PDA

View Full Version : Bears



rt36crazyfists
03-15-2008, 02:50 PM
Anyone wanna set the record straight for me? I've never gotten a concrete answer. What to do when you come across a bear. I know what not to do, give it space, dont make eye contact, dont get between mother and cub. My understanding is for black bears, try to look big and scare it away, loud noise, unless of course its an unusually large bear? For grizzlies? an attacking grizzly - play dead, a grizzly staring you down - slowly back away, no eye contact. I've heard that if a bear comes into your shelter, do everything you can to fight and flee. Any truth to this? I'm mostly concerned with black bears though, could someone please fill me in.

wildWoman
03-15-2008, 06:07 PM
The experts keep changing their advice slightly every few years or so. An excellent website that will answer most of you questions is www.bear.org, particularly about black bears. I've found that some of the body language of bears acutally resembles that of dogs, and if you treat a bear like you would a potentially dangerous dog, you have a good rule of thumb to go by.
Personally, I find bears are way overrated as far as danger goes. The vast majority of them just want to be left alone and won't bother you. They can be curious but that does not mean that they are intersted in harming you. If a black bear stalks you, he's being agressive and then you do well to stand your ground and shoo him off, but that is very rare and not a behaviour you're likely to encounter.
Again, spend an hour on www.bear.org and you'll be a lot wiser about their body language, behaviour, and recommended course of action for yourself.

amranch
03-15-2008, 07:09 PM
u got it right,noise!

BruceZed
03-16-2008, 11:51 PM
Alot more likely to be hit by lightning than killed or even attacked by a Bear

Beo
03-17-2008, 07:46 AM
Beo's Bear School 101 for Numpty's:D
1st thing to do is remain calm.
2nd thing is to puff your chest and flail your arms real wild like while screaming.
3rd stomp up to the bear and smack it right on the nose (if there are cubs kick them in the azz)
4th and most importantly is turn around and run for your life

Of course this is the condensed version, the actuall class is a tad bit longer:D

canid
03-17-2008, 08:04 AM
for that matter:

5th. if you have other hikers/campers with you, make sure you're wearing better shoes than they are...

Beo
03-17-2008, 08:19 AM
Or grab one of them hikers and toss them to the bear, as he's eating make your escape.
rt36crazyfists, I really have no clue with bears, only what I've read and that would mean carrying a good bear spray with me. Medicine Wolf did a good post on this somewhere.

MCBushbaby
03-17-2008, 11:11 AM
Anyone wanna set the record straight for me? I've never gotten a concrete answer. What to do when you come across a bear. I know what not to do, give it space, dont make eye contact, dont get between mother and cub. My understanding is for black bears, try to look big and scare it away, loud noise, unless of course its an unusually large bear? For grizzlies? an attacking grizzly - play dead, a grizzly staring you down - slowly back away, no eye contact. I've heard that if a bear comes into your shelter, do everything you can to fight and flee. Any truth to this? I'm mostly concerned with black bears though, could someone please fill me in.

whoa, settle down there. Let me set the record straight before you kill yourself:

Black Bears
Happen upon an unsuspecting black bear (he doesn't see you) - make a loud, continuous noise to alert and scare it off
Black bear sniffs the ear (usually standing on hindquarters) - Trying to get a better idea of what you are. Appear big and make noise
Black bear clicking it's teeth or grunting - He's pissed, back off slowly but DO NOT TURN
Black bear charges - most times it's a bluff charge, stopping within feet of you. He's pissed, back up slowly and DO NOT TURN
Black bear stalks you (CNN video of this) - black bear is hunger-crazed or is not mentally straight. Find a large stick and fight back, loud noises, do not play dead.
Black bear attacks you - DO NOT PLAY DEAD! Black bears do not fight because they want to negate the threat if they are startled or you get too close to a cub. They will kill you dead. Fight for you life. Do not climb a tree. Black bears can as well and are faster.

