Shelf Lake, Yellowstone National Park

3 day backpacking trip to Shelf Lake in Yellowstone National Park. There was a bear in the lake next to my camp on Sunday night. Lots of bear tracking in this video.

[@cawsonwillislide5204]

Hey Stan, appreciate all your videos. Due to wild fires I have several bears hanging around these days. Your info on living with them has helped a lot. Happy to see God's continual blessings in your life. Be safe.

[@claydemelo7562]

Hi Stan, as always I have enjoyed your perspective and your level of understanding. Really excellent work!

[@jeffsmith.3516]

Hi Stan, I absolutely love watching your videos! I am blown away at the calm presence you have about yourself with the bears being some times so very close. You have obviously lived in the area and hiked the area for a long time. I would love to see you do a video about your thoughts & how to react to these close encounters while you hike & camp alone. You definitely are one of my favorite KZbin channels! Thanks for sharing with us!

[@StanMills]

Jeff, I just saw you comment. I should spend more time looking at comments so I can respond to comments like yours. To answer your question, I do comment sometimes in my videos about what works for me. But everyone has different experience levels and feelings about how people should act and behave in grizzly country. My advice would not necessarily be good advice for others. So my only advice to other people is to do what you feel is best for you. The only thing that I try to point out is that this is their home and the only one they have. Please respect the bears and all wildlife. Hike in peace with them and they will respect you back. Thank you for your comments.

[@caseyreid3287]

instablaster

[@goognamgoognw6637]

This is great. You're very good at sharing your treks. I like how you are generous at trying to bring the viewer inside the experience.

[@FREDOGISFUUN]

I enjoy your videos. I would like to do some back country camping, but not wanting to go solo and no one I know wants to, I will kick back and learn from your videos until I can make the adventure happen. I enjoy your narration. Thanks Stan!

[@fiesty161]

I do not know how old you are but I admire that you do the back packing.

[@davidandingem.644]

We just love hiking with you and experiencing your adventures....from the safety of our homes. :)

[@beachgirl9823]

Mr. Mills, I wish I had you to hike with because I would feel very comfortable. Thanks for your videos

[@barbaradouglas2143]

Thank you for the video. The back country us beautiful!

[@WildlifePatrol]

Hey Stan, good job on another video! I can’t wait to do some 3-4 day backpacking hikes in May! Just got my Vortex binoculars! Hopefully I will be heading to Yellowstone in my motorhome in late April sometime!

[@brandtbennett1478]

Wildlife Patrol hopefully the park has opened back up by then! 🤞

[@10laws2liveby]

Wind in mic. I was making a recording for my son serving in the first Gulf War. I was riding around on my MC and talking into the recorder and found the wind was too loud for me to be heard. So I put the mic under my shirt and it really cut down on the wind noise. So it might work if you just put a cloth over the mic on your device. Hope so, anyway I sure do enjoy the videos you make and thank you for sharing them. You're the man Stan.

[@markissboi3583]

🐹16:20 Not enough PIKA's videos in youtube 🤷‍♂️ Film more please when about in yellowstone etc 👍 longer videos also

[@markissboi3583]

pika's🐹 yell out yam yem 😅

[@gabrielmartinez2455]

I had a similar situation last year when I hiked the thorofare. Campsite 6Y6, at midnight I heard what sounded like a bear growling, no farther than 50 yards from my tent across the river. I thought well, it is across the river, so if it decides to cross I will hear the water splashing, and that should give me a warning, felt sleep after that. Few days later, in Mariposa lake there was an elk splashing in the water when I got to camp, I spoked it and ran away. Around 10 pm I heard it again for at least 30 minutes, then it got spoked by something, don't know what it was, but I could hear it running away fast. Next morning, I discovered a large piece of my food rope had been ripped off from the tree, and there were bear tracks everywhere. I had no idea bears try to break your food rope to get your food, that's insane. Thanksfully it didn't succeed

[@StanMills]

Gabriel, I hope you make a KZbin video on your backpacking trip. Sounds like you have some great adventures. I am going to subscribe to your channel with hopes you will publish some video.

[@gabrielmartinez2455]

Stan Mills, Yeah one day I will do some videos, so far I've only taken pictures with my cellphone camera. Doing what you do is awesome, but it also takes a lot of work. I am content with sharing what I've learned in Yellowstone, it might help someone down the road. Next month I will do a 11 day solo backpacking loop, starting at 9 mile trail head, mist Creek, Lamar river, specimen ridge, mt Washburn, wapiti lake, and back to 9 mile trail head. I will comment in your videos and share whatever I learn from my experience, hopefully it can be helpful to someone.

[@markissboi3583]

🐹 the Pika hardly seen but sometimes heard yelling out stan stan 16:18

[@kgui4388]

Wonderful video, very calming and exciting at the same time. Learned something today: Bears more active at night, 4 in print is Black Bear, larger than that is Grizzly (i'd be happy just to see a print in person). In my next life I want to be calm like you. Do you have a bio online?

[@henrydyke552]

Love the video. Do you carry a gun? Or just the spray

[@Roarmeister2]

Weird rules on firearms. Yes, you can carry but you can't use. The firearms rules are there to facilitate people carrying them from state to state. But because it is a Federal Park you cannot shoot even for self-defence from wildlife. The idea is that if you are putting yourself in position that you need a firearm, you shouldn't be out there and that close to them. Bear spray is the preferred defence. Bear knowledge is your best defence.

[@StanMills]

I always have 2 cans of bear spray.

[@kathybarylski6153]

Love the videos. I'm planning a trip out there next summer. I'm wondering what camera you're using and if you use a tripod or monopod. Thanks!

