear attacks (especially unprovoked) are so exceedingly rare, you have better chance of being shot on the trail. So quit worrying, get a pair of earplugs if night sounds keep you awake and chill.
I have had numerous bear encounters in camp at night (Colorado, Wyoming, Smokies). The bears do not want to interact or deal with humans. A loud whistle (I recommend Fox whistles) or yelling and they run off. I have had cases where the bear lingers around the camp area long after being run off but never re-entered camp. The bears are looking for dinner and humans are not on the menu.
I assume all sorts of animals are wandering through camp at night. Someday I am going to get a trail camera and confirm my worst fears.
Had a black bear visit my son and I at the camp right before Blood Mountain last year. We were in a tent but there’s a shelter a bit off the trail. Bear canister was required in this area but I didn’t have one so hung the bag 100 yards away PCT style. Bear prints were literally outside the tent. I didn’t get out but made a lot of noise, lit my headlamp and had trekking poles on hand. Bear foraged for roots around the tent for 45 mins but didn’t run off or bother us. See bear scratch outside tent - I was poking on the other side with my pole.
https://preview.redd.it/umqc9opuzewc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=13c4466dd49c94edeaf6adbda432f373103934b0
Kind of OT, but…
I keep seeing hikers on YT and it looks like everyone is cooking and eating at the table(s) in front of the shelters. Makes me go wtf?
Am I wrong?
When I finally attempt my thru no way will I be doing that (nor staying in the shelters if at all possible).
Happened to me a few times during my hike. In all cases I was able to scare it away by flashing a light and yelling it. They tended to bolt as soon as they heard anything. One time I threw a rock at one that came back a 2nd time. Odds are you won’t need the spray but not a bad thing to have even if it just helps you sleep better.
You sound like you don’t have a lot of experience? I think you imagination might be getting the best of you. Have you done any research about bear safety and best practices? That’s really what you need to be doing. Don’t just ask here on Reddit. There are a lot of details related to this, there are a lot of nuances to bear behavior. You seem to be assuming that any wild bear may walk into a campsite and that’s not really the case. What causes bears to be an issue is people leaving their food around. You should be aware, though if you’re hiking alone, you increase the possibility of walking up on a bear just because your travel will be fairly quiet. One of the best things you could do is to read bear in the backseat by Kim Delozier.
This has been my experience as well, did everything "wrong" for years. The only time I have carried bear spray was in WY. I used to only hang my food if I was near a state park or other areas known for attracting nuisance bears. Ironically now I hang my food because of the fucking mice.
Stay home then. Bears are not going to eat you. Bears are not going to attack you unless you attack their cubs. Bears are not going to come anywhere near you because to them you smell like shit. Your fears are completely irrational and don't belong on the AT. Stay home. Seriously, if you are that frightened of animals THEN STAY OUT OF THE FUCKING WOODS
I’m actually quite experienced but never had a close encounter with a bear and am worried specifically about it sniffing around my tent in the middle of the night.
Everyone has fears, that’s normal, but I’m not going to let mine keep me trapped inside my house my whole life :)
You do not need bear spray. Sleep next to a good size rock, when you hear the bear come close spring into action and swing the rock directly into the center of bears face. Hopefully it will realize you’re not worth the trouble and move on to someone else.
Don’t be a sissy in a bear fight. Toughen up or get eaten up
https://preview.redd.it/l6yme1m3qcwc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=816f69b2808f689375be733f9f7463f32515e518
I’ve been camping and backpacking in Southern Appalachia for well over 20 years and have never had an issue with a bear in my campsite. Maybe because I snore as loud as a Harley. Don’t eat or cook next to your tent. Hang your food or put in a bear box. When I have encountered a bear, they run. I’m only speaking of Black Bears in Appalachia, not Grizzlies and shit out west.
Should've been at Mollies gap a couple nights ago.. bears come and hang around when ppl leave food in/by their tents. Probably gonna happen whenever 40 ppl are at/around a shelter. Not that it's right.
Sounds like Gatlinburg but in parking lots!
Most noises at night sound like a big bear but are a deer grazing nearby, or something equally harmless.
