Bears in the Wind River Range
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I'm considering a trip to the Wind River Range, this July, my plan is to spend a few days in the Cirque of the Towers. I've heard stories about bears stealing people's food in that area, can anyone tell me if this is a problem? |
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I would say skeeters would be a bigger problem.:) Last time I was in the Winds in July was in the Squaretop area and the skeeters were huge and plentiful. |
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Been there a few times. Never had problems with bears, but we always strung up our food in bags and had dogs at camp. You know a good size lab can carry at least a fifth of whiskey along with his own food for a week. I think the varmit marmots are more of a problem. |
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Been there a few times, and no bear sightings. However, carrying some thin cord to hang food away from all wildlife is the norm. Despite being an 'alpine' area, there are plenty of trees and boulders for this. Have fun. |
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A ranger I know out of Pineville saw a griz up near gunsight pass a few years ago. I'm sure the bears are there, just not as habituated to humans as other places... |
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I've seen grizzly bears in the WWR before. Not all that common, but its definitely a good idea to bring about 30 ft of thin static cord to hang your food from every night. Being that they rarely come into contact with humans you'd be hard pressed to get close to one. I'd recommend both cooking and hanging your grub at least 50-70 feet away from where you sleep though- can't be too safe. |
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There was a problem with bears at Big Sandy Lake for a while...the USFS put in two bear food boxes there and that relieved the problem...Still plenty of bears everywhere in the Winds. |
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I'll second the comment that mosquitos will be the biggest problem in July. Wait until August. |
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Dogs....I actually think that dogs in grizzly country are kind of a bad idea. A dog isn't going to scare off a grizzly, but it sure might tick one off enough to cause you some unwanted attention. This sentiment has been communicated to me by locals and USFS folks alike. Though Bryan is right, a fifth of whiskey is enticing. |
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Was there last summer. No bear sightings, but as most everyone has mentioned, we hung our food and did not cook next to our tents. Talking to a local, he said that the bears know hunting season and know to stay clear of humans during and around that time. |
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5 liters??? |
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I wouldn't worry too much about bears, but the herds of man-eating sheep let loose by disgruntled old-time local farmers can be treacherous. --- Invalid image id: 106429514 --- yeah! |
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When we were camping, and climbing in the Winds, at Cirque Of The Towers in August 2008, we didn't see, or hear any bears. |
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If you want beer in the Winds you need to use horses... or Llamas... dogs just can't carry enough beer... |
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We had no problem with bears 3 years ago, didn't see a single one. But, the Marmot's are another story. They were super-aggresive trying to get our food. |
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Perhaps we just got lucky, but we were in the Cirque in august of 2007 and I dont remember slapping a single mosquito... |
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Seriously, there are a lot of sheep, especially on the pass between the cirque and the lakes south of there, I guess it's free range for the farmers. They weren't really a problem though, but they were all over the trails. |
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Andrew May wrote:Perhaps we just got lucky, but we were in the Cirque in august of 2007 and I dont remember slapping a single mosquito...Are you joking??! Lucky! |
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JLP wrote:Funny how it seems just a couple years ago it was well known that bears were in the Cirque regularly raping everyone's food bags and people were posting all over the internet about their ruined trips - and now everyone here claims there are no problems. Hanging your food from a 3 ft pole or dwarfed alpine tree or whatever isn't going to do anything but waste your time. If you can reach it, climb for it, etc, so can they. Buy or rent a bear container. No BS flying trapese to set up, no special trees to find that don't exist, no dicking around every time you want a cookie, marmot proof, rat proof, etc. - just stick your food in there and let it sit. These containers are generally 100% mandatory in active bear areas that require a permit, and the reason is that it is well known that nothing else actually works.I remember those stories too, that's why I posted this. I've been looking into canisters, it looks like a canister would be cheap insurance against a bear or marmot ruining my trip. I don't remember any trees big enough to hang my food from on my last trip (1995), and I'm well aware that bears can eventually figure out away to get food down from any tree that I can hang it from. Thanks to all who replied. |
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Mark Felber wrote: I remember those stories too, that's why I posted this. I've been looking into canisters, it looks like a canister would be cheap insurance against a bear or marmot ruining my trip. I don't remember any trees big enough to hang my food from on my last trip (1995), and I'm well aware that bears can eventually figure out away to get food down from any tree that I can hang it from. Thanks to all who replied.I never liked using the bear canisters - too heavy for a nine mile hike. In the Cirque, many people before you have set up numerous rigs for hanging bear bags. We saw at least ten whie we were there. |
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I tie my food up tight in my sleeping bag stuff sack, put it right outside my tent with a few rocks on it, then put a couple pots or pans on that. The pots and pans make a great alarm if a bear decides to bother it and I scare them off. A lot lighter than a bear cansiter too. :) |