Thanks for this post Erik. I hope it increases awareness for people.
Here in Maine, bear awareness is high. Bears are also less pressured for space, thanks to large undeveloped areas of land. That said, conflicts involving "waste" are common and people are slow to learn.
I am a big fan of black bears and I consider them important spiritually and as a keystone species. I am also a black bear hunter and took a boar in 2024.
Thank you John! Here in the South there are definitely areas where they can exist mostly free from human contact. But the temptation is too high, once they learn.
I haven’t had the opportunity to hunt, myself. Just didn’t grow up with anyone to introduce me to it, though I’ve always been interested. Congrats on getting a bear. I know that’s a challenge and only deepens your connection and appreciation for them!
Man Erik, what a cool (and — I still haven’t been able to put my finger on the word, not quite depressing, not quite sad — but somewhere in the vicinity) experience. To be so close — a photographers dream! To have them be so habituated — a different emotion all together. Glad you could share the images though, simply awesome.
Also, your comment about acknowledging the trip as being “not for you” is such an important insight, I’ve realized. It’s so important to make that distinction and set that internal expectation early on family trips!
You express my feelings about the bears perfectly! Too difficult really to express in a word… maybe conflicted, but grateful all the same.
“It’s not about me” fits a family trip like this very well, but I’m finding myself saying it in many other contexts lately. Really helps reframing and perspective.
Great stories and photos Erik, thanks for sharing your adventures!
My bear encounters were in California in the Sierra Nevada’s… camping with a girlfriend while waiting for her uncle’s cabin to be vacated by their friends, we tent camped near the home. A very large campsite, spacious, and near capacity. I was armed with a Korean War M-1 and a fixed blade knife. I knew we had to elevate our food and hung the cooler from bungee straps about 10 feet off the ground. At dusk, I noticed a large brown bear wanted into view about 1500 meters away on a finger that had sparse ground cover. We commented on how cool it was to witness this bear before nightfall. We cooked dinner, enjoyed a fire, and then laid down to sleep. Before going to bed we heard pots and pans clanking together at the far end of the campsite. The random commotion continued on and off for an hour or so. We fell asleep, at 0100, my girlfriend woke me whispering into my ear that she heard something… I then hear this grunting and I SLOWLY unzipped a small vent mesh window to check out the situation. Sure as shit, that bear we saw was literally sitting like a giant stuffed animal about 20 feet from our tent. It had climbed the tree and skillfully knocked the cooler down. He was sitting but looked to be at least 6-7’ tall from that position and at least 4-500 pounds. He was eating his just rewards for the climb with his back to us. She suggested that I shoot it, to which I shook my head F-No!!!
The bear finished feasting on my marinated flank steak, Mexican spiced chicken thighs, the side dishes we prepared, the berries and peaches… I was very bummed! Nevertheless, we did eventually go back to sleep.
I wake early and go out to survey the damage and make coffee. He had eaten the food and was nice enough to drop the peach pits back into the cooler! A park ranger stopped by and checked in on us. He suggested we go to the local mountain side general store for resupplies. We had a cup of coffee and departed.
At the general store, we shopped and were lucky enough to get the last of the ground beef they had, some hot dogs and some other less than desirable things to eat at exoborant prices. During checkout, the cashier a woman in her late 60s and probably the owner, commented on our cart, stating, “did you forget to shop before coming up for the trip?”.
We shared our story and the lady says, “Oh you met ole’ Bessey! She is a regular and apparently had pulled a truck door off a vehicle a few weeks before, then wedged her body into the cab, then shrugged her shoulders to make more room sending the steering column up into the windshield and the front seat into the rear half seat area to get to a full cooler that had been locked inside. Truck was totaled on the spot”
We paid and packed up to head to the cabin. It was my first “no shit, there I was” bear encounter and a hell of a story. I will state that the food we had was just okay and wasn’t exactly what we had planned but I was happy to have the experience and the cabin was badass! Cheers
That’s an incredible story! I’ve hiked in grizzly country out west, in Canada, and Alaska, but never backpacked in those areas. That sounds like a new level of unnerving!