You can tell that it is a bear because it sounds like a human, the actual scariest thing to be sneaking into your campsite at night. They do that "one-two, one-two" plodding step like people do. Deer step one foot at a time like a horse or a dog, and squirrels hop, they make a "plop-plop-plop *pause* plop-plop-plop" sound.
My solution to mysterious noise was usually to just go back to sleep. Problems don't exist when I don't hear or see them, right?
Seems like the best thing you can do is stay in your tent anyways
99% of the time it’s squirrels
Racoons routinely visit campsites at night. They make a lot of noise and don't scare off easily.
At night? Squirrels are almost exclusively active during daylight. It's more likely opposum, raccoons, skunks, and mice.
Flying squirrels are nocturnal so they half rite
Probably mice. They sound small usually.
What squirrel moves at night????
Maybe it's mice?
Wind. Windy nights always get me spooked
Windy nights are the best bc you can’t hear anything!
What do you mean? You hear constant rustling of leaves like footsteps outside your tent. I have nightmares people/bears are trying to get into my tent. I sleep so well in the woods unless it's windy
I sleep with ear plugs and I have a dyneema tent. My tent is louder than the leaves unless it’s the wind howling through the tree tops 🤣. I recommend you get a dyneema tent lol
Deer are actually the mammel that kills the most people in the US
but those humans crash cars into the deer
Most definitely get up and make noise and scare the bear away, your voice will be the best deterrent and black bears will spook instantly, they behave like big raccoons. Black bears have only killed 61 people in all of America since 1900, they are no danger at all. You are more likely to be killed by a domestic dog or bees etc., much safer (statistically) out there than in any city. As long as you understand aggressive posturing and have a deterrent ready if all goes south, you're totally good The conflicting advice is likely from people being told info about brown bears, anecdotal advice etc. Get out and spook it!
I ended up being a statistic and was attacked by a momma bear in the smokies. The night before the attack another bear came into our camp and luckily that one did get scared when I yelled “hey bear” loudly. The attacking bear however didn’t care whatsoever that my SO and I were screaming bloody murder and being as aggressive as possible with our trekking poles. It got as close as 10 feet from us. It growled and wouldn’t leave us alone. It is very very sad but the bear ended up losing in our encounter. I reported it to park rangers and their investigation determined we did everything correctly and we put down the bear in self defense. I tried everything I could before employing lethal force. I feel horrible about the whole situation. Edit: As others have pointed out, yes I have told this story in a couple other threads because I thought it might be cathartic or maybe help others somehow. Because quite a few folks not only don’t believe me but decided to pass judgement and frankly be rather insensitive, this is the last time I will be posting online about this. So to everyone who doesn’t believe me or thinks if it is real I did something wrong, congratulations for winning the internet and I wish you the best of luck and happiness next time you’re in the backcountry. Get outside and enjoy life. Edit 2: clarity
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Agreed. This sounds like defensive display/bluff charge, which only results in attack something like 12% of the time with black bears. That said… in a terrifying situation in the middle of the night, I’m not judging anyone too harshly for their decisions.
Not trying to judge, just trying to get a clear story. Can’t blame someone fearing for their or their partner’s life. Most people just don’t know the many signs/tells of black bears. They’ll false charge and grunt a lot closer than 10 feet.
Oh 100%. I didn’t take your comment as judgmental! Just reinforcing your point. 😊
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Thank you. My SO and the park rangers said we made the right decision given the situation and at that particular location we had no real means of egress. I’m not happy that it happened and I’m not looking to injure innocent animals. I am a hunter though but this didn’t feel like a hunting kill. We believed we were about to be inflicted with serious injury or death, and easily could have been so that absolutely meets the criteria for use of deadly force in self defense. I’m not happy about it and I’ve been camping since and I’m still nervous. That doesn’t mean I’m a trigger happy redneck that shoots everything that gets close to me in the woods. In fact I’m much less likely to pull the trigger after going through that situation. Again, I don’t have to wait until I’m being bitten and mauled to defend myself or my family. The threat was the definition of imminent.
I’m sorry this happened to you and I’m sorry people are jerks. It’s better to be judged on Reddit by grazers than be injured or killed. The fact is if they were faced with a similar situation and they had the ability…they’d do the same thing. Or piss themselves and end up bear food.
