My confidence in bear spray has lowered...

[TrainChaser]

Rob, it depends on the terrain. And whether or not you saw the bear coming (at 35 mph), already had the ATV running, were aboard and ready to hit the throttle.

I suspect that luck (good and bad) has more to do with animal attacks than we would like to think. After all, it does with everything else.

 

[Gunny]

Mostly I was just joking around. While it's true I am afraid of bears ( watched a sow grizzly teach a black bear a hard lesson) it's not something I worry about. When I still owned my land in Mt. I did spend time considering how to ' bear proof' the cabin I intended to build.

There are many ways to exit this life, becoming a meal for Yogi is far down on my list.

Rob

 

[highdesertranger]

no worries Gunny. Yogi goes for pic-a-nic baskets. highdesertranger

 

[Gunny]

HDR, I would like to shake your hand. Your posts are consistent and intelligent. As opposed to a few of mine.

Rob

 

[Gary68]

looks like just sitting there then say "hey,hey" works

[video=youtube]

 

[Gunny]

That is about the biggest NOPE I can think of.

 

[ArtW]

Maybe, instead of bear spray or a gun, carry a big ol' trout to throw down in front of the bear while you run like mad 
Nah, probably attract more bear than you have trout, sticking with gun

 

[highdesertranger]

2 old prospectors were cooking diner around their campfire, when a big ole grizz wondered into camp. the grizz stood up on it's hind legs and growled. one of the old times said, "I am going to make a run out of here". the other old timer said, "don't be a fool everybody knows you can't outrun a grizz." to which the first one said, "I don't need to outrun the grizz, I just need to outrun you." highdesertranger

 

[waldenbound]

The most important thing, imho, is how to tell the difference between black bears and grizzlies. Here's how:

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

~ An old Boy Scout joke ~

 

[highdesertranger]

highdesertranger

 

[GrayWhale]

The point being shot placement beats caliber. I would rather have my 44 magnum with me than my .22lr. Hitting soft tissue like eyes mouth neck would probably be better than trying to break a shoulder bone.

I don't disagree, but I think that when a grizzly is charging at up to 35mph at you....your reaction, ranging from near panic to full out panic will be to aim center mass and unload as many rounds as you can. I doubt that most people will be calm and collected enough to aim for its face, but may still hit it out of chance due to it being what's in front and heading towards them first.

 

[DannyB1954]

People seek a perfect answer to a hypothetical situation and it doesn't exist. All anyone can do is their best. There are questions that there are no answers for, situations without definite solutions. Personally I am not hiking in the woods where grizzlies live, I will be in my van having coffee. I used to go diving for Abalone where the great white sharks live. I now wonder how could I have been so stupid. Don't play with something that can kill you.

 

[GotSmart]

UH~~~  Everything can kill you.

I agree 10,000% about sharks, and moma bears.   :dodgy:

 

[GrayWhale]

What about somewhat loud music, constantly playing on a radio as your hiking? I'm thinking that if they hear you from far away, it may cause them to move, especially when they're not used to such constant noise in the serenity of the forest. The little rattling bells may not be loud enough and you may end up surprising a bear, which is what seems to be the worse fear for hikers.

I know that my cousins go camping deep into the woods and they are very loud, drinking and playing music loud. Seems to keep any kind of wild life away.

 

[Almost There]

Yes, loud noise will do the trick - as long as the animal is downwind from you.

OTOH, loud music played in the middle of the forest might get you in serious trouble with all the rest of the people who come to the forest for the peace and quiet...know what I'm saying...

 

[GotSmart]

You can always try moonshine.



