Letters on killer griz

Well put MiG25, I'll bet you're right. In a way, I don't see KP's letter to the Sun as an attack on the hunting community, but simply a statement that the bear should not be killed. I'm sorry but I happen to agree with her because I don't see it's destruction will benefit anyone.

It is apparent to me that the "hunting" community is not the one calling for the bear's destruction, someone else has issued "that" order. Furthermore, I wonder how these liberals would react if their buddy golfer had been mauled, or if Fido or Fifi had been chewed to bits by a pack of coyotes in Fish Creek Park. Hypocrits is what they are.

It may not be an attack on hunting, but this line was uncalled for, and the last thing the family wants to see:
I bet this hunter was scared out of his wits and in a lot of pain and fear when he died. Upon how many animals did this one hunter inflict the same fear and pain over his years of hunting?
Hence my reply. Agree with the animals destruction or not, a little consideration on her part would be nice. Circle of life my ass.
 
I do not think that anyone said that the life of an animal is more important than that of a human being.


One more time:
I bet this hunter was scared out of his wits and in a lot of pain and fear when he died. Upon how many animals did this one hunter inflict the same fear and pain over his years of hunting?

That comes just short of yelling "Whoopie, he's dead!"

We are people, and people prevail over animals. I don't care what their nature is, that bear should be put down.
 
for her comments the B!TCH should be SLAPPED! , but on a side were I have been a couple of times now living in heavy grizz country, there have been attacks and then there have been attacks, a o-workers wife was slapped out by a sow after she had wondered in between the sow and 2 cubs while checking for fish in a stream we had to build a bridge over, the sow was pepper sprayed but that was the end of it, a young teenager was mauled 2 springs ago by a grizz after his dog came running back to him bringing the bear with it, kid was ok scratched up etc but the bear was deemed a NON threat to humans and left to be, I guess the only thing I would like to see here is some documentation on what happened? did the fellow stumble onto the bear denning up or feeding or did the bear stalk him as a food supply being so late in the year? thats what I would determine to live or die, most goverment agencies in BC have a policy of destroy the animal if an attack causing death occurs, if that is the case in Alberta as well then so be it the bear gets snuffed if they can find it after all the snow we have been getting across the country.

and again there is no need for commens like this dizzy chick made in the paper, I dont beleive they even published that crap :mad:
 
Well, why don't you go ask it for an interview then?

What the hell are you talking about? You should not let an obviously ignorant comment by an ignorant person who is obviously anti and is printed in an obviously controlled media whip you into such a rabid frothy frenzy.
 
actualy YES he should and so should anyone who actualy hunts!, I wouldnt PISS on this chick if she was on fire! making comments like she did is BULLSH!T and to think the family not only lost a loved one for 3 days but then had to burry him once they found him, they do NOT need to read this crap in a local rag from some spandex wearing lardassed bimbo with a computer !


send letters to the editor, they get nuff letters they will print them mine just went out

Dear Editor, I recently read a letter to you on the unfortunate death of a hunter in Alberta after being attacked by a grizzly bear, the letter was written by Katherine Pederson, now being a hunter myself as well as a professional hunting guide in northern BC I found it appalling and sickening that someone so uneducated and ignorant on facts, would have the Gaul to write a letter making comments like “Upon how many animals did this one hunter inflict the same fear and pain over his years of hunting? “ this is about as sickening as it gets and then to finish off her letter with “The circle of life” THIS Miss Pederson could care less if the bear lived or died this is just an attack on hunting NOTHING else, if the shoe was on the other foot and it was her that was attacked we would hear a different story, but that will never happen as I have yet to see a grizzly bear in the elevator at west Edmonton mall! And we all know these kinds of people never spend 2 minutes in the forests and panic if they get more than 2 feet out of cell phone coverage! the truth be known at this point I to believe the bear should be destroyed it has now attacked a human no matter what that human was doing in the forest, be it forestry work, oil line work or hunting, the bear now knows humans are easy prey.
 
Gitrdun stated:

Well put MiG25, I'll bet you're right. In a way, I don't see KP's letter to the Sun as an attack on the hunting community, but simply a statement that the bear should not be killed. I'm sorry but I happen to agree with her because I don't see it's destruction will benefit anyone.