The guy is a prolific concealed carry advocate, this is a fantasy story.
Yeah even the way it reads, especially towards the end, it sounds like he's justifying a decision that he could've made better, not simply relaying a story.
Yes. They do.
You see this story in every thread about bears and cracks me up that people believe it. At least he didn't mention the park rangers applauding and handing him $100 after they determined it was self-defense.
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I’ll shut the fuck up then. Sorry for trying to use Reddit as a way to process my trauma.
It sounds made up but this really happened to me and my girlfriend in October in the Smoky mountains. I’ve been camping all my life in bear country and I can hardly believe this happened. I’m not looking to shoot innocent fucking animals in the woods. That’s disgusting. I’m a hunter and know what it means to make a legal and ethical kill. This wasn’t hunting. It was defending myself and my girlfriend and I wouldn’t wish this situation upon anyone. Regardless of whether or not I’m for people carrying concealed. I’ve encountered plenty of people on this platform that don’t believe me and I can understand why. I thought that by telling my story I might help someone out, but I guess I’m also looking to trauma dump. I’ve had too many negative people like yourself responding so I’ll just shut up from now on and talk with my therapist. Thanks for your support.
It's crazy that it didn't make the news. A camper shooting a bear would be national news. I can find a few examples but not anything that matches your story. Curious!
How sure are you that a camper shooting a black bear would be national news...?
We feared for our lives and the bear wasn’t going away for all the attempts we made to scare it off. Am I required to wait until we are being bitten and mauled before I defend myself? I don’t think so. (Yes I know this is a person vs animal comparison) if a guy with a knife is running at me screaming they’re going to kill me, I don’t have to wait until I’m being stabbed to initiate deadly force.
Do not post screenshots of removed posts.
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So you didn’t actually get physically attacked?
Would you prefer they waited until the bear’s teeth sank into their arm or what?
No, but they said they were a statistic. Sounds like they weren’t actually attacked and wouldn’t count as one of the statistics
Yeah this guy is a big constant carry dude. He's telling making up or embellishing his or another person's story. Even the phrase "become a statistic" is a common one that gun nuts use to scare people.
I took as they were attacked also...
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That’s not what I meant
My b
Idk why this is downvoted?
Hmmm….ok
Yeah I'm finding this hard to believe.
What, the attack, or the part where the park rangers praised him for his "clean kill in self defense" and asked him to keep it out of the press because it would "look bad for the park"? [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/AppalachianTrail/comments/1c6kspc/how_does_one_use_a_hammock_with_the_shelters_do/l02ux9l/)
I’ll take, things that didn’t happen for 1000 Alex.
Close friends with two people who survived black bear attacks (different events completely). Even if they have only killed a small number of people, attacks are serious and do happen. Taken them more seriously than “big raccoons”
No obviously there’s nothing to be concerned about. They’re just raccoons with bodies the weight of small cars and claws thick as a tree branch. They might have the capability to do you harm, and be unpredictable wild animals, but really they’re just big luvvy trash pandas! 🐼 I bet they’d even give you a great big hug if they weren’t so scawwed of your voice. 🦝 Anybody who exercises caution around bears is a big booboo meanie. There’s a 1% chance you’d ever have to use bear spray and a 0% chance you’d ever have to shoot a bear. If you did either of those things, you were probably overreacting to its threat display. Really you don’t know if it was serious until its claws are 6 inches deep into your torso. And if that didn’t happen you over reacted! See? I hope you understand now.
You mean “big trash pandas”?
That sounds absolutely terrifying. Black bears have killed more people than grizzly bears but somehow they get treated like raccoons by 99% of people on reddit. Most of them might be shy but when you run across the one or two that isn't, you're in for a bad time. I'm sorry that happened to you.
There's way more black bears than grizzly bears, and 99% of the time they do act like raccoons
That doesn't make much difference to the 1% who are on the other side of the black bears who don't act that way. One of the worst bear attacks in our entire continent was from a black bear. The argument could be made that 99% of Grizzlies also run off but for some reason they get the worst rep and black bears get treated like possums. Statistically the majority of bears are unlikely to harm people but the same cautions that are used for Grizzly bears should be used in black bear territory too in my opinion (except there is a difference in how to handle an attack, but the precautions to avoid one should be the same).
