Problems with bears and cougars....
Has anyone had any run ins with cougars and/or bears when boondocking? Have you even seen any come near your RV or campsite?
Forum Discussion
I wouldn't call the bear incidents "run-ins", more like bears just doing what they do and just happening to be near where I was doing what I do. I've seen bears in the daytime at my boondocking camps. Found bear tracks near the camper in the morning when I know they were not there the day before because they were on top of my tracks. I boondock alone (no group) and keep a very clean camp.
Hiking is another matter. I've had a "face-off" with a cougar on the trail while hiking alone. That was in 1989 and I'm still getting scary shivers as I type this. It was apparently napping under a tree when I came around a corner in the trail. Wow! Nothing like knowing you are not the top of the food chain! It was maybe a car length away. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever and then it got up and walked away. It showed no fear. I was too scared to scream! Since then, I've started using hiking sticks both for support and as potential weapons. I also wear a whistle around my neck; when my vocal cords won't work, the whistle still will. BTW, you can fight off an attacking cougar. Don't run, because they you look like prey. I didn't know that in 1989; I didn't run because I was frozen in fear. And yes, I still hike alone.
Mostly what you will see of both bears and cougars, even in the wilds, is tracks and scat. They use the hiking trails. Why push through the undergrowth when there's a nice path right there?
In many places in California the bears and cougars come right into towns. Settlement is pushing them out of their wild homes and/or available food is luring them in. The town of Mammoth Lakes actually employs a wildlife specialist; his job is mostly to educate the public in how to prevent bear issues, but also to deal with problem animals.
Be careful out there.
Hiking is another matter. I've had a "face-off" with a cougar on the trail while hiking alone. That was in 1989 and I'm still getting scary shivers as I type this. It was apparently napping under a tree when I came around a corner in the trail. Wow! Nothing like knowing you are not the top of the food chain! It was maybe a car length away. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever and then it got up and walked away. It showed no fear. I was too scared to scream! Since then, I've started using hiking sticks both for support and as potential weapons. I also wear a whistle around my neck; when my vocal cords won't work, the whistle still will. BTW, you can fight off an attacking cougar. Don't run, because they you look like prey. I didn't know that in 1989; I didn't run because I was frozen in fear. And yes, I still hike alone.
Mostly what you will see of both bears and cougars, even in the wilds, is tracks and scat. They use the hiking trails. Why push through the undergrowth when there's a nice path right there?
In many places in California the bears and cougars come right into towns. Settlement is pushing them out of their wild homes and/or available food is luring them in. The town of Mammoth Lakes actually employs a wildlife specialist; his job is mostly to educate the public in how to prevent bear issues, but also to deal with problem animals.
Be careful out there.
