In December, a black bear destroyed 3 unoccupied tents in the Colima Canyon area of the High Chisos (above 7,000 feet). In February and March bears were again reported hanging around campsites in the Boot and Colima Canyon areas, increasing the risk for a human/bear encounter. These events occurred in solitary high mountain backcountry campsites, not in the developed Chisos Basin campground. According to the campers, food was not left in any of the tents. Apparently it was the smell of shoes that attracted the bear. The bear crushes or rips into tents to get at the shoes. When campers returned to their site, they find that shoes are removed, chewed on, and dropped along the trail or in the woods.
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