Bear Activity in Alabama

[bear^2]

I also wanted to add a pretty terrifying account to this thread...

Sometime in Jan/Feb of 2011, my wife and I walked down into Quillan Creek from western side of Sipsey to explore some of the more remote tributaries.  We underestimated the distance/time and were about 1.28 miles from our park near the road.  It was almost 8pm and completely dark.  As we were making our way up hill, I hear some rustling uphill and off to my right.  Then I heard what I thought were muffled voices, but nothing you could make out.  I immediately thought we had run into a person camping, but there was no fire, no lights...and I'm pretty sure that no one would be sleeping/hangin out on a incline like that.

The next thing I heard...and I have been in the woods for nearly all of my 37 years...was absolutely the most terrifying sounds I have ever heard anywhere.  Something BIG was there.  All of the sudden it sounded like it picked up a log and was pounding it against a tree harder than I probably could.  It also sounded like it was shredding the bark off the tree.  If that was not disturbing enough, it let out a blood curdling scream...again and again.  Banging and screaming...

We stopped in our tracks...  after about 2minutes...it seemed like an hour...whatever it was crashed away through the woods back down into the canyon.  I shined my flashlight in the area where I thought the noise was coming from, but the brush was so thick I could not see anything.  I even shouted out several times thinking it was a human.  I even drew my gun which I rarely even do when I come across the hogs.

I am about 185lbs, and this thing sounded bigger than me.  I just cannot think of anything that could bang on a tree that hard besides a human.  Maybe it was some bigfoot researchers out thinking we were bigfoot haha.

So if anyone has heard anything like this, please let us know.  I've heard bobcats an foxes scream...all sorts of owl noises, but this was completely different!

Oh for anyone interested, here is our "pic dump" of some of our adventures at least the times when I brought the camera anyway

http://wildalabama.blogspot.com/

[blisterbob]

I think I would have gone back in daylight for a thorough search of the area.
Anything that big and that active would have left detectable signs or tracks.
Enjoyed your pics,
bb

[bear^2]

Well, my next outing was two weeks later in the Hubbard Creek area where I was glad to find a small break from the mountain laurel on a sand bank... on about my fifth step I fell through a hole and caught myself at the armpits.

Jumping out of that hole like I slipped into a den of copperheads gave me a hernia, so I had to have surgery and my adventures had to come to an end for a while.

If it weren't for the knocking, I would say it was a mountain lion.

It takes me about 2hrs to get to the forest, so with work and all it wasn't really feasible to go look the next day.  I also wish I had a better gps at the time because with the one I had I would have had to write down the coordinates.  Being scared and exhausted we just got out as soon as we could, and I think I remember the parking area and just that we were 1.28mi out

[blisterbob]

Bear,
Your mis-adventures in the outdoors would scare off or at least discourage most folks,
but it sounds like you are a dedicated enthusiast.... hang in there.
bb

[buck]

Black bear dies after being struck by car in Little River Canyon

[blisterbob]

Black bear dies after being struck by car in Little River Canyon

SAD!
Even sadder the #1 comment!!

[vapor]

Did you fire any shots in the air? At least then if it was a human they would have probably said stop shooting its just people messing with you but pretty stupid for anyone to play that kindof joke on someone they don't even know. I have also heard some strange sounds in sipsey at night that didn't sound like any owl or foxes I've ever heard. My wife could probably describe the sound better than myself as it was her first night in Sipsey.

Also has anyone else seen signs of bear or mountain lion in Sipsey in the past year?

[Cuffs]

Also pretty stupid to fire shots into the air for no apparent life threatening reason. The bullets have to come down somewhere. Yes they are in the woods, still no excuse for random shots to be fired.

[vapor]

I wasn't saying shots should be fired & was merely asking a question as something about the story doesn't sound right. As one would think something that big & destructive would have left some kindof signs of is presence. But if you are concerned about the possibility of shots in the air you might want to stay away during hunting season & or 203 in which a shooting range sits very close to the trail as those shots will not be fired in the air. I backpacked Sipsey one weekend in which there were over 100 hog hunters running up & down the same trails that many others were hiking. Borden included which usually has the most traffic already.

[Cuffs]

Hunters don't bother me. Random people who are afraid of the dark and carry guns scare me.

[southmark]

Hunters don't bother me. Random people who are afraid of the dark and carry guns scare me.

If this was Facebook I would click the Like icon.

[CanyonCrawler]

I have personally saw 2 bears in the Backcountry area of Little River Canyon National Preserve. We have also caught a few on trail cams. The Park is getting a 2 year black bear study going on starting next year.

My experience with black bears in the area, is that they run away as soon as they see you. Nothing to worry about, just be aware that they we are sharing the forest with them.