Multiple Bear Attacks in July 2017: How to Defend Yourself From Backcountry Grizzlies & Black Bears
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2017
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Click the link above to check out an ultralight electric fence for your campsite, tested on grizzlies at the Bear & Wolf Center by the National Outdoor Leadership School. Read the info below and watch our video on the bear electric fence: • Bear Proofing a Tent w...
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List of Attacks in July of 2017:
4 July 2017 - www.sltrib.com/news/5498972-15...
5 July 2017 - www.usnews.com/news/best-stat...
9 July 2017 - fox5sandiego.com/2017/07/09/be...
12 July 2017 - www.idahostatesman.com/outdoor...
Recent Deadly Attacks:
www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/...
Bear Spray Fails in this Story:
craigmedred.news/2017/06/22/b...
After multiple bear attacks have occurred this month of July, 2017, it is more important than ever to understand bear safety in order to keep yourself and other campers or hikers safe when enjoying the outdoors and spending time in the BackCountry.
Being bear-aware means keeping your camp safe. This idea of creating a wall around your tent with dead timber is free and easy to do. Animals avoid going through brush, so this will deter a bear from smashing the tent down on top of you.
The "bear-a-cade" will also prevent bears from tearing through your tent. Many bear fatalities have occured when bears pulled people out of their tents by grabbing onto their sleeping bags.
If you are wrapped up tight in a sleeping bag and asleep, you will have very little chance of reacting to a night-time bear mauling. The wall of sticks and tree limbs will surely help alert you if a bear attempts to attack you in your tent.
Firearms and bear spray (mace pepper spray) are reccomended, but only if you take proper training and safety measures to use these tools. You don't want to endanger yourself more than you would without even carrying them as protection.
Bears are out their, and attacks do occur more often than you think. Don't get caught off gaurd by a grizzly or a black bear, stay safer and be bear-aware.
Creative Commons/Fair Use Image credits:
Grizzly Bear photo - Creative Commmons Grizzly Bear by NPS Photo / Ken Conger CC by 2.0
Geographical Range of Bears in North America - This map was compiled by superimposing three maps prepared by Karl Musser (American black bear - Creative Commons License), Simon Pierre Barrette (grizzly bear - GNU Free Document License), and Fabio B (polar bear - public domain).
Google map data © 2017 - Google Earth
Thank you to everyone for sharing your feedback. There are a couple points and alternatives we will cover in our upcomimg videos this year:
Please remember that these predatory attacks are extremely rare, and that you cannot always prevent them by following proper procedures to keep your camp safe. This is because the people before you may have failed to follow these procedures, which is often the case with these types of bear attacks. Bringing your dog can also lead to more harm than good. There are also some other options to secruing your campsite, because some ecosystems are very fragile and piling dead timber around your tent may not always be the best method available. We will share these additional techniques with you soon.
We want everyone to stay safe and mindful of their wilderness surroundings, it is our goal to keep everyone informed on this topic.
"... extremely rare"??? Four listed in July. That's not rare; that is COMMON.
I agree. Bear maulings are pretty common. We often joke that it is not "officially" Spring in Alaska until there has been at least one bear mauling and/or moose stomping. There was one year in the mid-1990s in Anchorage where the wildlife (bear & moose combined) killed more people than people killed people that year.
Anchorage is one of those northwestern cities that is full of greenbelts and bicycle trials. The problem is that you cannot be paying close attention to your surroundings if you are riding a bicycle. A bicyclist riding by a bear will instantly trigger the bear's chase instinct. They are literally asking to be mauled. Or biking between a moose cow and her calf is a great way to get yourself stomped. And it isn't just Spring when people need to be observant. People's pets are taken during the Winter months by wolves who prowl those city greenbelts looking for food. This is what it means to live in Alaska.
+alaskaGLITCH
damn, its sounding as naturally deadly as oz up there...
could i make it with my AK-47 ;) pepper and blade as well...
You want a watch dog with a hair trigger ON A LEASH. He will warn you a bear is around long before any other warning method. The watch dog must not be allowed off the leash. Thats how dogs end up luring a bear back to its owner.
