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Mountain lions...once, when I slept in my tent I woke up to two mountain lions fighting right next to it. They were making sound like fighting cats but much louder. Got out of the tent not being sure what was it and saw them may be 20 feet away. Scared them off with noise and they run away.

Coyotes, they will crap to mark the territory. But they might not be sending a message to humans, they might be sending a message to other competitor animals because humans leave food smells behind and attract rodents. I definitely see coyote poop in campsites. One place I camped coyote literally took a big dump on the edge of the campsite while I was in it and I heard it howling. I howl at coyotes sometimes but so far couldn't get them to respond.
One night camping in canoe country, my dog I had then woke me up with some low growling. I just said to not worry about it and we went back to sleep. Got up to a bear turd not to far from the tent. That dog loved seeing animals… just not in camp… she got me up on a full moon night and we went out sitting on a rock ledge watched a big bull moose walk under us in the fullmoon light. She did chase a twelve point buck from by our tent once…
 
Santa sent his elf army to my groups campsite yesterday afternoon. I was off on errands in town so I never got to see them. But when it got dark the evidence of their visit was clearly visible! They strung up hundreds of little multicolored Christmas lights over in the area where the group campfire ring is located! I have a terrific view of the lights out my trailer window! They must be on a magical timer set just for me. When I began lowering my window blind to get ready to go to sleep those strings of lights suddenly went dark.

Speaking of elves, I myself am one of Santa’s crew working in my remote workshop. I have orders that just came in to get cut and shipped out today. But it is too cold this morning for those tasks so I had better get out of bed and fire up my heater to warm up my space, the materials and my hands.
Photo is a village I designed and built for the tiniest of Santa’s Elves. Those elves build the micro sized circuits that go into toys. So persons mistake those elves as being fairies but they are not.
IMG_0983.jpeg
 
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One night camping in canoe country, my dog I had then woke me up with some low growling. I just said to not worry about it and we went back to sleep. Got up to a bear turd not to far from the tent. That dog loved seeing animals… just not in camp… she got me up on a full moon night and we went out sitting on a rock ledge watched a big bull moose walk under us in the fullmoon light. She did chase a twelve point buck from by our tent once…
Grizzly or black bear?
Once I was tent camping in Colorado in a place with a big camp table, made some oatmeal and set it to cool down on the table. Went to my truck only few feet away to get some stuff. When I had turned around there was a bear looking like it had setup itself for lunch at the table, it really looked like a person seated at the table with front paws on it and around my oatmeal and getting ready to eat it. I chased it away clapping my hands and yelling while charging at it.

One place I camped in Sierra Nevada had swarms of bears, literally, and they were crapping around to the point had to watch your step around the camps. One day suddenly a bear was in my camp and close to me, completely out of the blue, looking curious. I was stunned and a bit scared, and had a crazy thought if it would obey commands? It was my early experience with black bears and I wasnt confident with charging and scaring them yet. I started to tell and motion to it sit and then it did, like a dog. Being pretty shocked I went and got my bear spray then I sat down in front of the bear leaning on a tree behind me. It didnt look hostile to me and I started to motion to it and tell to lay down - and it did, just like a dog, belly on the ground front paws outstretched. There were some nice moments of peace and looking at each other. But very shortly, a bigger cinnamon bear charged out of the blue from the woods and had chased this smaller curious bear (it was adult, not a cub though) up on the tree, it only took seconds. The big one then run off as I got up and yelled. The smaller one had run off too later. Haven't seen them again.
 
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The fox didnt show up when I cooked lentils, it was definitely after the meat soup that day. But it did mark my solar ground motion lights which stinks, hopefully these will be natural rodent repelents now.
 
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I had a pair of ferrets once &you'd never see a mouse. They ran the original phone cable in NYC with mice & ferrets by putting a mouse in a very long tube then putting in a harness pulling wire behind him.
 
Grizzly or black bear?
Once I was tent camping in Colorado in a place with a big camp table, made some oatmeal and set it to cool down on the table. Went to my truck only few feet away to get some stuff. When I had turned around there was a bear looking like it had setup itself for lunch at the table, it really looked like a person seated at the table with front paws on it and around my oatmeal and getting ready to eat it. I chased it away clapping my hands and yelling while charging at it.

