Whilst wandering in the woods foraging for mushrooms, I came across this pile of scat. It left me a little shaken. My brain was telling me that it had to be a very large boar but the shape and size of the scat suggested only one creature and, thankfully, it’s region starts 60 miles west of me – the brown bear (or Grizzly, as it’s known in the States).
I’m still confused as I know they’re not in my area but maybe one passed through on holiday…
My name is Edward O'Toole and I live in one of the wildest, most beautiful parts of Europe, in the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Slovakia. Life is an adventure - both physically and metaphysically...
I've been living out here for the last 22 years, along with my wife, 3 kids and Jack Russell.
My main interests involve bushcraft, prepping, survival and wilderness living (self-sufficiency and self-reliance), ecological, green, smart and natural solutions, motorcycles and motorbike club life, writing and art (I have 7 published books), and exploring the paranormal.
For more about my lifestyle, art and writing visit http://www.edwardotoole.com
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2 thoughts on “Scary scat”
There are no grizzlies in Colorado – they say. In October 2012 on a high altitude camping trip in the Wet Mountains my wife and I were sitting at our camp fire. Two other campers were near by. When we finished our small dinner and I was placing things back into the “bear bag” to hoist back up the tree, I gazed over her head. Not forty yards behind her was a giant frickin’ grizzly bear sitting on his haunches, looking at me.
My weapon was 20 feet away, by the tent. Her’s was inside. The other campers weren’t armed. Thinking quickly, I yelled for the group to merge together at our campsite and I grabbed the 9mm.
on my hip was a bowie knife…. And in my calm and thinking mind I’m saying to myself “When he charges, If I can get off most of the 15 rounds into it’s eyes and face I should have a 25% chance of not dying and cutting his throat open before he kills me, giving the others a chance to run 3/4 mile to our jeep”.
Instead we stood close together, yelled and waves our arms. He “sauntered off” ignoring our shouts for the most part.
No one slept well that night. The Colorado Wildlife guys, even after my measurements of the paw prints, description and blurry photo refused to chalk it up as a “grizzly” bear. He said, “I’m going to mark this sighting down as a ‘brown bear’, not a Grizzly.”. LOL!
So… there are still no grizzlies in Colorado to anyone’s knowledge…. but mine, my wife and two terrified hikers who were afraid to move after that.
Carpathian Adventure 
There are no grizzlies in Colorado – they say. In October 2012 on a high altitude camping trip in the Wet Mountains my wife and I were sitting at our camp fire. Two other campers were near by. When we finished our small dinner and I was placing things back into the “bear bag” to hoist back up the tree, I gazed over her head. Not forty yards behind her was a giant frickin’ grizzly bear sitting on his haunches, looking at me.
My weapon was 20 feet away, by the tent. Her’s was inside. The other campers weren’t armed. Thinking quickly, I yelled for the group to merge together at our campsite and I grabbed the 9mm.
on my hip was a bowie knife…. And in my calm and thinking mind I’m saying to myself “When he charges, If I can get off most of the 15 rounds into it’s eyes and face I should have a 25% chance of not dying and cutting his throat open before he kills me, giving the others a chance to run 3/4 mile to our jeep”.
Instead we stood close together, yelled and waves our arms. He “sauntered off” ignoring our shouts for the most part.
No one slept well that night. The Colorado Wildlife guys, even after my measurements of the paw prints, description and blurry photo refused to chalk it up as a “grizzly” bear. He said, “I’m going to mark this sighting down as a ‘brown bear’, not a Grizzly.”. LOL!
So… there are still no grizzlies in Colorado to anyone’s knowledge…. but mine, my wife and two terrified hikers who were afraid to move after that.
Thanks for that!
One thing I really don’t want to meet in the woods is a bear