Not just Tripoli Road - BSP Bear Problems

[peakbagger]

https://bangordailynews.com/2019/07...er-state-park-saw-its-bear-activity-increase/

Bear Brook is the group site just down the road from Roaring Brook. Its pretty ideal for bear problems as it usually empty during the day and IMO groups tend to be far less careful about food storage than individual campers although both types of parties can be clueless.

 

[NHClimber]

Doritos and english muffins. Can't blame the bears for that!

 

[peakbagger]

Neither do I, I have booked Bear Brook a few times for groups over the years and usually grab the site farthest from the road. Quite frequently while driving to the site or sharing the cooking pavilion I observe improper food storage.

The former Chief Ranger, Buzz Caverly who worked directly with Percival Baxter was fond of telling the story of Baxter visiting Katahdin Stream in his chauffeur driven limo. In the trunk was a prepared picnic basket. The trunk was open and the party was distracted by some new improvement at the campground. When they came back to the car there was a family of racoons raiding the picnic basket. The chauffeur went to running and yelling to scare the racoons off but Baxter stopped him and announced that the racoons had better rights to the food as they lived there while Baxter and his party were just visitors. Most likely a apocryphal story but expect that given Baxter long term goal of BSP as wildlife preserve something he might do.

Realistically BSP used to have far more animal/human problems. They had an open dump and going to see the dump bears was a normal evening ritual for many campers. Chimney Pond had a large dump and reportedly resident bears. Raccoons were to be expected at most of the drive in campgrounds. When the park decided to give it a try at keeping Chimney Pond open after years of abuse they got rid of the dump, banned fires and put in a bear pole. In my early trips to Chimney Pond the ranger was quite insistent that all food and bear attractants got hung on the bear line and frequently they would make a sweep around the shelters after supper to remind folks to hang their stuff. I have heard in recent years that a young bear may make a visit on occasion when they are trying to establish their own home range after momma bear kicks them out but without readily accessible food they head out. Pretty much standard were stories of the old uncoated foam coolers being gnawed through on nightly basis and I think the car campers expected "wild" animal interactions at KSC, Abol and Roaring Brook.

 

[B the Hiker]

It's hard to get people to take bears seriously. I was on the Colorado Trail, staying in a place named, of all things, Bear Creek, and met to young men who gave me trails names, but weren't even hanging bear bags. "We only do that in bear country," I was told.

Just came back from Boundary Waters and passed a campsite where the "bear bag" was maybe head height...

 

[peakbagger]

I was eating lunch and got a knock on the door. It was one of the "celebritys" from North Woods Law reminding everyone in the neighborhood not to feed bears and reminding me that its against the law to feed them. The bears on occasion this time of year start working the trash cans on trash day.

 

[DayTrip]

The chauffeur went to running and yelling to scare the racoons off but Baxter stopped him and announced that the raccoons had better rights to the food as they lived there while Baxter and his party were just visitors.

Of all the wildlife I've seen at Baxter I have yet to see a raccoon. Didn't really dawn on me until you mentioned it. I've seen more pine martens there than raccoons. Hopefully this Spring's activity will get ranger's and people more focused and there aren't the inevitable sad stories of bears killed because of stupid people. That certainly wasn't my observation in Baxter last week. Seems like this year has had near record activity in the Northeast, but that is just my casual and very short term reference of maybe 9-10 years.

EDIT: Why do you figure this is? Does the massive and late melting snow pack of this year force bears to travel more to locate food?

 

[skiguy]

Of all the wildlife I've seen at Baxter I have yet to see a raccoon. Didn't really dawn on me until you mentioned it. I've seen more pine martens there than raccoons. Hopefully this Spring's activity will get ranger's and people more focused and there aren't the inevitable sad stories of bears killed because of stupid people. That certainly wasn't my observation in Baxter last week. Seems like this year has had near record activity in the Northeast, but that is just my casual and very short term reference of maybe 9-10 years.

EDIT: Why do you figure this is? Does the massive and late melting snow pack of this year force bears to travel more to locate food?

Talking with the local F&G Officer earlier in the Spring about this he said it was also contributed to the early onset of Winter coupled with a poor food supply. The two factors are intertwined. Not a lot of food(Nuts and berries) to begin with and then what was there got buried early under the snow.

 

[Brambor]

whenever I am at BSP it is filled with snow It has been more than a decade since I 'camped' in BSP during the summer