Did you just stay still in the tent until the bear moved along? The couple of times I’ve had black bears approach my tent overnight my instinct was to get out of the tent. I felt trapped. But someone else I know had a much closer encounter that mine and stayed in the tent. I suppose it depends on just how close the bear is.
It is a crazy story! The only thing I figured was to stay put and let her eat the food and leave. I didn’t think I had a lot of options other than have the gun at the ready and if attacked shoot for the head. There’s not much you can do in that scenario without a high powered large caliber weapon. I certainly wasn’t happy stuck in the tent! I wasn’t about to take my chances outside the tent in the middle of the night either. Good stuff, I enjoy your writing, photos and adventures. Great posts!
These are AMAZING. You missed your calling; I can totally see you in a hidden blind in the middle of nowhere, with the ballsiness to remain calm as a mountain lion inspects the very blind you're in and you just keep shooting photos of it.
Haha, thank you Kit, and that actually does sound like fun! I guess it helps that I’ve spent my entire career being thrust into the middle of crazy situations!
Back porch bear with a tick in his right ear. Some cool photos man. They are like crows on garbage. I used to work in the bear deterrent field, building electrified fences around dumpsters and orchards and chicken coops to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Typically, a grizzly gets only one chance to learn to not take something like dog food or chickens from a homesite before it is trapped and euthanized. Knew a guy in Wyoming who came home to find a black bear in his house. He pepper sprayed it, then had to move out for weeks while the air settled. We of course have way more space here, but conflicts are still common and every year there is a tragedy or two. Bear grease was premium fat a long lifetime ago. Times have changed for sure.
Woah, working in the bear deterrent field sounds intense!! My main complaint at this spot was that they could do much more to prevent this, but chose not to and seemed mostly unconcerned. And that really does make it not the bear’s fault.
I noticed the tick in that bear’s ear, too! Kinda surprised I didn’t see more.
Black bear lard IS the premium fat today. People just don't know it. I get the fat for free from processors here in ME and just have to render it. I get enough for a whole year of cooking from 2 batches.
Here in Maine, the largest group of bear hunters are non-residents. They typically want to get their bears processed ASAP after their hunt. They usually take home prime cuts and ground as cooler space is at a premium. Most bears are taken early in the season when it can be warm or even hot. They regularly tell the processors they don't want the fat. It does take up a lot of space in a cooler and for most people they don't see it as a source of good cooking [or soap/balm] making fat.
So it's partly a practical consideration and partly apathy. Fine with me as I get all I want for free and usually get some extra that I trade with local Amish for raw butter.
For use in cooking, bear fat behaves like hog lard. I love it because I know it's not fed a lot of corn or soy and raised in wild conditions. And the effort of rendering it connects me to traditional food processes. It's a form of reciprocity vs just exchanging money for lard.
I’ll probably write a post about this topic at some point.
Tallow from cattle and sheep are fairly similar in melting point, smoke point and density. Mostly flavor neutral. They are typically completely solid at room temps: 68F. When I’ve had tallow in ball jars, I always have to heat it to use it in liquid form or scrape/scoop to use congealed.
Both bear and hog lard tend to be liquid at room temperature, have lower melting and smoke points. Lards tend to have more flavor than tallows, probably due to the omnivorous v herbivore diets. Lards are often easier to use like an “oil” for cooking on the fly than tallow, but not the best choice for pan or deep frying as they can burn at fry temps. Tallow from good cattle is an excellent fat for cooking and a top choice for frying or deep frying. It’s a bit harder to render than lard because it requires more heat and care, but worth it. These days, suet has become a hot commodity and for me has made either finished tallow or home rendered tallow impractically expensive for a lot of things.
Great post. The city has ordinances in place requiring bear resistant dumpsters and has animal resistant garbage device zones. Sadly awareness/compliance is lagging behind. Or these zones should be enlarged. We’ve been hiking the Smokies for 20 years and I’m more concerned about bear encounters hiking now than ever before. Our first bear encounter when we first moved to the area, we made noise and backed away, it went down hill and wide around us. More recent encounters the bears weren’t affected by our presence at all. They weren’t aggressive, but they also weren’t deterred especially in the most popular areas of the park.
