Wolf/Bear encounters?

In the last few years bears have been on the increase. I have had as many as four bears come into camp. There are several reasons for this of course and one is that the Ministry has reduced hunting. I have never ever seen a dead bear at the side of the road but I saw my first one three years back - a trend has been started.

I'm not afraid of wolves but I am very cognizant of coyotes which is another creature that is beginning to cause problems.

 

We seem to be having an emergence of many kinds of wildlife moving closer to humans, and coyotes are actually thriving in the inner cities of places like Chicago. First, it was the smaller animals like opossums and raccoons that moved into the cities; but now the larger predator animals are also living, and apparently acclimating, to being around humans. Coyotes in the city have basically no natural enemies there (if you don't count cars and buses) and the food supply is plentiful. These coyotes will come right up on your porch and eat the cat's food (and also the cat if it is out there) and then disappear into the night again.

Coyotes are not the only predator moving closer into towns. I watched a video showing a large black bear roaming through a suburban housing complex, and checking all of the garbage cans for food as he deliberately went from one house to the next. Since someone was filming the bear as he did this, and following it down the street; obviously the bear was not concerned that there was a human nearby.

 

I don't think the animals are moving closer to us - I think it's us taking over their lands. Sound familiar?

I now live in a megalopolis and in spite of various attempts from every quarter, human kind remain the greatest problem and we are not going away. I'm surprised that we have managed to live this long without destroying ourselves as we make great efforts to destroy everything else. We are a sophisticated killing machine and our media proclaims and teaches the same each and every day.

Man...you said a mouth full!

 

Dancer, I understand exactly what you are saying, and while I DO believe that has happened, and is still happening; I think that this does not fully account for this problem. This seems to go beyond the simple thing of wild animals having to move because the suburbs are expanding into the wild-lands where they have been living. There is still a lot of room for the animals to move into, and many of them have actually gone further into the woods/wilderness areas. However, these coyotes have actually penetrated deeply into the heart of Chicago, and other cities. These are areas of Chicago that have been there since the 1800's; not someplace that the predators used to live recently.

The coyotes have learned that there is food easily to be found, plenty of wooded parks and yards for them to live and breed in; plus they have no natural enemies there. So they have multiplied, and now we have semi-domesticated (?) coyotes who have been born in the city and never even seen a proper forest. They have lost their fear of humans, and have learned to interact with their new environment. They cannot be shot in the middle of downtown Chicago, and trapping a coyote is not easy (not to mention it is dangerous); so there is really no effective way to stop them from being there and multiplying. Since farmers can actually shoot and kill these predators; those coyotes are still afraid of humans.

We may actually be coming into a time when there are more coyotes living the urban life than the country life.

 

I hear the voice of wisdom.

The coyotes are giving some heartburn in this neck of the woods too. The unfortunate thing is that some people are referring to them as wolves. Not good. The Raccoon is another creature that is causing issues. It cost me $500.00 to get a mom and her cubs out of the attic this spring.

 

Apparently, raccoons are another creature that has been adapting well to a "civilized lifestyle" just about everywhere. I remember reading some months ago that there are actually more raccoons inside of cities than there are outside of them. A lot of it is exactly what you mentioned, mankind trashing every single place they inhabit, and not being responsible for them selves. Of course, someone who lives in a high-rise apartment can't very well go out and dig a hole to bury their garbage like people who live in the country are able to do. But even so; the attitude today seems to be one of irresponsibility, and expecting someone else to clean up after all of the trash that gets dumped, and the food that is wasted. Maybe God is sending in the animals to do the job?

Because the government has released wolves back into the environment in places where they had been eradicated; we are now actually getting more of a wolf population in the wild, as well as a coyote-wolf hybrid. In northern Idaho, they are actually driving the deer, elk, and even the moose out of the mountains there. I was talking with a longtime friend who lives in a small town there, and she said that they had 3 moose in their front yard all morning. Since they had not even had any snow (which is what usually drives the animals down out of the mountains), I asked her if she knew why the moose were in town already. She said it was because of the wolf packs killing so many of the deer and moose, so they are moving closer and closer into town now.

Who knows what will happen if all of the animals lose their fear of people and take over our cities ? It gives me cause to wonder what our world is coming to, Dancer.

 

I wonder too.
I'm encouraged by the actions of some [and probably a lot more that I'm not aware of]. The regional municipality [large populated areas in this Province are now in what is called Regional Municipalitys encompassing more than one city] that I live in was the community that started the blue boxes [recycling bins] and received a United Nations citation for the same.

I'm more than accustomed to what we call Trash Camping and Trash Campers. It's now an automatic clean up for us as campers and our pledge to LEAVE NO TRACE.

We have some excellent wolf programs in this Province but we still have a firm segment of the populace that believes that a good wolf is a dead wolf.

 

It's been my experience that Leave No Trace is rather simple and is not labour intensive. What does require energy is taking care of other people's unscrupulous antics.

 

It's all good stuff.

 

Wolf cubs...luv em

 

My dad was almost attacked by a black bear a few years ago. It stalked him for a few miles in the wood. It charged him so he threw his trail cam at it's face and that deterred it. Black bear attacks are extremely rare. Where I live in Maine there has never been a black bear fatality.

 

I camp in black bear country regularly and though they have come threw camp they have not posed a problem. I have taken a course and I do carry bear spray and have been taught how to use it.

If a bear is stalking you one needs to take immediate defensive manners - bears only stalk with one purpose in mind.

Good to see you online Zack.

 

I live in bear country too. I see sign everywhere but rarely ever see one. However I always keep bear spray or a side arm just to be safe.

 

...can I ask what kind of tent or tents your use for winter camping?

 

I build my own shelter usually. A lean-to with a tarp for a roof. I put up a plastic sheet over the opening while sleeping to trap the warmth from the fire. Stays toasty. I love building shelters, it's therapeutic for me.

 

Fantastic! I've done that too - but alas, I tend to take my four season Alaknak in by sled. I was out at the beginning of January and took my Eureka because I wanted to travel light. It rained most of the night.

 

I would love an alakna tent. A little out of my price range though. What do you do for heat in the eureka? Heavy sleeping bag?