Ogden 11/24 SPOTTED A BEAR!!!!

[JLG78]

I was fishing in Ogden canyon just before dark. A rock came rolling down the hill just above me. I thought it was kind of strange and it was getting dark so I started walking back down stream. I got about 50yards downstream and looked back. A black bear was standing basically right where i just had been. I tried not to panic.. I pulled in my line and went to the car. I called DWR and reported it. I guess they have had some other calls about it it the last few weeks. It was not aggressive but freaked me out!!

Anyway.. I was able to catch a few fish before that happened. Most were caught on a BH Scud.
Here are some pic's.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Man spooky - hearing echoes of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in my head! Ya think he was coming down to see what you were catching, and if ya had any of them browns on a string to serve up to him?
I'd bet he's a good angler in his own right!

I heard some thumping around in the bushes over at Mantua after sunset - and had a flash - that it might be a bear - heard they'd been spotted. Mre likely a skunk or muskrat.

So do you have to report a bear sighting? Or is it just that he was so close to "population" - even a pop of 1! Sure it's good for them to know and be able to warn folks when one's been seen.

[JLG78]

I reported it because there are a ton of cabins nearby and it was right behind the Oaks restaurant. I don't think it dangerous but I just thought it was a good Idea to spread the word.
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[TyeDyeTwins]

No pic of the bear? That is ok I once ran into a bear cub and sow upclose and all my pics were blurry as I was shaking so bad! Luckily they were fattin up in the fall for winter and could careless about me.

Time for the bear spray bro! I usually carry it around as "moose stopper". I guess I cannot wait to hear of the ice fishermans report at Pineview of a bear sighting!

Nice browns by the way, I can see why you are not going far from home lately.I would not either if I were in your shoes. Good on ya for reporting it. Maybe he is there for the brown spawn too?

So the real question at hand is "are you going back?"
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[HFT]

Awsome sighting!! I'm jealous
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[JLG78]

HTF: Yeah looking back it was pretty cool. But Im from Hawaii so Ive never experienced anything like that before. So at the time ill admit i was kind of panicking.

Tyedye: The last thing I was going to do was ask it to pose for me..haha. And yes ill be going back. maybe not tomorrow but Ive fished that area a million times and don't plan on stopping. Im hoping/thinking that was a once in a lifetime thing.
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[sinergy]

Scary, Bears are no joke, you did the right thing and got the !@#$ out of there. Last thing you want is to take a pic and the bear charges you. Ive seen this thing in Yellowstone people getting out of there cars and taking pics of bears or buffalo and the animal charges them.. idiots.

We had this discussion on the other board theres a few members who pack including my self, or you may want to get a small can of bear spray.


One of the members over there posted this:

http://youtu.be/uMbnmLLnsfw
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[TyeDyeTwins]

Sounds like you should invest in the bear spray. That stuff is powerful! I had it blow up in my pack once and when I opened the head of the pack my mom and I it got on our arms, hands, and face. I could barley breathe, my eyes watered like crazy to where I could not see, and my mom and I suffered burns for 8 hours on our arms and hands.

Weeks later I used a water bottle from that pack and got round #2 of the swelling and throat affects. Eventually I had to toss out the pack. I called the company when it happened and they told me that the effects of the burns could last for 48 hours! Never spray that stuff into the wind.

I was at REI and a woman asked the salesman if she should spray her tent and kids with it. I about died from laughter!

Always keep a good distance from bears and other wildlife. It would help to read official websites on what to do. There are different things for different species. A telephoto lens an help that for photos.

Body languages, situations of the encounter, time of year, etc.
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[joshomaru]

That is so cool/crazy/creepy that you were able to experience that. Makes you wonder how long he had been watching YOU before you saw him.
I think its great you informed dwr. If something happens, they at least have information that lets them know when and where the bear had been in the area.
You say you were freaked out; did you feel your senses heightened at all? Just curious. I fished a section of the Weber last night I had never fished before just until dark. Making the trek back to my ride, I couldn't help but listen hard and wonder what's lurking in the shadows.....
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[cpierce]

Black bear or not that can be a very dangerous situation. I sounds like that is a bear that is not afraid of people and has probably been getting food and garbage to eat in the area. It is habituated to equating people with food. I am sure he was very aware of you and came in instead of leaving. Not a good thing!

Carry bear spray!
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[CoyoteSpinner]

[quote TyeDyeTwins]No pic of the bear?[/quote]

Here's one - wandering the neighborhood where my folks live in the Paena. They've always had to worry about Coyote's knocking down the garbage cans, but there's a new critter in town!


[inline "Bear.Pietro'sGdn.JPG"]

I wonder if anyone's had a close-encounter involving a Bear stealing or taking interest in your catch? Have heard of Musky running off with, or chomping at a stringer. And seen some Alaska Salmon fishing footage with Grizzly's near by - but they seemed more intent on getting their own.

Catching's part of the fun - THEY know it, right?!

[JLG78]

I'll look into the Bear Spray for sure. I Does anyone know if that would work for other things like Moose? Mountain Lions? Just curious..
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[TyeDyeTwins]

I have read that to deter moose, "mase" may be used. Bear Spray will do the trick on them. Too bad the spray distance isn't too great so a tree between you and the moose will work better to deploy the bear spray. There was one time I had to hide behind a tree till dark and I wish I would have had the bear spray on me!

I would assume bear mase will work on cougars as well. They tell you to fight back with what ever you can find and don't run. I have ran into 2 cougar situations and that was only when the cougar wanted himself to be seen![shocked] Like an idiot I ran.
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[kochanut]

should work, my bear deterrent is a kimber. small enough for her, but enough stopping power for him
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[OldTroller]

Am I correct in assuming that you didn't Pet it?
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[JLG78]

OldTroller wrote:[/quote]
Am I correct in assuming that you didn't Pet it?[/quote]

Maybe next time...

Speaking of close calls... Thanks OldToller for saving my A** at Mantua.

OldTroller and I met up at Mantua on Friday and got caught on the middle of the lake in some some nasty wind. I was in a raft and was getting nowhere against the wind and waves. OldTroller had to pull me back to shore with his toon. Plus he showed me how to catch a fish or two.

OT is an awesome guy and a great fisherman!
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[pa]

A few years ago, the wife and I had a Black Bear chase us out of our tent. All I had at the time was a .45 auto. The very next day we went and bought a Motor Home and a
Remington 870 12 gauge and a .44 mag. Never leave home without one of the to this day[]
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[Joe_Dizzy]

Cool sighting, and nice pic's.

I'm fairly new to Utah, but are the black bear considered aggressive in this region? I've lived all my life in PA and came across bears with - and without - cubs from time to time in PA and northern NJ, but it was always considered a "lucky" sighting. I've never known them to be a dangerous animal as long as you give them their space.
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[riverdog]

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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[Joe_Dizzy]

[quote riverdog]

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.

[/quote]

I think slobs are pretty well distributed through campgrounds nationwide, but I understand fully what you're saying... the great majority of bear encounters back east were the result of poor house-keeping.
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