Closed

[adkman12986]

The message below comes from a Ranger in the High Peaks Region...
——————————
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
All camping at:
Lake Colden
The Flowed Lands
Uphill Leanto
Feldspar Leanto
***CLOSED***
Due to aggressive bear
Will remain closed until the bear has been neutralized.
Please adjust your plans according and PLEASE - this is why bear canisters must always be used in this region, and kept closed unless you’re actively putting something in or taking something out.

[2505]

eek. More info: https://www.nny360.com/top_stories/b...770b43386.html

[tenderfoot]

So we use the "bear-muda" triangle approach. Three points - eat, sleep and store with a goodly distance in between. I have to say that after a long day on the trail the distance between cooking area and sleeping area has shrunk a bit.

We also steer clear of lean-to's, preferring designated or until recently undesignated sites that met guidelines. Have seen to many groups chowing down inside the lean-to.

We do not carry bear spray yet.

[forgedin78]

Is it even legal to buy bear spray in this state?

[2505]

Originally Posted by forgedin78

Is it even legal to buy bear spray in this state?

Looks like it is a good question: https://www.adirondackdailyenterpris...t-to-purchase/

[MTVhike]

When I was in Glacier NP last summer, it was recommended for back country hikers to carry bear spray, and it was sold at the various NPS stores. Although many people did, partly because I'm cheap and there is no way to bring it back East on an airplane, I didn't. I didn't even think about its legality in NY.

[Woodly]

And if you need to use bear spray, know how. Fire early and keep at it and don't be downwind.
Buy the good stuff. Ask for forgiveness later.

[tenderfoot]

Yes - that would be me. Bear would get food, pack, gear and run off leaving me screaming and blind from a self inflicted spurt.

Once incapacitated the chipmunks would move in.

[Cold River Bob]

They caught him

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/s...lden-campsites

[adkman12986]

Adirondack High Peaks Visitors Advised of Uptick of Nuisance Bears
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that it is immediately reopening campsites and lean-tos in the Lake Colden area in the Adirondack High Peaks, Essex County. Camping in the area was temporarily closed after an uptick in nuisance bear incidents.

Campers in other areas of the Eastern High Peaks are encouraged to follow DEC guidance for dealing with nuisance bears. Minimizing human-bear interactions can be accomplished through a few simple steps.

While bear interactions can happen on the trails, conflicts are most often associated with backcountry camping. In June, black bear movement increases as the breeding season begins and yearling (one-year-old) bears disperse to find their own space. Inevitably some of these bears, particularly yearlings, wander through places these animals would not normally inhabit, like suburban or urban neighborhoods. Bears have an acute sense of smell and may attempt to consume anything they perceive as edible, including improperly stored garbage, birdseed, livestock, pet food, and barbecue grill grease traps. Once a bear has discovered a food source, it may return or seek similar foods at neighboring properties, learning bad behavior that can damage human property and may lead to the death of the bear.

Follow the tips below to reduce human-bear interactions:

Do not feed bears intentionally. Feeding bears intentionally is illegal and a ticketable offense. Bears that obtain food from humans will continue to seek food from humans and become nuisance bears, which can pose a threat to humans.

Follow the following guidance to reduce potential bear conflicts:

Keep campsites and lean-tos as clean as possible;
Clean up after all meals immediately. Keep grills, pots, pans, cooking utensils, and wash basins clean when not in use;
Leave coolers and food inside car trunks or truck cabs;
Store food and coolers in food lockers when available;
NEVER keep food, coolers, or scented items in tents when camping. Store toiletries securely with coolers and food;
Do not put grease, garbage, plastic diapers, cans, bottles, or other refuse in the fireplace; and
Dispose of garbage in the campground's dumpsters every evening.
Visitors to the backcountry are encouraged to:

Pack a minimal amount of food. Use lightweight and dehydrated foods. Plan all meals to avoid leftovers;
Use bear-resistant food canisters, which are required in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness of the Adirondack Park;
Cook and eat before dark and cook away from campsites;
Avoid spills and drippings while cooking and do not pour grease into fire pits; and
Never leave food unattended.
If you encounter a bear:

Don't panic. Most bears are as afraid of people as people are of bears;
Never approach, surround, or corner a bear;
Back away slowly-do not run;
Do not throw backpacks or food at bears. If bears are rewarded with food, they will continue to seek food from people; and
If feeling threatened by a bear, raise your arms over your head to look bigger and yell loudly at the bear while slowly backing away.
When to report a nuisance bear:

When a nuisance bear presents an immediate danger to public safety, call 911;
If a bear is damaging property or is reluctant to leave the area, but the situation is not an emergency, call the regional wildlife office during business hours, or call the DEC Law Enforcement Dispatch Center at 1-844-DEC-ECOs (1-844-332-3267); and
If bear cubs are known to be orphaned in the spring or summer (before July), call DEC. After that time, cubs generally survive on their own.
For more information, visit DEC webpages on black bears and reducing bear-human conflicts.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/press.html

[Schultzz]

Why euthanize the bear? Transport it a couple of hundred miles away, not close to any parks and let it go. Male bears can become aggressive during mating season and will travel great distances to mate. Tag him and give him another chance.