It is apparent to me that the "hunting" community is not the one calling for the bear's destruction, someone else has issued "that" order. Furthermore, I wonder how these liberals would react if their buddy golfer had been mauled, or if Fido or Fifi had been chewed to bits by a pack of coyotes in Fish Creek Park. Hypocrits is what they are.

I totally agree. I have also been of the mindset that it is us that are trespassing and we are using the bears habitat for our recreation and at our own risk. Boney, sure the Grizz may now have a taste for human flesh but what about all the bears that associate a gun shot with a game animal down?? Lots of bears in certain areas are associating a gun shot as a "dinnerbell" nowadays. If a Grizz is starving and hungry he is going to try and eat you regardless of knowing what human flesh tastes like. I am also sure a grizz knows he is on top of the food chain and doesn't care if a human is "easy prey" or not. I say let him be. I am by no means a tree hugger and buy bear tags every year as well.
 
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Boney, sure the Grizz may now have a taste for human flesh but what about all the bears that associate a gun shot with a game animal down?? Lots of bears in certain areas are associating a gun shot as a "dinnerbell" nowadays.

Doesn't mean they'll attack the hunter. They'll often hang back and snatch the meat when the hunter goes for help, or get the gutpile.

If any DO attack a human - they should be shot. It's not a 'vengance' thing. It's just the way things have to be.

It's like if your dog got rabies. You wouldn't blame the dog, you wouldn't 'hate' the dog, and you probably still love the dog... but you WOULDN'T let it play with the kids and you would probably put it down. Why? Because that's what you do if you're smart in that situation.

Of all the bears out there, maybe 1 in 1000 are serious 'problem' bears - the kind who'd attack a human, or who'd kill a human. Either they're 'agressive' from birth or become that way. Those small few - you have to shoot. Not doing so puts people at risk, and doing so allows humans and bears to get along in the kind of numbers we have.

The only way humans and bears co-exist successfully is if the bears have a healthy fear of humans. Those that don't get shot. That's just the way it's gotta be. It's not 'anger', it's not 'teaching the bear a lesson', it's not 'vengance', and it's not 'punishment'. It's just policy. Keeps more bears and more humans alive in the long run.

Oh - and c'mon guy .. we're using the 'bears' habitat? That is the wild world, not the 'bears home'. ALL animals live there. And we're animals too. The fact we are capable of creating 'cities' and RUINING wild habitat doesn't change that. Just out of curiosity, which planet exactly did you THINK humans evolved on? :D
 
Letters on killer griz
Let's see if we can light these two jokers up.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/letters/story.html?id=95daef2a-dcad-4654-9016-388978af0798

Given that Don Peters was in the bear's environment, one wants to hope that cooler heads will prevail, and that the bear will not be executed for doing exactly what he would naturally be inclined to do, and what Peters would have no doubt done to the bear were he able to.

What is it that compels a human to set out with murderous intent, using vastly superior weaponry, to slay innocent victims for their blood-lust, in the victims' homes, and then to further ensure the guarantee of a kill by annihilating the competition -- natural predators?

The answer is smug arrogance, cowardice and avarice, coupled with an inclination to further punish those who would, as in this case, respond in "similar" fashion, even though this grizzly is entitled to protect its territory -- something the human animal seems to have no problem doing.

Michael Alvarez-Toye,

Calgary

Man, I knew I'd heard this guys name before - what a piece of work :jerkit:

http://www.freeanimals.org/wwf/alvareztoye.html
http://michaelat.zaadz.com/
http://www.animalvoices.ca/stampede
 
Foxer, as always your post is intelligent and well written, but I disagree with it. All bears have the capacity to be problem bears. The reason they do not become problem bears is because they are not in contact with people for extended periods of time. Treadwell proved you can be an idiot around bears for a period of time before one gets grouchy enough to kill you, and given enough exposure sooner or later it will happen. This is not a 1 in 1000 chance, rather it is a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, long enough with any bear. Bears do not have evil intent as we understand the word, but they are dangerous, even when they appear not to be.

