# ALERT!! Bears on the Deso/gray



## tanderson

Just got off Deso/gray. Pulled into a camp day 3 and found a homemade sign warning us not to camp there due to a bear biting a sleeping boater. We skipped the camp and went downriver. Soon after, state rangers motored up and killed the bear. There were three bear sightings. I don't know the whole story about the bear bite, however I wanted to put out a warning that the bears are really active right now.



Tda


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## trevko

Headed there in a week so many thanks for the notice.


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## tanderson

I forgot to mention that we saw scat (bear poop) as early as our first camp only 7 river miles down. It was all around the tent sites.


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## 2tomcat2

Been running Deso for decades and unfortunately, bear encounters have increased. If you see scat, prints or claw scratches, move to another camp. Keep a very clean camp (put food away, pick up micro trash, rinse and put away beverage cans, wash all dishes, wipe down food prep surfaces and stoves with bleach solution, rinse camp chairs of spilled food/drink, secure latches on groover at night)...whatever it takes to discourage human/bear encounters. We had a yearling at Poverty a few years back that keep swimming across the river towards our camp. After a while, it dawned on us dumb humans that the bear was simply trying to go up the canyon, and that he did, as fast as he could, when his paws hit the sand. Set tents close together if possible, and 
away from kitchen and social area, bring pot lid and spoon and/or whistle to make
noise at night and early morning. Be aware and keep everyone safe.


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## mattman

Thanks for the heads up tanderson, and the reminder to keep a clean camp 2tomcat2!!

All too often people think of these things as animal problems, when they are a result of messy camping, and nature just being nature. So called pest animals like bears, racoons, and skunks, are all opportunistic feeders. We don't usually have animal problems, it's more we have a human problem.


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## restrac2000

Exactly! Glad to see most people recognize this reality. I personally have had one close encounter with a bear on Deso at Wirefence. But I know several other groups who have multiple encounters and one trip that had to pack up and move in the middle of the night. 

Also be aware that bears in Deso may be foraging for items not in your camp or human related. When we were at Wirefence it was plenty evident from scat that the bear was hitting the abundance of Three Leaf Sumac berries real hard. Sadly, we as rafters tend to overuse existing camps regularly and many of them share ideal habitat with wildlife (like shade and the brush mentioned above). I don't see that changing anytime soon.

We started carrying bear spray and a small marine fog horn about five years ago whenever we float Deso.

Phillip


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## 48528

Just got off Deso on the 4th and we also saw bears, but not until the last day of the trip. We shared a camp at the bottom of Rattlesnake and a bear left scat by the other camp's toilet and knocked ours over. Did not come into our camp, though, or try to get in our trash. Saw the same bear (we think) that evening before we went to bed...came between our camps down to the water. Good idea to be on heightened awareness.


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## smhoeher

You're all spooking my! My Deso launch is Sept. 13th, just when bears start to load up for their long winter nap! We'll just have to be extra diligent in keeping a good camp. Thanks for everyone's input.


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## stuntsheriff

bears on deso are often relocated "problem" bears, already habituated. pack heat .


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## Scott Ellis

stuntsheriff said:


> bears on deso are often relocated "problem" bears, already habituated. pack heat .


If by "heat" you mean bear spray, I'll go along with that. I'm guessing you're talking firearms, and believe me, I have no blanket objection to that: I have several and love 'em. But for Joe Blow, bear spray is much more likely to be effective than panicked shots in the dark from a .357.


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## 2tomcat2

Interesting article from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources:

https://wildlife.utah.gov/wildlife-news/1568-black-bear-population-is-growing-in-utah.html


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## restrac2000

stuntsheriff said:


> bears on deso are often relocated "problem" bears, already habituated. pack heat .


I had never heard that info and couldn't find anything via an internet search. How did you find that info?


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## stuntsheriff

i guided deso in early nineties. i know the family that owns rock creek ranch. you hear stuff.


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## jonseim

We took out on 7/2 and had a pile of scat full of berries at school section. It was on the trail just behind the beach leading up to tent sites. 
It was pretty dry and based on what I've seen before, probably 10-15 days old. We were careful and clean and only saw goats, horses, golden eagles, catfish, humpback chub, pikeminnows, some sort of desert game bird, chukar/grouse size and heard turkeys.
Awesome trip over 7 days and all 6 kids aged 3-11 had a blast!
Be safe and keep a clean camp! It helps safe and protect wildlife!


