[pct-l] Bear Canisters

[dsaufley at sprynet.com]

Well said, Tom.  Cannisters are all about protecting the bears, not stupid humans and their food.  If we stupid humans are protected as a result, that's a bonus, not the point. 

Our food is extremely high in fat content compared to what bears normally eat.  This not only makes them junkies for our food (like doing meth once and getting hooked), the higher fat content increases their birth rates, putting too many bears on land that can't support them. 

It is virtually impossible to re-train an adult bear to return to eating bear food once it's had human foods.  They can relocate them to the most remote places, and they will find their way to the nearest garbage can or human outpost, and go back to causing problems.  To the point that others have made, where they are not hunted, they quickly lose their fear of people and think nothing of bluff charging humans to get what they want.  At this point they are considered dangerous and sadly must be (and are) killed. Talk about humans screwing up the balance of things. 

This is such a travesty, I would rather see the idiot humans who caused the problem in the first place killed.  

The rules are set up to TRY to keep nature natural.  If you can't accept that, instead of hiking you may as well go hunting somewhere where it's allowed, because you effectively do the same thing.  Not protecting the bears effectively leads to their demise. Carrying a bear cannister is a small price to pay to allow these magnificent creates to live as they always have.  And, if you don't, and a bear does get your food, IMO you have the blood of dead bears on your hands.  

Dead serious and not bored of the topic,

L-Rod 

-----Original Message-----
>From: Tom Reynolds <tomreynolds_ilan at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Mar 20, 2007 4:40 PM
>To: pct-l at backcountry.net
>Cc: Tom Reynolds <tomreynolds_ilan at yahoo.com>
>Subject: [pct-l]   Bear Canisters
>
>The thruhiking community doesn't understand the bear problem.
>   
>  Neither I nor the Rangers are protecting you (thruhikers) from yourself. Both I and the Rangers are protecting me. The Rangers are protecting the bears also.
>   
>  It's very simple. You sleep with your food you are training the bears to crash tents for food. The tent they crash might be mine. 
>   
>  Four years ago more than 75% of thruhikers on this list were not planning to use a bear canister. Also, there were several reports (on this list) of thrukikers advocating to weekenders that they discontinue the use of bear canisters. There were also several incidents with thruhikers. One thruhiker called me personally for help getting a canister after a bear stalked her tent all night! True, thruhikers are not the primary problem but they start the problem with their early season training of bears.
>   
>  I see the number of thruhikers not planning on using canisters is considerably less this year. Of course, four years ago there were considerably less instances of bears crashing tents, snatching for bags used for pillows, etc than there are today. That's bad but it did wake up the authorities to the problem. Also, as of four years ago the regulations weren't as tight as they are now. That's very good! Further, treating thruhikers as a special group seems to have largely gone away. Excellent!!
>   
>  So, stop thinking that the bear canister regulations are unwise It's either the regs or kill all bears in the Sierra. (Why not more bear boxes? The Rangers don't have the manpower to clean them. Do you know how much corn pasta is left in them but the time thruhiking season is over?)
>   
>  Tom
>   
>  PS: So Scott, the ADZ I did for thruhikers but the enforcement of canisters I did for me and for the Sierra weekenders. Don't equate the two. The only common thread in the two is the ability I have to make something happen.
>   
>  
>stillroaming <pct at delnorteresort.com> wrote:
>  >>>>
>Four years ago I sent a letter to INYO demanding that they enforce the 
>regulations against thruhikers
><<<<
>
>Thanks again Tom for acting on behalf of all of us. (Canisters, ADZ, ?) Have 
>you always been a control freak?
>
>How us dumb hikers ever made it to this point in life without your constant 
>care is beyond me.
>
>Scott Parks
>------------------------------------
>Trails : http://Postholer.Com
>Journals : http://Postholer.Com/journal 
>
>_______________________________________________
>pct-l mailing list
>pct-l at backcountry.net
>unsubscribe or change options:
>http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>pct-l mailing list
>pct-l at backcountry.net
>unsubscribe or change options:
>http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l