Safety while panning

[ctjonb]

hello my name is john im headed out to colorado in aug, and i hope this doesnt sound nutty but how much do I need to be concerned about mt lions or grizzleys I plan on finding remote areas away from crowds if that's possible up around south platt river above deckers
is that a really bad idea or should I be ok Im from CT and don't have to worry about bears or cougers around here, but from what im reading of the brochures of colorado they sure do talk alot about bears and mt lions I figure best to ask the locals before getting into trouble thanks for any info
John

 

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[Timbo]

Don't sweat it. Most of the bears in Colorado are in towns these days. There are no grizzlies here, just black bears. Mountain lions?? Never seen one myself but they are here but generally avoid humans and like the bears, tend to gravitate towards towns and easy food supplies. Bring a side arm if it makes you feel better but I've never needed mine and have done guide work in way more remote places than Deckers.
Timbo

 

[RGINN]

Timbo's right and you'll do fine here in the high country, Yankee. We don't have grizzlies and mountain lions will see you but you won't see them. Bears like towns, but they have started to associate tents with food, so keep a clean camp. I camp regularly in bear country where there have been a few confrontations between campers and bears. I sleep out in the open on the ground right by the campfire and have never had a problem. I do sleep with a Ruger Vaquero .45, which makes a loud noise and a big flash that might scare a bear off. Your biggest concern needs to be wildfires. It's still very dry up here and we have fires all around the state. Actually, here in the mountains my biggest danger is tryin to avoid bein run over by Texans when I'm in the crosswalks in town. Come on up and hope you have a great time.

 

[Timbo]

Yeah John, feel free to take as many Texans home for souvenirs as you'd like!!!!
And RGINN I also carry a .45 LC for a sidearm!! Mines the Charles Daly birdshead grip variety.

 

[ctjonb]

Yeah John, feel free to take as many Texans home for souvenirs as you'd like!!!!
And RGINN I also carry a .45 LC for a sidearm!! Mines the Charles Daly birdshead grip variety.

lol thats funny "take a texan home" ha ha Thank you everyone for the input, I have seen the wildfires on the news its pretty tragic , I deffinatly wont be making any campfires after what I have seen on the news I would not want to be responsible for catching such a great place on fire, no worries RGINN I drive slow that sounds like how a lot of northerners drive as well hurry up and get to that red light man gas is too exspensive to heavy on the pedal thats for sure. I doubt i can bring my pistol on a plain and not sure if my ct pistol permit is any good out there if I can get a temp permit can you rent them by chance

 

[TheNewCatfish]

While it's true you're more likely to be struck by lightening than attacked by a bear in Colorado, it's almost certain you will SEE a bear. Even though Colorado doesn't see any Grizzlies anymore, they do have some pretty BIG bears. Very large "Cinnamon" bears (black bears with a brown coat), can easily get up to 500 or 800 hundred pounds and can chase down and tear a bull elk apart. Small black bears (two year olds), in or near cities will avoid you.. especially if you make a banging metallic sound. A couple of garbage can lids sends them running. However, a big Cinnamon bear (especially with a cub) isn't going to scare so easy. Most people will tell you NOT TO RUN ! I've had four close up encounters with really BIG bears, and so far running has worked fine for me. If you don't want to carry a gun (or can't), you may consider packing a can of hair spray as a bear deterrant. Put a bic lighter infront a can of AquaNet and you've got a four foot blow torch. I've never seen ANY animal that would come through that to kill you. Most bear encounters will be neutral in nature. The bear isn't interested in confrontation. It's easy to recognize a bear preoccupied with something else. He'll just glance at you and go on about his business. A bear that is "mad-dogging" you is a dangerous bear. If he's looking at you like he's pissed off (head low) and his ears are back.. you're in trouble. Don't think keeping canned food in camp is SAFE. It's not. Bears KNOW there is food in the cans. They'll also eat ground coffee. Don't leave a bag sitting next to the camp fire unless you want a bear to visit you. If you hear a bear, get outt'a the tent and throw wood on your fire. Cowering in the tent is a BAD idea. Good Luck.

 

[TheNewCatfish]

You're less likely to see a mountain lion. Unfortunately the mountain lion you DON'T SEE is probably the one that's gonna get you. If you piss one off, a mountain lion will stalk you for days just to get a crack at you. So far in September, bears and mountain lions have taken four livestock animals and wrecked the tents of five campers i know of in Darango. One lady in nearby Pagosa Springs was bitten by a bear and one camper in Darango was clawed. Both victims remained in their tents until attacked. Two people claim to have been chased by a bear after dark in Darango close to Main Street in September. Officially there were twenty bear sightings in Darango in August, but most sightings go unreported in the local newspaper (which doesn't want to alarm tourists). Forest and BLM Rangers are also notorious for understating the danger of animal attacks. In the five biggest national forests in the South Western United States over 250 people go missing under suspicious circumstances each year. But you'll NEVER hear that statistic from any Forest Service Ranger. So keep your wits about you.. in town or in the mountains.

