starcrafttom
Active member
have any of you that have been to alaska ever heard of or seen a bear swim out and try to board a boat by way of swim latter. I told her it would have to be a escaped circus bear but she made me ask.
my wife made me ask.
- Thread starter starcrafttom
- Start date
I have been to Alaska, and yes, bears can swim. They can also climb onto your boat from the water, no ladder needed.
However, I have never heard of them swimming out to your boat and climbing aboard.
I have heard of a bear climbing onto a boat when the stupid boaters were passing very close to the swimming bear.(harassing the bear)
STAY AWAY FROM SWIMMING BEARS!
However, I have never heard of them swimming out to your boat and climbing aboard.
I have heard of a bear climbing onto a boat when the stupid boaters were passing very close to the swimming bear.(harassing the bear)
STAY AWAY FROM SWIMMING BEARS!
Mr. Fisherman
New member
:shock: :lol: :roll:B~C":2tjhg3fw said:
:?: :idea: :crook :disgust :smileo
B~C the bare hunter.Starcrafttom,
Just let your wife know that if she's really worried about bears, she should attach some small bells to her tennis shoes (so the bears can hear her coming and get away) and to carry some of that special pepper spray just in case they don't.
Also, keep an eye out for bear scat while your walking around. This is one of the best ways to tell if there are bears in the area. If you've not seen bear scat before, it's pretty easy to identify. It smells like peppers and has little bells in it.
Just let your wife know that if she's really worried about bears, she should attach some small bells to her tennis shoes (so the bears can hear her coming and get away) and to carry some of that special pepper spray just in case they don't.
Also, keep an eye out for bear scat while your walking around. This is one of the best ways to tell if there are bears in the area. If you've not seen bear scat before, it's pretty easy to identify. It smells like peppers and has little bells in it.
I once had a friend tell me about a black bear trying to board a skiff she was riding in on the Yukon river (near Tanana Alaska). The idiot driving the skiff kept buzzing it, and the bear several times got his paws over the gunnel and tried to crawl over the side. One of the passengers in the boat had to fend it off with an oar. They were lucky they didn't capsize and all end up in the river with it. I'll definitely go along with the advice to stay away from any bears you see swimming. I also agree with the statement that bears are attracted to cooking (and garbage) odors, so keep a clean camp in bear country (even if your camp is a C-dory anchored off the beach). Still, if your wife is worried about a bear boarding your boat while it's at anchor, I think it's pretty unlikely. Go ahead and tell her it's unheard of. The last thing you need is a bear phobia as a reason to avoid boating.
Aiviq
Aiviq
Mr. Fisherman
New member
I think I would take my chances on the boat.
The following is a true story as told to me by the person... in the tent....
An aquointance of mine told me that he went to Alaska and decided to camp in a tent on the beach. He had an idea for making it bear proof, this was his idea and yes... he tried it :roll:
He used his friend and his boat to pull over a pine tree. They staked the tree over and tied it. They pitched their tent and tied it to the tree. The idea was that if a bear came to call they would cut the rope and the tent would spring up off the ground and hang them from the tree, safe from the bear.... :shock:
Well later that night a bear did come to call. my friend, lets call him Darwin just to change his name, reaches out of the tent and cuts the rope expecting to be catapulted up into the air safe and sound.... right.... wrong!
When he cut the rope the tree sprung up as expected but the floor of the tent ripped out leaving him and his buddy right there like a California Delicatessen :shock: I can just imagine the look on the bears face looking into the surprised eyes of Darwin!
Well Darwin and his buddy beat feet for the beach and swam for the boat. I guess that cold water isn't much of a refresher after you let a tent fly from around you while making a presentation much like a fancy restaurant where they remove the silver cover on your dinner plate.
The bear didn't follow them into the water and I didn't have the heart to ask if they ever got their tent back out of the tree. I don't know about you but I'll be looking for a tent hanging from a tree when I make that inside passage trip in a few years,,, :xlol Oh and listening for the sounds of the fabled "Laughing Bear"
The following is a true story as told to me by the person... in the tent....
An aquointance of mine told me that he went to Alaska and decided to camp in a tent on the beach. He had an idea for making it bear proof, this was his idea and yes... he tried it :roll:
He used his friend and his boat to pull over a pine tree. They staked the tree over and tied it. They pitched their tent and tied it to the tree. The idea was that if a bear came to call they would cut the rope and the tent would spring up off the ground and hang them from the tree, safe from the bear.... :shock:
Well later that night a bear did come to call. my friend, lets call him Darwin just to change his name, reaches out of the tent and cuts the rope expecting to be catapulted up into the air safe and sound.... right.... wrong!
When he cut the rope the tree sprung up as expected but the floor of the tent ripped out leaving him and his buddy right there like a California Delicatessen :shock: I can just imagine the look on the bears face looking into the surprised eyes of Darwin!
Well Darwin and his buddy beat feet for the beach and swam for the boat. I guess that cold water isn't much of a refresher after you let a tent fly from around you while making a presentation much like a fancy restaurant where they remove the silver cover on your dinner plate.
The bear didn't follow them into the water and I didn't have the heart to ask if they ever got their tent back out of the tree. I don't know about you but I'll be looking for a tent hanging from a tree when I make that inside passage trip in a few years,,, :xlol Oh and listening for the sounds of the fabled "Laughing Bear"
Captains Cat
New member
Neat Bear Pix. Must have been really cool watching them try to back down that ladder once having reached the top. Or maybe they're still up there?
Charlie
Charlie
Okay, I'll jump in on this one, because I thought I was going to find out the answer to your question last week.
