Bears in The Sawtooths

[Nick]

Any reports on the bear situation in The Sawtooths? I did some googling and it sounds like there are plenty of black bears but they aren't really a problem. So I should be okay just hanging my food away from camp from what I've read. But do I need to do anything else? Think packing the bear spray is wise? There's no grizzlies up that way, right? I'll be solo.

 

[Yellowstone 1]

I personally would, but I like to take no chances in bear and wolf country.

 

[wes242]

The 2 times I backpacked up there we hung our food a ways away from the camp, but never saw any signs of bears. Only Wolf
I didn't have any bear spray with me cause I forgot it, but my bro had his pistol. Sucked when I had to get up in the middle of the night cause my wife needed something out of the food bag.....

 

[HomerJ]

Sucked when I had to get up in the middle of the night cause my wife needed something out of the food bag.....

LOL! She couldn't wait until morning? Must have been pregnant. LOL!

 

[wes242]

LOL! She couldn't wait until morning? Must have been pregnant. LOL!

Actually we had all our supplies up in the bag and she had so many bug bites that she woke up scratching them in the middle of the night and it was making her a crazy person. So we needed the bite anti itch stuff. Crazy/pregnant.... isn't that the same thing?

 

[Nick]

Just thought I'd report back on this. I saw zero sign of bear in 24 miles of wandering around Hellroaring and Imogene. Some locals I met and hiked with for a while even teased me a bit for having my bear spray. There were some wolf prints found though.

 

[Yellowstone 1]

Just thought I'd report back on this. I saw zero sign of bear in 24 miles of wandering around Hellroaring and Imogene. Some locals I met and hiked with for a while even teased me a bit for having my bear spray. There were some wolf prints found though.

I'd rather be teased than lunch. Just sayin.

 

[Nick]

I'd rather be teased than lunch. Just sayin.

I have to admit, it did make me feel better being solo. I still wouldn't pack it at high elevation in the Uintas, but it was nice in The Sawtooths, or as I prefer to call it, The Sawteeth.

 

[Artemus]

There are only a few, simple things you need to do in bear country or possible bear country. Keep a very clean camp. Hang your food and smelly stuff 100 yards from your tent and hang it 10 feet in the air and ten feet from a tree trunk. Those are the camp rules. Travel rules include paying attention, knowing the species and type (dangerous to humans or not) you might encounter, and contingency planning. That said, when I travel in real bear country (solo or in a group bp'ng in Jellystone, B.C., the Yukon and Alaska) I take extra precautions.