Bear sighting

[Mike Lewis]

Yesterday morning while driving along a lakeside road in Hell's Canyon I came upon a bear. It was a cub, sort of large, about the size of a large dog. Would that be a "yearling"? Anyway, we startled each other and the young bear scampered across the road in front of me and up a hill. I looked around but didn't see a mother bear.

I drove on, and around the next bend I saw a jogger heading toward me (and the bear). From my recent terrifying foray into Canada I knew this wasn't a good situation, so I waved the guy down and warned him. He grimaced, thanked me, and said he'd be careful. He continued on his way and I kept driving the other way.

This bugged me, so when I got into Oxbow and saw a sheriff's SUV outside a building, I stopped and went inside to tell him. The car was just parked there and law enforcement wasn't around, but an Idaho Power guy said he'd relay the message.

In late afternoon I returned the same way and passed the spot where I saw the bear. I didn't see any signs of an, um, incident, so I guess the jogger and the bear(s) didn't meet up.

[NW Cat Owner]

Good for you on passing on the word - both to the jogger and law enforcement. I'd've done the same.

[Fox hunt]

We see bears on the military reservation a lot when we ride or walk our dogs.they used to be a rare sight but now we see them Frequently. I don't worry much I usually have dogs with me and they scare the bears away. My coworker has one in her yard often it's large she worries because she has three boys playing outside a lot.luckly the bear usually comes through at night.

[Mike Lewis]

At what point does a young bear go out on its own and is no longer with its mother? The young bear I saw was not too small; it might have been a juvenile. I looked for the mother but didn't know if I should have expected to see her.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

At what point does a young bear go out on its own and is no longer with its mother? The young bear I saw was not too small; it might have been a juvenile. I looked for the mother but didn't know if I should have expected to see her.

According to this around 2 years, depending on size...
http://bearwithus.org/understanding-...ther-her-cubs/
otherwise the momma closely watches the cubs and one should never come between the two of them, that is when accidents happen.

[Mike Lewis]

Thanks. I couldn't tell how old this one was.

It's never a good idea to get between an animal and its offspring, even domesticated farm animals. I learned that early on.