This bear may have just been scavenging remains of a person who died of natural causes. Not much way to tell now.
I once worked as a biologist for three years in a National Park. My job typically involved working in wilderness areas. I often worked alone. I saw hundreds of black bears. The biggest predictor of bear habitat in the eastern U.S. is an area that doesn’t have humans in large numbers. Bears that aren’t acclimated to humans (repeat, aren’t acclimated to humans) will almost always run when they see people. Out of the hundreds of black bears that I saw in those three years, only three worried me. I was charged once. I also had the largest black bear that I had ever seen (easily 500 pounds plus and obviously aged) deliberately change its course to come in my direction before eventually opting to move elsewhere. My biggest fear, though, was when I was followed by a bear at fairly close range for approximately six miles in the most remote part of the park. Definitely not typical bear habitat.
Over 99% of bears will not bother you. In fact, they will typically run from you. However, that one percent...
“This bear may have just been scavenging remains of a person who died of natural causes.”
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Covid - it was what killed the bear, too.
Thanks for that report. I’m curious, did you carry anything for self defense?
Funny story - my mother-in-law’s house is in an area of regular bear traffic. One day my daughter was staying over, sitting out at the picnic table reading and a VERY large black bear cake sauntering through the yard. My daughter froze but was with it enough to call into the house to my mother-in-law. She came out, looked at the bear and simply told it to “GIT!”. Off it went.
What you said. EASTERN black bears have never scared me (and I have always been careful not to let them get my food). That said, I once was bluff charged in GSMNP by a juvenile (about 200 lbs?) that did its best to take our lunches. It was definitely not scared of us. We finally ran it off. But before leaving, it first went to the spring where we were cooling our water bottles, and slashed them. Good times.
A fed bear is a dead bear.
Had a black bear swim straight across a pond at us because he could smell our lunch. ~60 feet away as we beat feet. He probably got some lunch, we were so freaked we picked up our day packs and left fast, leaving who knows what behind.
What did you do when the bear charged you?
That’s beautiful territory but would be freaky out there alone and a bear tracking you for 6 miles.
Sister and BIL live up on mountain in Sevierville, TN, they worked 1 of the Lodges so they know the rules, before the Wildfire, signs posted every where not to approach or leave trash on back porch. Idiots ignored the signs. You don’t approach baby bears as mama is not far away.
We encroach on their habitat destroying dens and food supplies. They then come into human areas.
She has bad habit of feeding the local coons, got a real shock 1 morning 3 bears ripping up their cars. You can’t convince her not to feed the coons. She best learn as her very ill daughter with 2 kids had to move in, the eldest is 15, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)the girl not yet 10.