bears in the smoky mountains
The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. Be sure to give animal plenty of room and continue its activities as if you werent there. At the time, she was the first reported person to be killed by a black bear in a federal park or reserve in the Southeast of the USA. Provided that you escape the encounter, immediately report it to a park ranger or the Wildlife Resources Office. With approximately 1,500 bears in the park, the population density is roughly two bears per square mile! A Grand View Lodge #540. 2. If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing, or paw swatting: If the bear's behavior indicates that it is after your food and you are physically attacked: If the bear shows no interest in your food and you are physically attacked, the bear may consider you as prey: Help protect others, report all bear incidents to a park ranger immediately. For more information please read our privacy policy. Colonial Properties Logo | Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg Cabin Rentals. It is estimated that around 1,500 bears live inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While seeing these creatures is never guaranteed, there are places where you are more likely to see them. Bears do not truly hibernate, but enter long periods of sleep. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hence, make sure to keep your eyes and ears open to spot them and prevent any accidents when you hike. In addition, bears that venture outside park boundaries into neighboring communities may encounter human food and become unpredictable, dangerous, and a threat to human safety. Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, bears in the Great Smoky Mountains Park are wild creatures and can be dangerously unpredictable. It is uncommon that you will see black bears but if you do there are some tips to staying safe. Food can be kept inside the cabin, just as long as the windows and doors are kept closed. If a bear starts pursuing you, consider throwing an item like a camera or purse away from you. Coyotes grow to about 4 feet in length and weigh up to 50 pounds. Can You See the Smoky Mountains from Knoxville. During the warm winter days, you may have a chance to also see bears coming out of these shelters. They grow up to 36 inches in length and have a copious body.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'smokymtnopry_com-leader-2','ezslot_11',170,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-smokymtnopry_com-leader-2-0'); Generally, copperheads live on rocky, woody hillsides; they like to hide under leaf litter or large moist rocks in the Smoky Mountains. It is illegal and irresponsible to feed the black bears in the Smoky Mountains. At speeds of 30 mph, black bears can outrun, outclimb, and outswim humans. Past the campsite the trail starts climbing, gaining 2,000 feet in only 3 miles. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States! The best way to explore the area is to drive along the 11 mile loop . With the Great Smoky Mountains National Park CSGM Theme by carodactyll | Digital Marketing by YlliB, Inc. By continuing to use our website, you are accepting the use of cookies. Consider traveling with a group, as groups can be noisier and easier to detect. It is illegal to get. Meadows interspersed through the forest bloom with azalea, ragwort, and butterfly weed, as well as offering a better range of vision for catching a glimpse of an elusive black bear. Start from the Gregory Ridge Trailhead, passing backcountry site 12 at mile 2 (make a. to extend your trip from a day to a weekend). Having determined when they are probably laying hibernating and making themselves scarce you can assume that the best time to spot a black bear is going to be in the spring, summer or early fall. Increase the distance between you and the bear. Females give birth to litters averaging 1-10 young in late summer. Photo: Saw a Bear! by cletch is licensed under CC BY 2.0, Photo: Hannah Cabin, Little Cataloochee, NC by w_lemay is marked with CC0 1.0, Photo: File:Gregory-bald-fp1.jpg by Brian Stansberry is licensed under CC BY 2.5, Its hard to say whos more excited about the blueberries crowding this peak every August, the hikers or the bears. At some campsites, telephone poles were flown into remote backcountry areas because the trees around the campsites were too small to set up an effective cable system! [NPS]. Black in color, they are around six feet tall and three feet high at the shoulder. This is taken very seriously in the Smokies and I suggest you take it seriously as well. Sign up for Outside+ today. The Red Fox resembles a domestic dog in size, except for the white-tipped tail and black limbs, weighing up to 24 pounds. Spotting a bear in the Smokies can be a wonderful experience, but it's important to remember that these majestic creatures can also be dangerous - and we can be dangerous to them. Bears are like humans, they are omnivores. Black bears will eat berries, nuts, and plants, as well as fish and insects. They are wild animals and can be unpredictable. In the eastern section of North America, the