Grizz
Happen upon an unsuspecting grizz (he doesn't see you) - make a loud, continuous noise to alert and scare it off. Grizz might not scare off, in which case back up slowly while continuing noise DO NOT TURN
Grizz sniffs the ear (usually standing on hindquarters) - Trying to get a better idea of what you are. Appear big and make noise, back away
Grizz clicking it's teeth or grunting - He's pissed, back off slowly but DO NOT TURN
Grizz charges - rarely a bluff charge, be prepared for a fight
Grizz stalks you - If in the fall, you will be in for a fight. If in the spring or summer he's probably curious
Grizz attacks you - PLAY DEAD. Lie on your stomach, hands behind your neck, fingers intertwined, with feet slightly apart. Grizz only want to negate the threat. Stay still minutes after the attack as well. Climb a tree. Grizz cannot climb trees.

If you must fight, aim for the eyes and nose. Their fur can be inches thick and a 4" fat layer, in prep for hibernation in the fall, so even your 6" knife will just touch their muscle tissue.

EDIT: Or, if you come across a bear willing to compromise an alternative to physical conflict, perhaps a well-brought-up bear, challenge him to a game of chess. No bear has ever won a chess game. :)

MedicineWolf
03-17-2008, 11:26 AM
you have to accept the basic reality that you may encounter a bear. Its his home not yours. That being said here's what we teach on bears.
If you are in open country, use binoculars to scan the horizon to look for bears. In more forested landscapes, be sure to make lots of noise and keep a mental inventory of climbable trees (just in case). Remember, black bears are agile climbers, and grizzlies have also been known to climb short distances up trees. To be safe, you should look for trees that will allow you to get at least 10 m (33 ft) above the ground. Don't forget that bears can charge at 50 km/hr (30 m.p.h.). You'll need some time to climb that tree.
Bear has not detected your presence and is more than 100 m (350 ft) distant.Don't announce your presence if the bear has not seen you. If possible, retreat slowly and give the bear plenty of space. If you have the opportunity, you should retreat and leave the trail to the bear. If you must continue, back off a short distance, and give the bear time to leave the area. You should also do a wide detour quietly and quickly downwind to avoid problems.
Bear has detected your presence, but is more than 100 m (350 ft) distant.
Your goal here is to act in such a way as to allow the bear to identify you, but to also let it know that you are no threat. Speak calmly so that it knows you are a human (their eyesight is quite poor). They will often quickly give ground to you once they identify you as human. If the situation permits, back away slowly, keeping a close eye on the bear. Otherwise, you may wish to detour around the bear, but in this case, detour upwind so that the bear can get your scent. Keep talking calmly. Waving your arms may help it identify you as a human.
Bear has detected you and shows signs of aggression.
If you have followed the advice listed above, hopefully you have a bit of distance between the bear and yourself. You'll need to...
Assess the situation. Are you dealing with a black bear or a grizzly? Are there cubs involved? Are there climbable trees nearby (and do you have sufficient time to climb them)?
Do Not Run. You can't outrun a bear so don't even try. Despite rumours to the contrary, black and grizzly bears can outrun a human on ANY terrain, uphill or down. People will tell you that you should run downhill when chased by a grizzly. This is simply a myth - don't try it!
Try to retreat slowly. Back up slowly and try to put more space between you and the bear. Talk calmly so that it can identify you as human, and slowly back up. Keep your backpack on as it can provide protection if necessary. Don't make direct eye contact, but keep a close look at the bear as you back away.
Climb a tree if available. If you have enough time, and the bear continues to move closer, take advantage of a tall tree to climb. Remember, black bears are strong climbers as well. Grizzlies have also climbed short distances up trees after people. You want to get at least 10 m (33 feet) high to reduce the chance of being pulled out of the tree. Even though some bears can come up the tree after you, the hope is that they will feel less threatened, and thus less likely to chase you up the tree.
If the bear charges you. Bears will often bluff charge before attacking. This is designed to allow enemies to back down before the bear needs to actually make contact. It evolved as a way to prevent encounters with enemies and it may provide you with an opportunity to back away.
Use your pepper spray. This is a last resort. Pepper spray is only good at very close range (5 m or 15 ft). Wind will reduce this effective range even farther (and may blow the spray back into your face). If the bear approaches within this range, point the spray at its eyes and discharge the contents. Hopefully, this will either disorient the bear to allow you to escape, or at the very least deter it from attacking. Once you have partially discharged a canister of bear spray it should be discarded. While the spray may deter attacks, the smell of pepper can act as an attractor. If a black bear (or any bear that is stalking you) makes contact. If the attack escalates and a black bear (or any bear that appears to have been stalking you) physically contacts you, fight back with anything that is available to you. Black bears tend to be more timid than grizzlies and fighting back may scare the bear off. In addition, if a bear is stalking you than you are in a predatory situation and fighting back is your only option. This also applies to any attack at night as these may also be considered predatory in nature.
If a grizzly makes contact. As above, if you believe the bear to be stalking you, fight back with everything you have. In general though, playing dead in a daytime grizzly encounter tends to reduce the level of injury sustained by most attack victims. Many grizzly attacks are defensive in nature, and playing dead may show the bear that you are not a threat. Keep your backpack on as it will provide added protection. The best position is to lie on your side in a fetal position. Bring your legs up to your chest and bury your head into your legs. Wrap your arms around your legs and hold on tight. You may also lie on your stomach, backpack on, and place your hands behind your neck to protect that vulnerable area. Do not play dead until the last moment. Staying on your feet may allow you to dodge, or divert an attack.
After the attack. Once the attack has ended, remain patient. After a few minutes, try to determine if the bear is still in the area. If the bear has moved on, you should make your way towards assistance as quickly as possible.

