I think OS has the right idea. Bears have a pretty big range but are smart enough to go back to areas they have found food in.
One of the first things I do when scoping out a campsite is look in the firepit. Lot's of unburnt or half burnt garbage makes me hesitate unless it's just to nice a spot to pass up.
Bear/wolf scat is part of that natural world, I'd rather find a fresh pile of that than a field of Turd Blossom's any day.
Posted by: MossBack Posted on: Sep 13th, 2018 at 6:50pm
That very thing happened in the year 2000 with 3 others who had never been on a canoe trip. We started at Minn, traveled the Darky River and finally arrived on the North end of Darky lake just as the daylight was giving up. One of the new members found a still damp pile complete with candy wrappers. He asked where we were going to stay now, and was not happy with the "right here" answer.
MB
Posted by: Old Salt Posted on: Sep 13th, 2018 at 6:18pm
It wouldn’t stop me from using the site unless I saw signs of messy camping habits, such as garbage. At least the bruin didn’t leave TP scattered about. I might use my paddle to move it somewhere away and downwind from Camp. The key question, in my mind, is this random occurrence or a habitual bear looking for an easy meal? Either way, it’s a good reminder to keep a clean Camp.
I stop at campsites all the time just to stretch my legs and see how they are doing. There have been times when a site was so inviting, with lots of good wood or something else I liked, that I'll just stay there and plan on doing a longer day tomorrow.
There's been times that sites I planned on staying at weren't up to par so I'll probably move on if that's reasonable.
Here's a question that's never been asked before as far as I know.
This pile of bear scat was at the edge of a campsite, 10 or so feet away from the best tent spot. It wasn't steaming fresh, maybe one hot, breezy, sunny day old? I don't know. Question is, in your decision making process on campsite selection, would you consider this pile of scat a plus or minus? Would you keep it in mind if you took the same route in the future?
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