I think some of the folks below may have missed the term "predatory". There is a difference between predatory and defensive attacks. Sometimes it's hard to say which it was, simply because the young or the food cache that was being defended isn't visible. You are correct, though- predatory attacks are very rare. One thing I disagree with, though, is bringing a dog. As long as your dog is always secured, he'll be able to warn you of anything nearby. Besides that, a bear approaching (not out of defense, only curiosity) will often run away from a dog. Just don't let the pup run free.
There is an old saying.
"When a pine needle falls in the Forrest.. the Eagle seen it fall, the Deer heard it fall, and the Bear smelled it fall".
Carl Manx , THAT is SO TRUE!! Well said!!!
And the ranger was passed out drunk in the lookout tower
saw it fall...
Thats a great one, I love it!!!
Chris Wynes I was tempted to correct it too lol!
A better idea is to actually learn how to camp in bear country.
Your camp site should consist of three areas set up in a triangle, each at least 50 meters/yards apart. In the first area you set up your tent and sleeping area. Absolutely no food is to be stored or brought into this area. In the second area you have your cooking and eating area. The last area is where you store the food you are not eating. Your food should be hung a minimum of 5 meters/yards above the ground between two trees that are at least 10 meters/yards apart.
Remember to keep all food away from the sleeping area, that is critical. Clean up immediately after cooking, keep your dishes and cookware in the cooking area, maintain a clean camp, and you should not have any problems with bears or any other critters looking for a free meal.
I have always carried both a shotgun loaded with slugs and a back-up large caliber revolver, but in the 25 years I have lived in Alaska I have never had the need to defend myself. I truly hope it stays that way, but I will continue to be armed for bear ... just in case.
Bears are naturally very curious critters. They have terrible eye-sight, unable to see anything clearly beyond a few dozen meters/yards, but they have an excellent sense of smell. As long as you do not give them a reason to investigate your sleeping area, they will confine themselves to your cooking area and where your food is hung.
Some may think this is advice is "old fashion" or "out of date," but it works. I've been camping in bear country since the 1970s using this camping method and while I have had numerous encounters with bears, none of them ever posed a problem. The key is to be observant. The overwhelming majority of bear maulings are the result of people not paying attention to their surroundings.
Even with proper camping techniques bears sometimes wander straight to tents.. all it takes is a crumb or even a little stain on your clothes.. so many variables even the most vigilant of campers have the possibility of a bear strolling in. So it's always nice to have a contingency plan. I line my camp with string and bells. It lets me know if any large animals are to close to my tent.
Everything you said is perfectly true of course. I also bring my dogs along whenever I hike or camp in Alaska's bush. They have far better senses than I and will alert to possible danger before I become aware, so I keep a close eye on them. Even with all the precautions I mentioned above I have had bears come into my camp at night, even with my dogs sleeping next to me. When hiking or camping in bear country it is a good time to remember that humans are only on top of the food chain because of the tools we are able to fashion. All one can do is reduce the risk as much as possible, but the danger is always there. Hence the reason for being armed specifically for bear self-defense. It is always better to have the means to defend one's self and not need it, than to need it and not have the means.
Just so I can understand you correctly. 3 zones each 50 meters from the next. Zone one is a 50 meter or 150 foot radius from your tent, zone two is another 50 meters our or 300 feet from your tent and the third is another 50 meters or 450 feet from your tent? Thats a huge camping area and may not be exactly practical.
I understand you are trying to give people advice, however..... this sounds way off to me.
That is not even remotely what I said. I stated: "Your camp site should consist of three areas set up in a triangle, each at least 50 meters/yards apart. " The first area is no more than 50 meters from the second and third areas. The second area is no more than 50 meters from the first and third areas. The third area is no more than 50 meters from the first and second areas. So that you are occupying a triangular area with approximately 50 meters on each side.
If you want to camp out in one of those tiny rental camp zones and become bear-bait, be my guest. We get your kind every year in Alaska.
AlaskanGlitch yeah, so I can't "reading comprehension" today.
