Photographing in Bear and Cougar Country

OhLook wrote in post #16732183
Croupiers.

Before stepping over a fallen log, look at the other side of the log.

Scorpions. LV Moose can tell you about those.

Nobody has mentioned mosquitoes yet. I know you asked about large animals, but mosquitoes will probably give you more trouble than mammals.

I was standing on top of the rock that the snake was under. I looked down and was about to put my foot just in front of the rattler, but I gave it a second look and saw the rattle.
At first it looked like a stone but it didn't look right, then I recognized it as part of a rattle snake.

*Jayrou wrote in post #16731323
I dont know how anyone copes outside Europe! Everything wants to kill you.

hehe, Don't come down under then. If you make it past the crocodiles and sharks to the coast, you'll just have to manage our spiders, and snakes which are some of the most venomous in the world. You may have heard what dingoes can do, heck even our lazy koalas will rip you a new one if you get too close.

Wherever you go, it's the humans that are the most vicious. And damned if they aren't everywhere!

If you do encounter mean critters try to make your self as tall as possible they (generally) do not like going after larger critters. The previous suggestions are wise too. There is an old joke that goes : if in bear country carry bear spray and wear bells to alert them something is around. They have done autopsies on bears and normally they find bear spray and bells in the innards. Just make noise so they know you are around, do not surprise them if you can avoid them.

Wow , Cheers for all the comments

Tom Reichner wrote in post #16731326
You are not going to have any problems whatsoever with either of these species. Guaranteed. Don't even think about it anymore. Don't waste time learning about bear attacks or how to avoid cougars. Just stop it. Instead, spend your time reading books about scenic landscape photography - that's what your trip is about, so prepare for it.

Hi Tom , I appreciate what you are saying but I dont think thats something you can guarrantee me, I tend to get myself in all sorts of situations., You do take some fantastic wildlife images, absolutely stunning..

BobG wrote in post #16731347
Arizona and Nevada are snake country.

Bob, you're not helping again..

WaltA wrote in post #16731633
You might want to think about taking a guided tour to get away from the townsite areas. And those rich retired people in their RV's

http://www.banfflakelo​uise.com …/Guided-Sightseeing-Tours

Thanks Walt , this had crossed my mind ..

LV Moose wrote in post #16731669
If you want some close-up shots, wear bacon.

just kidding!

Smoked or Unsmoked?..

teletripper wrote in post #16731821
Jayrou I know said don't laugh but I couldn't help it....sorry, I have lived in rural areas most of my life and now live in the "big city" of Red Cliff Colorado (population less then 300) trust me you have nothing to fear as someone said they will try to avoid you as they are more concerned about you then the other way around. Now for the part that is funny, my GF moved in last Nov. and has never lived in a city smaller then NYC she was walking to the store a couple of weeks ago and noticed folks out with their kids watching something walking down the abandoned railroad tracks, yup a mountain lion was out for a stroll in the middle of the day. She now drives the few hundred yards to the store, I have a feeling she won't be around much longer!

Thanks for posting
Much appreciate your post, I think Id be the same as your girlfriend, I was born in Liverpool England but spent my last 24 years on an Island 9 Miles by 5 .. Ive been sheltered!

OhLook wrote in post #16732183
Croupiers.

Before stepping over a fallen log, look at the other side of the log.

Scorpions. LV Moose can tell you about those.

Nobody has mentioned mosquitoes yet. I know you asked about large animals, but mosquitoes will probably give you more trouble than mammals.

Thanks , Croupiers! haha, this is a sweetner for the missus, I want Canada , she wants hot sun so half and half was a compromise, not a bad compromise though.
Im OK with Mozzies , they seem to not like me .

LV Moose wrote in post #16732225
Don't have to worry too much about scorpions and Black Widows unless you're going to be hiking around at night. And mosquitoes aren't much of an issue here.

