Bear spray/bell necessary for hiking on Mt Hood/in the gorge? (Portland: amusement park, law)

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by roneb

If you are hiking Mt. Hood or the Gorge there is no bear risk. Let's get real here, it's not Alaska, Glacier, or Yellowstone, or even the Pasayten Wilderness in WA. I've been to all of the above, and yes you should be nervous about bears in these places. What few black bears there are on Hood or in the Gorge (I've only seen one in all my years on Mt Hood) are small and run the other way.

Seriously, some of the posts here are making it sound like the Gorge has more bears then Yellowstone Park and Alaska put together.

I have hiked the Gorge extensively, have taught Wilderness Survival classes up there, and lived for a week with nothing put a pocket knife. I have never, ever, ever seen a bear in the Gorge at all. I know they're there as you'll run across their spoor occasionally.

I have also spent tons of time in the Mt. Hood Wilderness area - I've seen more Sasquatch then bears there, and even then that was a "hmm... that's a really tall and very weird shadow moving through that clearing!"

The ONLY places I've ever seen a bear in Oregon is in Oxbow Park on the Sandy River, and around Crater Lake. Even then, every single time it was running away from me after attempting to raid trash cans.

Bears are way down on the list of scary wildlife encounters here in Oregon; enraged mule deer protecting their young, coyotes, and rattlesnakes are all more likely to attack then bears.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Originally Posted by roneb

If you are hiking Mt. Hood or the Gorge there is no bear risk. Let's get real here, it's not Alaska, Glacier, or Yellowstone, or even the Pasayten Wilderness in WA. I've been to all of the above, and yes you should be nervous about bears in these places. What few black bears there are on Hood or in the Gorge (I've only seen one in all my years on Mt Hood) are small and run the other way.

Originally Posted by hamellr

Seriously, some of the posts here are making it sound like the Gorge has more bears then Yellowstone Park and Alaska put together.

I have hiked the Gorge extensively, have taught Wilderness Survival classes up there, and lived for a week with nothing put a pocket knife. I have never, ever, ever seen a bear in the Gorge at all. I know they're there as you'll run across their spoor occasionally.

I have also spent tons of time in the Mt. Hood Wilderness area - I've seen more Sasquatch then bears there, and even then that was a "hmm... that's a really tall and very weird shadow moving through that clearing!"

The ONLY places I've ever seen a bear in Oregon is in Oxbow Park on the Sandy River, and around Crater Lake. Even then, every single time it was running away from me after attempting to raid trash cans.

Bears are way down on the list of scary wildlife encounters here in Oregon; enraged mule deer protecting their young, coyotes, and rattlesnakes are all more likely to attack then bears.

Finally, realistic responses.
In all my time in the woods, I have seen two bears.
One about twenty years ago with my binoculars north of Detroit Lake, and last year, one that had been run over on Highway 26 (going to the coast) in the very early morning.
Both small Black Bears.
I have never had to use my weapon defensively against any kind of wildlife, but I do carry when I am out in the woods.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

If you are afraid to shoot a gun for protection then you need to accept a higher probability of being mauled perhaps fatally. Other defenses are far less effective and that's all she wrote.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by hamellr

Seriously, some of the posts here are making it sound like the Gorge has more bears then Yellowstone Park and Alaska put together.

I have hiked the Gorge extensively, have taught Wilderness Survival classes up there, and lived for a week with nothing put a pocket knife. I have never, ever, ever seen a bear in the Gorge at all. I know they're there as you'll run across their spoor occasionally.

I have also spent tons of time in the Mt. Hood Wilderness area - I've seen more Sasquatch then bears there, and even then that was a "hmm... that's a really tall and very weird shadow moving through that clearing!"

The ONLY places I've ever seen a bear in Oregon is in Oxbow Park on the Sandy River, and around Crater Lake. Even then, every single time it was running away from me after attempting to raid trash cans.

Bears are way down on the list of scary wildlife encounters here in Oregon; enraged mule deer protecting their young, coyotes, and rattlesnakes are all more likely to attack then bears.

Yes. Thanks for a realistic response. Worrying about carrying bear spray on a well-travelled(and usually crowded) trail in the Columbia Gorge isn't something one should be that concerned about. Bears aren't a problem at all, and you're more likely to be bugged by the large crowds of people on trails like Eagle Creek or Dog Mountain.

