HELP! THERE'S A BEAR ON MY NEW BOOKMARK!

Those who’ve read my books/attended my seminars, know that I am rather opinionated when it comes to bears.  I’ve seen hundreds of bears—black, grizzlies., and  polar bears—on my canoe trips in northern Canada and Alaska. Many encounters have been very close.  The photo below was taken at a campsite along the Fond du Lac River, Saskatchewan.  That big brown boy was just 10 yards away, and not afraid of me at all.

Gtizzly in camp, 10 yards from me. I unthreateningly talked to him. He's listening! Fond du Lac River, Saskatchewan.

I talked: His ears were up, he listened! He took in every word even though he couldn’t process their meaning.  I unthreateningly told him we (crew of 10) would be gone within the hour, and he would have this place to himself.  I said:  “You’re a beautiful bear and I want you to live a long and happy life.  BUT you can’t come any closer, you can’t climb over that ledge.  If you do, I will be forced to shoot you with this very powerful rifle (.450 Marlin Guide gun).  And you won't like that at all! So, please, Mr. Bear, just wander off for a short while.  You can safely return when we’re gone.”

Mr. Bear just stood there, calmly pondering what to do next.  After what seemed like an eternity (about a minute), he took a long, last look at me then slowly wandered into the wilderness.

I have had many similar close encounters.  Fortunately, they all ended well. I’ve never had to shoot a bear. I hope I never will!

Black bear: camp along the Fond du Lac River, Saskatchewan. This boy wasn't timid. He clacked and woofed threateningly and chased two men into the river. He nearly ran right through our campfire!

Yes, there is a bear on top of my new bookmark.  The words, BEARS ARE SMARTER THAN SOME CAMPERS, isn’t a joke.  Consider these takes from a Wall Street Journal article, Jan. 13, 1999.

•  “Yosemite bears prefer Toyotas and Hondas for late-night Snacks” by John J. Fialka

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK:  last year was a record for what the rangers call “car clouting” Yosemite black bars clawed their way into 1103 vehicles… and caused $634,595 damage… hitting 26 Hondas and 21 Toyotas, their No. 2 favorite.  By contrast, they only messed with two Buicks and one Lexus... Park rangers say this selection process appears to be deliberate!!

New Toyota SUV

Toyota SUV after a bear got inside!

• Steve Thompson, the park’s biologist, says mother bears are teaching cubs how to clout.  A favorite technique is to insert claws just above the rear side door then pull the door frame down to knee level.  This creates a handy stepladder for the bears which can weigh up to 350 pounds…Next, they claw their way into the trunk!

• There is “Orange 35” who has learned to hit cars while campers are registering.  And there’s the bear who pulled two doors off Richard Walther’s Honda on May 21, then carefully folded down the rear seat to get into the trunk, where he pushed a button to open a cooler.  This bear clearly knew what he was doing!

ARE BEARS SMARTER THAN SOME CAMPERS? YA, U-BETCHA!

A polar bear walked on this overturned 17-foot Pakboat. Whew! No harm done. Mouth of the North Knife River on Hudson Bay.

Polar bear: North Knife River, Manitoba, 10 miles upriver from its mouth at Hudson Bay.

And this, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 30, 1997 (Re-pub. From the New York Times).

• “Bears are smart, and some are very smart,” Steve Thompson (Yosemite’s park biologist) said.  "My problems start when the smarter bears and the dumber visitors intersect.”

• "It is the second effort at bear-proof locks, the first, using a spring-loaded bolt system, was figured out by the bears in two weeks.  A bear would take the top bolt in its mouth and hold the bottom with its paw, apply force and have dinner.  New locks require the use of opposable thumbs."

• "Bears have elaborate schemes for getting food," Thompson said.  "One time -honored precaution, hanging bags of food from a rope high in a tree, is now seen as useless.  Residents call the food bags bear pinatas.  The bears chew off the rope that has been attached elsewhere, or chew off the branch that is supporting the bag.  If the limbs are small, they’ll send out the cubs.  If that doesn’t work, they’ll just climb up above the bags, launch themselves out of the tree and grab the bags on the way down.”

Black bears climb trees. Really!

I could go on.  But your get the point, which is:

BEARS ARE SMARTER THAN SOME CAMPERS!

NOTE: Federal authorities care more about YOU than your car or food.  Separating campers from their food (campers in tents, food in a faraway tree) keeps folks safe.  Thus, if a bear gets your food, he won’t get you!  Remember: black bears climb trees.  Very well!  They quickly learn which trees are popular for hanging food.  If you must “hang,” choose an unpopular tree!

Yes, there’s bear on top of my new bookmarks!  I hope it will make you smile and encourage you to use bear-safe practices on all your outings. Available in my shop.

FINALLY,

1) Do you have books that you picked up somewhere else and haven't been signed?

2) Do you live outside the USA where it's cost-prohibitive to have a signed book sent?

Either scenario, I've got you covered!

These are hand-drawn (by artist John Owens), high-quality signature bookplate stickers. I can write anything you'd like on them, drop them in an envelope for ease of mailing and you can stick them right in the front of your book. Shipping is included no matter how many you order.

You just tell me what message you’d like.  I’ll write and sign the book plate(s) and send them right out. Order on my website HERE.

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My flagship book, CANOEING WILD RIVERS, 5th Edition, contains a wealth of advice on how to safely canoe difficult rivers.  Includes a virtual dissertation on dealing with bears—black, grizzly, polar.  CANOEING WILD RIVERS, 5^th Edition, is North America’s definitive resource for wilderness canoeing.

*My teen book, JUSTIN CODY'S RACE TO SURVIVAL! mixes a fictional wilderness survival tale with practical outdoor tips everyone should know—a first for books of this type.  Adults love it too!  Now available as an audiobook!

*My long out-of-print book, CANOEIST’S Q&A (available as an e-book) contains 25 true scenarios (plus FAQ's) that define the wilderness canoeing and camping experience—a great training tool for those who go beyond the beaten path—now available as an audiobook under the new title PADDLER'S GUIDE: WHAT TO DO WHEN THINGS GO SOUR.

XXX