Another stupid Human Trick

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bearmgc

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Hunting elk in Northwest Wyoming, where grizzley bear often claim by morning, game left overnight in the field, another stupid human trick performed by good ol boys in the campground, really got me steamed. In the campgrounds in these areas are high metal game poles, where all hunters are required to hang their harvested game. All food must be stored either in the campers or in a bear resistant container, to discourage bears from scavanging camps for goodies. Well, the local guys in the campsite next to us, hung an elk on the game pole, then procceded to flesh out the skull on the ground there, throwing the remains in the bushes below the game pole. They fried up bacon, and other meat, and threw the grease on the ground, outside "their" campsite, near the stone public bathroom. The next day they left. Cell phones do not work in this rather remote area, or I would have called Game and Fish in a heartbeat. We cleaned up their mess as best we could, for our own safety. Last week, before coming here we called Game and Fish to find out about the hunting and weather in the area, and were warned that a female Grizz and cubs had been hanging in the meadow by the creek about 400yds from the campground, all summer. Talking to another camper, we learned that the guy fleshing out the skull runs the "Hunter Safety" classes in town. Talk about "situational ethics...
 
You couldn't be more right. A long time ago I was at yellowstone. The campers next to us left their food(in coolers) out on the ground. You guessed it the bears destroyed their camp. We were in a tent and the bears were walking by in the middle of the night. Luckily we left no trace of food, cleaned the dishes no garbage ect. Talk about asking for it!!:banghead:
 
Boy, that experience must have left you spooked for awhile! But that's the deal. They asked for it, but you did everything right, and became at risk by their actions. Congratulations on your Champion White Sox!
 
There was an interesting quote from the rangers at Yellowstone a few years back about their bear problem. Seems that the bears were breaking into the bear-proof food lockers and bear-proof garbage cans at the campsites. When asked by the press why they couldn’t design a truly bear-proof container, the ranger said:
“Because there appears to be a significant overlap in intelligence between the smartest bears and the dumbest campers.”
:D
 
Hi bearmgc I'll never forget that expierince. I may forget my name but not that! Thanks
 
what does a camper's stupidity have to do with the structural integrity & strength of a container, which is perfectly authorized to be left out if it is deemed "bear-proof"? I'm quite sure the Ranger's quote is 100% accurate when taken by itself, but it's got nothing to do with the engineering of a particular container does it? I mean, the campers don't design the containers. Anyhow, that's neither here nor there. Good on ya, bearmgc, for cleaning up the mess of the slob hunters. They either seriously lack integrity or just don't put 2 and 2 together to realize the danger they're creating (ignorant).
 
Bearmgc I almost forgot that time at yellowstone(1967)there was a little girl with a lolly pop and a bear came up to her and licked her lolly pop. She(not knowing the danger)punched the bear in the nose and the bear ran away!!!:uhoh: I wonder where her parents were? But kids do run off. I hear now the campgrounds are fenced off?
 
GGB, some containers requiore human action to lock them. Human action requires intent. Intent commonly requires thought. Ergo...

Some of the newer containers I've seen are not only of heavier-gage steel, they're idiot proof. Automatically lock. Actual thought is required only to unlock them. (Which could lead to food left on the ground...)

:), Art
 
I seen the same BS in a campground SW of Cody about 5 years ago. For anyone who doesn't believe there are that many bears out there, leave a butchered out deer carcass in the Ishawooa creek valley a couple miles up from the road along the Shoshone River overnight sometime. That's one of the only times in my entire life that the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
 
While in campgrounds in bear areas, I've noticed that there seems to be a significant window of overlap regarding the ability to keep bears out and the inability of some idjits to open bear-proof containers. I fear that, in some cases, the bears fare better than some of our less-equipped people. :rolleyes:
 
GunGoBoom: As others have alluded to, the ranger's comments describe two different problems. One is that the bear-proof containers usually needed some specific action on the part of the camper to lock them, and when they didn't, the bears got in. The other is that when they made really bear proof containers, the campers complained so much that the rangers were forced to change the design because some campers were too stupid to figure out how to open them up.

Way back in college, I took a class called Human Factors In Engineering. The premise was that making stuff really good wasn't enough. You also had to make it useable by the kinds of folks that were likely to try to use it.
 
Way back in college, I took a class called Human Factors In Engineering. The premise was that making stuff really good wasn't enough. You also had to make it useable by the kinds of folks that were likely to try to use it.
Click to expand...

Back in the day, when I was a computer systems professional, we had a law of computer software...

Idiot proof systems
Are no match
For system proof idiots.
Click to expand...

:D
 
NRA4LIFE, the area you describe is widely known for being FULL of bears, black and Grizz, yes. If you guys saw these bear resistant lock boxes, you'd see how easy it is to use them. They're heavy gauge metal attached to BIG posts with bolts and they have a locking device on front- this is not rocket science.
 
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