08-12-2007, 10:47 PM
Just returned from a couple days of R&R at Spirit Lake Lodge in the Uintas. The small stream fishng was very good for small (6-12 inch) cutts and a few stocker bows thrown in. All dry fly fishing, but the low water and clear conditions actually made presentations a bit challenging on the smoother pools. I actually had to make a stealthy approach and delicate cast to avoid spooking the fish. Fish in the riffles and broken water rose to a fly with wreckless abandon, however.
And the bear! There is what I would consider a "problem" bear patrolling the campground and lodge around Spirit Lake. I saw the bear, along with many others, on 4 different occasions Friday and Saturday, and again this morning. The bear has little fear of humans, was reported to have found its way into several coolers in the campground and at the lodge, and was still on the creek just 100 yards above the lodge this morning when I left. I waved my arms and yelled at the bear twice from about 100 feet away when he neared our cabin, and he laughingly just turned around and walked in another direction. It would return within minutes.
At one point, it stood there and gazed at us from less than 50 feet from the cabin. Many campers in the area, despite knowing the bear's presence, had food and drinks sitting out on picnic tables and the ground all weekend. Despite repeated calls from lodge management to both the Forest Service and DWR, calls they said that began on Friday, nobody reported seeing any officials in the area as of noon today.
This bear is going to end up damaging property and/or people. In the end, it will probably end up a dead bear. It has apparently associated people with food. Too bad for both us and the bear.
There was another "problem" bear in the neighboring Brownie Lake campground area eariler this summer that forced closure of that campground for a while, so it's high time that Ashley National Forest start promoting and enforcing a "clean camp" policy in the Uintas just like is done in the Jackson, WY and Yellowstone areas, and before the bears really do become a problem.
As I said, fishing was great if you like little 3-weight fly rods on small streams. Just be sure to holler "Hey bear, I'm here bear!" while you're walking along the streams and in thick vegetation. Especially upstream of Spirit Lake for the next little while. Let them know you're there, and there usually will not be a problem.
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And the bear! There is what I would consider a "problem" bear patrolling the campground and lodge around Spirit Lake. I saw the bear, along with many others, on 4 different occasions Friday and Saturday, and again this morning. The bear has little fear of humans, was reported to have found its way into several coolers in the campground and at the lodge, and was still on the creek just 100 yards above the lodge this morning when I left. I waved my arms and yelled at the bear twice from about 100 feet away when he neared our cabin, and he laughingly just turned around and walked in another direction. It would return within minutes.
At one point, it stood there and gazed at us from less than 50 feet from the cabin. Many campers in the area, despite knowing the bear's presence, had food and drinks sitting out on picnic tables and the ground all weekend. Despite repeated calls from lodge management to both the Forest Service and DWR, calls they said that began on Friday, nobody reported seeing any officials in the area as of noon today.
This bear is going to end up damaging property and/or people. In the end, it will probably end up a dead bear. It has apparently associated people with food. Too bad for both us and the bear.
There was another "problem" bear in the neighboring Brownie Lake campground area eariler this summer that forced closure of that campground for a while, so it's high time that Ashley National Forest start promoting and enforcing a "clean camp" policy in the Uintas just like is done in the Jackson, WY and Yellowstone areas, and before the bears really do become a problem.
As I said, fishing was great if you like little 3-weight fly rods on small streams. Just be sure to holler "Hey bear, I'm here bear!" while you're walking along the streams and in thick vegetation. Especially upstream of Spirit Lake for the next little while. Let them know you're there, and there usually will not be a problem.
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