You do have some good tips, but the most important is to not give the bear a reason to be in your camp. You did speak of not eating in the tent, even camp, but your backpack and stove is right in front of your tent. Food smell enters fibers and held for a long time which was your point to the tent. The bowl/stove/backpack will also hold odors. Beyond food in your pack, you also have other smelling things like toothpaste, potentially candy, soap, deodorant, etc. All will attract a bear. Either way, the highest majorities of camping related encounters occur when food or garbage was present. Keeping a clean camp all but eliminates this. Keep them both away from camp and high in a tree. If you have a vehicle, they all should go inside. Cook away from camp. But if you are afraid of bears so much you resort to electric fences, or searching hours for a branch barricade, maybe you should choose another hobby, or educate yourself on bear behavior so you can better adapt, and equally as important lose the irrational fear of bears. The reality is this is beyond rare.
Also, when I hear someone quoting a statistic that clearly is abnormal, but also appears to be very specific, it makes me think there is some agenda since it tends to manipulate reality. You say there were two deaths in July 2017 which is true, but the reality is there were two deaths for the entire year in the US. This equals the average per year in the US.
To continue using 2017 as the reference, 65 people were killed by dogs with 645 disfigured. 16 deaths in 2017 came from lightning. Deer over 100. Horses, cow, mosquitoes, rats, all of these account for far more deaths than bears. That is not to say you should not plan ahead and as I said, have a clean camp and be ready, but building structures to keep these animals out is ludicrous.
I mainly camp in Wales, i once had a hedgehog in my tent , scarey stuff
Hahaha... Nice
Always put up signs that say this is a bear free zone it should work great
I recommend staying at the Holiday Inn and eating in their restaurant. More comfortable and probably safer.
I don't think there's a holiday inn in the deep woods where I hike if there was it wouldn't be much of a camping/hiking trip ,but I agree it would be safer and more comfortable
AAH! FUNNY MAN
This is the "Bear freedom of speech section"
I like the outdoors. Only last week I walked through a city park. Exhausted, I spent the night in a 5 star hotel. There were plants in the hallway and more in my room. I hung my summer sausage and cheese from the ceiling to discourage any predators. It was a surprisingly cool night, so I turned off the air conditioner. What an amazing feeling having to rely on my instincts to survive! I’ll be doing this again.
Now thats funny.
Now thats a good way to camp!!!
This is my style of camping!
Interesting analogy and not your point, but more people were murdeded in 2019 while in hotels than killed by bears...
Dont forget to bring an air horn. Extremely useful. You dont need to aim, and there is no range. Best chance is Air horn, Bear spray, gun trio.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'll stick to my gun which I've had to use against a bear have fun with your horn
Air horn will just piss the bear off. Slick move xlax.
@@chuckkline2970 . Yep that's why I carry 2 guns and bear spray
357 magnum
If you use a 38 save the last round for yourself.
Ha ha ha.... good one!
Lmbo! True..
i would NEVER try to kill myself with such a weak gun! .44 mag at least! 12 gauge better... u might lie bleeding for hours until u die with a hole in your head from a .38...
overkill is always best when killing yourself or others ;) GETrDONE right!
I would take a .38 over bear spray any day.
PokerMan ,
Probably be better as a noise device than a weapon to kill a bear
Took my ex wife camping in bear country. Was alot cheeper than a divorce
Animal rights group will sue over animal abuse!
Damn !!! Wish I'd thought of that 6 years ago !
she should have dumped you a lot sooner.
@@marianfrances4959 you think I'm joking
Oh !? Is that why I have seen the disguised "Bacon" scent body powder for sale, in the camping section of the men's rights internet sites ? Its the cost of 1 hour attorney time, but like you stated, its a lot cheaper. Snark, snark.
Both of my adult children live and work on the north part of Yellowstone. Needless to say, they both carry bear spray on a daily basis.
Need more than bear spray you can only use it once they should carry a gun as well
There are also motion detectors that trigger a 120db alarm that were shown to be effective at scaring bears off as well as alerting people that something is outside and which direction it is in.
NEVER keep your food in your tent!!! Best way to avoid a bear attack: stay in a hotel!
It's not your food the bear wants that is in your tent.
