Bear hanging on for dear life!!!!

[Sbyllek]

These pics are from a USFS friend of my dad's on the Tahoe...











Here's the story:

A bear was walking across Rainbow Bridge (Old Hwy 40 at Donner Summit, Truckee) on Saturday when two cars also crossing the bridge scared the bear into jumping over the edge of the bridge.

Somehow the bear caught the ledge and was able to pull itself to safety.

Authorities decided that nothing could be done to help Saturday night so they returned Sunday morning to find the bear sound asleep on the ledge.

After securing a net under the bridge the bear was tranquilized, fell into the net, lowered, then woke up and walked out of the net.

[SUNNY]

Bungee

[kimber99]

Wild story! I wonder what they would have done if the bear hadn't fallen when traquillized... I'm also a bit confused by the sequence of pics. It looks like after barely saving himself then sleeping the night away safely, the bear almost fell off the next morning before they got the nets under it. (Based on the photo sequence.)

Thanks for sharing!

[Sbyllek]

Originally Posted by kimber99

Wild story! I wonder what they would have done if the bear hadn't fallen when tranquillized... I'm also a bit confused by the sequence of pics. It looks like after barely saving himself then sleeping the night away safely, the bear almost fell off the next morning before they got the nets under it. (Based on the photo sequence.)

Thanks for sharing!

I saw that too...but the dates are different...

I'm guessing when they shot him with the tranquilizer they probably startled him, or he started to fall when he was sleepy.

I can't imagine them getting pics right when he fell the first time...

There were about 30 pics according to my dad...he just sent the highlights!!!

[jkyu99]

This must really upset the bear hunters. All that bother when one happy hunter could have just taken that bear home.

There was a TV show last week showing an extremely happy bear hunter. She set up bait in a trash can and then sat there until the bears came to the trash can and then shot one with an arrow from about thirty feet away. After the bears ran away, they waited awhile and then climbed down from their trees and tracked down the dying bear. She was literally hopping up and down and giggling. She said she had always wanted to kill a bear. She was about 5'-0 and 105lbs and looked like a model. It was disturbing to watch to say the least.

I kept thinking I should change the channel, but it was kind of like watching those TV shows where a squid does something and you just watch and say, that was dumb.

[navy8ret]

Originally Posted by jkyu99

This must really upset the bear hunters. All that bother when one happy hunter could have just taken that bear home.

There was a TV show last week showing an extremely happy bear hunter. She set up bait in a trash can and then sat there until the bears came to the trash can and then shot one with an arrow from about thirty feet away. After the bears ran away, they waited awhile and then climbed down from their trees and tracked down the dying bear. She was literally hopping up and down and giggling. She said she had always wanted to kill a bear. She was about 5'-0 and 105lbs and looked like a model. It was disturbing to watch to say the least.

I kept thinking I should change the channel, but it was kind of like watching those TV shows where a squid does something and you just watch and say, that was dumb.

I totally disagree --- I'm a hunter and saving a bear like that would be an awesome experience -- I for one (and I know several others) have taken a lot of time to study and learn about the animals that I've hunted thus gaining a tremendous respect for any and all of them. Also hunting is a significant part of our history in this country and played a big part of the survivability of the early settlers.

[FishWitch]

Saw this on Channel 3 KCRA news the other morning! The bears have become quite a problem in the area this year due to lack of food and water in the higher elevations. The Bear League was able to save this guy!

Thanks Kelly for posting this. I was just telling some friends from So. Cal about this! City Folk ya know LOLOL

[demenshea]

Wow, that is one lucky bear. What a process to dart and catch the animal and he couldn't have been light. Amazing bear tale, thanks Kelly for posting, a very interesting story.

Syd is right in that you actually see them roaming around Truckee and Donner Lake area. Heck, last year when Syd and I were riding over Old Hwy 40, we stopped to check out one that was wandering alone the side of the road. I tried to get some pix, but he wasn't very photogenic and would give me publishing permission.

[jkyu99]

Originally Posted by navy8ret

I'm a hunter and saving a bear like that would be an awesome experience... Also hunting is a significant part of our history in this country and played a big part of the survivability of the early settlers.

I am pleasantly surprised that a hunter would appreciate the time and effort to save a bear. As for our early settlers, I agree too. It is a significant part of our history.

[kluts]

Great pics, great story. That bear must be a gymnast because the arch supports are UNDER the roadway, not in a vertical parallel with it. So the fact that he made it to the arch at all is nothing short of a miracle.

Originally Posted by jkyu99

I am pleasantly surprised that a hunter would appreciate the time and effort to save a bear.....

I'm a fisherman and I save fish all the time. Same ting. I don't mind deer hunting either, it's to thin herds that need thinning, and deer is very good eating. Earlier the State of Nevada offered no limit hunting to thin a large herd north of Elko because the drought conditions started a starvation problem and there just aren't enough coyotes-- they're suffering too.

The bear populations have also been increasing in California along with cougar. And as much as it sounds bad to hunt such a great beast, during the last time we had a drought in California, a cougar killed a woman I knew as she was jogging in the Auburn ravine. Mother Nature is not a kindly lady like the grandma who sells See's Candies.

That being said, I am disturbed about a woman bow-hunter that would set up a garbage decoy and shoot a bear from 30 ft. That, folks, is hunting. Yah. Right.