[@StanMills]

Hi Kathy, I use a Canon SX60. The reason I use that camera is because it is small, light weight, and has a good zoom. But I don't think it is a camera that a real photographer would use or anyone that is focused on quality images would use. I don't normally take a tripod but I think I did take one on this hike. I hate carrying anything in my hands. I hope you have a great trip next summer.

[@davidandingem.644]

Call it Black Bear Lake from now on....

[@goognamgoognw6637]

So i developed respect for a different kind of dangerous animal when trail walking in the summer. Poisonous snakes. After having encountered several much too close for comfort, it changed my way and frequency of forest trail walking in the summer/fall There seem to have been a increase in snake population in the south.

[@m.h.7630]

Thank you for taking us with you in your adventure, I am just like you love the isolation from people and their noise in nature however I have too much imagination and I scare myself picturing bear attacks and such so I never venture too far in the wild, maybe if I get rifle I will feel secure enough to go deep in the wild, how many KM (mile) between the beginning of the trail and the camp site?

[@StanMills]

I think it was about 8 miles. I think in the video I said I started about 9 am and got there at 3 pm. You should not worry so much about bear. That one in the lake in the middle of the night was kind of scary because it was making so much noise. Now I realize it was playing in the water and enjoying itself. I am not going to scare one away again. You would be amazed at how many bear I am lucky enough to see in the back country and they are all so well behaved. There is so much to bear behavior that I can’t explain it here. But just use wisdom and don’t do stupid things around them. I keep telling people that you are in much more danger driving to the trailhead then you are hiking. Try to keep things in perspective. There are a lot of research papers and statistics out there that show the odds of being injured by a bear while hiking and camping in grizzly country is far far less then being injured in a car.

[@StanMills]

Bear-Inflicted Human Injuries & Fatalities in Yellowstone Since 1980, over 100 million people have visited Yellowstone. During this time, 38 people were injured by grizzly bears in the park. For all park visitors combined, the chances of being injured by a grizzly bear are approximately 1 in 2.7 million. The risk is significantly lower for people who don't leave developed areas or roadsides, and higher for anyone hiking in the backcountry. Type of Recreational Activity: Risk of Grizzly Bear Attack Remain in developed areas, roadsides, and boardwalks: 1 in 25.1 million visits Camp in roadside campgrounds: 1 in 22.8 million overnight stays Camp in the backcountry: 1 in 1.4 million overnight stays Travel in the backcountry: 1 in 232,000 person travel days All park activities combined: 1 in 2.7 million visits If you plan to hike, learn about the best practices for exploring bear country.

[@m.h.7630]

Very interesting info, thank you Stan, I was exploring this summer at Rocky mountains Canadian side and seen several brown and black bears but did not venture in the backcountry played it save, in Ontario where I live very small black bear population.

[@jenisecoronado5555]

Nice job of tracking, Stan! I'm wondering why you never talked about the deer/elk tracks that are right there with the bear tracks which to me, is obviously the reason the bear went into the water was because it was going after game.

[@mbach1187]

could be cool to use a night vision camcorder to see what is going on around you at night while sleeping

[@StanMills]

And I do have a FLIR thermal scope but I didn't bring it this time.

[@agnetha2012]

Don't you ever get nervous going to bed in your tent? I would be scared to death with all the stories I have heard of people being dragged from their sleeping bags by a grizzly or black bear. How are you so calm and get a good sleep?! And you have such good eyes. I am always thinking I can see a grizzly and it's just a big rock. 😆🤣😆

[@boddah]

has a bear ever false charge you?

[@StanMills]

I don't think so. Only once I may have. In one of my videos I show a bluff charge from 130 yards away and the bear charged for 30 yards. The reason I am not sure it was a charge is that the bear ways facing the other direction and turned towards me and immediately started running directly at me. I am thinking it sensed something and by chance ran the wrong direction. It stopped and turned sideways and looked at me after 30 yards of running but I was already backing away and didn't get more video to see what it did after that. Every year I see lots of backcountry bear but they always treat me with a lot of respect as I treat them. I have been as close as 12 feet (by accident) once and within 30 yards many times (all by accident and surprise) never with any problems from the bear. I usually never try to approach a bear once I see them but I see so many because I am out hiking and backpacking in the area a lot. I have approached a bear a couple of times to try to get better video and each time it ended up in a close and possibly dangerous encounter. So now if I see one 400 yards away that is great and close enough. My rule is to never walk towards them. I would rather they never know I was there. I love to see them but I also try to remember it is their home and it is not very big any more. Thank you for asking.

[@straubdavid9]

Can't you buy and print a permit on-line??

[@StanMills]

I think you can try to reserve one through an application process starting in January. Then they have a drawing in April to see if you get it or not. Think it cost $25 to do that. But you really should look it up on the Yellowstone web site to find out for sure. I have not tried it that way myself. Thank you for all of your nice comments.

[@markissboi3583]

Tip mic 🎙🎤 wind reduction cut a small piece foam put over mic Also Mobile phone📲 📳 test a few diff types & best way to stick on 🐻✌ hot glue easiet PIKA 🐹 16:20 these r cute to watch 😂think he's saying Yam yam probably babies in burrow asking mum wot u eatin mum Yam 🐹🐹🐹 wot Yam 😂 1 more thing - be a great place to play a didgeridoo ============ the sound travels well along gullys

[@richjacobs161]

What's the biggest Grizzly bear you ever seen?

[@StanMills]

Can’t really say. They all seem big when you encounter them solo hiking.

[@cornerstone403]

I didn't realize that you have someone with you and wondered about the camera watching you walk on. Duh!

[@goognamgoognw6637]

?? give the time when you see a non static camera filming him.

[@kimrobb1965]

cornerstone403 I think he’s alone?

[@StanMills]

I use a tripod.