Beo
03-17-2008, 11:28 AM
I was joking.

trax
03-17-2008, 11:49 AM
Things to pay attention to also: Does a bear **** in the woods? well absolutely and it smells big time, long way and it leaves a huge mess, so if you stumble upon the mess or suddenly catch wind of it, you know they are nearby.

Trees or bushes that are shaking in what seems an unnatural manner to you. Bears love scratching their backs and sharpening their claws.

Most bear attacks with blacks happen because the bear is startled. It's sense of smell and it's hearing are both far better than it's eye sight and these guys really tend to concentrate on what they're doing if they're cleaning out a berry patch or eating a fish. Make big noise if you spot one nearby, especially if you're downwind, cuz he/she might not have heard or smelled you coming.

About the danger of bear attacks. Let me draw a little analogy (if that's the right word). There are more work related accidents in office environments every year than there is in the mining industry. What's the difference? Getting a paper cut or getting dead. There's the severity to consider. The thing to remember about bears is that they're not afraid of you, like MW said, you're in their house. If they feel threatened by you or are startled by you, well they have a fairly limited skill set in terms of responses, run away or slap the crap out of you. For the most part, they will ignore you. The number of bear attacks in Ontario and Manitoba was way up last year, but I'd bet 90% were because of unprepared people stumbling around on a trail (ah nature hikers, they go well with a touch of salsa!) not knowing what they were doing, not knowing what signs to look for, consequently startling the bear and....all the experts in the world can't help you after that first slap. Bear in mind, whoops I was punny, that an adult bear can slap hard enough to break a bull moose's neck. That a lot of power. Our necks aren't as strong.

In terms of being told "what to do", I think being told what to not do is an equally valid response.

Beo
03-17-2008, 11:57 AM
MW sent me these a real long time ago (maybe a year) but they should help.
Check out the campsite before you set up. Are there any signs that bears have been visiting this site? Previous campers may have been less vigilant in keeping their site clean, reducing food smells and cleaning up their garbage. The last thing you want to do is set up camp in an area that has become attractive for bears. If there are any signs of bears rummaging through fire pits, you can assume that bears have become attracted to this site. Your best bet, even if you are tired, is to simply move on.
Don't cook near your tent site. To avoid food smells near your tent, you should cook several hundred metres downwind from your campsite. You should also avoid cooking more food than you will eat and be sure to clean your dishes right away. If you must dispose of food waste, be sure to do this well away from the campsite. Don't forget to clean yourself if you feel that you may have gained some food smell as well. A change of clothes is not a bad idea either.
Properly hang your food out of reach of bears. There are many ways to hang your food to keep it save from bears. More and more backcountry campsites are providing hanging poles just for this purpose. Make sure you have at least 15 m (50 ft) of good rope to get your food high enough. If there is no hanging pole, you may use two ropes. Run one rope between two tall trees, and then hang your food from this first rope, leaving it suspended between the two trees. In alpine areas, there may be no tall trees to enable you to hang your food. In this case, you may have to place it in several layers of zip lock bags (to reduce food smells), and simply leave it on the ground several hundred metres from your camp site.
Don't forget, porcupines like to get at your supplies as well, but not your food. They munch anything with salt (read 'sweat') on it. This means your hiking boots and pack straps can make for tasty treats. In areas where porcupines are prevalent, you'll likely want to hang your entire pack out of reach, and keep your boots in the tent.
Menstrual Blood. While there is no definitive evidence that bears will seek out women who may be menstruating, it is something to consider if camping in bear country. As a basic precaution, women should wear tampons rather than external pads.
Check out the site for terrain attractants. Bears move through their range throughout the season, and knowing a little about their habits can help you choose a better campsite. Avoid placing your tent right beside (or on) any game trails. Also, since bears will use trees as cover when approaching an area, and open site may be safer than a well treed location. If you are in a forested area, try to select a site with a good climbing tree near the tent.
In grizzly country, couples may want to use a four person tent. Since garbage addicted grizzlies have been known to bite at objects brushing up against tent walls just to see whether it is edible, it is nice to have some space between you and the outside of the tent. A large tent may weigh a bit more, but it can give you a bit more peace of mind.