This place we stayed was a bit outside of Pigeon Forge. I would guess that the city’s ordinances don’t cover it. It would be interesting to know if the county has ordinances.
I can totally understand how more frequent human contact leads to less fear but not higher aggression in the bears. It makes for a good spectacle in the popular areas of the Smokies, but just because there are mostly ok outcomes does not mean good decisions got us to this point.
I have seen bears in the wild numerous times. Most have been too far away to get any good photos, or they are crossing the road when I am driving, so I don't have any decent photos of them ay all.
OMG! I just enjoyed this post this morning over my first (and second!) cup of coffee! This was awesome and I LOVED the great pictures you captured of the bears! I think this may have been my favourite post of yours so far!
Washington State here and for some reason we've had more than usual bear sightings this spring! Along with some really nutsy people also who think those beautiful, wild creatures are there to take selfies with for some odd reason. Much like those tourists who visit Yellowstone! Really makes one wonder why can't people just enjoy viewing them from a long, safe distance!
Yeah, it’s a mix of human curiosity but with a naivety as to what they are capable of. I’ve noticed a lot more stories about bear encounters around here this year, too. Not sure exactly why.
I’m glad to hear you liked these photos! I’m proud of how several of them turned out. Thanks so much and happy solstice to you, too!
Great story and photos Erik. Interaction with wildlife is a fascinating problem, especially with apex predators! We are having a debate (again) here in Australia around shark attacks.
Sharks freak me out way more than bears for some reason! I suppose with beach goers and fishing boats they can also be attracted to areas they would not normally be in.
Excellent writing and photographs, Erik. Thank you for sharing!
Agree on all fronts about the tragedy of the bears, they are just doing what they need to do to survive.
No doubt things are just as crazy inside of GSMNP as they are in the surrounding areas. I've heard so many stories this year on top of what I experienced while hiking the BMT.
Not sure what there is to do though, feels like the toothpaste is already out of the tube.
Holy bears! I heard about the rumors that the Great Smoky Mountains had bear problems but this is way beyond my narrow scope.
I am concerned about the closeness of the bears to where people live and hang out. And then the fact that they are seeking food. They've become so accustomed to getting food from non-natural sources. How can you break this trend I think? I am not a bear expert for sure.
In the Adirondacks of New York and especially in towns like Old Forge, you are almost forbidden to feed the bears. Garbage is tightly secured. If you camp, you are advised to keep your garbage secured and many campgrounds have electric fences around garbage collection facilities.
I grew up in bear country in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. We had bears sometimes come into and rattle the garbage can. But we also had an active bear hunting season.
I do love your photos and cannot imagine getting that close to shoot those.
Thanks, and just keep in mind that I used a telephoto lens. So while it was still too close for comfort, it wasn’t THAT close!
Breaking the trend of bears seeking human food is tough, but it starts with exactly what you describe. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge both (I think) have ordinances for bear proof trash cans. But this place we stayed was outside the city limits. Inside GSMNP, to backpack you must have a reservation at an established backcountry campsite. I believe those all have cables to hoist food up high.
Yes, we also have those backcountry camping regulations in the high peaks of the Adirondacks. But some areas don’t have that, but it is strongly encouraged.
Thanks for this post Erik. I hope it increases awareness for people.
Here in Maine, bear awareness is high. Bears are also less pressured for space, thanks to large undeveloped areas of land. That said, conflicts involving "waste" are common and people are slow to learn.
I am a big fan of black bears and I consider them important spiritually and as a keystone species. I am also a black bear hunter and took a boar in 2024.
Thank you John! Here in the South there are definitely areas where they can exist mostly free from human contact. But the temptation is too high, once they learn.
I haven’t had the opportunity to hunt, myself. Just didn’t grow up with anyone to introduce me to it, though I’ve always been interested. Congrats on getting a bear. I know that’s a challenge and only deepens your connection and appreciation for them!