 

[TheNewCatfish]

There are also wolves in Colorado (unofficially of course). You won't hear that from any forest ranger or wildlife officer (Possum Cop) either. I've seen wolves in Northern New Mexico and Colorado. The two I saw in Colorado were at the Cache Creek BLM south of Leadville. These were definitely wolves and NOT coyotes. I grew up in the Texas Panhandle and I've seen hundreds of coyotes. You'll almost NEVER see coyotes and wolves in the same place. Wolves kill coyotes, and a wolf howl will send coyotes running for the hills. These two wolves are regulars at Cache Creek and are well known to the gold panners there.

 

[TheNewCatfish]

Lions are the thickest in SW Colorado between the Arizona border on up to Cortez. The biggest mountain lion taken in the Darango area was about 300 pounds. That would be like getting knocked down by something that weighs about as much as an engine block. The odds of surviving the initial attack long enough to get a shot off are pretty slim. The cat will either crush your skull, break your spine, or clamp down on your throat. Whenever you travel in the mountains, remember to look UP in the trees and on cliff ledges. Check your six o'clock regularly. Never camp anywhere near a caves, close to park dumpsters and trach cans, near park rest rooms, or on game trailsl. MOST IMPORTANTLY, MAKE NOISE WHILE YOU WALK. Be situationally AWARE. Absolutely NO HEADPHONES. Use your instincts. If you FEEL like you're being STALKED by PREDATOR, you probably ARE being stalked by a predator. Sometimes you'll be exhausted from hiking and dead tired and you'll forego this advise and behave carelessly. That's when the mountains will kill you.

 

[RGINN]

TheNewCatfish, I can't believe you just advised people to put a bic lighter in front of a can of Aquanet and produce a 4 foot flame. Out in the woods. You're going to advise a frightened person to swing around a 4 foot blow torch in a high drought area with millions of beetle killed trees? C'mon. If I misinterpreted that bit of advice, I apologize. If not, that's the most dangerous, irresponsible, (probably illegal) advice ever given out in this forum. If you intended it as a joke, I don't think a lot of people got it, so you might clarify. There's a lot of folks on here who don't have much outdoor experience, so we should try to steer them right. (Anybody I see taking this advice seriously in my part of the woods, you will lose your hairspray and you WILL go to jail)

 

[TheNewCatfish]

I've BEEN charged by a 500 lb angry bear. Throwin your arms in the air and screamin "Shoo Bear" ain't gonna work. Shootin a charging bear with a pistol, (even a .45) is dicy at best. The only thing WORSE than being ATTACKED by a big bear, is being attacked by a WOUNDED bear. On the otherhand, FIRE will cause ANY wild animal to retreat. That's why humans have been using fire to defend themselves against predators for tens of thousands of years. Are forests important ? You bet. Are brush fires dangerous ? They sure are. But weighed against watching your wife or child being ripped apart by a rogue bear ?.. I'd say, "LIGHT THE SUCKER UP" ! And that advise comes from someone who served as a captain on a fire department and EMT for ten years. It's alot easier to stomp out a bruchfire.. than it is to stop someone from bleeding out after a couple of arteries have been severed in an animal attack. Good luck tryin to pull that one off with a First Aid Kit.

 

[Hillbilly Joe]

Get some bear spray, it works on bears and stupid humans. It also helps to have a fatter slower person with a "magical" pork chop necklace just up wind at all times lol

 

[oldnugget]

yea i was pannin up by aspen and dam near got et by a dam crocidile... Woot!

 

[dieselram94]

Get some bear spray, it works on bears and stupid humans. It also helps to have a fatter slower person with a "magical" pork chop necklace just up wind at all times lol

Lol!

sent from a potato...

 

[cazisme]

Watch out for the rattlesnakes they be were you pan too!

 

[dieselram94]

It just might be the people in the woods that are the biggest danger...

sent from a potato...

 

[KevinInColorado]

I carry bear spray for all the two legged threats ;-) If you have a hard time finding it, wasp killer is a good alternative for bears and will shoot a coherent stream up to 20 feet. Pretty hazardous stuff which I would think twice about shooting at a human so I spent the extra $$ on bear spray.