Bear with us

[Iowa Dave]

Here’s a picture that came On a news feed to me. The damage was to a Wildwood trailer and I guess the bear took the name literally and left his clawing card. Bears get real hungry in the fall and have a very sensitive olfactory system. They will eat a wide variety of foods and will make a determined effort to access an easy meal. My latest issue of The New York Conservationist had a very well written Kids section feature that was good reading for anyone interested in this large mammal. If you’ve not experienced bears in the wild from a secure position in the open I can tell you that they can walk silently through the woods and make less noise than a squirrel or chipmunk hopping around. Two top things on my list of things to do are a trip to British Columbia to watch bears fishing for salmon and to walk the snake road in SW Illinois to see migrating reptiles and amphibians.

Can’t get enough of immersive wildlife watching. When I can’t be outside I feed the birds and watch from our kitchen. Was is Southern Iowa yesterday and saw several bald eagles on the Des Moines River, some hawks and many red headed woodpeckers at Lacey Keosauqua State Park. This is a very nice park with great camping, trails, historic areas and good access roads. Huge Sycamore trees at the site of the Mormon crossing in the park.

Stopped at the local restaurant in Keosauqua for lunch. While waiting for my order, an idling delivery truck began to leak oil heavily. I quickly alerted the driver who was in the van body and he shut the truck off. Turned out that whoever changed the oil on Wednesday had only put the drain plug back in finger tight. It was lying on the pavement under the truck directly under the oil pan.
That was my good deed for the day.
Iowa Dave

[iamunique127]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Two top things on my list of things to do are a trip to British Columbia to watch bears fishing for salmon and to walk the snake road in SW Illinois to see migrating reptiles and amphibians.

Can’t get enough of immersive wildlife watching.
Iowa Dave

Dave, add close encounters with polar bears to your list. You can take a train or fly-in to Churchill, Manitoba and take a tundra buggy out onto the tundra to view the polar bears close-up. Even walking around the town you may experience polar bears wandering around. It's a truly thrilling experience.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

The damage was to a Wildwood trailer and I guess the bear took the name literally and left his clawing card. Bears get real hungry in the fall and have a very sensitive olfactory system. They will eat a wide variety of foods and will make a determined effort to access an easy meal.
Iowa Dave

Yup, just finished helping my neighbor install a new garage door. Pretty sturdy door but they left some diapers inside until garbage day. Bear tore the door apart. It was patched up with plywood and a ton of screws etc. while waiting for new door. The bear, I call him "Bruin" cause he's a big guy, tore the reinforcements apart a second time. Hope the new steel door holds up to him if he comes back.

I live by a salmon bearing river. We have bear cubs frolicking in our front yard and breaking down fences etc. Wouldn't change it for the world and it's us who built a house in their yard.

Originally Posted by iamunique127

Dave, add close encounters with polar bears to your list. You can take a train or fly-in to Churchill, Manitoba and take a tundra buggy out onto the tundra to view the polar bears close-up. Even walking around the town you may experience polar bears wandering around. It's a truly thrilling experience.

As magnificent as they are there's nothing more chilling than being up close and personal to one and looking into their dark remorseless eyes and knowing all they see is dinner.

Ron

[Iowa Dave]

My dad always taught me not pick a fight above my weight class so I will probably stay away from Churchill. A friend of mine was crazy about hunting. He booked a polar bear hunt in Canada. The plan was to helicopter in stalk and shoot. The copter went down, they all died. Took 4 days to pack in over land to recover what was left. Happens.
Iowa Dave

[escape artist]

Hi: Iowa Dave... IMHO Wildwood makes a nice lite snack!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[MyronL]

That ain't Smokey...

[Carmel Clown]

Ron, the bear was after diapers?

[Ron in BC]

Absolutely, definitely a bear attractant.

They were what was pulled out of the can and spread over the driveway.

Ron

[Mike Lewis]

If the bear is black-- fight back!
If the bear is brown-- lie down.
If the bear is white-- good night.

[UncleTim]

It was not more than 100 years ago when Iowa and surrounding states were considered wilderness. Some of my favorite stories about Indiana history are the stories of LaSalle and his travels around the Potawatomi land.

If you give Nature a chance to come back, it will. Animals will continue to challenge our attempts to shut them out, eagles will re establish old nesting areas of you take away DDT. The land supports more than just us humans.

And what you are left with is pure Nature trying to live in harmony with us. Iowa borders on of the greatest rivers in the world and serves as a crossroads between East and West. It is no wonder so many animals take advantage of that and make their home there.

This thread gives rise to the notion that all we have to do is get out and Nature will meet us half way. You inspire me to go for a walk and listen to the songbirds.

Note on bear appetites in Fall. Definition of Hyperphagia.

Hyperphagia is an increase in feeding activity driven by a biological need to fatten up before bears go in to den for the winter. Once they enter the den bears incredibly go without food and water for months.

[Iowa Dave]

Not to mention some nice sunsets and good fishing