A fed bear is a dead bear.

[Woodly]

Originally Posted by Schultzz

Why euthanize the bear? Transport it a couple of hundred miles away, not close to any parks and let it go. Male bears can become aggressive during mating season and will travel great distances to mate. Tag him and give him another chance.

A fed bear is a dead bear.

He may well go back to where he came from and even if he didn't his habits probably wouldn't change.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Woodly

He may well go back to where he came from and even if he didn't his habits probably wouldn't change.

This is true, and unfortunately has occurred before. Many will not remember "Cliff" the very large Lake Colden bear who was in the same situation back in the 80s. He was moved to somewhere in western NY (maybe out past Syracuse or something. A couple weeks later he was back at Lake Colden, and they ended up euthanizing him.

[Lucky13]

Originally Posted by Schultzz

Why euthanize the bear? Transport it a couple of hundred miles away, not close to any parks and let it go. Male bears can become aggressive during mating season and will travel great distances to mate. Tag him and give him another chance.

A fed bear is a dead bear.

Yea, let someone else inherit the problems that were caused by the freeloading Merrill wearing invaders from our and other states and countries who refuse to spend the time or money to learn the "rules of the road" for the woods. Put it in Schultzz's back yard! Don't do what you did twenty some years ago and haul a 600lb+ rogue garbage eater from Tupper Lake down to the MRP and let it go right at the T with folks camped all around that area. Makes for a quick trip to the outhouse when he pops up in the blueberries the next morning!

[Schultzz]

Originally Posted by Lucky13

Yea, let someone else inherit the problems that were caused by the freeloading Merrill wearing invaders from our and other states and countries who refuse to spend the time or money to learn the "rules of the road" for the woods. Put it in Schultzz's back yard! Don't do what you did twenty some years ago and haul a 600lb+ rogue garbage eater from Tupper Lake down to the MRP and let it go right at the T with folks camped all around that area. Makes for a quick trip to the outhouse when he pops up in the blueberries the next morning!

That's funny. They can return from 75 miles away but very seldom over two hundred miles away. That's why you tag him And the T is where the blueberries are! I know about the outhouse trip which is usually too late. I had a big sow charge at me but turn off at the last few yards. I surprised her with three cubs. Now I wear a bell.

[DSettahr]

Originally Posted by Schultzz

Why euthanize the bear? Transport it a couple of hundred miles away, not close to any parks and let it go. Male bears can become aggressive during mating season and will travel great distances to mate. Tag him and give him another chance.

A fed bear is a dead bear.

The bear in question had numerous opportunities (with substantial encouragement) to change it's behavior patterns, dating back to over a decade of interactions with hikers and campers. This was not a matter of mating season, and recent behavior trends made it clear that the odds of a physical attack on hikers/campers in the near future were high. Super unfortunate that this level of response was needed, but ultimately... it was absolutely necessary.

[Schultzz]

Thanks for the update. With a history like that I understand.

[Woodly]

To bad a hunter couldn't've gotten it.

[Tug Hill]

Lucky13 is absolutely correct, the DEC restored the black bear population on Tug Hill with nuisance bear from the ADK’s. Along with that they made it illegal to hunt bears on Tug Hill. Now almost every remote camp or building has bear territorial marking damage or outright break ins.

The DEC just shifted the nuisance bear problem to someone else. The good news is it is now legal to hunt bears on Tug Hill. The best solution for nuisance bears is to put them in the freezer in the form of sausage .

[Woodly]

Originally Posted by Tug Hill

Lucky13 is absolutely correct, the DEC restored the black bear population on Tug Hill with nuisance bear from the ADK’s. Along with that they made it illegal to hunt bears on Tug Hill. Now almost every remote camp or building has bear territorial marking damage or outright break ins.

The DEC just shifted the nuisance bear problem to someone else. The good news is it is now legal to hunt bears on Tug Hill. The best solution for nuisance bears is to put them in the freezer in the form of sausage .

They make good rugs and roasts also.