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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 26, 2009 - 01:27am PT
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We all know the "bear proof" cylinders in which we're supposed to keep food and toiletries in bear country in some areas. Tested in a variety of interesting ways.
It seems that a small, shy female bear in the Adirondacks, named "Yellow Yellow", is getting quite good at opening them, and may even be teaching other bears to do so.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/nyregion/25bear.html?em
Hopefully Yellow Yellow isn't planning to go on the lecture circuit.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 26, 2009 - 01:55am PT
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I don't know, Anders. Maybe if the bears become adept at opening them, we'll see more bear boxes like we used to have on the High Sierra Trial. Then I won't have to lug those stupid things around!
John
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jstan
climber
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Jul 26, 2009 - 02:24am PT
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I have not been able to get into our Bear Vault. But I have not been trying to use my teeth. That must be the trick!
Yellow Yellow's dentition may be well adapted for depressing the tab. When the second tab stops her from rotating the lid off she just repeats the earlier process.
In 1999 an NPS ranger described to us the test bear at the Folsom City Zoo. That bear had been causing great grief so it was decided he would have the job of test bear. Apparently he is rather impatient. When he can not get a cannister open he puts it down between some rocks and proceeds to jump up and down on it. Yellow yellow would seem to be a patient mother.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jul 26, 2009 - 03:04am PT
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hey there mighty hiker... say, thanks for this very interesting bit of bear-history, it sure bears repeating for those that venture out into the great outdoors, huh... ;)
:)
now, if you all have beared up under that... i'm moving on to my next bit, as smooth as ball bearings, on a roll:
:)
so:
say, locker... oh my what kind of car did you have... ?
say, did you know that bears prefer certain cars as well, being that they haved learned which are easier to break into...
say, did the bear get anything for its trouble...
oh my, locker, sure hope you weren't sleeping in the car... or were you?
oh my...
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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Jul 26, 2009 - 10:56am PT
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us daks bears are smarter than da average bear...
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
way, WAY out there....(OMG)
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Jul 26, 2009 - 10:56am PT
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It's ok, NeeBee.
Bears don't eat Lockers.
It would probably kill them. ;-)
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Eastside
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Jul 26, 2009 - 11:15am PT
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I heard reports from Seq1uioa/Kings Canyon about 10 years ago that a bear there had figured out to bash the canister(black ones) on a rock until they cracked open.
Anyone else hear this or was it just a story I got told?
I met a guy in Bridgeport years ago who was cycling and looked like he was ready to keel over. He had no food, no money, and no wallet. I gave him a $20 so he could get some food and call a friend.
Seems he had a bear canister with him for his trip through the Sierra, and decided it was the best place to keep his wallet.
Somewhere on Sonora Pass, a bear found his canister and since it was the middle of the night, this guy said he just stayed in his bag smiling, knowing the bear could not get into his stuff. He thought the bear would just leave it. Then he heard it getting knocked around ("Sounded like he was playing kick ball with it.") and it dawned on him he was camped near a drop into the Walker River.
Sure enough, the bear knocked it into the river and that was that!
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Jul 26, 2009 - 01:39pm PT
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Thnks Anders,
We're off Tuesday to Alaska for a 8 day wilderness raft/fishing trip on on the Togiak Wildlife Refuge. Now I won't be able to sh#t or sleep.
Mal
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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Jul 26, 2009 - 02:26pm PT
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Pretty funny Mighty...
Thanks for the update.
Luckily, she's way over in New York and the communication lines from there to Yosemite have not been established.
Cheers
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AbeFrohman
Trad climber
new york, NY
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Jul 26, 2009 - 11:50pm PT
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my friends brother claims to have had a bear wait until he opened his cannister (on the JMT), and then snatch it from his hands.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
nowhere, I'm headed for certain doom
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Jul 27, 2009 - 12:14am PT
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Man, that bear is beggin' to get bit!
Hey, I have older brothers. How do ya suppose I survived?
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 27, 2009 - 12:19am PT
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LOL Julia, good one!
Probably knew what it was doing too.
Mal,
you didn't say. Cool!
(Should've talked to me about a security blanket.)
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corniss chopper
Mountain climber
san jose, ca
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Jul 27, 2009 - 01:24am PT
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These bears are getting out of hand! Opening bear resistant
cans!
Is it time to return to the good 'ol days of throwing
stones? Or maybe go high tech and have one of these next to the sleeping bag ready to educate Yogi. Just dreaming out loud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0xOA4A2ESM
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 27, 2009 - 05:01pm PT
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And now it turns out that some critics want Smokey Bear to retire, or something. Oh well, maybe he can get a job opening bear proof canisters. He's 65, but in the America created by the Republicans over the last 30 years, that doesn't mean he gets to retire.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-smokeybear24-2009jul24,0,7259761.story
Is nothing sacred?
I wonder what Ron had in mind for a security blanket for Mal in the Togiak Wildlife Refuge?
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 27, 2009 - 07:13pm PT
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12 bore or .44 wheelgun. (Doesn't have to actually use it you know)
Smokey The Bear SHOULD retire. Bad idea. Now we're paying the price for suppressing natural fires.
You should see the beetle kills I saw in the mountains 2 weeks ago. Unhealthy forests.
I wonder if Andy Warhol had Yellow Yellow in mind when he talked of 15 minutes.
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Jul 27, 2009 - 07:29pm PT
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Older models of the Bearvault have been breached by bears in the Sierra, and had to be retrofitted. Though tempting, I have never owned one.
I have a Bearikade instead -
http://www.wild-ideas.net/
Expensive, but I got mine on a group purchase discount, some time before the bearvaults came out.
When using a canister, you have to be aware that bears may knock the thing around .. position it appropriately, ie. away from lakes, dropoffs, etc, preferably in a recess or depression of some kind.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 27, 2009 - 07:33pm PT
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A lot of BC's forests, especially in the interior, have been devastated by the pine beetle. Partly due to human over-management of the forests, i.e. suppressing small fires from the 1950s onward. Partly also due to the lack of recent cold winters. A week of -30 every few years keeps the bugs' numbers down, and formerly wasn't uncommon. But we haven't had such a winter in the interior for ten years or more.
As we're in the midst of a hot, dry summer, with no end in sight, major fires and fire closures seem likely in the next month.
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