Man Erik, what a cool (and — I still haven’t been able to put my finger on the word, not quite depressing, not quite sad — but somewhere in the vicinity) experience. To be so close — a photographers dream! To have them be so habituated — a different emotion all together. Glad you could share the images though, simply awesome.
Also, your comment about acknowledging the trip as being “not for you” is such an important insight, I’ve realized. It’s so important to make that distinction and set that internal expectation early on family trips!
You express my feelings about the bears perfectly! Too difficult really to express in a word… maybe conflicted, but grateful all the same.
“It’s not about me” fits a family trip like this very well, but I’m finding myself saying it in many other contexts lately. Really helps reframing and perspective.
Thanks Lou!
Great stories and photos Erik, thanks for sharing your adventures!
My bear encounters were in California in the Sierra Nevada’s… camping with a girlfriend while waiting for her uncle’s cabin to be vacated by their friends, we tent camped near the home. A very large campsite, spacious, and near capacity. I was armed with a Korean War M-1 and a fixed blade knife. I knew we had to elevate our food and hung the cooler from bungee straps about 10 feet off the ground. At dusk, I noticed a large brown bear wanted into view about 1500 meters away on a finger that had sparse ground cover. We commented on how cool it was to witness this bear before nightfall. We cooked dinner, enjoyed a fire, and then laid down to sleep. Before going to bed we heard pots and pans clanking together at the far end of the campsite. The random commotion continued on and off for an hour or so. We fell asleep, at 0100, my girlfriend woke me whispering into my ear that she heard something… I then hear this grunting and I SLOWLY unzipped a small vent mesh window to check out the situation. Sure as shit, that bear we saw was literally sitting like a giant stuffed animal about 20 feet from our tent. It had climbed the tree and skillfully knocked the cooler down. He was sitting but looked to be at least 6-7’ tall from that position and at least 4-500 pounds. He was eating his just rewards for the climb with his back to us. She suggested that I shoot it, to which I shook my head F-No!!!
The bear finished feasting on my marinated flank steak, Mexican spiced chicken thighs, the side dishes we prepared, the berries and peaches… I was very bummed! Nevertheless, we did eventually go back to sleep.
I wake early and go out to survey the damage and make coffee. He had eaten the food and was nice enough to drop the peach pits back into the cooler! A park ranger stopped by and checked in on us. He suggested we go to the local mountain side general store for resupplies. We had a cup of coffee and departed.
At the general store, we shopped and were lucky enough to get the last of the ground beef they had, some hot dogs and some other less than desirable things to eat at exoborant prices. During checkout, the cashier a woman in her late 60s and probably the owner, commented on our cart, stating, “did you forget to shop before coming up for the trip?”.
We shared our story and the lady says, “Oh you met ole’ Bessey! She is a regular and apparently had pulled a truck door off a vehicle a few weeks before, then wedged her body into the cab, then shrugged her shoulders to make more room sending the steering column up into the windshield and the front seat into the rear half seat area to get to a full cooler that had been locked inside. Truck was totaled on the spot”
We paid and packed up to head to the cabin. It was my first “no shit, there I was” bear encounter and a hell of a story. I will state that the food we had was just okay and wasn’t exactly what we had planned but I was happy to have the experience and the cabin was badass! Cheers
That’s an incredible story! I’ve hiked in grizzly country out west, in Canada, and Alaska, but never backpacked in those areas. That sounds like a new level of unnerving!
Did you just stay still in the tent until the bear moved along? The couple of times I’ve had black bears approach my tent overnight my instinct was to get out of the tent. I felt trapped. But someone else I know had a much closer encounter that mine and stayed in the tent. I suppose it depends on just how close the bear is.
Thanks for the story, that’s a good one!
It is a crazy story! The only thing I figured was to stay put and let her eat the food and leave. I didn’t think I had a lot of options other than have the gun at the ready and if attacked shoot for the head. There’s not much you can do in that scenario without a high powered large caliber weapon. I certainly wasn’t happy stuck in the tent! I wasn’t about to take my chances outside the tent in the middle of the night either. Good stuff, I enjoy your writing, photos and adventures. Great posts!
