More About Bears
... And speaking about Bears.
Yesterday we were working on a block and this black bear just wouldn't go away. It got to the point where some of the planters were nervous about working in one particular corner of the block, because the bear was just hanging out there all day.
We have a fellow named Dallas helping us out right now, driving our Unimog (a big German truck which has tires about up to my chest and which goes through some pretty muddy stuff). Dallas is quite the character. All of my planters love him, and he's been great to work with. And of course, he is the ultimate BC redneck - comfortable in the woods, a genius with mechanical stuff, and so on. Here's a photo of Dallas:
Anyway, Dallas decided that he'd bring his rifle over and stand guard while we planted the bear's corner of the block, just in case the bear caused any problems. We definitely don't like to kill animals, but it's better to be safe than sorry, so he was prepared to act as a sniper if needed.
Luckily, the planting went without incident. The bear was sitting about 20 feet away from us for a while, but it didn't make any moves to threaten us. A few minutes later, I saw a tree which had been all dug away at the base. I mentioned to Dallas that I wondered if it was the bear's den. I didn't think much more about it, and went working down the hill.
Anyway, I came back up the hill about half an hour later, and was quite amused by Dallas' story. He said, "I've figured out why the bear wouldn't leave. It's a she, not a he. She's got two cubs, and they're about as big as kewpie dolls. And that hole IS her den - I know because I stuck my head in it!"
Only in Canada, eh? Pity.
posted by DJ Bolivia @ 5/09/2006 11:27:00 PM
4 Comments:
You should have gotten someone to write down all the weird things we did over the years, it would make for an interesting book...but none of us remembers all that much of it!
i certainly remember when you set off the bear-bomb IN YOUR BASEMENT!!! my eyes water just thinking about it.... =)
we want more bloggs, the people demand more stories from the wilderness of bc not just crappy stories of me getting kicked out of the bar 45 min in for being too drunk
For those of you who don't understand the finer points of bear mace, it is really just concentrated cayenne pepper. So in other words, if you'd like to spice up a nice chili or spaghetti sauce, just shoot off a small squirt of bear mace into the pot and enjoy the smiles around the dinner table. But I do have to concur that it is better ingested orally than in the eyes or lungs.
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