I've seen about 6 in 20+ years of doing ALL but one trip in the Q. All were either on shore as I paddled by or I caught them swimming in open water.

Plenty of tracks, fresh scat on portage trails but never seen one although one time I could swear I heard one breathing in heavy brush along side pile of fresh scat on portage trail.

I keep a real clean camp, double bag food and until last year hung my pack. Also don't cook bacon or other items other than pan seared fish or cooked on fire, which I don't think sends out food odors like fish fried in deep oil would?

I also don't usually stay on well used campsites and the Q with so many sites and the ability to camp anywhere probably doesn't get the Yogi type bears like places in the heavily used BWCA do.

I still bring my Bear Spray just becasue I like to be prepared for the worst and I go solo. I fear injury/lighting/hypothermia or a window maker tree falling far more than any animal encounter.

Quote:


  When Q-Dave was still in the outfitter business, he was driving me into BH when this huge brown bear crossed the road in front of us at full speed across an open section of woods.

Dave stopped the van and we both said " THAT was the biggest bear I've ever seen in CA!" Next year I bought/brought my UDAP Bear Spray which I still carry.

  You wouldn't beat THAT bear off with a stout stick of beaver wood, he'd be picking his teeth with it after he had you for lunch. 

Traveling the Quetico since 1978 and have only seen one while camping, although it was only my second or third trip.  It was on the opposite side of Crawford Lake in late afternoon.  At that moment Crawford Lake seemed very small.

I did pass by a steaming pile on a portage early one spring morning, so I did not linger long.

I saw an elderly (about my current age now) lady working at the outfitters kick a small one in the rump a few times to run it out of the gargage can it was rumaging in.

One more siteing in Northern Wisconsin on the interstate, a very large black bear who bawled loudly all the way across 4 lanes of traffic.

Have heard wolves on almost every trip, some sounded very close, but have only seen one.  It was leaving Atikokan, standing along the highway looking scragley, hungry and maybe sick.  It might have weighed 35 - 40 lbs.

While we are doing critter sightings, our September trip this year up and back the Falls Chain had my bowman pointing and stuttering about something he saw on the bank that darted back into the woods.  After showing him several photos when we had net access again,  I believe he saw a full grown Fisher.  I have never even heard of someone seeing one?

Apologies for drifting off Black Bear subject matter.

Regards,

MossBack

So Old Salt ... will you elaborate a bit more?

A "few" being like 3 or 6?

From the canoe? On the trail? In camp?

-- kypaddler

In Quetico: 

4 sightings, 4 bear?  #1:  Single bear--end of Lemay Creek on Kawnipi.  #2:  Sow & cub--shoreline; NE corner of Burntside Lake.  #3: Suzanette (west entry channel from Brent)...Large black bear began swimming across the channel (south to north) but spotted us before reaching the mid-point of the channel; reversed course and swam back to shore (quick shake and into the woods).  #4: SE portage out of Suzanette in the direction of Burt--Large black bear crossed the stream on a log and proceeded south down the portage ... I followed a few minutes later.  [I assume #3 and #4 were the same bear.]

1 sighting, 1 wolf.  North end of the channel separating Kawnipi and Murdock lake.  On a windy day, as I stood fishing the outflow of the west bank, a lone wolf crested the ridge on the east side and proceeded down toward the water, apparently looking for a drink.  The wolf was practically at the water's edge (perhaps 30 feet away) when he finally glanced over and spotted me.  He executed a quick 180 and proceeded back over the ridge in haste.  [Within 10 minutes, a deer appeared behind me and I've often wondered what would have happened had I not been there.]

dd