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Darn Bears
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The chief medical examiner in North Carolina says a man visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last year was likely killed by a bear, the National Park Service said Thursday.
A park service statement said the death of Patrick Madura, 43, of Elgin, Illinois, was the second bear-related fatality in the history of the park.
Park rangers said at the time that Madura's remains were found near Hazel Creek Trail after backpackers discovered an unoccupied tent and saw the remains "with a bear scavenging in the area" on Sept. 11, 2020
A park service statement said the death of Patrick Madura, 43, of Elgin, Illinois, was the second bear-related fatality in the history of the park.
Park rangers said at the time that Madura's remains were found near Hazel Creek Trail after backpackers discovered an unoccupied tent and saw the remains "with a bear scavenging in the area" on Sept. 11, 2020
OutdoorWriter
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Darn bears is right! Never know what to expect...
eelgrass
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Bear: "I just came down to check the river. It looks too crowded"
McNeil River - was there many moons ago & had the same thing happen. Truly amazing place & it's been the same for at least 40 years, with the bears conditioned to tolerate or ignore the humans. It's like you're invisible to them. That and they are gorging on salmon during that time of year. Might be different when food is scarce?
roadrunner
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Two distinct and different bears. There is no evidence that a bear will attack a human again once it has done it, although a bear will continue to attack and "hunt" sheep multiple times over...
OutdoorWriter
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Yup. I've driven to AK twice for photos & always wanted to visit there but procrastinated too many times.
It was a fairly tough lottery back when I went 30 yrs ago. Now it's like drawing a strip or a desert sheep tag... near impossible
OutdoorWriter
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I went thru the same sort of lottery to get permits for driving all the way into Denali. The permits are good for only AFTER Labor Day. I can't recall the number, but they issued only so many for each day. I applied thru the mail circa early 1990s and got two -- one under my name & one for a companion for successive days. Had to pick them up at the main park office, so we went in separately.
Wish I had made the effort to spend time in Denali back then. Brooks Camp was no permit or lottery back then... just show up & have fun. Not sure if Brooks is still the same as when I went or if permit is required now?
OutdoorWriter
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Go in by float plane or boat?
OutdoorWriter
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Cool. I didn't realize you had been a Deadliest Catch cast member.
The transportation deal was one of the reasons I never went there. On one trip, I did take a float from Haines to Gustavus for a visit to Glacier Bay NP. Stayed at a neat lodge called the Gustavus Inn and then took a one-day cruise among the glaciers. Even got to witness one 'calf.'
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