wareagle69
03-17-2008, 12:02 PM
hate to dissagree but that could get someone killed point number 5 on both if a black bear attacks you fight back if a brown bear attacks you lace your fingers behind your neck curl up in a ball and play dead where does my experience come from i work with black bears i work with the minisrty doing studies like crawling into dens and such also have sid before we currently have 78 bears right now at our sister facility, also i would personaly not alert a bear if i cam across it unsuspectingly i wouls slowly back off quietly move away you risk too muck by saying if you came across a bear an said bear did not know you was there then you would make noise what happens if your in between cubs onestly where in the **** do some of you get your info from the tv or you read a book get your facts srraight before you get someone killed a**holes

Rick
03-17-2008, 12:06 PM
WE - Was that last word really necessary? You could have put the period after killed and been done with it.

wareagle69
03-17-2008, 12:09 PM
well we will put the period after someone gets killed for listening to people who don't know what they are talking about

Rick
03-17-2008, 12:10 PM
Yea. I figured that out but there isn't any reason for name calling.

wareagle69
03-17-2008, 12:28 PM
i stand by what i said rick it needs to be in bold letters in my opinion that kind of info will most definetly get someone killed, if your going to edit someones post edit the person giving potentially deadly info to the unsuspecting readers...

as always---------always be prepared prepare all ways....

dilligaf2u2
03-17-2008, 12:32 PM
My only incounter with Bears was unevenful. They lost to the Colts!

Mind you I have been known to go bare in the woods. Would that count as an encounter?

Don

MCBushbaby
03-17-2008, 12:51 PM
You don't want to curl in a ball because the can expose your soft underbelly. Laying on your stomach with hands behind your head and feet slightly apart prevents the bear from rolling you over. Rather have a bear tear at my back than my stomach


EDIT: Sorry Wareagle, I mixed grizz and black bear attack reaction. I know my stuff, I don't get it from TV, I just wrote it while I was groggy and flipped the two on that aspect.

wareagle69
03-17-2008, 12:54 PM
grizzly bears in an attack will go for the head proven fact, where is it you get your experience from i have made my experience clear just so the readers can decipher this and make an informed decision

MCBushbaby
03-17-2008, 01:01 PM
grizzly bears in an attack will go for the head proven fact, where is it you get your experience from i have made my experience clear just so the readers can decipher this and make an informed decision

Ranger station, let's not get into experience wars

Beo
03-17-2008, 01:02 PM
First of all that is what the Forestry Service teaches and most likely why he placed it there and because your up there being all Grizzly Adams with your bears and disagree with the info doesn't mean you gotta call him (MW) and Mitch, an azzhole. And as you said in post 17 that's your opinion. And yes I have "read" books on what to do and almost everyone says to lay down at some point and cover your head.

"playing dead in a daytime grizzly encounter tends to reduce the level of injury sustained by most attack victims"
Was an option that is given and I am sure this was a statistic from a number of encounters, and just because you live in the wilds with those bears doesn't mean your opinion is only right one.