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## shoptech1

tanderson met you at the take-out the other day, good to meet a fellow buzzard! sorry about your shuttle situation with RR. we spent 5 nights on deso and did not see any bears nor tracks. we did see scat our last night at rattle snake, but no issues. mozzies weren't that bad from my perspective but the the "horse fly's " were fairly persistent. 10 grand was a super nice level, good current, fun rapids. BTW i've been boating deso for 20 plus years and have yet to see a bear down there.


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## BCJ

So what camp was that -- where someone was bitten and the bear was killed?


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## 2tomcat2

Published in 2009, learned about 3 stages of nuisance bears and other factoids:

The bear truth: Utah's black bears pose little danger to humans | Deseret News


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## Nbreinholt

The bear we saw on deso was near the school section canyon camp just before rattlesnake rapid he was hanging out on river right, upstream from this camp.


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## BCJ

*Deso Bears*

That's interesting, because that is generally a pretty dry, tree-less area. But, I suspect they are coming down from more forested areas.


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## mikesee

stuntsheriff said:


> pack heat .



This attitude and "advice" brought to you by ignorance.


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## MountainmanPete

stuntsheriff said:


> bears on deso are often relocated "problem" bears, already habituated. pack heat .


What do you do with the carcass after you shoot the bear in the heart? Throw it in the river? Stuff it in the groover?


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## restrac2000

MountainmanPete said:


> What do you do with the carcass after you shoot the bear in the heart? Throw it in the river? Stuff it in the groover?


i think this may have been a rhetorical question but...

Black bears are protected wildlife though you can kill them in self-defense. If you do kill such an animal you better be prepared to prove it was justifiable. I would personally leave it in place (to waste) and take a ton of photos. There is a good chance the state is going to send out a team to investigate and I don't want to be confused at all with a poacher. 

That is my best guess on what to do but clearly any written law I may be aware of will take precedence.


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## rivers2run

We run the Rogue a lot so we always have to be prepared for bears. We carry a portable electric fence and surround our boats. Really helps. They pack pretty small. poles are just rods with the poly wire wrapped around them.


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## caverdan

Air horns and pepper spray is all that's needed to run off the bears on Deso.


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## Rick A

We took out on 7/5, one day early due to a bat bite at lower Three Canyon camp. We did see two bears, a cub on the left bank near McPherson Ranch, and a larger bear down river a few miles also on the left bank. Our last night we camped at Sand Knolls, there was one dried up pile of scat on the beach when we arrived but we did not have any encounters. Be clean at camp and be safe.


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## restrac2000

Rick A said:


> We took out on 7/5, one day early due to a bat bite at lower Three Canyon camp. We did see two bears, a cub on the left bank near McPherson Ranch, and a larger bear down river a few miles also on the left bank. Our last night we camped at Sand Knolls, there was one dried up pile of scat on the beach when we arrived but we did not have any encounters. Be clean at camp and be safe.


Hope all is okay with the bite. Did a doctor recommend a PEP?


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## Rick A

He had his second round of shots today.


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## tanderson

Bear euthanized after biting head of rafter in Desolation Canyon | KSL.com


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## Roguelawyer

Do folks hang their coolers? . . . leave them in their boat? . . . Stack them?


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## trevko

I can't imagine pulling them out each night and then finding enough places to hang all the coolers. If you're really worried I would think pulling them and encircling with an electric fence would be best. I'm headed down in a few days and we will leave them in the boat. 


I was down a few years ago when there were numerous reports of bears but we didn't see any.


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## Andy H.

I just want to know when it became "The Deso." Is this Californication hitting Utah? I heard a DJ talking about a closure on "The 25" the other day so I guess it's official in Colorado. Sheesh...


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## Rick A

We left our coolers on the boat. With no problems.

I've heard it called Deso but never "The Deso".


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## stuntsheriff

I don't want a meat hungry 200 pound bear on my boat after day-four frozen hamburger. I pull coolers.


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## restrac2000

I think, maybe fear is a better word, that certified coolers and/or fences will be mandatory on Deso within 10 years. Just too many significant encounters and a lawsuit now that holds the feds and state liable for wildlife behavior.