Edit. If you're going to be on the strip, don't get tranny-tricked

Gulp, Black Widows and Scorpions! *shudders*.. Tranny tricked haha.. Ive been to Thailand enough in the past to not get caught out with that - If of course Im getting what you are meaning!

swoffa wrote in post #16732559
hehe, Don't come down under then. If you make it past the crocodiles and sharks to the coast, you'll just have to manage our spiders, and snakes which are some of the most venomous in the world. You may have heard what dingoes can do, heck even our lazy koalas will rip you a new one if you get too close.

Yeah mate , I dont know how you do it there!... I wouldnt swim in the Sea there , nor any Billabong... Id stay in doors - you have some crazy creature there!

Joe Ravenstein wrote in post #16732635
If you do encounter mean critters try to make your self as tall as possible they (generally) do not like going after larger critters. The previous suggestions are wise too. There is an old joke that goes : if in bear country carry bear spray and wear bells to alert them something is around. They have done autopsies on bears and normally they find bear spray and bells in the innards. Just make noise so they know you are around, do not surprise them if you can avoid them.

Thanks Joe, much appreciated.

And thanks to everyone for help and or putting a smile on my face , I aplogise fort not responding to everyone directly , its been tough composing this.

I was just there last May and the local folks told us that in general, black bears won't bother you unless you bother them. We saw far more bears, deer, moose and mountain goats at the side of the road than on any hikes or tours we took. Close to Cannmore, we saw deer on the streets of Banff and a black bear crossing the road in the town of Jasper. None of the locals seemed to be bothered by this. By the way, remember that this is tourist country. You'll meet far more people from other parts of the world than you will people born in Canada. It made for great conversations.

A list of fatal bear attacks in North America:

http://en.wikipedia.or​g …orth_America#Br​own_bear_2

Grizzlies definitely scare me - scariest moment of my life was hiking on a trail in Glacier NP (2009) when a younger grizzly crossed the path not more than 50 feet in front of us. It paid us no heed, but it's still frightening because you simply have no control over what the bear might do.

But, the fear of bears and cougars is largely emotional and all things considered it is irrational. Think about the above-list of fatal bear attacks and imagine it compared it to a list of fatal car/plane/train/bus accidents in North America. If our fear was more rational, we would be freaking out at the sheer idea of setting foot in any vehicle - and bears/cougars wouldn't even enter our minds. But, the things we ought fear most, don't seem to frighten us at all, while far less threatening things (bears and cougars) scare us more.

20droger wrote in post #16731215
Avoid direct eye contact...don't shout or scream....

I live and recreate in mountain lion habitat. With respect, I've always taught and been taught the opposite :

Guidelines for Recreating In Cougar Country
Your Safety in Mountain Lion Habitat
Mountain Lion Foundation

I'm from the UK originally. I've been to the Canadian rockies twice.

Your chances of seeing a cougar are basically zero, so I wouldn't fret about that. If you see one, 99% of us that have been to Canada with a camera will be exteemly jeleous.


Bears are pretty chilled out mostly. If you get out into the back country for a decent amount of time you will more than likely see one, which wis great!! They're unlikely yo be very intereted in you or what you're doing. They see plenty of hikers.

Biggest scare I got was walking round a tight bend in a foot path and practically walking into a bear. Bear seemed equally surprised and imediately ran off into the trees. Probably should have been making more noise as i went round the bend.

Put your food and toothpaste and anything else that smells better than your dirty socks up a bear pole (back country campsites will have these provided) so you don't end up with one in your tent with you during the night.

Seeing the wildlife is exciting. None of it is going to want to eat you. Do not attempt to pet the bear cubs and you'll be fine.

David Arbogast wrote in post #16733865
A list of fatal bear attacks in North America:

http://en.wikipedia.or​g …orth_America#Br​own_bear_2

Grizzlies definitely scare me - scariest moment of my life was hiking on a trail in Glacier NP (2009) when a younger grizzly crossed the path not more than 50 feet in front of us. It paid us no heed, but it's still frightening because you simply have no control over what the bear might do.