MCBushbaby
03-17-2008, 01:14 PM
I completely understand where Wareagle is coming from. I mean, he's living backcountry and probably has more experience with bears than anyone here, and when someone contradicts him on bear facts I'd be like someone trying to argue with Gary Kasparov on the best opening (I'm on a ches thing today, I don't know where it came from). Name calling aside, all it good.

Beo
03-17-2008, 01:18 PM
I will say this because I know that Medicine Wolf is the kinda guy who wouldn't and wouldn't care what you think or if you believed it or not. He is and has been for the past 15 years been involved with the US Forestry Service, either as a private contractor or instructor and now works as a Ranger in Northern Montana, he has worked with several game preserves and wildlife preserves and even helped in the tagging of grizzlies in Montana, was on the team in Washington State's North Cascades that tagged the few remaining bears left in the wild there, and works on the team of trackers that hunt poachers of wolves in Northern Montana now. So yeah he has a few credintials to his name.
All that being said I agree with Mitch its just opinions and all are welcome, fact is I know next to nothing on bears except the documentries I have watch and books I have read.

rt36crazyfists
03-17-2008, 08:52 PM
well thanks everyone for the information, although it kinda lost some value to me when wareagle declared war(i know, with good intentions, thank you), i'm still a little confused as to what the consensus is, I will reread. I must say though i think i am a bit wiser after this than before this thread. Alos, I asked the question, so I feel a slight need to justify it, statistics like the likeliness of a bear attack are often unbiased when they very well should be. It is not likely that a random person is attacked by a bear, most people will never happen upon a bear, but how about an outdoorsman, that ups the odds a tad donit? even if it is still very unlikley, this is then impractical information that i still want, a kind of mental security. having a plan, knowing what to do is something i want when i happen upon a bear. The giant teeth, sharp claws and great strength are a little more imediate and intimidating than a more common cause of death. Well, my rant has gone on long enough, thank yous for taking the time to teach me.

wildWoman
03-18-2008, 12:47 PM
well thanks everyone for the information, although it kinda lost some value to me when wareagle declared war(i know, with good intentions, thank you), i'm still a little confused as to what the consensus is, I will reread. I must say though i think i am a bit wiser after this than before this thread. Alos, I asked the question, so I feel a slight need to justify it, statistics like the likeliness of a bear attack are often unbiased when they very well should be. It is not likely that a random person is attacked by a bear, most people will never happen upon a bear, but how about an outdoorsman, that ups the odds a tad donit? even if it is still very unlikley, this is then impractical information that i still want, a kind of mental security. having a plan, knowing what to do is something i want when i happen upon a bear. The giant teeth, sharp claws and great strength are a little more imediate and intimidating than a more common cause of death. Well, my rant has gone on long enough, thank yous for taking the time to teach me.


Your best preparation, in my opinion, is to learn the body language of bears. Otherwise it's like interacting with any other animal (cat, cow, what have you) oor a person from a different culture: you may feel threatened for no reason, just because you're unable to understand what is being said; and also, your behaviour might unwittingly trigger a reaction you were not aiming for.
Short of living somewhere that exposes you to plenty of bears every year as where we are, or becoming a biologist, do check out www.bear.org, that has slide shows and videos that explain what the bears are "saying".
Living where bears are gives you the advantage that you get to know individual bears. They are all different, from grumpy to calm to goofy, and will behave according to their temperament. With strange bears, you don't know their character, so making a slow detour when you see one, and yodeling out a little ditty every now and then as you walk is a good idea.
For true enjoyment, I think people need to spend the time to learn more bear language, otherwise it's like travelling to France without speaking French and trying to order breakfast there.

trax
03-18-2008, 12:49 PM
I think I'd rather take my chances with the bears than with my command of the French language with a French waiter, LOL.

Rick
03-18-2008, 02:05 PM
Hopeak - If I sign up would you actually leave my corpse out there the other 9 days?

Aurelius95
03-18-2008, 02:42 PM
A lot has been discussed about avoiding bears or fending them off. What is a suitable sidearm for stopping them with lead? I don't own a gun and I'm not off to purchase one, but I was just wondering what do people in the woods carry?

Rick
03-18-2008, 03:21 PM
I just wanted to make sure you'd pick up the pieces and mail back home.

wildWoman
03-18-2008, 03:23 PM
A lot has been discussed about avoiding bears or fending them off. What is a suitable sidearm for stopping them with lead? I don't own a gun and I'm not off to purchase one, but I was just wondering what do people in the woods carry?