It is my opinion that we must accept a degree of risk when we go into the wilderness. We might suffer broken bones from falls, frost bite from the cold, we may fallout of our boat or fall through the ice and drown, we may suffer injuries from careless use of our tools, (axes, knives or guns), we might get lost and die of hunger, or we might be unfortunate enough to suffer a bear attack (or for that matter any wildlife attack) brought about by our actions or the actions of a predatory or ill tempered animal.

I have numerous polar bear encounters each year, and if I am approached by a bear I react aggressively. In other words I force the bear into a fight or flight response. So far this has worked to my advantage and conversely, often when I have tried to back away from a bear I have observed that the bear has been encouraged to approach. Sooner or later I will find myself up against a bear that will choose a fight response and one of us will die. That fight response can be triggered in any bear not 1 in a 1000. Just because the bear has run away 100 times does not mean it will run away the 101st time, neither does it mean the bear will retreat the first time. Much depends on that particular bear's life experience, his mood at the time of the encounter, and the amount of time he has to think about what is happening during the encounter.

If we continue to embrace the "bear kills man so it must be destroyed" concept, by definition no large predator can be allowed to live because they all have the capacity to kill people. It is curious that when a moose kills a man there is no out cry to kill the moose.
 
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If any DO attack a human - they should be shot. It's not a 'vengance' thing. It's just the way things have to be.

Why?...who came up with "that" rule?

It's like if your dog got rabies. You wouldn't blame the dog, you wouldn't 'hate' the dog, and you probably still love the dog... but you WOULDN'T let it play with the kids and you would probably put it down. Why? Because that's what you do if you're smart in that situation.

The dog vs bear analogy is not a fair one Foxer. Dogs live amongst humans and are known to be man's best friend. Bears don't live amongst humans nor are they our best friends. The same is not expected from a bear than is from a dog, so you cannot treat them equally. Furthermore dogs don't stand a chance of being on an endangered list either.

The only way humans and bears co-exist successfully is if the bears have a healthy fear of humans. Those that don't get shot. That's just the way it's gotta be. It's not 'anger', it's not 'teaching the bear a lesson', it's not 'vengance', and it's not 'punishment'. It's just policy. Keeps more bears and more humans alive in the long run.

And just how many mileniums do you think that will take? They do have a healthy fear of humans, they also seem to have a hatred and appetite for us as well. You bet they should fear us, but not so much those of us with guns, but those with development permits, bulldozers and hoes.

What I'm trying to say is that these great creatures should be respected and considered when we step out into their domain. Let's not let our own bad repeated bad judgement cause their demise. Not like that.
 
Foxer, as always your post is intelligent and well written, but I disagree with it. All bears have the capacity to be problem bears. The reason they do not become problem bears is because they are not in contact with people for extended periods of time.

boomer, you make a compelling case. However - I think that while all bears have the CAPACITY to be violent, there is a difference between that and those who have a PROPENSITY or disposition towards agressive behavior.

Now i'm not saying any bear who shows the slightest aggression should be splashed on the spot. But those who actually BECOME violent and have demonstrated that tendancy (say, by eating a human for example) are rare.

Think about it - in bc we have about 200,000 black bears, and about 13,000 or more grizzlies. We have about 80,000 hunters who spend an average of 2 weeks or better in the woods each year. And that doesn't include other wilderness users. IF there was more than a handful of bears who were violent for whatever reason, this wouldn't be a 'rare' story, this would be an everyday occurance. Bears and humans interact daily out this way, and often in remote areas where the bears are NOT exposed to human contact all the time.

It's that tiny handful that WILL attack and kill a human that are the problem. Yes, you CAN provoke any bear into an attack, but there are always those who will attack with little or no provocation.

Those ones we kill. And by removing them from the picture (and the gene pool) we allow the remaining humans and bears to continue to interact in a peaceful fashion.

It is my opinion that we must accept a degree of risk when we go into the wilderness. We might suffer broken bones from falls, frost bite from the cold, we may fallout of our boat or fall through the ice and drown, we may suffer injuries from careless use of our tools, (axes, knives or guns), we might get lost and die of hunger, or we might be unfortunate enough to suffer a bear attack (or for that matter any wildlife attack) brought about by our actions or the actions of a predatory or ill tempered animal.