But, the fear of bears and cougars is largely emotional and all things considered it is irrational. Think about the above-list of fatal bear attacks and imagine it compared it to a list of fatal car/plane/train/bus accidents in North America. If our fear was more rational, we would be freaking out at the sheer idea of setting foot in any vehicle - and bears/cougars wouldn't even enter our minds. But, the things we ought fear most, don't seem to frighten us at all, while far less threatening things (bears and cougars) scare us more.

You are quite right about it being an irrantional fear;

Lsit of fatal lightning strikes: http://weather.about.c​om …ing/a/lightning​record.htm

Lets put this in perspective; In the US in 2006, two people were killed by bears. 47 were killed by lightning. Your time would be 23.5x better spent reading up about how not to get struck by lightning.

RMH wrote in post #16733969
Seeing the wildlife is exciting. None of it is going to want to eat you. Do not attempt to pet the bear cubs and you'll be fine.

I would take this attitude. And the further in the backcountry and the less bears have seen humans the more they are likely to stay away.

Just don't do anything stupid and the chances are anything happening are much much less than getting into an accident getting there. Be careful on that drive to the airport in the UK, that will be by far the most dangerous part of the trip.

If it makes you feel better, buy some bear spray when you get there.

And yes, living in Colorado, in the summer lightening is a real issue. Last time I attempted a 14000ft peak was in late September and got caught in a snowstorm (didn't make it to the top). I was telling someone about this and they thought I was crazy going so late in the season, but we judged that we'd rather risk that than afternoon thunderstorms. I've been in a few bad ones, I prefer snow at 13000ft than lightning.

The US lost 33,000 people on roads in 2012, just to put into perspective the odd bear incident or lightning strike (of course more time is spend on roads than in the backcountry, but still).

swoffa wrote in post #16732559
heck even our lazy koalas will rip you a new one if you get too close.

The g/f calls me her koala.

One reason I miss being down under. So many fun things to play with. Getting on the back of a croc is on the bucket list.


Here in southern Wisconsin we are getting a few black bears and cougars coming into the area.

YamahaRob wrote in post #16735486
Getting on the back of a croc is on the bucket list.

You'll need to schedule that last.

I've encountered venomous snakes like copperheads several times, and because I know how to behave around them the risks are slight. I also know an emu can take your eye out. But I've always been nervous about walking in bear or cougar country, because I lack knowledge. I think when I do make it over to the national parks there, I'd engage a guide or otherwise go out with locals. This despite being an extremely experienced hiker here.

James P wrote in post #16733199
I was just there last May and the local folks told us that in general, black bears won't bother you unless you bother them. We saw far more bears, deer, moose and mountain goats at the side of the road than on any hikes or tours we took. Close to Cannmore, we saw deer on the streets of Banff and a black bear crossing the road in the town of Jasper. None of the locals seemed to be bothered by this. By the way, remember that this is tourist country. You'll meet far more people from other parts of the world than you will people born in Canada. It made for great conversations.

Thanks James, I would imagine all the locals are used to it, like some out out Australian friends here with their deadly species

Cheers

David Arbogast wrote in post #16733865
A list of fatal bear attacks in North America:

http://en.wikipedia.or​g …orth_America#Br​own_bear_2

Grizzlies definitely scare me - scariest moment of my life was hiking on a trail in Glacier NP (2009) when a younger grizzly crossed the path not more than 50 feet in front of us. It paid us no heed, but it's still frightening because you simply have no control over what the bear might do.

But, the fear of bears and cougars is largely emotional and all things considered it is irrational. Think about the above-list of fatal bear attacks and imagine it compared it to a list of fatal car/plane/train/bus accidents in North America. If our fear was more rational, we would be freaking out at the sheer idea of setting foot in any vehicle - and bears/cougars wouldn't even enter our minds. But, the things we ought fear most, don't seem to frighten us at all, while far less threatening things (bears and cougars) scare us more.

