Ran into a bear, American river north fork

Then I yelled to try and scare it off (kids were in the direction he was heading by the way). And once he heard me, I caught his attention. So he perked up and came down towards the water, looking like he wanted to come across and come check me out! So I threw a few rocks till I landed one next to him and he ran off

It sounds as if the bear was upwind of you, as afternoon prevailing winds are generally
moving up that slope, carrying your scent away from the bear. They don't see well, nor
even hear all that good, and their nose is their primary sense.

If he hasn't seen you or smelled you, as far as he knows you're not even there. You
did the right thing alerting the bear to your presence, and if he hadn't smelled you yet
he was likely just getting closer to figure out if you were friend or foe.

BTW, what would you have done if that tossed rock just pi$$ed him off, making
him feel threatened and so he charged you thinking he was fighting to protect his
own ass?

Best thing to do would have been a) alerting it to your presence, and b) moving
carefully out of it's way so he can continue on to wherever he was headed. If
he then came too close, a lot of screaming, yelling, banging etc. should have sent him
on his way...they don't like all the racket. If it's your food he's after, then your best
bet would have been to dump it out on the ground and then leave the area (haul-arse)
while he's busy feeding his face.

If you are around any type of berry patch, then be uber-cautious at this time
of year. The berries are ripe and the bears eat 'em by the bucketful. Make noise
and holler from time to time while hiking in bear country..let 'em know you're
there and 99% of the time they'll leave the area before you ever see them.

Any non-confrontation solution always has a better outcome than the alternative.
You get a great story to tell, plus you, your family and the bear go home healthy.

They don't hibernate up here

It's too early for any bear to be hibernating, but they are eating as
much as possible right now to pack on the extra pounds so they can survive
the winter. Black bear will sleep for long periods, but they do wake up
periodically and venture out of their den to browse or drink.
 

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I bought some bells to attach to my boots or something to make noise out there. I do NOT want to bump into a mountain kitty. Bears are scary but they're also a little less scary than big kitties
 

I bought some bells to attach to my boots or something to make noise out there. I do NOT want to bump into a mountain kitty. Bears are scary but they're also a little less scary than big kitties
bells and noise are unlikely to discourage a mountain lion. Put glasses on the back of your hat so the mountain lion thinks you see him when it tries to come up behind you (that's how they hunt).
 

If you're free this coming Saturday, let's go back up there! Nice to have met you too, AuSomeness.

@schoolofhardrocks he came mid-hill, walking across... Then I yelled to try and scare it off (kids were in the direction he was heading by the way). And once he heard me, I caught his attention. So he perked up and came down towards the water, looking like he wanted to come across and come check me out! So I threw a few rocks till I landed one next to him and he ran off

I'm back in town now. I'm still quite busy, but I haven't been out since we ran into each other. I don't know what effect the rains have had on the American River, if any. I'd love to find some Au! BUT NO BEARS! :D
 

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I'm goin up Friday night, gonna stay for the weekend :) taking my 4Runner this time though, so I can get to Yankee jim's! I'm bringing my detector this time also, I'd love to find picker sized stuff!
 

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