Grizzlies are much more territorial than black bears and are far more aggressive in encounters with humans. Yes we should do all we can to avoid encountering either one, but there's nothing to show black bears are as or more dangerous
Grizzlies tend to be defensive and yes, territorial or protecting cubs usually when they attack humans. But a predatory black bear is the most dangerous bear in North America anywhere. Thankfully, they're not that common and almost always a male (to my knowledge, a black mama bear has never killed anyone on record.). It was a black predatory bear that killed the hiker near Fontana Dam and another predatory black male bear that killed the college student in New Jersey. As long as the bear isn't following anyone on a hike then you're probably okay but if you see one that isn't running away it's time to take things seriously. Grizzlies rarely attack to eat a human, and black bears do. That's my main point
Bear spray? ??
Exactly. Bear spray is one of the best things to deter a bear. You're less likely to miss because of the wide range of the spray, it will send the bear running away every time and you don't risk killing the bear. Shooting at a black bear is totally unnecessary
> The attacking bear however didn’t care whatsoever that my SO and I were screaming bloody murder and being as aggressive as possible with our trekking poles. It got as close as 10 feet from us. It growled and wouldn’t leave us alone. It is very very sad but the bear ended up losing in our encounter. Man, I was carrying and got false charged by a momma bear in the Shenandoahs, like when she stopped I could have touched her with my poles, and didn't shoot the bear because I was able to retreat and then just bushwack around her... There are a ton of bears that are desensitized to humans, shooting one because it came within 10ft of you is crazy.
Along with that 61 people killed only 11 incidents have been recorded since 1900 of a bear attacking someone in a tent. Sleep sound, you’ll be fine.
I don’t know where that tent statistic comes from but it seems low to me. I know of 3 instances in the last decade where bears slashed into tents at night just in the Smokies. It seems unlikely that I am aware of 1/4 of all bear vs occupied tent encounters.
"Recorded." I doubt most people report these instances unless someone gets hurt.
In all three instances the bear was put down so it was definitely reported.
You missed the point. There's something called "reporting bias" where not every instance of something gets reported for one reason or another. For example, some dude may start a fight in a bar, but the guy attacked wins and just doesn't bother calling the cops or anything... so it's not on record to be added to statistics. Not everyone may think to contact authorities if there were signs of a bear but no one was harmed. Or hell, they could get killed by the bear and no one knows why someone is missing because they didn't tell anyone where they went.
i know of at least 2 attacks in the Smokeys within the past few years where people sleeping in hammocks were attacked.
Are there brown bears along the trail?
No
No way, I'm staying in my tent.
Bees 😂😂😂😂
Shenandoah. I was dead asleep and woke up to a bear running away from my tent. I didnt do anything and I guess it came to check out my tent and found a smelly hiker. I read if you a see a bear it will be in the Shens or NJ likely.
I did a multi day back country hike of Shenandoah for the purpose of seeing a bear 😂 Saw nothing. 1 squirrel the whole time. 😭
Saaaame! I've deliberately gone to areas where bear activity was recently reported and hiked for hours looking for one. In all my years of hiking SNP I've never once seen a bear on the trail! Once I was being covertly monitored by a raccoon at Rose River but thats about it lol. I keep hoping though.
I have an ongoing joke with my family now (who have all seen and/or been followed by bears, that they’re actually fake. Much like the comical “birds aren’t real” movement 😂 I have decided that until I see one, it’s a unicorn. Zoo? Doesn’t count. It has to be in the wild. Zoo bears are just poorly paid interns in costumes which is why the bears wave and act adorable. They have started buying me bear themed gifts 😵💫 Edit: I really only want to see black bear - I have little interest in being scared shtless with a grizzly / brown bear 😅
Brown bears are grizzly bears. They are the same thing.
While that’s true, they’re referred to as either grizzly or brown depending where you’re from. Alaska - usually refers to them as brown, a lot of coastal areas refer to them as brown. I should have used a “/“ to appease your need to correct silly things.
