Panke Claim Staking Services has been staking mining claims around the western U.S. since 2008, and we’re used to being delighted by the animals that we run across in our work, including black bears. However, we just finished up a Washington claim staking job where we met a bear that was anything but friendly.
The initial bear encounter
Sigurd was navigating to a claim corner through thick brush when he scared up a bear. The bear went up a tree maybe 25 yards from the claim corner, but then came right back down and ran away. So far so good – that’s normal black bear behavior that he’s seen numerous times in his years. He proceeded to locate the claim corner, which in Washington requires a 4″ diameter post at least 3′ tall. He cut the post from a nearby tree, dug a hole, buried the post, nailed on a metal tin containing a corner tag and then took his “proof” pictures of the corner tag and the post, so he was there working and making noise for a good 10 minutes. Speaking of Washington’s requirements for staking mining claims, see their state statutes:
The bear returns
Just as he finished taking his pictures, he heard the huffing and chuffing noise that an unhappy bear makes, but the noise was from 180 degrees opposite direction from where the bear ran away. Luckily for Sigurd, the bear started huffing from a good 40 yards away, and the brush was dense enough that the bear didn’t charge non-stop. She or he came at him in spurts, crashing through the brush for 10-15 yards but then stopping and standing up to try and see.
Sigurd, foolish man, did not have bear spray with him and his only defensive weapon was his axe. Based on brush density and terrain, he decided that staying on the ground to encounter the bear, which is the usual advice, was not the best option. Instead, he went up a small tree right next to the claim corner post. The bear came to the base of the tree, stood up and put her/his paws on the tree trunk, but with violent swinging of his axe and lots of yelling, Sigurd luckily kept the bear from climbing the tree.
However, the bear didn’t leave. She/he proceeded to spend the next 1:30 circling the tree. She would sit some yards away and huff, groan and moan. The picture below shows the claim corner post in the bottom left and the bear is the black blob in the middle of the picture. If Sigurd moved, she’d charge the tree again.
Fear and uncertainty
This was late afternoon, between 4:00 – 6:00, and dark was only a couple hours away. Finally, after 90 minutes of circling and charging, and 90 minutes of unhappy bear noises, the bear moved about 25-30 yards away, uphill, into a particularly dense portion of undergrowth and got completely quiet. No sound for 15 minutes. Sigurd moved up and down the tree a few feet, trying to get her to make noise so he’d know if she was still in that patch of brush. No sounds from her. He came down a few feet more. No sound. The bear had either left or was sitting completely quiet in that brush patch.
The escape!
There was a deadfall tree that went past the tree that Sigurd was in. It was laying about 6′ – 8′ off the ground and was laying in the opposite direction from where the bear was. Sigurd inched his way out and along the deadfall, listening intently for any bear noise. After moving some distance out, he swung down to the ground. After moving steadily away about 50 yards with fear and uncertainty, he picked up speed and hightailed it out of there and back to the car.
Musings about why this bear acted as it did
So what was different about this bear from all the other black bears that we’ve encountered through the years? This encounter happened in early May, so one possibility is that the claim corner happened to be only yards away from a den where mama was living with very young bears. Mama ran away initially, then circled around and came back in to protect her space and her young. When Sigurd inched out the deadfall and then moved away 180 degrees from her den, she let him go.
Another possibility is that it was just a nasty, cranky bear who didn’t feel like running away. We’ve never met another black bear like that way up in national forest, but who knows.
Finally, a third possibility is that the ground we were claim staking was just chock full of valuable ore and that bear didn’t want us to be locating lode mining claims there.
A shameless plug for Panke Claim Staking Services
All’s well that ends well. We’re more diligent about carrying our pepper spray, especially when working in dense undergrowth. You could say that we’re even more experienced claim stakers for having gone through the experience. If you need to hire a claim staking company in Washington, Idaho or elsewhere in the western United States, even one that works through bear attacks, hit that button below and give us a call!
