RE: [Paddlewise] Bluffing Bears....

I love to backpack and kayak in Alaska and have read about everything I can
find on bear behavior, bear attacks, and bear etiquette.  I have also had a
few bear encounters, both black and brown.  Here are several observations
for what it is worth:

1) Bears are hunted in Alaska and I have seen no indication that this
increases either their fear or the hunter's safety.  In fact, far more bear
hunters are attacked by grizzly bears than all other outdoor enthusiasts
combined (fishermen, hikers, backpackers, berry pickers, kayakers, you name
it).  I know of one man that shot a brown bear twice with a 30.06 rifle and
5 times with a 357 magnum at very close range.  He got mangled (actually his
head was crushed in the bear's jaws) and the bear walked away (belief is
that it survived, as weeks of searching failed to turn up a dead bear).
2) Brown bear charges are most likely a bluff.  The primary exception being
a female with cubs.
3) Bears are far more predictable than people.  They act on a few basic
instincts, while the motivations of people are far more complex and
irrational.  I once responded to an editorial against reintroducing grizzly
bears in Idaho by challenging the author to a bet.  I would camp out for a
month among one of the most dense brown bear populations on earth (Admiralty
Island, Alaska) and he would camp out in urban D.C.'s Rock Creek Park for a
month, and we would see who has the safest experience.  He declined.
4) A little knowledge about bear behavior will offer far more protection
from mishaps than a gun (I have guns, but never take them into the
backcountry).
5) Anyone who loves truly wild places will also love the presence of natural
predators such as bears.

Dave

David E. Jenkins
Director of Conservation and Public Policy
American Canoe Association
(703) 451-0141 ext.20
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