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## Gremlin

In 2014 at Range Creek

Pulled everything off the rafts and set up an electric fence. Slept far away. We had a bear in camp in the evening that we chased off with air horns. We thought he might come back after dark. The electric fence worked great. The sand was wet and his footprints indicated he got a good jolt. He still decided to investigate the rafts. He left teethmarks in my map book and bit my friends empty water jug. Maybe they had bacon grease on them??? I suspect he had discovered that rafts might equal food. Had there been anything, I'm sure he would have tried awfully hard to get to it and my boat would be trashed.


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## mattman

I think we had a conversation (perseveration?) about terms like the "The Deso" last year.


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## ski_it

Got off not long ago and had no problems, and this was what our camps were like every morning. I'd say don't worry about it.


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## Gremlin

ski_it said:


> Got off not long ago and had no problems, and this was what our camps were like every morning. I'd say don't worry about it.


Haha! It looks like a bear DID come through!


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## mattman

And maybe a marauding group of white trash?


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## rivers2run

The electric fences work great, keeps them out of the boats. We leave coolers in place, Yetis. We went through sorts of techniques on the Rogue until they put in electric fence enclosures for coolers. Made a huge difference. Rogue has lots of bears especially in fall unusual not to see them.


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## rivers2run

The Forest Service put in the electric enclosures on the Rogue most of the major campsites have them. They occasionally have to shoot a bad bear but not too often it is a lot better now with the enclosures. You take your cooler and any other food into the enclosure. They even have a bear fence they will loan you. I also have a wrist rocket and give them a ping if they are in camp. Noise works pretty well but they often come back.


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## DeeGardiner

We were on Deso July 12-17. We saw bears 3 of the 6 days, but never had any issues. Our final camp was at School Section, where the encounter happened a few weeks earlier. There are a lot of bushes with berries, which could certainly attract bears. We were quite nervous camping there. There were a lot of dried scat around camp, all full of berries. But no fresh tracks or scat, so decided to stay.


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## angdunn

*Don't camp at School Section Canyon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

We just took off on Deso/Gray on July 26th. I saw a small bear minding it's own business at Rain Canyon the evening before. We were already doing safe camp practices, but after a short hike and seeing two piles of bear scat, before bed I made sure everything was locked down tight and nothing scented was in our tents. In the morning, at the first inkling of first light, the bear tried to break into the cooler on the raft. It was clamped down with cam straps so it was not successful. We make lots of noise and scared it away. After trying to go back to sleep, a big splash from the direction of the boat startled us. We make more noise and scared it away again. I made lots of noise, went down the beach to retrieve the groover, came back, and returned to my tent. After maybe 10-20 minutes the bear comes from that end of the beach and wakes up my friend, peering right into her tent! This bear was aggressive and not giving up! It knew exactly what a cooler was and had probably gotten food from a tent in the past! I have to stand up inside my tent and make myself as big and loud as possible to scare it away. We make lots of noise and pack up our stuff and head out. On the way down to Nefertiti to eat our breakfast, we see a cub on river right about 1/2 mile above Nefertiti. 

I reported the aggressive bear incident to Ben at the Price BLM and am following up with the Utah State Wildlife office. Please practice all leave no trace and bear aware practices. Be careful out there boater friends!!!


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## trevko

angdunn said:


> It knew exactly what a cooler was and had probably gotten food from a tent in the past! Please practice all leave no trace and bear aware practices. Be careful out there boater friends!!!


Wow, that's too bad. Once a bear learns where to get food from it can be extremely difficult to dissuade them. I've seen them open cars like a sardine can to get to a cooler. We were lucky and did not see any bears on our trip.


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## Georg

We just got off Deso yesterday. We saw two bears day one both looked to be headed up river towards the put-in. From then on only isssue was a very aggressive Raccoon who decided to drink some soda's from one of the boats overnight. We had to shoo him out of boat in the morning. Guess 14 Pepsi's were to good to leave. We did keep a very clean camp, locked down the Grover every night, hang our trash each night and kept a very clean camp. Joe Hutch had a big hole at this level (approximately 3300).


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## widewhale

Six days, no bears. Great trip.


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## DoStep

*Pest report*

Aug 4-11

Skeeters are a non issue at Sand Wash. They were out in force at the 77-76 mile camps but nowhere else.

Significant yellow jacket population at Steer Ridge. Very aggressive towards food but not really towards humans. Even saw one aggressively devouring one of his injured brethren. Glad to have the mesh tent, it really saved our breakfast experience. They weren't an issue at any of our other camps.