You're my likely to get killed driving to the hotel than you are hiking to your campsite
100 ft from your tent cook 100 feet in another direction
Sleep a fair distance from where you cook and eat. Hang all of your "smellables" away from where you sleep. Have nothing in your sleeping area but your sleeping gear. Use your head, don't provoke critters, and have a good time. I have 42 years of backcountry experience 0 (zero) bear issues.
Trigger Snob Agree. Also, don’t forget that “smellables” include things we don’t associate with being edible. Toothpaste, scented soap, etc. Bears are attracted to unusual smells and they will curiously check them out. So keep highly scented items with your food stash.
And sleep with that .44 right next to you.
Bear can bear you bearly a bear issues!
I hang my food but a funny memory was the time I couldn't get it down due to a snag of a limb,glad no one saw me swatting my food bag with a big stick....I needed that blasted coffee,lol.
Good advice. However, when a bear is biting through a tent and grabbing a person, he wasn't there for anything else. That bear wasn't guessing at what he was getting. You smell like meat and that is all he needed to know. When you're snug as a bug in your sleeping bag the bear is thinking TACOS!
It helps also to know what bear scat looks like. It has bells in it and smells like peppers.
Does it taste like chicken?
Lolololol
Great reply: Does it taste like chicken? LMAO
😅😅😅
I do alot of camping in the Olympic Mntn. range, and what I use seems to work: I take a grenade launcher, and Claymore mines as protection. Yeah sure, the aftermath isn't pretty, but good security is worth it.
Heeheehee!
Amateur hour over here! I don't leave the house without heat sinking drone missile support, for camping, I bring my pet Rancor
You can never have too much protection. 😂
The knock on your front door is the BATFE, backed up by the FBI.
Lol
As a bear I approve of this message.
We came up with the idea for the attacks while eating fermented apples out of a trash can and I guess one thing just kinda lead to another. We were high but still - I admit there was a kind of coordinated and premeditated aspect to the whole thing.
I guess it had been brewing throughout June, mainly due to a dare that someone voiced some time back in May prolly. We laughed it off at first, but somehow the idea seemed to stick, and wouldn't go away and it just became like this pushy thing between us. I suppose we all sensed it was building towards some unfortunate climax, but it was like we couldn't stop the ball rolling, once the idea was out. To be honest, maybe we didn't really want to stop, but I conceed it all got maybe a bit out of hand. It was like we were all subconsciously waiting for mom and dad to step in and put an end to all the ruckus, but they never showed.
Looking back, I don't think we should have eaten our parents during winter either, but they'd grown kind of old and weak like they were kinda asking for it, you know? Plus - I don't think anyone can deny they'd been about roughly the same kind of business at one time or another back in the day.
Anyway - here were are and things can't be remedied, and I just wanted to put that out there. I am not making any promises. I am a bear for fucks sake. No you build yourself some barriers - it's true we get a little stupid in the dark. Don't know what that's all about, but there you go. You do your thing and we'll be bears about it.
2 MAJOR flaws w this vid. Gun WAY TOO SMALL, and 2nd, Black bears are WAY more dangerous than griz. Blackies see humans as food & are ambush hunters, hit u from behind if possible. Grizzlies not so much unless provoked or old/very young/stupid or wounded. As for the weapon. Bears flesh is incredably dense & eats bullets energy quickly. A MINIMUM in the lower 48 would be a 357 mag w WFN HARD CAST pumped up rounds. PREFFERABLY a 44 mag or better. Buffalo Bore makes excellent HOT WFN bear punchers. Bear spray will NOT stop a sow w cubs (normally) just pisses her off more. Having a DOG along is a 2 sided coin. They will definately let you know if a bears around, downside, will come running back to you when being bear chased bringing the pissed bear w them. Wear bells when in bear country too. Bears sences are 1000 times more acute than a?humans & THEY know your around WAY before you know theyre around & will usually be more than happy to move their cubs away from you long before u see them. I lived AK bush 27 years. Worked w the best bear experts in the world. DIDNT even go to the outhouse w/o a bear gun. SEEN & HEARD it all. Only a fool goes into the wilds w/o a GUN!!
and if you see some shit with bells in it --- RUN!
