RE: [Paddlewise] Bears

"Steve Brown" <steve_at_brown-web.net> wrote:
>what I have read is that Black Bear
 attacks, when they occur, are usually to eat you. I think this is a
 generally accepted fact about black bears because the web site quoted 
 on a later post says this: "In the unlikely event a black bear attacks
 you (meaning he thinks you are prey)"

I would think more likely that you threatened a mother bear's cub. 
They will kill or wound you, and then hustle off to make sure the cub
is okay.  Look how many people are killed by moose (but not eaten).

>avoiding attack and surviving attack which seem to contradict
one-another. They say avoid eye contact to avoid a charge, presumably
so you won't look threatening 

Pretty much the same advice for avoiding and surviving attacks by
2-legged predators.  What's confusing?

>(I think that's good advice for a Griz), but then wave your arms, look
big and tall like a human so you will look threatening. 

Black bear advice.

I don't know about the arm waving bit, but it's a very good idea to
look big.  If there's any doubt in the bear's mind, you want them to
decide that you look too big to bother with.  If you look small and
like an easy target, chances are, you'll be an easy target.

>Playing dead sounds like an invitation to be eaten immediately to me.

You need to know a little about bear behavior.  Looking threatening to
an animal who is used to being the king of the forest will get you a
butt-whupping.  They're not used to be threatened by anything but a
bigger bear.  If you threaten them, they decide you're a threat to
their territory and their safety, and they'll neutralize the threat.

If you don't look threatening, and you don't look like a meal (what
would you rather eat? elk tenderloins or goretex?), the bear will avoid
you---you must give them the opportunity to get away.

Secondly, bears do not feed immediatly.  Griz are carrion feeders. 
They'd sooner let you rot awhile before eating you.  Most likely,
they'll wound you...if you play dead, they'll leave you to rot, and
when they're clearly gone, you can get away.

Humans have taken up so much space on this planet that the real
wildlife has gotten compressed into exponentially smaller spaces.  And
now we want to walk brazenly into their homes and shoot them when they
feel threatened.  It's not about taming the wild.  99% of the wild has
already been tamed.  Let's leave that last 1% wild.  If we can't handle
wilderness on its own terms, we should stay in the other 99%.

Learn about bear behavior.  I mean really learn about bears.  If you
still want to carry heat, fine.  But I believe once you've educated
yourself sufficiently, you won't feel as much need for the excess
weight.

 Shawn

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