# Managing bears (?) in Deso/Gray Canyons



## Matty (May 13, 2004)

Been down Deso 7 times never had a problem, although we have always been off prior to May 20th. We always put all our food away at night, but never took typical "bear" precautions, maybe others have had different experiences?


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## peak (Apr 7, 2006)

I think there was *one* incident that got everybody all crazy about bears in deso a few years back, a funny incident too. some NOLS kid wanted dreads, so he put honey in his hair, and while he was sleeping the bear pulled him out of his sleeping bag by his head...

yea, keep a clean camp, and don't smear food all over yourself. I don't even think you'll need to put little bells on your shoelaces (that the bears might or might not be able to hear).


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

I haven't seen any, but my wife had seen bears a couple times when she was guiding. Banging some pots & pans scared them away. I had heard the honey storey as OB rather than NOLS and with the added detail that he had wandered away from the group to make his camp, but that's the only actual incident I've ever heard of.

It's definately not as bad as in the Sierra.


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## -k- (Jul 15, 2005)

I could see how it may be more of a problem early on when the bears first come out of hibernation, but by that time you would hope the bears have enough natural food sources. Just don't keep any food in your tent and pick up after yourself each night and I would guess you would be fine.


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## rideon (May 2, 2005)

*Sage advice...*



peak said:


> yea, keep a clean camp, and don't smear food all over yourself.


Too true. That is my quote for the day for sure!


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## stinginrivers (Oct 18, 2003)

My buddy had a very interesting beer encounter a couple years ago in deso.

I don't know the exact location, but a bear was coming into camp and taking all of their dry bags and eating them, he came back for one more which turns out was my friend sleeping in his bivy sack.

So he woke up to a bear jumping up and down on him, the thing that saved the day was his friend brought a laser pointer and shot the bear in the eye with it.

It was only the 2 of them doing a self support kayak and canoe trip. So they had to go wonder through the night trying to find their gear, which they did end up recovering quite a bit of it but the bear made short work on most of their food.


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## Tiggy (May 17, 2004)

Is it so frickin hard to get sharks with lasers on thier heads!!


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## ZGjethro (Apr 10, 2008)

I've done Deso/Grey twice with no problems but I know a guy who was bitten through his tent wall on the arm. They left the camp and left a note for the next group to be bear aware. Someone in that group was bitten on the leg. I think that bear was put down. This happened 7/8 years ago I'm guessing.


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## penguin (May 1, 2009)

Thanks everybody. This is about what I figured: basic precautions. In the Sierras we've learned to be armed with capcacin spray, paintball guns, etc. because bears (and the people who inadvertantly fed them with garbage) have created a really bad situation of dependancy. 

penguin


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## MacDaddy (Feb 6, 2009)

I have run Deso 2 to 3 times a year for the last 25 years. I have seen signs of bear on almost every trip in the early part of the season. From June to the end of Aug hardly any sign,however last year while filling waterjugs at Rock Creek we watched a cinnimon bear waiking downstream river left along the rapid that was cool. 2 years ago I gave some food and ice to a group from Aspen that had caught some catfish and left the guts along the beach above coal creek ( A direct invitation to the bear world) they lost most everything they had left. Good thing it was close to the end of the trip. Keep a clean food free camp at night and you will have a fantastic trip.


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## alanbol (Jun 3, 2005)

Last time I was down there, a couple of years ago, we saw one bear at Moonshine. The rangers warned us off of camping at one camp, I think it was the one above 3 fords (Is that Coal Creek?). We had a bunch of small kids with us, so we didn't camp there.


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

alanbol said:


> The rangers warned us off of camping at one camp, I think it was the one above 3 fords (Is that Coal Creek?).


It's Wire Fence.


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## MacDaddy (Feb 6, 2009)

Wire fence is just north of three fords. 
I have a 5 spots on my June 19th trip if anyone is interested. It will be a non drinking trip with kids


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## Mike Hartley (May 1, 2006)

We had a bear wandering into our camp below Rock Creek once and I think at least one of the incidents (I remember two) happened in that area. There are some mulberry trees there that the bear liked. In spite of the fact that the bear was obviously habituated to people we didn't have a problem but we didn't toss fish guts around camp either .


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## doloresgirl (Jun 4, 2007)

penguin said:


> Thanks everybody. This is about what I figured: basic precautions. In the Sierras we've learned to be armed with capcacin spray, paintball guns, etc. because bears (and the people who inadvertantly fed them with garbage) have created a really bad situation of dependancy.
> 
> penguin


Did Deso in July. We camped at Rock Creek Ranch, and the mulberry and apricot trees were full of perfectly ripe fruit (YUM!). Early in the morning I thought I'd go get some apricots for breakfast, thinking how amazing it was that there were no bears or bear sign in the orchard. About an hour later a bear swam across the river and made a bee line for the fruit trees about 20 yards down the river from us. 

We just kept a clean camp, and no food/toothpaste etc in tents.


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## dograft83 (Jun 16, 2008)

The place nols trip that had the person drag from the sleeping bag was right above wire fence. The night after My ob trip camped there and stayed over there two days and did not have any problems and saw no sign of bears. I have been down there many tmes and have only seen two bears. One at rock creek and one just up stream of the take out. Just be smart and just an extra reason to leave a clean camp!


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## Jahve (Oct 31, 2003)

peak said:


> I think there was *one* incident that got everybody all crazy about bears in deso a few years back, a funny incident too. some NOLS kid wanted dreads, so he put honey in his hair, and while he was sleeping the bear pulled him out of his sleeping bag by his head...


 
Now that is some funny shit.... I dont even think you could make up a story like this!! Thanks for the laugh...


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## pinetree (Mar 20, 2008)

I think the honey story has been around for years, probably a backcountry legend. 

A friend runs commercial trips down Deso. 4 (?) years ago one of his clients was bitten while in his sleeping bag. He chased it away with some homemade M-80s another friend had given to him (effective, not recommended). He had bears on his rafts trying to get in the coolers, in the kitchen, etc. He said most of the incidents have been at river right camps, where most folks stay.


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## CWorthy (Jun 22, 2005)

With a 6/18 launch, I'd think that Mosquito's will be more of a problem than bears (be sure you bring plenty of repellent and netting isn't a bad idea either :lol. I agree with everyone that a clean camp is a happy camp...


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## Schizzle (Mar 26, 2004)

For the record, I support the right to keep and arm bears.

Oh, and the Sierra's are the worst for bears. I was camping up at half dome one time and we had our food strung up on the park-provided wire. Well, the bears had figured out the mechanism that raised and lowered the wire and they just unclipped it, let it drop, and ate all my stuff. I had a can of tuna I wish I would have kept because it had a three-toed claw mark across the lid. That very same night I had a bear standing over my sleeping bag. My friend screamed and from a deep sleep I jack-knifed up out of my bag and inadvertantly kicked the bear square in the jewels. He made a grunt, expelled air, and lumbered off -- that's how I know I got 'em in the nutz, because its the same sound I would make, except I wouldn't lumber off, I'd collapse on the guy in the bag, get collected, then kick him in the deez.


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