David , you're absolutely right, I read about bear atttacks and the writer compared it to Dog attacks/fatalities in a single year in the US... it kind of brings it into perpective.. thanks for a great post.

xburrows wrote in post #16733916
I live and recreate in mountain lion habitat. With respect, I've always taught and been taught the opposite :

Guidelines for Recreating In Cougar Country
Your Safety in Mountain Lion Habitat
Mountain Lion Foundation

I have to agree , first thing I read was "make direct eye contact and dont take your eyes off it." ,and dont turn your back on one - thanks for the great links

RMH wrote in post #16733969
I'm from the UK originally. I've been to the Canadian rockies twice.

Your chances of seeing a cougar are basically zero, so I wouldn't fret about that. If you see one, 99% of us that have been to Canada with a camera will be exteemly jeleous.


Bears are pretty chilled out mostly. If you get out into the back country for a decent amount of time you will more than likely see one, which wis great!! They're unlikely yo be very intereted in you or what you're doing. They see plenty of hikers.

Biggest scare I got was walking round a tight bend in a foot path and practically walking into a bear. Bear seemed equally surprised and imediately ran off into the trees. Probably should have been making more noise as i went round the bend.

Put your food and toothpaste and anything else that smells better than your dirty socks up a bear pole (back country campsites will have these provided) so you don't end up with one in your tent with you during the night.

Seeing the wildlife is exciting. None of it is going to want to eat you. Do not attempt to pet the bear cubs and you'll be fine.

RMH , much appreciated for you advice , cheers

ejenner wrote in post #16735463
I would take this attitude. And the further in the backcountry and the less bears have seen humans the more they are likely to stay away.

Just don't do anything stupid and the chances are anything happening are much much less than getting into an accident getting there. Be careful on that drive to the airport in the UK, that will be by far the most dangerous part of the trip.

If it makes you feel better, buy some bear spray when you get there.

And yes, living in Colorado, in the summer lightening is a real issue. Last time I attempted a 14000ft peak was in late September and got caught in a snowstorm (didn't make it to the top). I was telling someone about this and they thought I was crazy going so late in the season, but we judged that we'd rather risk that than afternoon thunderstorms. I've been in a few bad ones, I prefer snow at 13000ft than lightning.

The US lost 33,000 people on roads in 2012, just to put into perspective the odd bear incident or lightning strike (of course more time is spend on roads than in the backcountry, but still).

Cheers Edward , Yeah I have a fear of Lightning too... stems from me being 7 and I was the only one whos hair stood on end in a storm.. everyone told me It was me most likely to get struck because of it..

melcat wrote in post #16735508
You'll need to schedule that last.

I've encountered venomous snakes like copperheads several times, and because I know how to behave around them the risks are slight. I also know an emu can take your eye out. But I've always been nervous about walking in bear or cougar country, because I lack knowledge. I think when I do make it over to the national parks there, I'd engage a guide or otherwise go out with locals. This despite being an extremely experienced hiker here.

Hi Melcat

Yes this is my worry , locals gain experence throughout life as with you and your snakes *shudder* but to a stranger what could look like a lovely trail could be laden with signs of recent activity of something, which may not be far away... thanks

Spreaking of locals, they're just generally releaxed about the wildlife. The first time I was in the rockies, we were about 5 mins walk out from town and saw a bear and her two cubs. A local out walking her dog was stood watching them and her dog was going barking at the bear and her cobs. Bear was either blind and deaf or had seen enough hikers and dog walkers to know that we were no threat and just completely ignored all of us. That was my first experience of a bear and it made me very nervious as I felt sure the bear would reaact bady to the dog barking, but it didn't even seem to notice... after that I felt better.

There are no 'guides' in the parts of the rockies i've been to -- there's no great need; it's safe and the footpaths are well trodden and obvious. If you go to the tourist information centre, they will hand you a map and send you on your way, and that's all you need.