Not a very wise thing to do during denning time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/nyregion/scout-leader-is-attacked-by-a-bear.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/nyregion/scout-leader-is-attacked-by-a-bear.html?_r=0
Bear incident
- Thread starter 46er
- Start date
As an old time caver I can sympathize with the man.Nothing wrong with crawling around in caves but it just so happens bears like to den up in them occasionally.I would have thought he might of smelled the bear. They really do smell like horse poop and hay.Sorta like a dirty barn.Perhaps the cave was sucking air and the smell wasn't coming out.The only cave I ever ran into a dangerous animal in was in germany valley WV.There was some sort of large cat in a cave in a cliff face.We could not even get to the entrance without a rope which we didn't have but we could get eye level with the cave by climbing the other side of the wash.I could see eyes in the dark entrance and by the deepness of the growl I"d say cougar.It sounded just like cougar squalls on TV and the eyes look as high as a coyotes.The entrance was 30 ft off the wash floor and looked to have a ledge maybe three inches wide approaching it which is how i figure the cat got there.Way too small for me to think about it without a belay.We were headed to Ruddles Cave further up the valley.I threw rocks at the entrance trying to lure it out for a better look.It would rush the entrance and spit fire but always turn back before coming into the light.Perhaps it was a Bobcat,whatever it was it was pissed even before I started chucking rocks.It saw us pass by the top of the wash across 100 ft of empty space and started loud mouthing us from that distance or i never would have stopped.
Oh geez! Glad I wasn't one of those kids standing outside, trying to figure out what to do while the adult was getting chewed on.
Funny, I had an almost identical experience poking up a small canyon in the Black Hills. You KNOW you don't want to go there!
amf
