Bears 1-Hikers 0

[S.A. Boggs]

Doesn't make sense to go off into the acreage not properly prepared. Alaskan hiker killed by bear, rescuer who was searching mauled. Reminds me of the guy who every summer went to be with the bears, one year his not too wise girlfriend went as well, you can guess the results. Some people are born stupid, other's acquire it in the journey of life.
Sam

[bruce]

Yep. About like people who ride motorcycles, climb rocks, etc. High risk activities ... potential extreme consequences. Overwhelming vast majority end up just fine. Occasionally someone ends up injured or dead. Stupid? For those who don't care to hike in wilderness areas, ride motorcycles, climb rocks, etc., the term may suffice. For those who do like these activities, they would likely cite their own right to make their own choices. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

[clintonhater]

Yep. About like people who ride motorcycles, climb rocks, etc. High risk activities ... potential extreme consequences. Overwhelming vast majority end up just fine. Occasionally someone ends up injured or dead. Stupid? For those who don't care to hike in wilderness areas, ride motorcycles, climb rocks, etc., the term may suffice. For those who do like these activities, they would likely cite their own right to make their own choices. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

May not be stupid, but most are presumptuous--they believe society owes them a duty to save them from the consequences of risks they happily undertook, such as the hugely expensive search parties, often using helicopters, sent out when the risk-taker gets lost or injured doing something he wasn't competent to handle. Fortunately for such risk-takers, there seems to be no shortage of cry-babies not only willing but EAGER to bail them out of the trouble they asked for.

[Sunray]

All the "bear defence" posts on the assorted forums seem to have PO'd Yogi. A woman was attacked by a black bear in Saskatchewan this past week. I'd almost bet she had food in the tent. There are reports both she and her husband ran from Yogi. Nothing excites him more. Except maybe an unattended picnic basket.
Another wildlife technician was mauled by Yogi in May while working alone near a stream in Montana.

[Dolt]

Natural selection at work. Nothing wrong with that.

[togor]

Have three cans of bear spray. One left over from my last trip. Two handed to me on that trip by folks who were on the way out, and had no use for it. Bear spray is a no-no on flights, end of story. Not even in checked bags. It's actually not as strong at 2% as the stuff they use to repel humans, but it's the volume and range of fire that matters. Happy to report that I have never had to draw it. Headed next week to the Minnesota arrowhead. Just black bear up there and they don't bother people. Plus we'll have a big stinky dog with us in the tent and hang the food.

[dryheat]

-Just black bear up there and they don't bother people.- More liberal fanstacy. I know of three cases in AZ where people got chewed up by black bears. Of course it's hot here and they do get desparate.

[S.A. Boggs]

Have three cans of bear spray. One left over from my last trip. Two handed to me on that trip by folks who were on the way out, and had no use for it. Bear spray is a no-no on flights, end of story. Not even in checked bags. It's actually not as strong at 2% as the stuff they use to repel humans, but it's the volume and range of fire that matters. Happy to report that I have never had to draw it. Headed next week to the Minnesota arrowhead. Just black bear up there and they don't bother people. Plus we'll have a big stinky dog with us in the tent and hang the food.

Good as a dog is, for your safety have you thought of setting up a perimeter trip wire to alert you?
Sam

[togor]

Well dryheat the ones we encounter on the water we should be able to outrun in the canoe. Otherwise the bears are mostly interested in food. Common sense goes a long way towards good human-bear relations, and maybe your AZ city folk lack it. I'll hang our food, same as always, and use opsaks and a bear bag for the stinky stuff.

[free1954]

Doesn't make sense to go off into the acreage not properly prepared. Alaskan hiker killed by bear, rescuer who was searching mauled. Reminds me of the guy who every summer went to be with the bears, one year his not too wise girlfriend went as well, you can guess the results. Some people are born stupid, other's acquire it in the journey of life.
Sam

most likely the only things they know about bears come from Disney shows.

[barretcreek]

Thirty years ago animal behaviorists were saying black bear had started to consider humans as below them on the food chain. Two friends working on their guide licenses in AK. Both are more wary of black bears than grizzlies.
Be careful up there, Togor. We'd miss you. Sort of.

[m1ashooter]

I read some stats that said said one stood a better chance of getting hurt by a Black Bear then a Griz. A young man was killed by a Black Bear in NJ, yes NJ a few years back. Maybe because there are more of them. I never traveled into the bush in Alaska without a 12 gage.

[togor]

Bears are one of those topics that bubble up to the the top of the internet. But the drive up and the water itself are objectively greater sources of danger. We'll hang our food and hope for the best.

If I survive the trip then sometime I'll tell you guys about my midnight encounter with three representatives of Ursus americanus in Lake Itasca State Park.

[togor]

No bears, but I did see a deer strike on a Subaru right in front of me on the way up. Put a hind leg through the left rear window, and half of it stayed behind. Hard to see the poor creature in my side view mirror struggling to get off the road on three-and-half legs. My thoughts were a hope that a CCL holder or LEO would come by soon, and for the combat veterans who have seen death throes much harder to take than that.