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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I would only qualify this to say that
Sierra black bears do not want to eat hikers. The same does not apply to brown
bears and Grizlies, for which humans may very well be on the menu. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>L-Rod<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
pct-l-bounces@backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces@backcountry.net] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Steel-Eye<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Monday, February 04, 2008
6:45 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Joel Ramey<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> PCT-L MailingList<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [pct-l] Bear Canister
"required" areas on PCT in the Sierra...</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Good morning, Taildragger,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Bears are opportunist who will take the most and easiest food
that’s available, however that does not include sacks of pink, fleshy,
protein with no horns or claws. Bears don’t want hikers; bears want
hiker’s food. The only significant risk to a hiker is if he/she tries to
take a food sack back from the bear. While the hiker has possession of the
food, a bear will not aggressively try to take it away, but once the bear gets
its paws on it …. literally and figuratively …. the food
immediately becomes “his” and he will probably actively defend it.
Some of the reports of “bear attack” resulted from unwise attempts
to chase down a bear and take back a food sack.</span></font><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Steel-Eye<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>^^^^^^^^^^ Serious hikers gather at: <a
href="http://www.aldhawest.org/"><font color=purple><span style='color:purple'>http://www.aldhawest.org/</span></font></a>
^^^^^^^^^^<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;
margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='font-color:black'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:#E4E4E4'><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <a
href="mailto:joel.ramey@gmail.com" title="joel.ramey@gmail.com">Joel Ramey</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>To:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <a
href="mailto:carlito@gmail.com" title="carlito@gmail.com">Carl Siechert</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <a
href="mailto:Pct-l@backcountry.net" title="Pct-l@backcountry.net">PCT-L
MailingList</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Monday, February
04, 2008 6:11 AM<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Re: [pct-l] Bear
Canister "required" areas on PCT in the Sierra...<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I think an issue with
bears nabbing food would come more from them needing the calories in early
summer. A hiker carrying 10 lbs of high calorie food must really look like an
easy meal for a bear. After all, we're just a pink fleshy sack of protein with
no horns or claws to defend ourselves...<br>
<br>
-Taildragger<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On Feb 3, 2008 11:33 PM, Carl Siechert <<a
href="mailto:carlito@gmail.com">carlito@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>I have no idea whether there are more bears than the land can support.
However, the fact is that about 1800 per year are already being culled. Check
this link: <a
href="http://dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/2007HuntingDigest-BigGamePages43-45.pdf"
target="_blank">http://dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/2007HuntingDigest-BigGamePages43-45.pdf</a>,
which leads to a PDF from the California Department of Fish and Game. (The
first page of the PDF is about wild pigs; scroll down to the second and third
pages for bear info.) Although bears are hunted throughout <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>,
the stats indicate that most are in northern <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>
rather than the <st1:place w:st="on">Sierra Nevada</st1:place>. Warning for
those with a weak stomach: these pages include a few pictures of dead bears.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Btw, Wandering Bob usually makes lots of sense, but I had to scratch my
head about his suggestion that the way to solve the problem of "man
[trying] to fool around with that natural balance" is for man to fool
around even more by "immediately start[ing] a massive reduction" of
the bear population. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On Feb 2, 2008 10:04 PM, Craig Stanton <<a
href="mailto:craigstanton@mac.com" target="_blank">craigstanton@mac.com</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Whoa, whoa, whoa,<br>
<br>
Who said there were too
many bears? Who said they aren't<br>
sustainable on the available (natural) resources? Aren't they just<br>
curious about the smells we give off and then find we've got better<br>
snacks they they do? I for one do not advocate a bear cull to make it<br>
easier for hikers to go through the sierras. Carry a canister, take<br>
no food, sleep at bear-boxes, I don't mind. But please don't shoot<br>
the bears so we can encroach on them more.<br>
<font color="#888888"><span style='color:#888888'><br>
~Craig</span></font><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<br>
<br>
On 3/02/2008, at 6:52 PM, Bob Bankhead wrote:<br>
<br>
> The problem - in one man's opinion - is one of too many bears in<br>
> too small an area. The natural food supply therein is insufficient<br>
> to feed them all.<br>
><br>
> Whenever there are not enough resources (in this case, food) to<br>
> support an established population, that population must either find<br>
> a new food source in the area (in this case, people food), relocate<br>
> to another area that has the needed resources, or die off until it<br>
> reaches a level that can be sustained by the available resource<br>
> supply. That's nature's way and it has worked since life began.<br>
> When man tries to fool around with that natural balance, all he<br>
> does is cause trouble.<br>
><br>
> So, I'll take the politically incorrect (but ecologically sound)<br>
> position: immediately start a massive reduction (kill or relocate)<br>
> of the Black Bear population in the Sierras. Reduce that population<br>
> to the level that their natural habitat can actually support (aka<br>
> "the wild state") without the dependence on people food. Add an<br>
> economic benefit by opening the hunting season and let license fees<br>
> help fund the reduction. Other state and federal land managers<br>
> routinely selectively cull wildlife populations to prevent mass<br>
> starvation, and adjust the lengths of hunting and fishing seasons<br>
> or the number of animals allowed to be taken when needed to<br>
> maintain a healthy population level.<br>
><br>
> THEN you can really regulate, enforce, and penalize people who do<br>
> not properly store or handle food in the area. No free passes. No<br>
> tiny slap-on-the-wrist type fines. Make it hurt. This will help to<br>
> "motivate" compliance.<br>
><br>
> Now I seriously doubt that any bureaucrat or politician is going to<br>
> risk ending their career by defying the animal rights activists and<br>
> outraging the public by suggesting, let alone actually doing, such<br>
> a thing in the Sierras. It is far easier to control, regulate, and<br>
> fine the people than to actually control the bears.<br>
><br>
> End rant.<br>
><br>
><br>
> Wandering Bob<br>
><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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