These are AMAZING. You missed your calling; I can totally see you in a hidden blind in the middle of nowhere, with the ballsiness to remain calm as a mountain lion inspects the very blind you're in and you just keep shooting photos of it.
Haha, thank you Kit, and that actually does sound like fun! I guess it helps that I’ve spent my entire career being thrust into the middle of crazy situations!
Back porch bear with a tick in his right ear. Some cool photos man. They are like crows on garbage. I used to work in the bear deterrent field, building electrified fences around dumpsters and orchards and chicken coops to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Typically, a grizzly gets only one chance to learn to not take something like dog food or chickens from a homesite before it is trapped and euthanized. Knew a guy in Wyoming who came home to find a black bear in his house. He pepper sprayed it, then had to move out for weeks while the air settled. We of course have way more space here, but conflicts are still common and every year there is a tragedy or two. Bear grease was premium fat a long lifetime ago. Times have changed for sure.
Woah, working in the bear deterrent field sounds intense!! My main complaint at this spot was that they could do much more to prevent this, but chose not to and seemed mostly unconcerned. And that really does make it not the bear’s fault.
I noticed the tick in that bear’s ear, too! Kinda surprised I didn’t see more.
Thanks Joshua!
Black bear lard IS the premium fat today. People just don't know it. I get the fat for free from processors here in ME and just have to render it. I get enough for a whole year of cooking from 2 batches.
Fascinating, I hadn’t heard about that!
Here in Maine, the largest group of bear hunters are non-residents. They typically want to get their bears processed ASAP after their hunt. They usually take home prime cuts and ground as cooler space is at a premium. Most bears are taken early in the season when it can be warm or even hot. They regularly tell the processors they don't want the fat. It does take up a lot of space in a cooler and for most people they don't see it as a source of good cooking [or soap/balm] making fat.
So it's partly a practical consideration and partly apathy. Fine with me as I get all I want for free and usually get some extra that I trade with local Amish for raw butter.
For use in cooking, bear fat behaves like hog lard. I love it because I know it's not fed a lot of corn or soy and raised in wild conditions. And the effort of rendering it connects me to traditional food processes. It's a form of reciprocity vs just exchanging money for lard.
I use grass fed beef tallow quite a bit, but I’m sure it doesn’t compare to bear!
I’ll probably write a post about this topic at some point.
Tallow from cattle and sheep are fairly similar in melting point, smoke point and density. Mostly flavor neutral. They are typically completely solid at room temps: 68F. When I’ve had tallow in ball jars, I always have to heat it to use it in liquid form or scrape/scoop to use congealed.
Both bear and hog lard tend to be liquid at room temperature, have lower melting and smoke points. Lards tend to have more flavor than tallows, probably due to the omnivorous v herbivore diets. Lards are often easier to use like an “oil” for cooking on the fly than tallow, but not the best choice for pan or deep frying as they can burn at fry temps. Tallow from good cattle is an excellent fat for cooking and a top choice for frying or deep frying. It’s a bit harder to render than lard because it requires more heat and care, but worth it. These days, suet has become a hot commodity and for me has made either finished tallow or home rendered tallow impractically expensive for a lot of things.
So, bear fat wins on price/quality.
Totally, but few know this.
Great post. The city has ordinances in place requiring bear resistant dumpsters and has animal resistant garbage device zones. Sadly awareness/compliance is lagging behind. Or these zones should be enlarged. We’ve been hiking the Smokies for 20 years and I’m more concerned about bear encounters hiking now than ever before. Our first bear encounter when we first moved to the area, we made noise and backed away, it went down hill and wide around us. More recent encounters the bears weren’t affected by our presence at all. They weren’t aggressive, but they also weren’t deterred especially in the most popular areas of the park.
This place we stayed was a bit outside of Pigeon Forge. I would guess that the city’s ordinances don’t cover it. It would be interesting to know if the county has ordinances.
