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Posts Tagged ‘wildlife’

When I was a boy, I was fascinated with my grandfather’s stories about black bears. My grandfather had worked as a game warden in northern Pennsylvania for about 20 years (from 1930 to 1950). And so he always had an abundance of intriguing stories that delighted my brothers and me. We were especially fond of his tales about black bear encounters.

My grandfather told us a story that took place one year about a month before bear hunting season started. He told me he had often heard about bear wallows, but he had never been fortunate enough to see one. Well, this day he was walking along in the woods when he saw a huge tree that the wind had blown down, with the roots and soil all torn out of the ground to form a large hole. Rainwater had accumulated in this basin to make the perfect bathtub for bears.

Muddy paw prints emanated out of the bear wallow like a bunch of spokes from a wagon wheel. Grandpa guessed that quite a few bears were using the wallow. He told us that he supposed that bears have fleas and vermin to deal with and that they use these wallows to rub off any insects and to keep them off.

The ground around these trees was covered with the tips of hemlock branches. My grandfather observed that bear cubs avoided water like cats and were amusing themselves in the trees while their mothers bathed in the water. Apparently there had been a lot of mothers with cubs at this wallow, because all the hemlock trees nearby were lighter in color than normal, and the bark on the trunks was all worn down.

Grandfather said that he guessed there must have been a whole lot of cubs climbing those trees! However, my grandfather never could come up with a reason as to why the bear cubs wanted to break off the tips of the branches.

Finding a Bear’s Den

Speaking of those branches reminds me of my grandfather’s story about a hemlock thicket he once came across. He was actually out hunting bobcats when he found it. It was a dense thicket about eight or ten feet high.

It was so impenetrable that even the snow could not get through. Inside was a hollow room in which a bear had chosen to make his bed for his winter sleep.

The black bear had broken off the tips of the surrounding hemlocks, similar to what the cubs had done at the bear wallow. With the hemlock tips, the bear had fashioned a neat rug that was around five inches thick. Grandfather noticed that the the forest-green hemlock tips were bunched close together with the branchy part down. Because of this, the edges of this “bear rug” were as neat as a braided oval rug. He told us children that he could hardly believe that a bear had made it! “It was just one of nature’s wonders,” he said.

How to Observe Wildlife Unnoticed

I was curious how my grandfather could see so many wild animals. So one time I asked him, and he told me that he put something over his face and then lay on the ground perfectly still. He said that animals are scared of motion and also your face. If you cover your face, then you can often actually see the animals in action.

He related to us that once when he was lying still, with nothing covering his face but some grass he had stuffed under the edge of his hat, he had seen a covey of grouse walking all around him. He said that at one point, they all perched themselves on a fallen tree several feet away from him and preened their feathers. He supposed they were “chatting” about their adventures that day. However, suddenly, they became edgy about grandfather, because they couldn’t figure out what he was. However, my grandfather lay perfectly still, and so the grouse relaxed again and continued their preening.

On a different occasion, my grandfather was lying on the ground when a weasel jumped on his shoulder and then scurried across the whole length of his body, in hot pursuit of a squirrel.

Tad Brenk lives in the Allegheny mountains of southern Pennsylvania. His house borders a state forest, so he has lots of opportunities to observe wildlife. In fact, every summer one or more black bears visit his home. He invites you to read more of his game warden stories at The Knowledge Universe.

What do you think of when you think about Southern California? I bet the word sunny comes to mind. How about the word sand or flip flop? Certainly those are images that come up as well. But, would you think of snow and winter sports? Not many people would. However, there is plenty of it in the second largest state. Northeast of San Bernardino, there is a place called Big bear Lake. And, there is plenty of skiing and snowboarding in Big Bear Lake California.

Big Bear Lake is a mountainous region about 7000 or so feet about sea level. It is one of the prettiest places on the globe. Below highway 38 and above highway 18 there are miles and miles of lake bordered by even more miles of shoreline. But, the center of it all are the four mountains. This is the place to go if you like snowboarding and skiing and you happen to be in Southern California.

Snow lovers can choose from any of the 4 mountain tops and indulge to their hearts delight in passionate snowy sports. Beginners through experts can traverse the 1700 vertical feet accessing 75 trails using one of 20 lifts. For some slops 4 high speed chains will help you get to the height you want to reach to do your skiing and snowboarding.

Perfectly groomed or powder runs makes skiing and snowboarding in Big Bear Lake California an experience never to be forgotten. But, skiing and snowboarding are not the only snow sports available. You can sled, skate or just make snow angels. Or you can take long walks through the countryside since snow shoe tours to scenic areas are also available.

In addition to having runs for beginners through experts, there are other attractions off the slops. Big Bear Lake offers entertaining and interesting attractions for all ages. Moon Ridge Zoo is not just a zoo. Many of the animals there were injured in the wild. Once discovered, they were brought to the zoo for treatment. If injuries were too severe for survival in the wild, they were allowed to remain in the zoo, protecting them from predators. The 2.5 acre zoo is sure to be entertaining and informative for kids of all ages.

You may be the best skier in the world, but at some point you too will wear down and need to rest. At Big Bear Lake, you can go indoors to many places and sit by the fire in cozy furniture and create a new set of memories. There is not much better feeling than coming in from the cold to a warm fireplace, a big chair and some hot apple cider. But, don’t think even that is all there is to do in this place.

If you have children, there is child care available almost anywhere you go. That includes on the slopes and well as indoors. So, you can really enjoy yourself and not have to worry about entertaining the children.

Spend your evenings and nights enjoying five star food and top notch theatrical productions. Your time at Big Bear Lake will be full of things to do and may well wear you down like no other vacation. However, the memories you create will be some of the best of your life.

The San Bernardino Mountains, Northeast of San Bernardino is a place made by Mother Nature for snowy vacations, getaways and eating fantastic food at Big Bear Lake Restaurants. We’ve got the best info on the tastiest restaurant menu

There is one thing that most campers and hikers underestimate, and that is the planning process of the trip. For the most experienced campers, the planning is probably the most important part of the whole trip. The most important part of planning is to pack all the things you need for the trip.

You will be a lot better of if you are good at planning your trips. In this article I will try to give you a few tips on the most important things you don’t want to forget at home. These are some important things that you should at least consider.

The first thing you need to pack is your cooking equipment. In every successful camping trip, there is a tale of some meal that was excellent. If you can make your meals worth remembering, you will definitely go on more trips.

You can of course sleep outside under the sky, but for most people a tent is a very important part of camping. They usually don’t take up much space in your backpack, and in most cases they are very easy to set up. A tent with good ventilation and enough space to move around a bit in is important.

A lot can be said about bringing a sleeping bag to camping trips. A lot of people feel that it is not required, especially in the summer. For me personally, I think that a sleeping bag is very important. I sleep a lot better when i can wrap myself in something. If I also bring a mattress, I will definitely have trip that will be successful.

A map of the region that you are camping is very handy to have. A GPS device will also do just perfect.

All the things we have covered here are very important. There is still one thing that is probably more important than all of them. That thing is food. For most people, bringing food when camping is very important, as they are not able to catch any food them selves. Bring food, a camping chair and a camping table and you can enjoy your meals like you do at home.