01-08-2012, 08:19 PM
One death ever recorded from black bears in Utah. An 11 year old boy in a tent in American Fork Canyon http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/512302...h.html.csp
I consider black bears generally benign. My dog bumped a cub this past June and the mother was unconcerned as both her cubs climbed a tree. Heres a link to my experience; http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/Utah_...ead#unread
I think the problem comes when campers throw out food and attract the bears to a camp site while they or someone else is there. When I walk through dispersed campsites fishing my dogs frequently pick up the smell and find all kinds of food laying on the ground. Probable happens close to a dozen times a year. In 2009 camping on Boulder Mountain in late May ( drought year/ snow mostly gone) I had my dogs run off a black bear 3 times between 2 and 4 am. I had got there late and didn't even get any food out that night. The next morning I noticed hard alcoholic cider bottles unopened around the campsite. I'm assuming some one had thrown out all their leftover food plus these unopened bottles as they left the campsite. The bottles didn't have any smell and my dogs never found food but I bet the bear had eaten around the campsite within a few days of our arrival and has looking for more. Slobs are a huge problem in Utah statewide. I think that is where the trouble starts. Wish they would just patrol the campgrounds and dispersed sites with a dog and ban these idiots from the National Forest for life.
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I consider black bears generally benign. My dog bumped a cub this past June and the mother was unconcerned as both her cubs climbed a tree. Heres a link to my experience; http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/Utah_...ead#unread
I think the problem comes when campers throw out food and attract the bears to a camp site while they or someone else is there. When I walk through dispersed campsites fishing my dogs frequently pick up the smell and find all kinds of food laying on the ground. Probable happens close to a dozen times a year. In 2009 camping on Boulder Mountain in late May ( drought year/ snow mostly gone) I had my dogs run off a black bear 3 times between 2 and 4 am. I had got there late and didn't even get any food out that night. The next morning I noticed hard alcoholic cider bottles unopened around the campsite. I'm assuming some one had thrown out all their leftover food plus these unopened bottles as they left the campsite. The bottles didn't have any smell and my dogs never found food but I bet the bear had eaten around the campsite within a few days of our arrival and has looking for more. Slobs are a huge problem in Utah statewide. I think that is where the trouble starts. Wish they would just patrol the campgrounds and dispersed sites with a dog and ban these idiots from the National Forest for life.
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