It might be advisable to heed the notice of the Canadian Wildlife group who
posted a warning regarding bear attacks on the West Coast.
They strongly advise anyone entering wilderness areas along the coast to do
so well prepared. They advise those people to carry Bear Spray (Pepper
Spray) and to attach little bells to their clothing.
One can easily determine what type of bear is in the area by observing the
droppings.
Black and Brown bears leave droppings that have berries and roots in them.
Grizzly bears on the other hand leave droppings that smell like pepper and
have little bells in them.
Seriously, in our 20 years of cruising the coast we have never had a problem
with bears and most of the time we have a dog with us that needs to go
ashore at least twice a day.
Several times we have relocated slightly in an anchorage because a bear was
seen on shore but once relocated our dog never showed any concern about
going ashore.
We also make a habit of never anchoring at the head of an inlet where there
are tide flats and lots of high grass as bears seem to like this type of
environment. A couple of years ago we observed several grizzlies playing and
fishing at the head of Rivers Inlet. Our reaction was to enjoy them for a
while and then motored back down about a mile to a rather steep gravel beach
area and anchored off it for the night. While ashore there walking the dog
there was no bear sign while less than a mile away there were at least 10 or
12 bears.
Like so many things in life - it just takes a little common sense.
John Tones
MV Penta
Victoria BC
It might be advisable to heed the notice of the Canadian Wildlife group who
posted a warning regarding bear attacks on the West Coast.
They strongly advise anyone entering wilderness areas along the coast to do
so well prepared. They advise those people to carry Bear Spray (Pepper
Spray) and to attach little bells to their clothing.
One can easily determine what type of bear is in the area by observing the
droppings.
Black and Brown bears leave droppings that have berries and roots in them.
Grizzly bears on the other hand leave droppings that smell like pepper and
have little bells in them.
Seriously, in our 20 years of cruising the coast we have never had a problem
with bears and most of the time we have a dog with us that needs to go
ashore at least twice a day.
Several times we have relocated slightly in an anchorage because a bear was
seen on shore but once relocated our dog never showed any concern about
going ashore.
We also make a habit of never anchoring at the head of an inlet where there
are tide flats and lots of high grass as bears seem to like this type of
environment. A couple of years ago we observed several grizzlies playing and
fishing at the head of Rivers Inlet. Our reaction was to enjoy them for a
while and then motored back down about a mile to a rather steep gravel beach
area and anchored off it for the night. While ashore there walking the dog
there was no bear sign while less than a mile away there were at least 10 or
12 bears.
Like so many things in life - it just takes a little common sense.
John Tones
MV Penta
Victoria BC