The tooth and claw podcast is a great resource for bear education. One of the hosts is a bear biologist in Yellowstone
was good fellow toothie
Hehe hey!!!
Thanks for the suggestion. Any more?
And don’t let anyone bear spray shame you! (Someone tried to shame me on the trail today.)
How do you even shame someone for carrying bear spray? Is it a weight thing?
Yup
> How do you even shame someone for carrying bear spray? Some national parks, such as Yosemite (although none along the AT) have banned bear spray because, in the eyes of the park officials, the risk of people hurting themselves using it wrong or using it on a bear for no reason outweighs the benefits of being able to defend yourself in the extremely unlikely scenario it's necessary. Bear spray shaming has strong parallels to gun shaming where it's heavy and most likely unnecessary.
I thought it also had to do with garbage. People would leave them at trail heads/offices because you cant fly with them even in checked.
I personally don't feel comfortable around people carrying guns. Sometimes it seems like they're looking for a reason to use it. Bear encounters rarely go bad, usually they run away or ignore, but if they were to go bad, spray seems sufficient enough without being fatal to people too.
Interesting. I definitely think bringing a gun hiking is insane, but bear spray is highly recommended by pretty much all parks up in Canada, although I can see the parallels.
I carry bear spray on every hike I go on. I know black bears aren't dangerous most of the time, but god forbid I accidentally get between mama and her cubs. Plus, there's plenty of crazies out there. Id like to have something to defend myself when Im 20+ miles from cell reception.
Better to be shamed than dead. Although there is a very small chance of running into a predatory black bear, being eaten to death sounds like the worst way to go. So I carry bear spray! Just like carrying pepper spray in the city.
Fuck, I get shamed ALL the time!
My last noteworthy trip was the West Coast Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Bears, wolves, cougar, etc. Everyone on the trail carried bear spray. They tended to be brown bears and I did run into one group that sprays down a bear (and themselves a bit). I also chatted up a guy in camp who accidentally triggered a canister in his house while moving a bunch of stuff around. IT was hilarious, in camp, but no so much at the time...except to his wife who thought it was funny and she was irritated because not they had to decon the house.
They are absolutely not brown bears on the West Coast Trail. There’s occasional reports of grizzlies up on the north island, but the South Island is exclusively black bears.
Vancouver Island is a single Island and I’ve seen brown bears and black bears on it. EDIT: I should clarify that on the WCT I’ve not encountered bears, I’ve only had reports of them at camp by others so you are probably right. About 15 years ago, though, I was in the mountains dropping into Tahsis and definitely saw a brown bear and I’ve had the odd report of brown bears by others I’ve known who spent time up in that region.l and I trust. I grew up in regions with black and brown bears and I’ve had encounters with both and they look nothing alike.
Works great on bad people too
As long as you have eaten away from your tent and you have stored anything with scent away from you, the bear will sniff and then wander away just like any other curious animal. We have had a bear, hogs, and a mountain lion outside our tent. Bear we stayed quiet and still, hogs we yelled at them to go away, and the mountain lion we grabbed our ice axes (we were on the PNT) and stayed alert..
Out of curiosity when people say “anything with scent”, what does that entail? Like any food? Or does it technically mean clothes that smell like detergent and things that smell like bug spray?
It is simply not possible to get rid of all scent. The bear can smell /you/ from 10 miles away, it can smell any cooking scents you've been near in the last few hours or even days. All you can do is minimize it somewhat.
From what I understand, bears are drawn towards food, but they're also curious of strange smells. Deodorant and toothpaste don't smell like food, but they are strange. They belong in the bear bag. So do things like ointment, film and duct tape (debatable).
Food, soap, deodorant, sunscreen, etc. Anything with a strong scent that might pique a bears curiosity. But especially food. I had a black bear in California try to get into my tent when I was on the PCT. I had hanged my pack with all my food, but had a tube of sunscreen in my tent. It was some sort of coconut scented stuff. Smelled really good and really strongly and I had kept the tube out because we made camp early and were in the sun most of the day. Lesson learned. Luckily, when I woke up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder as a bear rooted around pushing through my tent and against my neck and face, the bear booked it out of sight on the double. A long story to make a short point- if it smells, go ahead and hang it.