My opinion is that carrying a gun may cause more harm than do good. Most people would be tempted to fire at a bear when it charges them. However, bears often do bluff charges where they veer away from you at the last moment. I don't see too many people who carry a gun waiting that one out. Also if you shoot at a bear, you have a good chance of just getting it REALLY mad, where before it was only slightly irritated. They can keep going for a while still after you shoot at them. Take bear spray instead.
Again, people should learn to understand their body language. It goes a long way to prevent harm to both people and bears.

Rick
03-18-2008, 03:29 PM
I'll be straight up with you. If I'm ever charged by a bear it won't much matter if I have bear spray, a gun or a bazooka. I'm quite sure I'll be shaking so bad I couldn't hit the ground with any of them. I think that bear would take one look at me standing there quivering and wrap a big paw around me...

Bear: "Hey, you okay there?"
Me: Shakes head no, brain rattles.
Bear: (taking step back) Well, ooookay then. You just have a good day and I'll be walking off in this direction.
Me: Shaking my head in agreement, brain rattles
Bear in bushes to bear approaching: "Dude, you gotta stop doin' that."
Bear: "I know but it's just so dang much fun."
Both amble away into the bush.
Me: Pass out

MCBushbaby
03-18-2008, 03:43 PM
I watched all the black bear videos on bear.org and they are pretty enlightening. However with the frequent human contact, I wonder if these results are anything different than bear encounters in Yellowstone visitor's area? I mean, they're used to seeing humans. One video even showed someone's hand within a foot of a bear cub with mother nearby not caring... so that alone shows they are humanized. Can the lessons be carried over to backcountry bear encounters?

"black bears are more afraid of being attacked than you are" - Probably true
"black bears will bluff charge you but are really just afraid" - sure, I can believe that
"In all our researcher's experience, most black bear sows do not protect their young when we capture them" - I wouldn't dare try to touch a cub in the backcountry, no siree

crashdive123
03-18-2008, 04:14 PM
My opinion is that carrying a gun may cause more harm than do good. Most people would be tempted to fire at a bear when it charges them.

Nah. Just use Visa or Mastercard.

tsitenha
03-18-2008, 04:36 PM
I love it (not hardly) when people go through the bush country banging on stumps, screeching like banshees, singing (american idol style), caterwawling to "announce ourselves" to the bears ...kind of brings to the forefront the quiteness which we are in the bush for.
Bears encounters illicit a lot of different responses and depending on the originating point of view from docile mobile rugs to nefarious man killers, they vary.
Biggest factor in any encounter is being calm and focused at the task at hand.
In NOntario, average bears are now med and more of a nuisance, though the occasional one can rise to the occasion. A lot of them competing for the same food source.
(in my best Forest Gump voice... bears are like a box of chocolats you never know which one is looking at you)

I favor bear spray, but will carry a rifle if in known nuisance bear proximity

wildWoman
03-18-2008, 05:55 PM
I love it (not hardly) when people go through the bush country banging on stumps, screeching like banshees, singing (american idol style), caterwawling to "announce ourselves" to the bears ...kind of brings to the forefront the quiteness which we are in the bush for.

I half agree with you there. Half, because bears in my experience are often quite inattentive, they get absorbed by one thing at a time: digging for ants, eating berries, having a nap, contemplating the view etc. I do holler out something that identifies me as a human moving through the bush when I can't see far ahead, am travelling into the wind, or by a noisy creek. The bears sometimes choose not to move away, which gives me a clear message that I better make a small detour.
Also I'd highly advocate making noise for anyone with dogs. You do not want your dog chasing a bear; depending on the bear that might be the end of your dog and the bear might also chase the dog back to you. No fun either.
I prefer the woods quiet too, but leave that mostly to my winter walks or when the dogs aren't with me.

canid
03-18-2008, 09:10 PM
you guys ever read the alaska bear tales books?

the second one has a nice story on an encounter, written from the grizzly's prospective, about such hikers.

tsitenha
03-19-2008, 12:19 AM
The point i was trying to make is that if you're so scared of the wildlife that you have to "morse code" a warning as you walk through it or so bored with it that you need extra stimulus of cacophonous music blaring away, whats the point of even going out?...might as well stay in town in some parkland setting.