I can totally understand how more frequent human contact leads to less fear but not higher aggression in the bears. It makes for a good spectacle in the popular areas of the Smokies, but just because there are mostly ok outcomes does not mean good decisions got us to this point.
Thank you!
I have seen bears in the wild numerous times. Most have been too far away to get any good photos, or they are crossing the road when I am driving, so I don't have any decent photos of them ay all.
So, yes, mixed blessings to see them so close.
The majority of my bear encounters have been similar. A brief view of each other and the bear bolts away before I can react.
Your bear photos are great by the way!
Thank you!!🙏
Great photos! Always disheartening when bears get that desensitized.
Thanks!
OMG! I just enjoyed this post this morning over my first (and second!) cup of coffee! This was awesome and I LOVED the great pictures you captured of the bears! I think this may have been my favourite post of yours so far!
Washington State here and for some reason we've had more than usual bear sightings this spring! Along with some really nutsy people also who think those beautiful, wild creatures are there to take selfies with for some odd reason. Much like those tourists who visit Yellowstone! Really makes one wonder why can't people just enjoy viewing them from a long, safe distance!
HAPPY SOLSTICE SUNDAY!
Yeah, it’s a mix of human curiosity but with a naivety as to what they are capable of. I’ve noticed a lot more stories about bear encounters around here this year, too. Not sure exactly why.
I’m glad to hear you liked these photos! I’m proud of how several of them turned out. Thanks so much and happy solstice to you, too!
I hope you don't mind, but I shared a link to this on my BlueSky page for everyone there to enjoy! :)
No problem at all! I’m not on BlueSky, so I’m grateful!
Great story and photos Erik. Interaction with wildlife is a fascinating problem, especially with apex predators! We are having a debate (again) here in Australia around shark attacks.
Sharks freak me out way more than bears for some reason! I suppose with beach goers and fishing boats they can also be attracted to areas they would not normally be in.
Excellent writing and photographs, Erik. Thank you for sharing!
Agree on all fronts about the tragedy of the bears, they are just doing what they need to do to survive.
No doubt things are just as crazy inside of GSMNP as they are in the surrounding areas. I've heard so many stories this year on top of what I experienced while hiking the BMT.
Not sure what there is to do though, feels like the toothpaste is already out of the tube.
Thanks Kevin! I agree that the bear situation may never be resolved, but hopefully with wider awareness that it’s a problem we can mitigate it.
Are there bears on the JMT? I’ve car camped in grizzly country, but never backpacked. That would be a new level of unnerving!
Holy bears! I heard about the rumors that the Great Smoky Mountains had bear problems but this is way beyond my narrow scope.
I am concerned about the closeness of the bears to where people live and hang out. And then the fact that they are seeking food. They've become so accustomed to getting food from non-natural sources. How can you break this trend I think? I am not a bear expert for sure.
In the Adirondacks of New York and especially in towns like Old Forge, you are almost forbidden to feed the bears. Garbage is tightly secured. If you camp, you are advised to keep your garbage secured and many campgrounds have electric fences around garbage collection facilities.
I grew up in bear country in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. We had bears sometimes come into and rattle the garbage can. But we also had an active bear hunting season.
I do love your photos and cannot imagine getting that close to shoot those.
Thanks, and just keep in mind that I used a telephoto lens. So while it was still too close for comfort, it wasn’t THAT close!
Breaking the trend of bears seeking human food is tough, but it starts with exactly what you describe. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge both (I think) have ordinances for bear proof trash cans. But this place we stayed was outside the city limits. Inside GSMNP, to backpack you must have a reservation at an established backcountry campsite. I believe those all have cables to hoist food up high.
Yes, we also have those backcountry camping regulations in the high peaks of the Adirondacks. But some areas don’t have that, but it is strongly encouraged.
I hope you had a great family reunion!
It was a great time! Thanks!
love the bears in great pine photos another reason we need old growth to be able to support the weight of a great bear
That’s a good point! Thanks!