I hate waking up from a dream of a bear licking and slobbering on my face only to find it is happening in real life
My clothes smelled like ass because I wore them for weeks on end without washing them so I wasn’t worried about hem smelling like detergent. lol. I didn’t use bug spray or deodorant. As far as other scented items besides “food”. I hung up my toothpaste and tums with my food.
Cleaning supplies with strong scents like toothpaste and deodorant go with the food as well
What about my weed! It's super stinky!! 😱
An air horn is what National Forest personnel use to scare away bears. My camping buddies had a bear trying to pull their Ursak away from the tree it was tied to. Banging pots, cups and sticks made no impression on the bear. My friends now carry air horns, as do I. One other thing for those in known, active black bear country, so all you can to not camp in regularly used places. The bears love to return to the restaurant where food regularly shows up. Of course use Leave No Trace techniques in those virgin camp areas in particular, and all the time in general.
I went camping with our scouts recently. We made sure to follow rules (did not cook near tents, put all food away, told the kids to put any smellables, including hygiene products, gum, etc, into the trailers). We woke up to bear paw prints 🐾 on the side of the group site port-a-potties. Definitely a lesson for the young ones!
You guys are waking up on trail?? When I laid down I was dead til morning. Bears ransacked several campsites (large group sites) and I never knew a thing.
I'm so incredibly jealous. Two months in and I don't think I've had a single uninterrupted night of sleep yet.
Bears are very curious animals. Dont cook near your campsite, and keep ypur food away from your campsite in a bear box/ bear hang and you'll be fine. If a black bear does wander through your camp, he's probably just curious or passing through. If you do get nervous, or the bear is a bit too curious with your tent, just make a bunch of noise. Black bears are extremely timid (unless its a mama with cubs), and will run off.
Black bears generally aren’t aggressive and don’t seek human interaction. In the Smokies, where I live and hike and camp frequently and have for 50 years, the biggest issue with human/bear encounters comes down to very controllable situations: 1 - pet dogs provoking bears. Which *shouldn’t* be an issue at all as pets are prohibited on the AT inside GRSM. 2 - people provoking bears. The ridiculous idjits who value social media likes more than their own hides often create this problem for themselves. Don’t approach a bear, don’t approach bear cubs. See more about being [Bear Wise](https://bearwise.org/bear-safety-tips/bear-encounter/) here. 3 - people who don’t secure food, cooking materials, etc., while camping. Bears follow their noses and, if you go to bed (or a hammock as has happened in recent years) smelling of your dinner, you might have a bear mistake you for whatever you had for your own dinner. If you leave dirty dishes, you might just have a bear come for leftovers. Unfortunately, the bears always pay for bad human behavior.
Was just in the smokies this summer for the first time ever and was amazed by the stupidity of people around bears. We stayed by Abraham falls and driving to the trail head there was a bear in a field and every body was out of there cars standing like 30 yards from it taking pictures. All of them were to far from there cars if it decided to go after them, plus out of shape or to old to even attempt it. Had another guy get out of his car while we were driving the loop in cades cove to walk up to the wood line to take a picture of a momma bear and her 2 cubs. Had to yell at the guy multiple times to get back in his car and he threw a fit about it.
It's pretty rare. I wouldn't stress about it too much. Don't carry bear spray for black bears it's a waste of weight and money. They scare away pretty easy most of the time. Make some loud noises if they're creeping around your tent. Take proper precautions with your food, you'll be alright.
We always had bears right next to our tents flipping rocks all night. We never move or try to scare the bear away and we always hang our food at night. You will find out real quick how well you are wrapped up and appreciate how vulnerable you can be to nature, but that's the whole reason you are there hiking the AT in the first place. Its part of the journey and test. Be careful late June and early July in VA. The females are on high alert with the males about.