flandersander
03-19-2008, 12:29 AM
Or watch a rap music video that the rappers go out and start fires and build survival shelters. hahaha. lol.

canid
03-19-2008, 12:48 AM
"In all our researcher's experience, most black bear sows do not protect their young when we capture them" - I wouldn't dare try to touch a cub in the backcountry, no siree

yeah, but i love the part of the article i first read that in where they said they had observed black bear mothers start running off with thier cubs then drop them and keep running.

palerider
03-21-2008, 10:07 AM
i think someone is following me

Proud American
03-24-2008, 02:38 PM
well i learned a bit about bears, WE and MW I dont know wich of you are more right but if I ever meet a bear the plan I remember will be the one I use. I just hope i remmember not to run

BraggSurvivor
03-30-2008, 02:20 PM
A good dog is all you need when out walking or hiking. My dogs chased three blacks up a tree this morning (sow & 2 cubs) not more than 80' from my front door while I was out feeding the cattle.
I put the dogs in the barn, I backed away until they came down and fired two bangers right at them. Should have heard them cubs screaming as they ran crashing through the trees.

I dont think they will be back.

Here are two out of my four bear deterrents: King Aurther & Lucy
I have two other Maremma's but they are not allowed near the house. They are work dogs and are there to protect against livestock kills by cougars) and live at the barns.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/Bructer/DSC01833.jpg

wareagle69
03-30-2008, 08:10 PM
really... how big were the cubs?

BraggSurvivor
03-30-2008, 08:26 PM
Last years cubs, 1/3 much smaller than her. One black and one brown. Not as skinny this year as Ive seen in the past.

wareagle69
03-30-2008, 08:30 PM
whats the temps like your way?

BraggSurvivor
03-30-2008, 09:14 PM
It's been warmer. Got about 7" of snow last night. -5 at night and days high of 3-5 degrees. Last week was 12.

Excalibur
03-30-2008, 11:42 PM
bears are like people, no matter how you treat them they still can come back and stab you in the back. Bear bangers, never heard of them till I joined this forum, bear spray avoided because i didnt know how effective they were ( and my boys wouldnt let me test it on them lol) fire arms most likely I would just blast holes in everything BUT the bear but it would make very loud bangs. I have had 3 run ins with bears in my life 1 were peaceful one ate my truck ( I was close enough to make it on a dead sprint plus the wall of slippery crap slowed it down some) and the last one became my dinner for a month. the point is bears are a real threat but very rare cool heads learn all you can before you go and if space/weight allows use several deterants. I still dont know how a right hook to the nose of a POed bear is gonna do anything but hurt your hand befor it kills you

Rick
03-31-2008, 07:15 AM
You need to read Wildwoman's posts on bears. She has daily experience and a much different philosophy.

BraggSurvivor
03-31-2008, 10:30 AM
wildwoman is spot on.

Excalibur
03-31-2008, 06:58 PM
I hope this is what sets me apart from other numptys is that I admit when I am wrong..I am, and learn from my mistakes (or others) thank you for the info again. and please be patient for I am trying to learn

Rick
03-31-2008, 07:22 PM
Not too worry. See, the thing is, where one person is an expert on one thing someone else is an expert on another. So we are all learning something (in my case a lot). Even when two or more are experts on a given subject they may do it quite differently. So you get to read all the why's and how come's and then choose for yourself or try both and see what works for you.

Trax currently has a great thread on the 303 Enfield. I don't hunt large game so I've spent the afternoon scouring the net reading up on the Enfield 'cause I know zip about it. Now I know a little less zip than I did earlier today.:o

Excalibur
03-31-2008, 07:28 PM
lol thanks for the patience but really some one has got to tell me how is punching a bear gonna save you

BraggSurvivor
03-31-2008, 07:32 PM
I know a guy from BC who was in a tent with his young son when a Grizz came through the door......shot him in the nose with his sons pellet gun. I dont know how true the story is but the guy has never been known to BS. I believe him.

Excalibur
03-31-2008, 07:34 PM
hmm boxing lessons might be in order

BraggSurvivor
03-31-2008, 07:41 PM
You shouldnt have problems with bears if you do things right. Bears would be my last worry.

