IronNoggin
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Port Alberni, Vancouver Island
The Bear Behavior Science That Contradicts Everything You Were Told About Staying Safe
- Thread starter IronNoggin
- Start date
Big Bad
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
That's pretty good, if overlong, but try and convince animal lovers that humans are not magically exempt from appearing on their grocery lists.
And now, Apex Instincts, go forth and do the urban coyotes.
And now, Apex Instincts, go forth and do the urban coyotes.
I remember a conversation I had with a co-worker regarding bears. He felt that his opinion about bear safety was worth listening to, despite never having seen one either in the wild (where he never went) or even in the zoo (where he never went). He archly and authoritatively informed me that bears, "like all animals", had a "natural fear" of people and posed no real threat.
I asked him what combination of speed, strength, ferocity and natural armament awarded him this lofty position in the food chain. He stated that, as an urban vegetarian, he was completely removed from and above the food chain, and found my comment insulting.
I asked him what combination of speed, strength, ferocity and natural armament awarded him this lofty position in the food chain. He stated that, as an urban vegetarian, he was completely removed from and above the food chain, and found my comment insulting.
There are multiple reasons why bears attack humans. IF the reason is the bear is hungry then you had better fight back. IF the reason is the bear is defending a kill or its young, then you had better play dead. You are not always the main course.
IF bears pose no threat to humans, why do they kill a few humans every year? Basic stats bely that guy's beliefs.
Urban liberals have got to be the dumbest people on earth.
rajczak_kashka
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Surrey, B.C.
And “these kind of people” are THE problem …
Kind of long, isn't it? It seems pretty obvious to seasoned outdoors men, right?
If not the dumbest, then certainly the most disconnected from reality.
Mark
IronNoggin
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Port Alberni, Vancouver Island
I concur.
I do not believe the stats he quotes regarding firearm vs bear spray are accurate by any means.
And I well know which I prefer.
Cheers
Hollow Point
CGN Regular
- Location
- New Brunswick
Yep. but they get to have their say in decisions about wildlife management because the can vote, not because they know anything.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Sadly there isn't enough of them being eaten by bears to change the vote...
IronNoggin
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Port Alberni, Vancouver Island
Bear Spray did not help this poor fellow:
Compiled by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, the board of review report describes how evidence at the scene helped investigators reconstruct what led to the incident on May 3. “The attack was likely brief and intense and not prolonged,” the report reads.
Members of the review board included bear experts from state and federal wildlife agencies, as well as Glacier National Park’s carnivore biologist and chief ranger. A report is required after any human fatality caused by a grizzly bear.
Pollio, a 33-year-old man from Florida, was hiking the Mount Brown Lookout trail, one of the steepest in the park, alone. According to messages with friends and family sent before the attack, he planned to hike to the lookout and watch the sunset.
Investigators believe he was descending the trail, known for its jigsaw of standing and dead trees, in the dark around 9:30 p.m. “Darkness and deadfall on the trail would have prevented the bear and Mr. Pollio from seeing each other until they were very close,” the report reads.
It’s unknown if Pollio was making noise or if he was using his cellphone as a flashlight when the bear, a male grizzly thought to be at least 15 years old, charged.
The report confirmed that Pollio was able to deploy a full can of bear spray. However, it’s unknown if the spray made contact with the bear. The bear killed Pollio via injuries to his head after a short pursuit. Search and rescue teams found the bear spray in the bushes just off the trail before finding Pollio’s remains.
DNA from bear hair and bear scat collected at the scene matched a grizzly bear with no previous history of human conflict, aggression or capture, described as a “life-long resident of the park.” Investigators found no evidence of predation or caching at the scene, and no bears were found in the area during the search or investigation process.
Glacier National Park did not immediately respond to questions regarding whether any management action was taken, or will be taken, against the bear.
Bear experts made numerous recommendations for future hikers to avoid similar surprise encounters with bears. That includes making noise by talking, clapping or singing, which is “critical when visibility and hearing are limited.” Traveling in a group is always recommended, as “groups of people are usually noisier and less likely to surprise bears.” Experts also suggest not traveling when bears are most active at night, dawn or dusk.
https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/national-park-grizzly-death-22354760.php
Report on man killed by Glacier National Park grizzly contains disturbing new details
A surprise nighttime encounter with a grizzly bear led to the death of Anthony Pollio in Glacier National Park this spring, according to a new report containing previously undisclosed details of the attack.Compiled by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, the board of review report describes how evidence at the scene helped investigators reconstruct what led to the incident on May 3. “The attack was likely brief and intense and not prolonged,” the report reads.
Members of the review board included bear experts from state and federal wildlife agencies, as well as Glacier National Park’s carnivore biologist and chief ranger. A report is required after any human fatality caused by a grizzly bear.
Pollio, a 33-year-old man from Florida, was hiking the Mount Brown Lookout trail, one of the steepest in the park, alone. According to messages with friends and family sent before the attack, he planned to hike to the lookout and watch the sunset.
Investigators believe he was descending the trail, known for its jigsaw of standing and dead trees, in the dark around 9:30 p.m. “Darkness and deadfall on the trail would have prevented the bear and Mr. Pollio from seeing each other until they were very close,” the report reads.
It’s unknown if Pollio was making noise or if he was using his cellphone as a flashlight when the bear, a male grizzly thought to be at least 15 years old, charged.
The report confirmed that Pollio was able to deploy a full can of bear spray. However, it’s unknown if the spray made contact with the bear. The bear killed Pollio via injuries to his head after a short pursuit. Search and rescue teams found the bear spray in the bushes just off the trail before finding Pollio’s remains.
DNA from bear hair and bear scat collected at the scene matched a grizzly bear with no previous history of human conflict, aggression or capture, described as a “life-long resident of the park.” Investigators found no evidence of predation or caching at the scene, and no bears were found in the area during the search or investigation process.
Glacier National Park did not immediately respond to questions regarding whether any management action was taken, or will be taken, against the bear.
Bear experts made numerous recommendations for future hikers to avoid similar surprise encounters with bears. That includes making noise by talking, clapping or singing, which is “critical when visibility and hearing are limited.” Traveling in a group is always recommended, as “groups of people are usually noisier and less likely to surprise bears.” Experts also suggest not traveling when bears are most active at night, dawn or dusk.
https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/national-park-grizzly-death-22354760.php
Not to mention that shooting a pistol into the wind doesn't end up with you blind and writhing in pain.
Never assume the obvious....
Trimmer 905
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
How to ID Grizzly poop in the woods? It has little bells and whistles in it and smells like pepper.