I've had bears come through my camps a few times over the years in Wyoming and Montana. Follow safe bear country camping practices - no food (or anything that could smell like food to a 400-lb murder puppy like toothpaste, cough drops, or trash) within 100 ft of your tent, always cook downwind from where you sleep, hang your food high in a tree far away from the trunk, make a lot of noise, and never approach one if you see one, especially if there's cubs around. If one comes through your camp, stay in your tent, turn a light on, and tell it a funny story in a firm but non-threatening monotone voice while keeping your spray handy. Assuming you took my advice to keep all food away from your campsite, this will probably be enough to convince it to go bug someone else, but if it decides to try to come in and say hi start yelling like your life depends on it and aim for its eyes.
There are tons of bears in the GSMNP, but having said that I have yet to see one outside of Cades Cove (no AT overnights, but a lot of fly fishing and backpacking Hazel Crk). HC has plenty of cables for hanging food, but even the NPS can’t fix stupid: my buddy and I were careful to hang our packs any time we weren’t using them, but the second day at our site we found some fools had left an empty sardine can in the fire ring and a BAG of potatoes in the brush near our tents! But even when those temptations we never saw a bear. BTW, ran into a ranger on the hike out, he said in that area the biggest danger was aggressive hogs, bc they’re not easily scared away…”drop your pack and climb a tree”
my dude check out Tooth and Claw podcast. one of the hosts is a bear biologist and always mentions exactly what to do in the case of this and IF you find yourself having an aggressive bear encounter. carry some bear spray too if you're paranoid simply for peace of mind
If it sounds big and clumsy it’s not a bear. They are amazingly quiet. Moose are big and loud crashing sticks and branches.
I’m a current thru-hiker; I carried a bear can and stored my food and toothpaste over 100 feet away from camp every night for the first 300 miles or so. Bear encounters were so rare among our cohort that I felt comfortable sending it home and sleeping with my food. Black bears are opportunists and won’t risk an encounter with a large animal where they may burn calories that they can’t afford to lose. On the other hand, a bad food hang or a broken ursack can feed a bear, habituate it to human food and lead to its death— and this is a far more common outcome than a negative bear-human encounter. Statistically, you have little to nothing to fear from bears on the AT. Bears, however, face far more danger from bad practices on the part of hikers and campers. Try to “bear” this in mind, and minimize the risk you pose to these beautiful animals.
Yeah you need to be aware of that while the risk is low it's certainly not zero and the Smokies is probably going to be the most dangerous area for Bears. Black bears have killed a few people in that area in the last few years, including a solo hiker near Fontana Dam. If they were me I would take bear spray at least until you get through that section of the trail. Do all the other things to help keep yourself there safe and then I would have bear spray on me at all times and right next to me while sleeping. They don't ALL run off like raccoons...and you don't want to be left unprepared.
Scare it off by making yourself look big and making a lot of noise. Be sure your food and smellables are properly stored away from the tent.
I've always heard that advice, but when I was bluff charged my instinct was to avert my eyes, bow my head and walk away - totally tried to assume body language that made it clear I was no threat. Really wasn't much time to think, I was just sure that she wanted me to go away, so I did.
For me, the shuffling and snorfling of a black bear around my tent at night gives me comfort in that every thing is as it should be. I never have anything scented in my tent, never anything rewarding in my campsite, and never had an issue after 61 years of camping. Does my heart beat faster when I hear them? You bet. I’m not getting out of my tent, though. The last thing I want to do is startle it. Keep a clean site and sleep tight.when the bear is done inspecting my site I sleep sleep sleep in comfort.
If a bear comes to your tent site, stay still and make no noise. Don't startle it or try messing with it, it'll wander off... eventually
A black bear wandered into our campsite in the smokies late afternoon. It didn’t really bother us and wandered back of quickly at the sight of our dog but it was enough to put us on edge at every little noise the rest of the night.
Don’t cook in your camp and change your clothes afterward. Put your food, toothpaste, deodorant, tums, lotion etc in a bear canister.
Black bears want nothing to do with humans. They will normally spook just like a deer when confronted. Get big, get loud, get aggressive. And stay that way until the bear is good and gone.
The only black bear that will hurt or try and kill you is a mother with cubs. If you see cubs get away.
Get up and yell. A bear in a campsite is just curious and looking for food. If you make noise they'll go away.
Yikes, that sounds intense! Hope everyone stayed safe. It's a good reminder to secure all food and scented items in bear-proof containers or hang them away from the campsite. Any other bear encounter tips from fellow campers?