Rick
03-31-2008, 07:43 PM
Bragg - Never trust a man that doesn't BS. After all, that's what real men do!

Excalibur
03-31-2008, 07:45 PM
I have spent lots of time in the woods and ran in to bears three times in my life and once I was lookin for them

Tahyo
03-31-2008, 07:57 PM
Two experiences with bears, both times black.
First time was when I was up at God's Lake Manitoba. My brother and I were hanging around a couple of Cree guides that were our age. There is/was and abandoned gold mine site there and they were taking us to check it out. On the way was a trash dump and when we came into the clearing, there was 2 black bears rooting through the garbage. My brother and I, both from La. and never having to worry about bears, about soiled ourselves. The two guides started hollering and throwing things at the bears, which took off running pretty fast. Don't know if it was the right thing to do or not, but it worked for them.

Other time was when I was teaching a white water kayaking session in northern Wisconsin in the early 90s. We came around a bend on the river and a black bear was swimming across the river. We gave it plenty of space. It hastened it's swim when it saw us.

Ridge Wolf
03-31-2008, 08:02 PM
A good dog is all you need when out walking or hiking. My dogs chased three blacks up a tree this morning (sow & 2 cubs) not more than 80' from my front door while I was out feeding the cattle.
I put the dogs in the barn, I backed away until they came down and fired two bangers right at them. Should have heard them cubs screaming as they ran crashing through the trees.

I dont think they will be back.

Here are two out of my four bear deterrents: King Aurther & Lucy
I have two other Maremma's but they are not allowed near the house. They are work dogs and are there to protect against livestock kills by cougars) and live at the barns.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/Bructer/DSC01833.jpg

So Bragg... being a city boy... never heard of bear bangers... I have an idea what they are but where do you get bear bangers? Hunting supply stores?

Rick
03-31-2008, 08:04 PM
Tahyo - You get the feeling somewhere there is this bear talking to other bears...

"I've only had one encounter with kayakers. Once when I was crossing the river..."

Tahyo
03-31-2008, 08:05 PM
Tahyo - You get the feeling somewhere there is this bear talking to other bears...

"I've only had one encounter with kayakers. Once when I was crossing the river..."

LOL... never thought of it that way but that is funny.

Excalibur
03-31-2008, 08:07 PM
I think the better one is did you smell what that hiker did when I stuck my face in his tent

BraggSurvivor
03-31-2008, 08:12 PM
So Bragg... being a city boy... never heard of bear bangers... I have an idea what they are but where do you get bear bangers? Hunting supply stores?

Yes, there are a bunch of different models and makes. I havent bought them in years but I'm sure you can buy them there. I like the hand helds. The pen style is inferior IMO.

Rick
03-31-2008, 08:14 PM
http://www.truflareusa.com/cartridges.htm

Tahyo
03-31-2008, 08:16 PM
Excaliber... that one reminds me of this other trip I was on in northern Wisconsin. I went to my tent for the night and about 30 minutes later something was pushing against the side of the tent where my feet were. At first I thought it was the other instructor. We were always playing practical jokes on each other. I called out his name and then heard something run into the woods. Something didn't seem right.
Happened again about 10 minutes later, and again later.

When I finally got out the tent fast enough to see what it was, it was a big old porcupine apparently being drawn to the tent and/or me because of the salt. This went on a fairly long time. I was fortunate it didn't chew a hole in something.

I do have to admit that when I figured out it wasn't my buddy and there was the window of "what the hell is that", I may not have been far from having an accident.

Excalibur
03-31-2008, 08:22 PM
Yes, there are a bunch of different models and makes. I havent bought them in years but I'm sure you can buy them there. I like the hand helds. The pen style is inferior IMO.

I just tried one of those and boy do they work... on my nerves, the law stopped by, my dog wont come near me, and my boys wont stop laughing at me, and I thing I crapped my self, this one was a flare gun style

marberry
04-02-2008, 05:17 PM
black bears , make yourself look as big as possible
grizzlies (brown bears) , slowly back away & climb a tree
polar bears , shoot them IF they charge , if you dont have a gun and its hungry your dead
bears with cubs , your dead unless its a grizzly and you can climb a tree