you mean like a high pitched school-girlish scream? or the kabang! of me (dropping a brick in) my pants?

:D

(kidding...mostly)

Oh man, I need to spread some mojo around before giving any more to Capt Jack

Okay, I get the idea of making noises to scare them off.

And, I thought of you, Disneyphile, when there was a big giant mosquito right outside my front door last night {I also do not like bugs and will see/feel them everywhere once I've seen one....summertime, fleas, freckles, PITA}.

True, I shouldn't be too afraid of bears. My s-i-l chased off a bear that was getting into their food supply during the night. Scared the kids she had with her senseless. {have they gone back? no.}

BUT my idea of the tent is that the bears are not stupid. Sure, they can get into anything, tents, cars, etc. But, they know better. I think they feel what ever is out there in the open is for them.

Something that always stuck with us was seeing a motorcycle with a big bite taken out of its' seat.

Why? Did they person have food under the seat {a secret compartment?} are a very bad case of gas? Hmm...{it was so like 'Where's the cream filling??}

OH and, anyone see the film about the guy who was mauled up in Alaska with his girlfriend by the bears? It was a very interesting movie and the talk here about no sex made me wonder if that could be what did them in? {no conversation value here unless anyone also saw the movie.....:D }

I'm going to be really disappointed if we don't see any bears.

when my brothers and I were kids, my dad would take us camping a lot. one year (in the Sequoias no less. I do believe it was even in the Dorst campground) our camp was raided by bears. they very expertly opened each and every cooler, ate near the entire contents (leaving us with nothing more than pancake mix and a few mint candies)

my dad aparrently discovered them during the raid and shined a flashlight on them. this alone made the pair run off.

the bears are undoubtedly smart enough to know when the jig is up, but I for one will not be sleeping outdoors. the image of being sniffed/sampled in my sleep is enough to make me want that scant few mm of protection the tent will afford.

trust me, the mole we discovered under the tent and the deer that chased my brother and I were by far more frightening.

LOL I never am. When we go to Yosemite they always say there are bear sightings but I never do. I look out in the meadows during our morning drives and nothing.

I know I am being unrealistic, all of these years and never a sighting or a report of injury....

{moles are really scary! Gophers, too!! Big teeth!!}

My Bro and SIL live just outside Yosemite. A neighbor of theirs came home to find the side (kitchen) door of her house open. She positioned her car so that her headlight were shinning into the kitchen door. There was a bear in her kitchen, standing on its hind legs with the freezer door open, a tub of ice cream in its arm, scooping ice cream into its mouth.

My worst wildlife experiences have been with rodents.

I've never had a bad wildlife experience, they're all cool. And that includes the time we realized we were in a small lava tube belonging to a cougar, climbing a big rock and finding out that the whole thing was essentially a giant anthill, a bald eagle eating my hosts' cat, and waking up to rattlesnakes in places they shouldn't be.

The worst thing that could happen is you die. And I've never heard any dead people complain so I just assume it isn't that bad. Sure, some people complain about the dying part, but they're just whiners.

Oh! you just reminded me of another animal incident. my late wife and I were camping at the grand canyon. middle of the night, black as pitch outside.

something hits the tent that sounded like a pine cone falling out of a tree. then another, then another and another. I open the window flap and shine my flashlight outside. for as far as the light would shine (it was one of those big cop-type maglights, so it went a considerable distance) were, from what I could see, kangaroo rats or some other vermin all running in one direction. almost like a lemming migration. they were crashing into everything, bouncing off the tent and trees, knocking everything in the campsite around and making a rukus to beat the band. needless to say, wifey was freaked out beyond all consolation. I have to admit it was pretty F'in strange. a minute later, theyre all gone and its dead silent again.

she insisted we leave that morning and was well packed and sitting in the truck by the time sunrise came along. needless to say, that was the last camping trip for her.