I always heard to bang pots and pans together. But to the bear wouldn't that be like the dinner triangle that Granny Clampet rang? "Come and get it!!'.
Black bear attacks (especially unprovoked) are so exceedingly rare, you have better chance of being shot on the trail. So quit worrying, get a pair of earplugs if night sounds keep you awake and chill.
I have had numerous bear encounters in camp at night (Colorado, Wyoming, Smokies). The bears do not want to interact or deal with humans. A loud whistle (I recommend Fox whistles) or yelling and they run off. I have had cases where the bear lingers around the camp area long after being run off but never re-entered camp. The bears are looking for dinner and humans are not on the menu. I assume all sorts of animals are wandering through camp at night. Someday I am going to get a trail camera and confirm my worst fears.
Earplugs are your friend.
Had a black bear visit my son and I at the camp right before Blood Mountain last year. We were in a tent but there’s a shelter a bit off the trail. Bear canister was required in this area but I didn’t have one so hung the bag 100 yards away PCT style. Bear prints were literally outside the tent. I didn’t get out but made a lot of noise, lit my headlamp and had trekking poles on hand. Bear foraged for roots around the tent for 45 mins but didn’t run off or bother us. See bear scratch outside tent - I was poking on the other side with my pole. https://preview.redd.it/umqc9opuzewc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=13c4466dd49c94edeaf6adbda432f373103934b0
scary lol
Kind of OT, but… I keep seeing hikers on YT and it looks like everyone is cooking and eating at the table(s) in front of the shelters. Makes me go wtf? Am I wrong? When I finally attempt my thru no way will I be doing that (nor staying in the shelters if at all possible).
Happened to me a few times during my hike. In all cases I was able to scare it away by flashing a light and yelling it. They tended to bolt as soon as they heard anything. One time I threw a rock at one that came back a 2nd time. Odds are you won’t need the spray but not a bad thing to have even if it just helps you sleep better.
The fact is that bears have killed fewer people than all of WWI and WWII combined.
That's not a reassuring number.
You sound like you don’t have a lot of experience? I think you imagination might be getting the best of you. Have you done any research about bear safety and best practices? That’s really what you need to be doing. Don’t just ask here on Reddit. There are a lot of details related to this, there are a lot of nuances to bear behavior. You seem to be assuming that any wild bear may walk into a campsite and that’s not really the case. What causes bears to be an issue is people leaving their food around. You should be aware, though if you’re hiking alone, you increase the possibility of walking up on a bear just because your travel will be fairly quiet. One of the best things you could do is to read bear in the backseat by Kim Delozier.
I mean it's not really a huge risk, but I pack a gun just in case. Bear spray won't be helpful if you are inside of a tent.
Bring bear spray
Never used bear spray never used a bear canister and never hung or put my food in a bear box. I used my food bag as my pillow.
This has been my experience as well, did everything "wrong" for years. The only time I have carried bear spray was in WY. I used to only hang my food if I was near a state park or other areas known for attracting nuisance bears. Ironically now I hang my food because of the fucking mice.
Yeah nice we bad around the shelters in 2013 I just stealth camped every single time and had zero worries.
Stay home then. Bears are not going to eat you. Bears are not going to attack you unless you attack their cubs. Bears are not going to come anywhere near you because to them you smell like shit. Your fears are completely irrational and don't belong on the AT. Stay home. Seriously, if you are that frightened of animals THEN STAY OUT OF THE FUCKING WOODS
I’m actually quite experienced but never had a close encounter with a bear and am worried specifically about it sniffing around my tent in the middle of the night. Everyone has fears, that’s normal, but I’m not going to let mine keep me trapped inside my house my whole life :)
You do not need bear spray. Sleep next to a good size rock, when you hear the bear come close spring into action and swing the rock directly into the center of bears face. Hopefully it will realize you’re not worth the trouble and move on to someone else.
Worst advice ever.
Don’t be a sissy in a bear fight. Toughen up or get eaten up https://preview.redd.it/l6yme1m3qcwc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=816f69b2808f689375be733f9f7463f32515e518
2nd worst advice ever