[pct-l] Bear Canisters / sierra bears vs. PNW bears

[Steve Courtway]

Another theory that comes to mind is food availibility.  The PNW has alot of 
berries for instance, and lots of berries make for a very docile bear.  The 
sierra on the other hand is a much more arid bear habitat, making it tougher 
for the bears to forage bountifully, thusly more likely to seek out the easy 
target that is unprotected human food.


s.c.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Courtway" <scourtway at bpa-arch.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Bear Canisters


> >Well said, Tom.  Cannisters are all about protecting the bears, not 
> >stupid
> humans and their food.
>
> That statement was rather contradictory, as Tom's philosophy protects both 
> the bears, as well as protecting folks from having bears tear into their 
> tents while sleeping.
>
> Calling the uneducated stupid has a superiority feel about it...
>
> My theory is that Sierra bears have always had a much larger population of 
> folks with little or no backcountry experience and education camping in 
> their habitat.
>
> Also, just as californians are characterized as bolder and crazier due to 
> all that sunshine,  maybe the California blackie falls under the same 
> category ?
>
> s.c.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "stillroaming" <pct at delnorteresort.com>
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 12:52 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] Bear Canisters
>
>
>> Why are bears/humans a problem in very specific parts of the Sierras and 
>> not
>> the Pacific Northwest?
>>
>> Scott
>>
>>>>>>
>> 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
>> <<<<
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>