Three items this time so that I can get caught up.

Bears are first. In spite of the recent cold and snow spell of last week, bears are beginning to come out of their winter quarters and long period of hibernation.
Depending on the location of the den, they’ll come out of their long winter sleep in a hungry mode.

First out, a bear might wander a day or two getting used to all that daylight and noise that had been absent for so long. But eventually the bear will be hungry; a sow’s main concern is about the welfare for her tiny cubs. Mama is the main problem among emerging bears, being hungry and with youngsters to handle. I mention cubs, because it isn’t a good idea to do anything that’s going to cause mama any anxiety for the welfare of her offspring.

This will be her first cub, or maybe first cub(s) in a couple of years. And you can count on her being most touchy should you happen to startle her, or a cub, or happen to get into the travel path, or stumble on a food source already known to the mother bear.
Stay alert and give yourself a chance to avoid any bear conflict. If you’re safely off to the side, remain motionless until the bear family moves by and out of sight. If you’re spotted, hold still, but shout at it to go away if it looks like it’ll move toward you. Trust me, you can’t outrun a bear.

Should you think about climbing a tree to safety, stop thinking. Such a climb might convince mama bear that you are looking for her cubs who are also up a tree. It doesn’t even have to be the same tree holding the cub. She very well might get the wrong impression, and that’s to be avoided.

If a bear comes up a tree after you (they climb well and fast), guess what portion of your anatomy will be reached first if she’s gaining on your ascent? I mean what next besides feet and legs.

Don’t feed them. A fed bear is a dead bear once they associate food with humans. Don’t mess with any cubs or assume they’re orphans. If you do, your kids might become orphans. Check barking dogs or cats clawing to get into the house carefully to see what might be spooking them. Turn on outside lights and look from inside the house. Report your bear sightings so that wildlife officers will be aware of what’s going on and where.

A second item is contained in a note from Scott Krug, claims manager and chartered property and casualty underwriter for the Gary Doehling Personal Injury Law Firm in Grand Junction. I’m passing along information he offered about a few more boating insurance tips.

Liability coverage should be included in your boat policy. A sunk boat isn’t just a physical loss, but also might include unexpected liability expenses such as pollution cleanup from gas and oil leakage. Scott mentioned that sunk boat retrieval could cost from $3,000 to $10,000 and is the responsibility of the boat owner. Any lake authority isn’t going to allow a boat to sit on the lake bottom, leaking pollution. An example could be a case involving retrieval of a boat from Navajo Lake in New Mexico in only 8 feet of water that cost $6,000.

It sounds to me like liability coverage is every bit as important as physical coverage if not more so, primarily because of pollution remediation, boat retrieval and possible bodily injury. Primary consideration here is not to sink your boat. Thanks for the tip, Scott.

Last item concerns a record rainbow trout caught in Morrow Point Reservoir on the Gunnison River by Lee Cox of Grand Junction. I wrote about the catch back in 2006.
The huge rainbow weighed 19 pounds and 10 ounces, was 34 inches long and had a girth of 22 inches. Lee caught the fish on his ultra-light Fenwick spinning rod using 6-pound test Berkeley monofilament. Lee had to work at landing the monster ’bow for about an hour. His lure was a Rooster Tail with gold hackle, and size No. 2. He said he maintained contact all the time, and worried about what could happen next all the time. I asked Lee if he knew it was a record fish when he finally landed it. He said no, but he knew it was a darned big one.

Lee, give me a call, and I’ll get your fish picture back to you. Great fish.

<i>Local fishing and hunting expert Dick Hess can be reached at ColoradoHess@hotmail.com.</i>