We were anchored out in a cove on the west coast of Vancouver Island last week. There are lots of black bears on Vancouver Island. In fact I think it is black bear heaven. I've never seen as many black bears anywhere else. The first evening that we were there, we saw a large black bear feeding on berries near a camping area on shore. There was also a small bear that the larger fellow chased up a tree. They were about 1/4 mile away, and we enjoyed watching them through binoculars until dark. Late afternoon on the following day, I saw the large bear coming around the cove towards where our boat was anchored. He swam through several small bodies of water instead of going around them. He looked more comfortable in the water than a black labrador. When he got down wind of our boat he started sniffing and swam out a few yards towards us (we were approximately 30 yards away from him). For whatever reason, he decided we didn't smell good enough and he turned around and went back.
I think it was fortunate that we hadn't just caught and cleaned fish. We had our garbage sealed in plastic and inside the boat. All of our food was in a closed cooler in the cockpit.
I didn't sleep well that night. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with a 350 lb bear in the cockpit during the middle of the night. It was Canada so you can't carry a gun. I had bear spray and an air horn. Fortunately I didn't have to find out if they would get him to leave. Even if I had scared him out of the cockpit, it would have been like chasing off a sumo wrestler with fangs and claws. He probably could have done a lot of damage to the equipment even if we were safe.
A long winded story just to say that bears can swim really well. If in bear country, don't leave garbage or food lying around and clean up after fishing.
Lyle
We were anchored out in a cove on the west coast of Vancouver Island last week. There are lots of black bears on Vancouver Island. In fact I think it is black bear heaven. I've never seen as many black bears anywhere else. The first evening that we were there, we saw a large black bear feeding on berries near a camping area on shore. There was also a small bear that the larger fellow chased up a tree. They were about 1/4 mile away, and we enjoyed watching them through binoculars until dark. Late afternoon on the following day, I saw the large bear coming around the cove towards where our boat was anchored. He swam through several small bodies of water instead of going around them. He looked more comfortable in the water than a black labrador. When he got down wind of our boat he started sniffing and swam out a few yards towards us (we were approximately 30 yards away from him). For whatever reason, he decided we didn't smell good enough and he turned around and went back.
I think it was fortunate that we hadn't just caught and cleaned fish. We had our garbage sealed in plastic and inside the boat. All of our food was in a closed cooler in the cockpit.
I didn't sleep well that night. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with a 350 lb bear in the cockpit during the middle of the night. It was Canada so you can't carry a gun. I had bear spray and an air horn. Fortunately I didn't have to find out if they would get him to leave. Even if I had scared him out of the cockpit, it would have been like chasing off a sumo wrestler with fangs and claws. He probably could have done a lot of damage to the equipment even if we were safe.
A long winded story just to say that bears can swim really well. If in bear country, don't leave garbage or food lying around and clean up after fishing.
Lyle
Paul Friis
New member
I live in Crofton on Vancouver Island, but I grew up on the Northern end of the Island. There are only black bears on Vancouver Island - no Grizzly bears. A couple of years ago a Grizzly bear was seen walking through Port Hardy. It was mean and hungry and before it could do anyone some harm, one of the resident natives shot it. How did it get to the Island? The thinking is it must have swam from the BC Mainland, Island hopping all the way.
I have to admit that bare sightings are quite frequent down here in the Gulf Islands!
Paul
I have to admit that bare sightings are quite frequent down here in the Gulf Islands!
Paul
starcrafttom
Active member
I really enjoyed your post and i most say that wee have both seen lots of black bears in the sierras where we are from. My wife has even been to alaska several times with her dad and seen grizzlies. We both know about what to do and what not to do in bear country and have ran black bears out of camp more then once. I told my wife about a picture i saw a few years ago. It was of a black bear swimming around a couple of fishing boats on lake tahoe in the seventys. A few days later she has a dream about a bear climbing into the c-dory we don't even own yet and i have to ask silly questions. don't you just love marriage.
Paul Friis
New member
Good morning,
I had an interesting encounter with a black bear when I was a teenager. I had been hired on as a deckhand on a 40' fish packer. Our first trip was from Quatsino to Vancouver, going around Cape Scott. For the first leg we went as far as Sea Otter Cove. That night a storm hit us and we were stuck there for three days. On the third day we went ashore to stretch our legs and walk the beaches. I rounded an outcrop of rocks and came face to face with Barney the Bear. I'm not sure who was more startled! The bear took off up the side hill like a rocket sled. I went back to the boat and changed my pants!
I sold my Albin 25 in January and have been "boatless" for several months now. I will be retiring in a couple of years and hope to buy a C-Dory 16 cruiser at that time - unless a good used one shows up in our area. There was a C-Dory 16 Angler for sale last month, but I want the cruiser model. What size are you looking for?
Paul
I had an interesting encounter with a black bear when I was a teenager. I had been hired on as a deckhand on a 40' fish packer. Our first trip was from Quatsino to Vancouver, going around Cape Scott. For the first leg we went as far as Sea Otter Cove. That night a storm hit us and we were stuck there for three days. On the third day we went ashore to stretch our legs and walk the beaches. I rounded an outcrop of rocks and came face to face with Barney the Bear. I'm not sure who was more startled! The bear took off up the side hill like a rocket sled. I went back to the boat and changed my pants!
I sold my Albin 25 in January and have been "boatless" for several months now. I will be retiring in a couple of years and hope to buy a C-Dory 16 cruiser at that time - unless a good used one shows up in our area. There was a C-Dory 16 Angler for sale last month, but I want the cruiser model. What size are you looking for?
Paul