Sure. I agree completely. This isn't a 'tragedy' in the sense that 'it never should have happened'... it's GOING to happen once in a while, and it behooves us to remember that once you put a foot out of that car, you're part of the food chain and you're playing by nature's rules.

I don't say we should kill the bear because it 'did something wrong' or is 'evil', i say we should kill it because that's how the game is played in nature. Suing the bear is not going to acheive much :D

Hell - we lock up HUMANS who kill humans. I don't think we should go easy on the bears :D

If we continue to embrace the "bear kills man so it must be destroyed" concept, by definition no large predator can be allowed to live because they all have the capacity to kill people.

No - you're mixing the words 'killed" and "capacity" a little too freely there. We do not kill animals simply because they have the capacity to be a threat. We kill them because they are PROVEN threats who have already acted on that 'capacity'.

It is curious that when a moose kills a man there is no out cry to kill the moose.

I'd kill the moose :D

However - having said that unless it was a very very odd moose, it's highly unlikely it attacked anyone without extreme provocation. But if a moose was consistantly agressive to people, or decided it was a good idea to kill them without provocation, i'd be all for shooting it as soon as possible.
 
Why?...who came up with "that" rule?

The survivors.

The dog vs bear analogy is not a fair one Foxer. Dogs live amongst humans and are known to be man's best friend. Bears don't live amongst humans nor are they our best friends. The same is not expected from a bear than is from a dog, so you cannot treat them equally.

Well true, but I wasn't trying to equate dogs to bears as a species comparison - i was demonstrating that even animals whom we love and trust are sometimes destroyed because of something that is not their fault. Trust me - no dog with rabies is your friend :) The point was - if an animal is dangerous, we destroy it - even if we do not blame the animal, even if we still love the animal, even if we're going to be sad as hell to see the animal gone.
Furthermore dogs don't stand a chance of being on an endangered list either.

200,000 black bears, 13,000 grizzes. In bc alone. I don't think there's ANY danger of them going on the 'endangered' list anytime in the near future.

I realize in alberta there's a smaller population - about 900 or so i think? Sure - wantonly destroying those animals would be a mistake. But - removing select individuals who are overly aggressive is actually more likely to allow growth in the population than allowing them to live. How do you think we get along with so many bears in our province?
 
I don't know about the kill the bear or don't kill it thing... What I do know is that going into the bush, prepared is what tends to keep a person alive best.

For example, it's a lot easier for a bear to find a single hunter cleaning a kill & have something unfortunate happen, than if there are 2. Usually at least one of them can get to a rifle & end the issue before serious injury happens to either.

While not good for hunting, when in the off season, having bells on the backpack tends to mean that the bears hear you & aren't startled... On the other hand, they KNOW where you are if they're hungry... ;)

Playing things safe, goes a MUCH longer way is all.

As for the original letter... that gal sounds like the type that would last about 5 minutes in deep bush... Or until she encountered her first predator, whichever happened first.

L
 
I don't know about the kill the bear or don't kill it thing... What I do know is that going into the bush, prepared is what tends to keep a person alive best.

Yup. At the end of the day, your brain is still your first and best line of defense. Use it wisely. :)

But even those who are completely prepared and trained are sometimes killed. Once you leave those city limits - you're part of the food chain.
As for the original letter... that gal sounds like the type that would last about 5 minutes in deep bush... Or until she encountered her first predator, whichever happened first.

Yeah - i read it and I was thinking 'Hmmm ... bait."
 
The mere fact that a bear is a bear makes it dangerous, period. When we take up the sport of hunting we expose ourselfs to a variety of dangerous situations, hunters who don't use binocs for one :evil: This discussion came up around our breakfast table this morning. I asked my wife that if I was ever killed by a bear that she not go an a vendetta to "get" that bear. It was understood that it did just what is programmed into it's DNA. My wife stated that if I ever did anything like go into such a situation and did something that got me killed....she would kill me again :).
 
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