2 bear sitings, one swam across just below Sand Wash, the other was milling about a gravel bar in the Joe Hutch area. No recent sign of them in any of our other camps.

A very tame turkey has taken up residence at Range Creek, it would walk right through our camp circle without fear of humans. While we agreed that it was the most favorable of all the possible nuisances, the novelty quickly wore off as it was pretty persistent. Aggressively chasing it from camp worked for a few hours. It did clean camp quite meticulously, and allowed for some great pranks on beach nappers. But overall it was a pain in the ass.

Thunderstorms almost every night, river seemed a different color each morning.

We were able to sneak in a second layover.


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## dsafarik

That turkey was at Range Creek during our 6/22-6/28 trip. Member of our group who raises a few turkeys thought it was < 1 year old, and with that level of habituation it might not survive the winter.


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## Georg

dsafarik said:


> That turkey was at Range Creek during our 6/22-6/28 trip. Member of our group who raises a few turkeys thought it was < 1 year old, and with that level of habituation it might not survive the winter.


Ranger visited us at this camp and in not so many words encouraged us to get rid of the bird.


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## mattman

Thanksgiving in August.


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## dsafarik

I too suggested a turkey dinner at Range Creek but my plan was vetoed by the group.


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## DoStep

Turkey dinner was discussed, but not executed. 

Sorry no photo of cannibal bees.


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## AndTheLab

Launched 7/17. 1 bear sitting which was in our camp @ Range Creek. About 25 ft from where my 5 year old was 30 seconds prior. Not a good feeling. Chased it off. Never returned- we think. Did not see a turkey at range but saw NUMEROUS snakes in the cottonwoods behind camp, next to the boats, in the kitchen, all along Range Creek... This was not a boring camp for my daughters by any means.


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## chepora

Heard someone the other day say "There's a bear on the loose" Like they're some type of zoo animal that escaped and not the original occupants of the land where said person now has a multimillion dollar home.


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## BigSky

DoStep said:


> Turkey dinner was discussed, but not executed.
> 
> Sorry no photo of cannibal bees.


Even the bear is hesitant to drink that water!


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## Sailor376

Georg said:


> We just got off Deso yesterday. We saw two bears day one both looked to be headed up river towards the put-in. From then on only isssue was a very aggressive Raccoon who decided to drink some soda's from one of the boats overnight. We had to shoo him out of boat in the morning. Guess 14 Pepsi's were to good to leave. We did keep a very clean camp, locked down the Grover every night, hang our trash each night and kept a very clean camp. Joe Hutch had a big hole at this level (approximately 3300).


Joe Hutch and Joe Hutch Canyon (Cow Swim) have holes. They have holes at 20,000 . They have holes at 2,000. And the holes are near perfect canoe size. Also,,, big changes from a flash flood,, early spring (like May 1st?) 2019. Whole new hole ballgame.

Bears? I have dealt with bears all four trips. All benign. But I will confess to a certain amount of shock,,, my first time through Deso/Gray 2016. Camped by my lonesome, just at sunset,, leaning against a log near my tent reading a cheesy paperback,, one huge, silent bear, either the biggest danged black bear I have even seen (I have seen quite a few.) or by colouration a grizzly, walked right through camp, not 20 feet away. walked over and inspected the dinner area 40 feet or so from me and tent,, sniffed once or twice,, and then just walked back out. I wear a size 15 sneaker,, the tracks,, the pad prints,, were longer than my shoe. Boy. oh boy,,, he must have a REALLY hard time finding shoes. I make jokes,, but the incident really did occur exactly as described.. You cook over there,,, and set your tent over here. And you never , ever bring food to your tent. Not that night,, not the 40 nights you have used the tent in the past 4 years. A bear's ability to scent,,, he can tell you whether it was Coke or Pepsi 3 years later. If you have ever eaten in your tent because of rain,,, throw the tent away rather than take it into bear country 4 years later. It will still stink of Dinty Moore stew those 4 years later to a bear.


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## Wallrat

mikesee said:


> This attitude and "advice" brought to you by ignorance.


Another “tolerant” Liberal. That’s why we love you guys so much.
The Ranger that “euthanized” that bear, did he use a gun? I wonder?


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## craven_morhead

We had a juvenile swim across the river just upstream of School Section as we were hanging out in the afternoon of 6/12/21. Be bear aware, particularly in the brush along the river.


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