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Bears in the Boundary Waters and Quetico
 
   
 

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Name: Seasonal Staff
Location: BWCA
Lake: Knife L
Date July 10, 2001
Time: Dusk
Type: Campsite Visit
Number of people: 8
Cubs present: Yes, 1 cub was present
Personality: Persistent
Ended when: I left due to the bear

Important
Details:
Do NOT camp on Robbins Island. While I have not had an encounter (because I avoid the island for this reason,) I am aware of many incidents in the summers of 2000 and 2001. It is my understanding that this is a mother and cub that roam Robbins and the campsites south of robbins Island.

Last incident reported to me was that a group went to Robbins island to camp and found a note on the fire grate informing them that the previous night the group before was attached and was fored to leave.

Plan ahead, avoid this area.


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Name: Skip Guyer
Location: Quetico
Lake: North Bay, Basswood
Date July 18, 2001
Time: Morning
Type: close encounter
Number of people: No answer
Cubs present: Yes, 1 cub was present
Personality: Unknown
Ended when: Bear left on it's own

Important
Details:
Not a camp bear, that I know of. Mom and cub crossed the narrows at the NE corner of Neil Island to the NE mainland (towards Lost Bay).
Probably not a highlight of this database, but they were the first bears I've ever seen in the wild.

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Name: Solo tripper
Location: Quetico
Lake: Badwater
Date July 17, 2001
Time: Evening
Type: Distant Sighting
Number of people: Solo
Cubs present: Yes, 2 cubs were present
Personality: Unknown
Ended when: Other

Important
Details:
Bear cubs made noise rolling rocks around while mother was present. I saw them while I was trolling for walleyes. They were on far side of lake from my camp and down a ways, and far down from camp on same side of lake. Paddled down to tell other campers. No trouble from bears. Ranger @ Beaverhouse said there were reports from other campers of bears swimming in Badwater when I asked on way in.

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Name: backwater
Location: BWCA
Lake: Eddy
Date July 10, 2001
Time: Aftrenoon
Type: close encounter
Number of people: 3
Cubs present: None
Personality: Unknown
Ended when: Bear left due to loud noises

Important
Details:
Stopped for lunch (summer sausage and cheese)at the east campsite on Eddy. Saw some bear scat around the campsite. "Holy SH*T! There's a bear!" "Yeah, right." I turned around thinkin' there might be a bear a couple hundred yards away. NNNOOOOOOO, 15 yards away, nose down wind, and seemingly unaware of us. Guess at 250 - 300 lbs.

Grabbed my pocket knife (might as well make him mad enough to kill me quick), and yelled, "GO AWAY BEAR!" Same yell from my little buddies. They got some quick photos - we yelled some more. He woofed a couple times, then walked back up the hill he came from.


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Name: smallie saver
Location: BWCA
Lake: Zepher
Date June 22, 2001
Time: Morning
Type: Campsite Feeding
Number of people: 2
Cubs present: Yes, 1 cub was present
Personality: Timid
Ended when: Bear left due to loud noises

Important
Details:
Bear, probably adolescent, visited site, climbed trees, tore up toilet paper at latrine, ate corn on the cob. Came back that afternoon, sighted from distance, scared off with loud noises.

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Name: monkey_wrench
Location: BWCA
Lake: Lac La Croix - North of Coleman
Date June 16, 2001
Time: Night
Type: Campsite Visit
Number of people: 5
Cubs present: None
Personality: Aggressive and Persistent
Ended when: Bear left due to loud noises

Important
Details:
Bear kept us up all night on Twenty five island in Lac La Croix, just north of Coleman island. We were staying at the site on the E end of island.

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Name: ja
Location: Quetico
Lake: Kawnipi (sp) east of Rose Island
Date May 18, 2001
Time: Dusk
Type: Distant Sighting
Number of people: Solo
Cubs present: None
Personality: Unknown
Ended when: Bear left on it's own

Important
Details:
I was at small island campsite east of Rose Island. Bear was
reconning a campsite on a point to NW of the island. Probably
.25 miles away. I stayed quiet I was observing w/ field glasses.
About 10 minutes later bear swam south across the lake,
in front of the sunset. Picked it's head well out of the water
and looked my way a couple times while swimming. There was
no bear sign at the campsite I was at.

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Name: wisconsin trippers
Location: Quetico
Lake: quetico
Date September 14, 2000
Time: Evening
Type: Campsite Visit
Number of people: Solo
Cubs present: None
Personality: Unknown
Ended when: Bear left due to seeing me

Important
Details:
Bear in camp 3 nights in a row. Campsite at mouth of west bay on Quetico Lake. Site high above water. Chewed up stoves, packs and other miscellaneous items. We left after bear began visiting camp in daylight.

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Name: Illini John
Location: BWCA
Lake: Koma
Date September 6, 2000
Time: Night
Type: Campsite Visit
Number of people: 2
Cubs present: None
Personality: Persistent
Ended when: Bear left on it's own

Important
Details:
Island campsite... we heard campers at another site yelling within minutes of the time it left our campsite. Scared the *** out of me.

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Name: db
Location: Quetico
Lake: Sturgeon (upper section)
Date September 25, 1999
Time: Morning
Type: Campsite Visit
Number of people: Solo
Cubs present: None
Personality: Persistent
Ended when: I left due to the bear

Important
Details:
Here is an old encounter of mine as an example. It happened on the island campsite north of Blueberry island.

Even after it took a bite out of my fuel bottle, it hung around until I packed up and left. Then it swam to the nearest mainland campsite... Either because of, or in spite of the fact that's where it watched me go.


 
 
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