May be that big dogs are bear deterrents.  'Cordin to USNPS, pets may be bear attractants.  At any rate, about 2 people per year are killed by bears in the U.S., compared to about 90 people per year killed by dogs.  Just sayin ......... .  DMc

---- Fillmore West <fillmorewst@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> I'll see if I can sneak one more in
> without getting bit !!!   ;o)
>
> Back & th' day ...  ;o)
> We used to have a tag team of dogs.
> One little yappy bugger with big ears,
> to wake up a big,
> Bear eatin' dog
> wit' Charp Teeth !!!
>
> It's what the castle type folks used to do...
>
>
> On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 12:31 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >  Pushing it for not friday....
> >
> >   but a good deterrent for bears (and creeps) is to have a dog along in
> > your Vanagon..  Bears and dogs seem to not like each other much.  Bears
> > will
> > choose to go elsewhere if you have a dog in camp...except maybe if it's a
> > small bite-sized breed.  They (dogs) are also pretty handy in Griz country
> > because they get spooky if they smell bear sign on a trail you may be
> > hiking...and you can avoid surprises if you watch your doggie's demeanor...
> >
> >  If you have a big strong dog(s), it is not a good idea to chain him/her
> > outside to the picnic table while you sleep....We awoke, back in the day,
> > while sleeping in a Splitty VW van in Yosemite, to find our two dogs
> > dragging a picnic table (before they started getting ripped off and so
> > became customarily  embedded in the ground) behind in hot pursuit of a
> > night
> > marauding bear, waking other campers and creating quite a disturbance with
> > the table dragging through the campground....
> >
> >  we were young and dumb...one of the dogs was a Huskey, too.
> >  Don Hanson
> >
> > On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 10:46 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
> >
> > > We always carry bear spray when in bear country, but come to think of it,
> > > it might be good to use against the drunk humans you mentioned.  I think
> > > inquiries to knowledgeable personnel might be in order concerning bears
> > in
> > > any particular region.  Yosemite black bears seem to be the best anywhere
> > at
> > > getting into vehicles.  Grizzlies are pretty frightful critters, however,
> > > and don't seem at all reluctant to get into camps and tents.  I wouldn't
> > > expect one to drop onto the van from on high, though.
> > >
> > > when backpacking in bear country, we always hang all smellies, and we
> > sleep
> > > at least 100 yards from storage and cooking spots.  But we do cook,
> > > minimally -- freeze dried stuff, heatables, and such.  We've never had a
> > > problem, but we've known folks who have.  So, what to do in the vanagon?
> > >  National Park campsites with known bear problems provide storage
> > lockers,
> > > and some large NFS ones do too.  But -- the cooking?  Hardsided vehicle
> > is
> > > reputed to be adequate, except in Yosemite.  Hmmmmmmmm.
> > >
> >

--
David McNeely