Please report your bear encounters during this season in this thread. Also please make the Forest Service aware of the bear encounters you had at specific campsites.

You can also report wildlife including bear encounters in the map's area.

Bears continue to be very active on Agnes lake north of Entry Point 16.

Have bear report from east side of Agnes, said big bear (not the 4-5 yr old).

finally went away after rocks thrown & hit it.

2 reports today from our customers and 2 from other groups stopping in.

All these people have heard other campers yelling at bear.

Figure on either camping at Nina Moose (watch for campsites filling up!) or give yourself enough time to get to Boulder Bay area.

All the closures will certainly help fix the "bear problem' on Agnes.

egknuti: "All the closures will certainly help fix the "bear problem' on Agnes."

Hope it does. I suppose we will know after areas open up.

Report of a bear in the Rose Lake area took a pack of food during the day stole a food pack while the group was in camp. The bear took it into the woods and would not leave despite banging pots and pans and yelling.

Note: this was not me, it was a camp group that my son spoke with.

New rules for BWCA, you must hang a food pack up & it must be 12' high.

Or use a barrel. See document I got today, below
***********************************

Superior National Forest Announces Food Storage Order to Protect Both Visitors and Bears
Forest Order will help bears stay wild and alive by requiring proper food storage
Duluth, Minn., July 30, 2021 — Beginning on July 30, 2021, all visitors to the Superior National Forest, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) management area, will need to store their food properly to help protect wild bears and humans alike. This food storage order is the result of increases in human-bear interactions with negative outcomes.

Superior National Forest Wildlife Biologist Cheron Ferland says the rise in interactions is the result of a number of factors. “We finalized a new bear action plan this year which calls for more systematic reporting, so we probably have more reports being submitted, but this by itself doesn’t account for the increase. It’s also because there are more visitors on the landscape and the fact that we are in an extreme drought, which has led to a poor berry crop,” said Ferland.

This year, the Forest has asked the public and employees to report any and all bear interactions. The reports include bears at individual campsites, digging in dumpsters at campgrounds or other facilities, and stealing backpacks. Forest officials also point out that not all reports of interactions with bears are negative or a cause for alarm. Reports may also include general bear sightings to help biologists better understand bear travel patterns in the Forest.

“This is bear-country, people are going to see black bears. They live here. That’s not concerning to me, but bears at dumpsters, lingering at campsites and stealing packs is. Once they get a reward, or food, they will keep doing whatever it takes to get that reward again,” Ferland said.

If a bear becomes a nuisance and continues interacting with humans, the bear will be dispatched. “We don’t want it to get to that point, and we want to limit the number of bears that are considered a nuisance. That’s what this food storage order is all about – taking proactive steps,” said Ferland.

This year, there are several areas with reoccurring bear sightings and interactions on the Forest. Areas include Rose Lake, Duncan Lake and Daniel Lake on the Gunflint Ranger District; the Moose Lake Chain and several campgrounds including Birch Lake, Fall Lake and Fenske Lake on the Kawishiwi Ranger District; and Agnes Lake on the La Croix District.

The food storage order requires visitors to properly store food unless in the process of eating, preparing or transporting food (i.e. bringing fish caught in a nearby lake to a campsite or carrying food down to the beach for a picnic). Proper storage reduces the chance of bears being rewarded when in campsites, trails, portages, landings or other recreational areas. Proper food storage can be done in two ways:

Using a bear canister or bear-resistant container and placing it 50 feet away from your tent on the ground (preferred method) or;
Hanging your food pack at least 12 feet above the ground at all points, six feet horizontally from any pole or limb and four feet vertically from any pole or limb. Please be mindful of the weight of your pack while hanging it to avoid breaking branches and damaging live trees.
In addition to proper food storage, there are other actions that visitors can take in bear-country that help keep bears wild, alive and healthy, including:

