I cannot comment on the "normal" measures for bear avoidance (which is much more effective than bear protection), but I can describe the measures that I employ. We have black and brown(grizzly) bears in this area (SE Alaska), I can't comment on polar bears. Cooking and food - All food storage, cooking and dishwashing takes place at least 50 yards from the tent. Foodstuffs are packed in their own individual airtight containers, then double bagged in plastic and then placed into a drybag or stuff sack. If below tree line and there is a tree with sufficient branches (ie. strong enough and broad enough to hang the food away from the trunk) food is hung 15-20 feet in the air. If above tree line or in an area that precludes hanging food I make a cache of the food bags and then stack pots/pans/cups on top so that if the cache is disturbed I'll know about it. (My reaction might be to simply burrow down deeper into my sleeping bag<g>) Traveling - when hiking I make sure that I/we are making plenty of noise, especially when hiking in thick brushy conditions where visibility can often be measured in feet or inches. I make an extra effort at this when in the vicinity of a noisy stream that might mask the sound of normal travel. Salmon streams - Exercise extra care during the spring thru fall when approaching or traveling on a salmon stream - interrupting a bear here is akin to dropping in on top of someone's dinner table during a meal - it doesn't usually evoke a good response. General concepts - usually bears will avoid humans whenever possible - letting them know we're in their territory is the most effective method of avoiding conflict. If a bear is accidentally encountered talking to them in a low, calm voice can help while you slowly back away. If in a group, cluster together to appear larger. I've never seen this and hope dearly that I never do (well, mostly I hope dearly, but there is a teeny foolish part of me that thinks it would be tremendously exciting), but often a bear will "bluff charge" and stop and then retreat if the charge didn't cause the chargee to flee. I carry bear spray and sometimes a 12 ga. shotgun. The shotgun is something that is a purely personal decision - I feel comfortable handling it - if I didn't, I wouldn't carry a gun at all. Using it would mean that I had screwed up by the numbers - or, as you'll see below, that my luck just turned incredibly bad. I will sometimes schedule and plan trips around where I think the bears won't be - trips up into the alpine are great when the bears are down low gorging on salmon. Bears are unpredictable wild animals and I always try to remember that I'm the trespasser in their territory - about three weeks ago a hunter was mauled over on Admiralty island about 15-20 airmiles from Juneau. He was hauling out a deer when the attack took place. The hunter and bear were initially in a stand-off position when the hunter decided to abandon the carcass to the bear and move away - that's when the initial attack took place. The bear ignored the deer and went after the human. The bear then abandoned the attack and circled thru the brush only to attack the hunter again. This sequence was performed a third time before the bear eventually left the hunter alone. A VHF distress call picked up by a passing Alaska Marine Highway System ferry and relayed to a local flying company finally ended in a rescue. The guy had what were described as 40-50 serious puncture wounds from the attack. I know that he lived, but don't know what the ultimate effects of this attack will be. Did the hunter somehow do something wrong (other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time)? - I don't know. What it does reinforce is that taking all the precautions you can is a good idea when you're in their domain. Oh - this business about fighting back if you're attacked - my first close-up sighting of a big brownie made me realize that that would be kind of like a mouse fighting back after my cat has caught it - it's certainly entertaining to the cat<g>. my rather long-winded .02 Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska > -----Original Message----- > From: Sisler, Clyde [mailto:Clyde.Sisler_at_wang.com] > Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 1998 4:45 AM > To: 'Paddlewise' > Subject: [Paddlewise] Bear Spray: was Canadian Customs snip > On another note, what are normal measures for protecting > oneself from bears > in the 'north country'. Obiously, avoidence is #1, hang your > food high on a > skinny branch, don't take food or your cooking clothes into > the tent. Those > are standard rules for black bear country and are usually sufficient. > > My belief is polar bears will stalk and eat you and that > grizzly and Kodiak > bears will normally try to avoid you (unless they're hungry?). > > In Kabloona, Victoria talked about bear spray, an air horn, a > shotgun and a > flare gun with normal flares and noisemakers. I hadn't heard > of the noise > makers before. > > She also talked about setting up a sort of perimeter defense > with some kind > of noise makers hanging from lines that would rattle if a > bear banged into > them at night. a) I don't know if I'd hear something like > that, and b) > don't know if I'd have time to focus and react. > > > ************************************************************** > ************* > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > ************************************************************** > ************* > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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