majority of black bears are a deep black. Browse cabins with pet friendly policies. Giant bears weigh up to 600pounds and are not easy to find, while the Females weigh around 100 pounds, and the males weigh at approx. The bear's keen sense of smell leads it to insects, nuts and berries, but the animal is also enticed by the tantalizing smells of human food and garbage such as hot dogs, apple cores, chips, and watermelon rinds left on the ground in picnic areas, campgrounds, and along trails. Good luck and be safe! In many cases, a startled bear is an aggressive bear. Though populations are variable, biologists estimate that roughly 1,900 bears live in the park. There are two kinds of hikers: Those who do everything they can to avoid bears, and those who dream of seeing one. Fight back with anything you have at your disposal, make loud noises. Always keep your car locked, black bears are nifty at gaining access when they want to.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'smokymtnopry_com-leader-2','ezslot_13',180,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-smokymtnopry_com-leader-2-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'smokymtnopry_com-leader-2','ezslot_14',180,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-smokymtnopry_com-leader-2-0_1');.leader-2-multi-180{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. We also share helpful tips and guides on a variety of topics related to animals and nature. These volunteers also assist in managing people during roadside bear jams. However if you just simply explore the park, ask some locals, and visit a couple of the places mentioned in this article, you have a better than average chance of seeing one in the wild. Cades Cove Visitor Center: 686 Cades Cove Loop Road, Townsend, TN 37882. This is the only Mountain lion in the Smoky Mountains. There are around 1500-1600 black bears living in the Smoky Mountains National Park. They mostly hunt fish, frogs, rabbits, and rodents. The drive also includes scenic overlooks, hiking trails, picnic areas and even a waterfall that can be seen from the road! Check out our guide to Smoky Mountain wildlife for even more animals! Black bears usually step away when they feel a human presence unless you get too close and give them a hand or if they are scavenging garbage. These Appalachian Mountains not only offer us a view of the picturesque beauty of nature but also let us experience its thrill by capturing the animals in the wild; in their natural habitat. Allow 2-4 hours time for this excursion, maybe more if you plan on doing a bit of exploring or having a picnic perhaps. Though populations are variable, biologists estimate approximately 1,500 bears live in the park, a density of approximately two bears per square mile. Black bears in the mountains dont actually hibernate in the winter months, but they do sleep for longer periods of time when it gets cold. However, if you are ever attacked you should not play dead. In this article, we have lined up some of the most common animals in the Smoky Mountains in no particular order.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'smokymtnopry_com-box-4','ezslot_4',174,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-smokymtnopry_com-box-4-0'); Nearly 1,500 black bears live in the Smoky Mountains national park. Most of the time bears will flee when they encounter humans, however in the national park these bears are protected and are probably pretty bold. It has been estimated that about 1,500 bears live in the park, which is equal to a population density of roughly two bears per square mile. In 2020, WKRN reported that at least 40 incidents occurred relating to bears attacking humans. Absolutely not. There are many places because they are literally all over the place. Here is everything you need to know about black bears in the Smoky Mountain, what they look like and how to keep safe should you ever encounter one in the wild.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'smokymtnopry_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',164,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-smokymtnopry_com-medrectangle-4-0'); The most commonly found bear in the Smoky Mountains is the black bear. As you walk through the national park, you will see lots of notices and flyers that will remind you of the perils of feeding the bears. You may think black bears in the Smoky Mountains only eat . Whenever bears come into our minds, they represent a creature that humans fear. Use binoculars, telephoto lens, or a spotting scope to view the animals. There is only one species of bear in Tennessee and that is the black bear. If you spot one while hiking in the Park, stay away or back away slowly and calmly to avoid a wild chase. The black bear is kind of like the mascot for the Smokies, you see black bears on everything you can buy or rent. They are omnivores. They feed on mice, small birds, snakes, frogs, and insects. One common location is Cades Cove. The National Park Service requires you to always stay 50 yards or 150 feet away from wildlife. The Timber Rattler is not known to be lethal. The symbol of the