--- On Fri, 1/23/09, neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> >...... I've always been more worried about cougars
> > than bears 'cause you might not hear them coming.
>

I have been more worried about mountain lions too. I used
to hike in a state park with 87,000 acres of hills and
forest. I am sure it is home of plenty of mountain lions.
I have stopped going there after hearing many sightings
of them on the foothills near the park.

I did expect to see some rattlers. But I have not seen one
yet. I did run into groups of cattles in the park. They
weigh like a ton each. In the spring there are usually some
new born in the group. That's when you need to stay far away
from them. Henry Coe State Park is what I am talking about.

In Yosemite there are a lot of black bears. But bear attack
on human is very rare. However, bear attacks on cars or vans
happen a lot (over a hundred a year I think). I somewhat
worry about black bear attacking my Westy more than anything
else when visiting Yosemite. For this reason I don't cook
or eat in my Westy any more. It would become a target of black
bears in Yosemite.

David