Who has seen bears in N. ID? (Hayden, Sandpoint: home, live)

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

We've seen a mother black bear and cub around the house a few times, and a few times while elk hunting. I've seen Grizzly tracks, never actually seen one though. They are pretty common though, especially around Sandpoint and points North.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

We saw a black bear cub (could the mama bear be far behind???) on a visit to our new property in Clark Fork in October. We thought we bought bare land--I guess our real estate agent thought we wanted bear land! On the same day we saw/heard a female elk and a bull elk. Lots of moose evidence, too, on our 5 acres. And we have a view of the Cabinets which we know is griz habitat. So, next time, bear pepper spray!

[mistyriver]

Grizzly population in the northern panhandle is pretty much limited to the Selkirks (where I live) and the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem, as far as I know. They like to say in tourist books that the griz stay way back in the high country, and probably most of them do. The thing is, the grizzlys never read those tourist books so when when one of them gets an itchy foot and the traveling bug we're all surprised to see one. Sadly, some people just ruin it for the rest of us and the grizzly bears.
The one in my picture had to be shot by fish and game because a photographer was baiting bears and deer into his yard so he could take their pictures. Feeding bears of course, acclimates them to people which is never a good idea and this bear was beginning to get too up close and personal with the folks in my area. Ergo...dead bear.
It's incredible to be able to live in a place of such incredible beauty that still has the wilderness to support grizzlies and wolves.
We have a small sign on our front porch that reads, "If you're lucky enough to live in north Idaho...you're lucky enough".
How true is that?

[brokencrayola]

I live in N. Idaho and have seen black bears on many occasions, usually driving. I did have one run across the road in front of me during a walk. I had seen it in an old apple tree. I saw the branch break and it fell to the ground. I knew it would either run towards the river or more likely past me, which it did. They have no desire to have an encounter with people if they can prevent it. There are grizzly bears too. I know of people in Hope that had them in their apple orchards in the fall. I knew a man that was fishing outside of Clark Fork and thought he heard a dog whoofing behind him. He turned around and there was a huge grizzly. It cautiously went around him and into the trees. He did say he needed a pants change after that.

[Rickers]

This happened in Montana not Idaho but my wife heard some scratching on the outside of the window and when she peeked out the curtains she was staring face to face with a small black bear right at the window outside. My wife's face and the bears were no more than 6 inches apart with just a thin pane of glass separating them.

[brokencrayola]

We have a neighbor not far from here that during the summer has black bears outside her windows on a regular basis. One night she walked out to her car and came face to face with a bear. Scared them both half to death! We had them in our garbage one fall when the huckleberries were scarce.

[mistyriver]

I love my Great Pyrenees! No peeping bears at this cabin.

"Harp" on bear patrol:

[SicilianPolka]

I live up in Cocolalla and this year we didn't have many bears around. The year before we counted eleven different bear on our game cam at the top of the hill. I don't promote bear hunting but that's my personal opinion. Our dogs help keep them away as well as the deer...
As my Canadian uncle says, "Bears like a little pepper (spray) with their meat, too."

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

Originally Posted by mistyriverranch

I love my Great Pyrenees! No peeping bears at this cabin.

"Harp" on bear patrol:

They are beautiful dogs! We have a Newfie, he's a big lover.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

Always liked this one:
********************

A guy's going on a hiking vacation through the mountains out west. Before
setting off into the boonies, he stops into a small general store to get
some supplies.

After picking out the rest of his provisions, he asks the old store owner,
"Say mister, I'm going hiking up in the mountains, and I was wondering;
do you have any bears around here?"

"Yup," replies the owner.

"What kind?" asks the hiker.

"Well, we got black bears and we got grizzlies," he replies.

"I see," says the hiker. "Do you have any of those bear bells?"

"What do you mean?" asks the store owner.

"You know," replies the hiker, "those little tinkle-bells that people wear
in bear country to warn the bears that they are coming, so they don't
surprise the bears and get attacked."

"Oh yeah," replies the owner. "They're over there," he says, pointing to
a shelf on the other side of the store. The hiker selects a couple of
the bells and and takes them to the counter to pay for them.

"Tell me something, mister," the hiker inquires, "how can you tell when
you're in bear territory, anyway?"

"By the scat," the old fellow replies, ringing up the hiker's purchases.

"Well, um, how can I tell if it's grizzly territory or black bear territory?"
the hiker asks.

"By the scat," the store owner replies.

"Well, what's the difference?" asks the hiker. "I mean, what's different
between grizzly scat and black bear scat?"

"The stuff that's in it," replies the store owner.

Getting a little frustrated, the hiker asks, "OK, so what's in grizzly bear
scat that isn't in black bear scat?" he asks, an impatient tone in his voice.


"Bear bells," replies the old man as he hands the hiker his purchases.