Smokies, the American Black Bear, is perhaps the most famous resident of the park. If a bear just leisurely approaches you at your campsite or while you are out hiking, you should scare it off with loud noises like Get out of here bear! Something like that. As a precaution, you can also carry bear pepper spray for your protection, but be sure not to mishandle it. Grizzly bears can be found in a select few states in the US. NPS photo. Watch. The park is one of the largest protected areas where black bears live in the wild in the eastern United States. Its easy to spot one in the Smokies due to their colorful red hue and fluffy tail. Since Cades Cove features a stunning mountain backdrop and wide open valleys, many bears enjoy this beautiful space in the park. miles in size, this means bears have a population density of nearly 2 bears per square mile. All you need to know about the most visited national park in the country. While bears can be found throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove is one of the best places to spot them due to its wide, open valley. They can also teach other bears this dangerous behavior. 2. The females are much smaller, weighing around only 100-120 lbs. Commonly known as Bucks in the region, they grow uneven horns every spring; used to fight other deers for mating rights by fall. Bears are most active during early morning and late evening hours in spring and summer. Not only do these bears have a shorter lifespan from eating human food; they are much more likely to be euthanized for attacking humans. The Smoky Mountain area is one of the few places in the United States where wild black bears can be found living in their natural habitat. The park has done many things to make it easier for you to protect bears. Want to get listed and grow your business? Of course it most likely would never come to this as bears as long as you follow these basic guidelines for bear encounters, but maybe better safe than sorry? Bears have a keen sense of smell and can be very curious. Record weight for black bears is up to 600 pounds! Youre likely to see countless species in your vicinity, whether driving along the forest or hiking in the mountains. For protein, black bears will eat Insects and animal carrion. Do not run away from black bears as this may trigger a chase response. Bear proof dumpsters or trash cans can be found in all campgrounds and picnic areas. Hikers should double bag their food in their backpack. There is an average of 1,500 black bears, which is about 2 bears every square mile. How Common are Bear Attacks in Smoky Mountains? Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack. The Bears are mainly vegetarian; they like to eat plants - squawroot, insects, wild berries, and nuts are their favorite. There are 23 varieties of snakes in the Smokies, but only two of them are poisonous. I think if you are sensible about bear encounters, keep your distance, and follow the guidelines in the link above, it is not something you would ever have to seriously worry about. At the onset of winter, deers drop their horns and develop fresh ones. However, bears may double their weight by the fall. Educational signs about bears can be found on picnic tables throughout the park and bear safety videos are posted on this website. 107 Park Headquarters Road If you do a bit of exploring you are likely to see one. There are lots of chances to catch these beautiful yet wild creatures, but you need to take some safety precautions. So on your next trip, be sure to carry binoculars and a camera, keep a safe distance from the bears and you will certainly have the trip of a lifetime! The further west you head, the more likely it is you could see brown, cinnamon, tan or blonde black bears.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'smokymtnopry_com-box-4','ezslot_4',165,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-smokymtnopry_com-box-4-0'); During the summer months, a typical adult male bear weighs around 250 pounds while adult females are usually smaller and weigh slightly over 100 pounds. Drove up to a cabin in Gatlinburg TN, Smoky Mountains Park with Sean from YouTube @WeReviewU to see a surprise#gatlinburg #smokymountains #bears Thank you so. On August 21, 2017 the western half of Great Smoky Mountains National Park will lie within the path of totalit How well do you know our Smoky Mountain home? According to a range of knowledgeable sources, the best place to see black bears when visiting the Smoky Mountains is in Cades Cove, a spot just a few miles from Gatlinburg and Townsend, Tennessee.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'smokymtnopry_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_6',176,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-smokymtnopry_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); They generally like to spend time in remote, highly wooded areas. It will all depend on the areas you go and the time of year. Some Timber Rattlesnakes have a solid black hue and can grow up to 4.5 feet long. You may also have the opportunity to spot white-tailed deer . 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