One place I camped in Sierra Nevada had swarms of bears, literally, and they were crapping around to the point had to watch your step around the camps. One day suddenly a bear was in my camp and close to me, completely out of the blue, looking curious. I was stunned and a bit scared, and had a crazy thought if it would obey commands? It was my early experience with black bears and I wasnt confident with charging and scaring them yet. I started to tell and motion to it sit and then it did, like a dog. Being pretty shocked I went and got my bear spray then I sat down in front of the bear leaning on a tree behind me. It didnt look hostile to me and I started to motion to it and tell to lay down - and it did, just like a dog, belly on the ground front paws outstretched. There were some nice moments of peace and looking at each other. But very shortly, a bigger cinnamon bear charged out of the blue from the woods and had chased this smaller curious bear (it was adult, not a cub though) up on the tree, it only took seconds. The big one then run off as I got up and yelled. The smaller one had run off too later. Haven't seen them again.
I’m in Minnesota, Ontario or Manitoba… black bear were about it for me… I’m kind of a chicken… I’ll stand up to a black bear any day about. Grizzlies? Or Polar??
Um no!
 
Two people who were very close family members, who I loved very much and spent a lot of time with over many years, my mother and brother in laws, were killed by a grizzly. Here is the story of their death by bear. It was widely reported in major newspapers and news casts all across the USA and Canada.
https://akfatal.net/Trent 07-01-95.htm

I think about them often especially at Christmas time. Those were the best family Christmas gatherings in my life. Hiking in the wood on the homestead to cut Christmas trees, skating on the pond, playing games, opening presents by the fire, etc.
I lived in Alaska for 7 years and did a lot of camping trips but fortunately only saw bears at a distance from the car when driving on trips.
 
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I’m in Minnesota, Ontario or Manitoba… black bear were about it for me… I’m kind of a chicken… I’ll stand up to a black bear any day about. Grizzlies? Or Polar??
Um no!
Polar are the most dangerous ones I think.
Grizzlies ..they differ by region, they are deninutely mean in some regions like around Yellowstone.
But knew someone who told me grizzlies sniffed his face as he slept in his hammock in Montana and wasn't worried.
I had a black bear sniff my face when I slept on my cot, the same one broke into my vehicle and stole food.
I heard the safest grizzlies are around rivers where there is lots of salmon or large berry patches, as they are well fed.
 
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Genetic relationship
Polar bears and grizzly bears are biological sister species, meaning they are more closely related to each other than to any other bears. They share many genetic similarities and can mate to produce fertile offspring.
The heaviest wild American BLACK BEAR ever recorded was a male shot in New Brunswick in 1972 that weighed 902 lb after being dressed. This means it was estimated to have weighed over 1,100 lb in life.

BIG U.P. BLACK BEAR​

https://woods-n-waternews.com/2019/11/01/big-u-p-black-bear/

 
I usually bring offerings to the sprits of the land, including bear and lion spirits. Because I try to be away from people and have no dogs I get to see lots of them. First time I saw a bear it was when I decided to dip in the cold mountain river on a hot day and next thing a bear was bathing in the river right accross from me and pretty close. Earlier I thought of bathing in that very spot where the bear was now but I got a feeling of something and went accross the bridge. It was one of the best moments of my life bathing in the river right accross that bear. If I knew I were to die tomorrow and had one thing to chose to relive it would be being out there in the wild on a mountain river with bears around me
 
I usually bring offerings to the sprits of the land, including bear and lion spirits. Because I try to be away from people and have no dogs I get to see lots of them. First time I saw a bear it was when I decided to dip in the cold mountain river on a hot day and next thing a bear was bathing in the river right accross from me and pretty close. Earlier I thought of bathing in that very spot where the bear was now but I got a feeling of something and went accross the bridge. It was one of the best moments of my life bathing in the river right accross that bear. If I knew I were to die tomorrow and had one thing to chose to relive it would be being out there in the wild on a mountain river with bears around me
Those moments are special but can turn out badly. Be carful out there.
 
It is a lovely holiday season morning. The day ahead for me brings feasting with friends! I hope your day brings you some good cheer and good food.
 
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