When I'm backpacking in the High Sierra, a huge wilderness area with thousands of bears--and I've seen tons of bears hiking and camping in the reigon, you're forced to take a bear canister along, but hardly anyone brings bear spray--and there's only been about 5 attacks in the region in the last 30 years. Bear spray is a good thing to have in the grizzly country of Yellowstone or Glacier or the Canadian Rockies, and it's probably good to have a shotgun or high-powered rifle if your heading into the Alaska bush. Bear bells are just a good way to scare away the rest of the wildlife, as well as annoy your fellow hikers. But if you're just hiking around the waterfalls in the Gorge--where I've never heard of anyone seeing a bear, you shouldn't be too worried about bear encounters. In fact just consider yourself lucky if you're able to spot a bear considering how rare they tend to be in the area.

I'd be more concerned with ticks in the Gorge...I've gotten bitten by those little bastards a few times, and end up taking antibiotics to prevent Lyme disease(even though statiscally that's pretty rare in Oregon also). They're pretty common towards the eastern end once you start getting closer to the drier side of the Cascades, especially around McCall Preserve.

[OmShanti]

Thanks guys for the further opinions!

It's good to know that I shouldn't worry on the well traveled trails, and that bears frequent Oxbow camping grounds.

I'm a well seasoned camper and hiker and have no problem seeing bears or wildlife (if I get my new DSLR - a Nikon D7000 - hopefully I can start taking pictures again!) but I have been spoiled in San Diego with just a few rattlers and mountain lions. I can't wait to start exploring something new and in a new climate...it's so nice to not have to get up at 6 am to go hiking before the heat! I went out this morning to Tryon Creek State Park and wore a sweater. I love the woods, it feels like I'm in Ferngully (minus the funny bat).

I have also spent tons of time in the Mt. Hood Wilderness area - I've seen more Sasquatch then bears there, and even then that was a "hmm... that's a really tall and very weird shadow moving through that clearing!"

LOL to me that's the scariest thing of all!

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

If you are afraid to shoot a gun for protection then you need to accept a higher probability of being mauled perhaps fatally. Other defenses are far less effective and that's all she wrote.

There's been one bear attack I can I remember in Oregon in the last 10 years and that was a hunter down in the Southern Oregon Cascades near the Umpqua River who was attacked and injured by a wounded black bear that he was tracking(they'd already shot him in the shoulder), before it attacked him(understandably so) before he shot it with his pistol. It took a full clip of rounds from a .45 pistol including several shots to the head before the bear was finally put down after it wrestled with the man.

Hiking with a gun is personal choice, but it's not even a guarantee of safety. Most of the rare occasions where black bears do attack, are either cases where people do something stupid and approach the bears(either in captivity or to feed them), or where the bears are suprised and react quickly. There's some occurances where a black bear in search of food might attack campers inside their tent--but these are extremely rare in any location for the most part. But it's easy to scare away a wary black bear down the trail just by making loud noises.

[Metlakatla]

Anyway, this is a great book for anyone who hikes where there might be bears.

Amazon.com: Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (9780941130820): Stephen Herrero: Books

In this book he also cites a study that found that 3 in 16 bears were not stopped by bear spray. One more time, I'm not advocating against using it; simply stating that it isn't an absolutely guarantee of safety. As one researcher in Fairbanks said, bear spray is not brains in a can.

But really, you have little to worry about in Oregon.

[OmShanti]

I carry a whistle which is VERY loud and makes a few different sounds, and I think that would do the trick. Best purchase that I have ever made at REI. And, unlike the idiot in 127 hours, it's attached to my Camelbak chest strap (which always goes with me) so I will never be without it. I also have a backup in my backpack.

I will never carry a gun. I don't have enough experience to even make it useful (I'm the type of person that more likely to shoot myself then an attacker...). I just don't believe in using guns unless you are out in the wilderness and absolutely need them for protection.

Originally Posted by Deezus

There's been one bear attack I can I remember in Oregon in the last 10 years and that was a hunter down in the Southern Oregon Cascades near the Umpqua River who was attacked and injured by a wounded black bear that he was tracking(they'd already shot him in the shoulder), before it attacked him(understandably so) before he shot it with his pistol. It took a full clip of rounds from a .45 pistol including several shots to the head before the bear was finally put down after it wrestled with the man.

Hiking with a gun is personal choice, but it's not even a guarantee of safety. Most of the rare occasions where black bears do attack, are either cases where people do something stupid and approach the bears(either in captivity or to feed them), or where the bears are suprised and react quickly. There's some occurances where a black bear in search of food might attack campers inside their tent--but these are extremely rare in any location for the most part. But it's easy to scare away a wary black bear down the trail just by making loud noises.

[Smiled]

Well, if you hang around Tualatin, you might see a bear. I've never seen one in the Cascades, but I have in the Coast Range. I'm with the gang who say Have a Conversation (just don't want to surprise one).

[Smiled]

If I were a lone petite female, I might consider carrying a firearm in the more remote places in the near-Portland mountains. I don't carry one personally, but I do stay aware of my surroundings. Though bear spray might have the same effect.