Making sure anything with a scent is properly stored. This includes, but is not limited to, toothpaste, wrappers, lip balm, soap, petroleum products and lotion.
Disposing of fish remains at least 200 feet from any campsite, portage, trail and shoreline.
Packing out cooking grease; bears are attracted to the grease you leave behind in the firepit. For locations mentioned above, consider bringing foods that do not create grease.
Packing out all food scraps, including fruit and vegetable remains.
Packing only the food you need for your trip. The less potent the better.
If dumpsters are full, take your garbage out with you; please don’t leave it outside of a secure container.
Using bear spray.
It is up to everyone to do their part to help prevent bears from becoming habituated and subsequently a nuisance or dangerous. Taking proactive bear aware measures can limit negative visitor experiences and potentially save a bear’s life.

Last year the Forest implemented a food storage order for a limited number of lakes in the Wilderness on the Gunflint District. This year, the Forest is enacting a food storage order for the entire Forest. If you have questions about bear resistant food storage, please call the Ranger District closest to you or visit the Forest Service’s website.

###

Will an Ursack qualify as a container?

You'd have to ask them. this is new to me, sorry

goblu79: "Will an Ursack qualify as a container?"

No. Here's the actual Order .

The information in the letter supplied to VNO and the order itself are different (ex hanging requirements). Way to go USFS. Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to clarify before heading in tomorrow.

There's at least one or more black bears marauding through the dumpsters at Trail's End USFS campground. I saw numerous piles of trash pulled out of each dumpster and strewn about the grounds/woods around the dumpsters. I'm not sure what preventative measures are being taken although I thought I read a posting to campers to keep trash contained in their vehicles?

Isn't keeping trash contained in vehicles discouraged at some of the national parks where bear activity can be high. Doesn't it just result in bears tearing into the vehicles, creating even more danger for bears and people.

No smelly stuff in cars!!! Check with your auto I I surance, wonder if thats a. Overed thing

boonie: "

goblu79: "Will an Ursack qualify as a container?"

No. Here's the actual Order .
"

I don't think its clear as to whether a Ursasck qualifies as a bear proof container....??

Cvendel: "

boonie: "

goblu79: "Will an Ursack qualify as a container?"

I don't think its clear as to whether a Ursasck qualifies as a bear proof container....??"

They revised the rule to follow the IGBC certified list, so Ursacks qualify.

Just got back from a six nighter today off of Entry point 14.

Noticed the latrine on the north western campsite on Lynx (I think site 64) had been overturned.

Kind of figured somebody threw food trash in there and the bear went after it.
We saw at least two unique sets of tracks, one directly down the portage trail from lower Pauness to Shell, and a fairly large one on the Sioux Hustler north of the Agawato latrine spur trail.

I live in Nevada near Lake Tahoe. This year we have had a severe drought and many large fires. We have black bears in the alfalfa fields, and the neighbor's yard. I went to a party in a canyon above Carson City, and a bear was there 1/2 hour earlier. There are bears in the trash, bears in the barn, and bear roaming around neighborhoods. We need some cold weather and are starting to get some. Frost last night. It was 7 degrees in Bridgeport, CA.

ppine: "I live in Nevada near Lake Tahoe. This year we have had a severe drought and many large fires. We have black bears in the alfalfa fields, and the neighbor's yard. I went to a party in a canyon above Carson City, and a bear was there 1/2 hour earlier. There are bears in the trash, bears in the barn, and bear roaming around neighborhoods. We need some cold weather and are starting to get some. Frost last night. It was 7 degrees in Bridgeport, CA. "

Well you are getting a lot of wildlife sightings anyways! Here in central WI we've had a momma bear and baby hanging out in the soybean field. My husband wants to check out his deer stand, but she's always there when he is. Momma had 4 cubs this spring, but she's down to just the 1 now. We think a different bear has been seen on the game cam. It hit 79 degrees again today, on Oct 10. Hope it cools down before hunting.

Thank you to all who made bear reports! If you had a bear encounter or sighting this year, please take a minute to to post it as a wildlife sighting in the maps area. Moose sightings as well!