[font=arial, sans-serif]Well, like to explain to you all before,
I ain't no drinkin' man
I tried it once and it got me highly irregular
And I swore I'd never do it again
I promised my brother in-law that I'd go up watch his still
While he went in to town to vote
It was right up on the mountain 
Where the map said it would be
Friends let me tell you one thing,
Tho it wasn't no ordinary still
It stood up on that mountainside 
Like a hugh golden opal[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]God's yeller moon shinin' on the cool clear evenin'
God's little lanterns twinklin' on and off in the heavens
Like I explain'd to you once before I ain't no drinkin' man
But temptation got the best of me
And I took a slash
That yella whiskey runnin' down my throat 
Like honey dew vine water
And I took another slash, 
Took another'n an another'n an another'n
For you knew I'd downed one whole jug of that shit
And commenced to gettin' hot flashes
Goose pimples was runnin' up and down my body
And a feelin' came over me 
Like somethin' I'd never experienced before
It was like, like I was in love
In love for the first time, with anything that moved
Animate, inanimate it didn't matter
It's like there's a great neon sign flashin' on an' off
In my brain sayin' "Jimmy Buffett there's a great day a comin'"
'Cause I was drunk
I wasn't knee crawlin', slip slidin', Reggie Youngin'
Commode huggin' drunk
I was God's own drunk and a fearless man
And that's when I first saw the bear
He was a Kodiak lookin' fella 'bout nineteen feet tall
He rambled up over the hill 
Expectin' me to do one of two things,
Flip or fly, I didn't do either one
It hung him up
He started sniffin' around my body tryin' to smell fear
But he ain't gonna smell no fear 'cause
I'm God's own drunk and a fearless man
It hung him up
He looked right in my eyes, and my eyes 
Was a lot redder than his was
It hung him up
So I approached him, I said "Mr. Bear, I love
Every hair on your twenty-seven acre body
I know you got a lot of friends over there
On the other side of the hill
There's ole' rare bear, tall bear, Freddy bear, Kelly bear
Really bear, smelly the bear, smokey the bear, 
Pokey the bear
I want you to go back over there tonight 
And tell them I'm feelin' right
You tell them I love each and everyone of them 
Like a brother and a sister
But if they give me any trouble tonight
I'm gonna run every God damn one of them off the hill"
He took two steps backwards and didn't know what to think
Neither did I but bein' charitable and cautious 
Well hell I approached him again
I said "Mr. Bear, You know in the eyes of the Lord
We're both beasts when it comes right down to it
So I want you to be my buddy, Buddy bear"
So I took ole' buddy bear by his island size paw
And I led him over to the still
He's a sniffin' around that thing cause
He's smellin' somethin' good
I gave him one of them jugs of honey dew vine water
He downed it up right
Looked like one of them damn bears in the circus
Sippin' sasparilly in the moonlight
I gave him another'n an another'n an another'n
For I knew it he downed eight of them
And commenced to doin' the bear dance
Two snips, a snort, a fly turn, and a grunt
It was so simple like the jitter bug 
It plum evaded me
We worked ourselves into a tumultuous uproar
And I was awful tired and went over to the hillside
And I laid down and went to sleep
Slept for four hours and dreampt me some tremulous dreams
When I woke up, there was God's yeller moon
Shinin' on the clear cool evenin'
God's little lanterns twinklin' on and off
In the heavens
My buddy the bear was a missin'
Want to know something else friends and neighbors
So was that still[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.541176)]Songwriters: Lord Buckley[/font][/color]

 

[highdesertranger]

thank you, Almost There. stop it with the loud music. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

What about somewhat loud music, constantly playing on a radio as your hiking? I'm thinking that if they hear you from far away, it may cause them to move, especially when they're not used to such constant noise in the serenity of the forest. The little rattling bells may not be loud enough and you may end up surprising a bear, which is what seems to be the worse fear for hikers.

I know that my cousins go camping deep into the woods and they are very loud, drinking and playing music loud. Seems to keep any kind of wild life away.

Your cousins are the wildlife. I was in Sequoia NP car camping. In the morning a bear outfitted with an ear tag and radio collar came into camp checking out the sites for food. One of the other campers started banging pots and pans together to make noise. The bear though it was a dinner bell and ran straight for their camp. Pots and pans did make a little more noise as they flew into the air and hit the ground as the camper dove for their vehicle.

 

[GrayWhale]

Your cousins are the wildlife. I was in Sequoia NP car camping. In the morning a bear outfitted with an ear tag and radio collar came into camp checking out the sites for food. One of the other campers started banging pots and pans together to make noise. The bear though it was a dinner bell and ran straight for their camp. Pots and pans did make a little more noise as they flew into the air and hit the ground as the camper dove for their vehicle.

Haha, then why do they teach to yell at the bear when they're too close? My cousins and their friends blasts their music pretty loud and haven't had problems with bears yet, for years now.

 

[Almost There]

GrayWhale - what campgrounds are those cousins of yours hanging out in!

Just askin'!!