Dave, I see your point about "black bears are WAY more dangerous than brown/grizzly", but it is not entirely true. Browns/grizzlies are much more aggressive. They react differently to threats, and browns/grizzlies often will act aggressively to deal with the threat. Black bears on the other hand are far more timid and will often flee rather than attack. So, encountering one or the other in close proximity in an example such as with cubs, or startling it, the brown/grizzly is far more dangerous. It is true that the majority of brown/grizzly (grizzly from now on) attacks are resulting from startling the bear, or threatening it/cache/cubs, etc. It is also true that black bears have attacked more people than grizzlies, but the reason for that is merely numbers. There are far more black bears in the US than grizzlies, with both a larger range and closer to human development. So, there are far more interactions with black bears than with grizzlies.
As for "blackies seeing humans as food", this is just untrue as it is with any other predator. Humans are not a normal part of their menu, but instead treated as a threat, so all bears will avoid humans in most situations. Most problems come from habituation and food conditioning, meaning they are accustomed to seeing people and associate them with food. That is not to say humans are food, but instead, where there is a human, there will be food be it scraps, trash, etc. This habituation accounts for the lions share of bear attacks from grizzlies or blacks. You are correct though that black bears (grizzlies too) can act in a predatory manner when it comes to humans. These account for the lowest percentage in attacks, but yes, the highest percentage in fatalities. Getting back to black, it is why you need to take action and scare a black bear whenever they appear to get too close to you and are unafraid, especially following you. The longer you allow him to follow, the more dangerous it becomes for you. This brings us back to your point that most often any bear will leave the area once it is aware of your presence and often before you knew they were there. All bear attacks are rare, and frankly if you (not you) are going to build a bear fences, or use electrical fences, you probably should find a new hobby as you have an irrational fear of bears and it is impacting your ability to enjoy the outdoors.
As for bear spray "not stopping a sow with cubs", or any bear, that is just false. There are many studies and statistics showing it does work. But yes, there are many instances where bear spray has failed. It comes down to the circumstance and how you use it. Spraying it on a tent before going to sleep (yes it was done) did not prevent an attack, nor did other circumstances where the bear was too far, too close or missed it completely. But if used properly, it can and has prevented bear attacks. To work, it has to hit the bear directly in the face as so it can attack the eyes, nose and lungs of the animal. If the animal still hits you or timing was late, all bets are off.
I will also say that firearms have failed numerous times. While we all like to think we are proficient with a firearm, I assure you that once you are in a life and death situation, that comes and ends in a matter of seconds if that, there is much room for error. Can you even get it out in time? If so, can you hit it in the vitals? Even "if" you hit it in the vitals, will it stop the attack in time? There are so many variables not to mention type of attack. So, while I certainly will choose a firearm anytime over bear spray, there are some who don't have firearms, may not be proficient in firearms, etc. For them, or in areas you are not allowed to have a firearm, then bear spray is best and certainly better than nothing. But the reality is, the best way to prevent an attack is to ensure you never have to. Knowing bear behavior and knowing what to do during the multitude of scenarios you may have with a bear is key. In that regard, most attacks could have been avoided with good decision making.
As for camp, just keep a clean camp, period. No need for wasting a couple hours building a structure around your tent, that you could be fined for anyway. Certainly save the space and loss of a man card for an electrical fence. Just use your brain, don't cook in or near your tent, keep all things smelly out of or away from the tent, and you will likely never have an issue. I mean, you have a greater chance of being hit by lightening than getting killed by a bear.
If, if, if. That's life pal. Probably don't hesitate to drive on a highway where you are about 100 times more likely to be killed than hanging out in the woods with bears, am I right?
See in Canada we aren't allowed handguns for wildlife defense. But we sre allowed everything else. So rifles and semi autos etc. I'd either use my backpacking shotgun or my 338 win mag or my 375 H&H for wildlife defense depending if im hunting already or if im just camping. If im just camping probably just my backpacking shotgun. Load the first shot with 000 Buckshot followed by nothing but slugs. We are allowed firearms for wildlife defense on crown land which is the majority of land. If it was my 338 or 375 H&H I'd be using 250 to 300 grainers.
Just give the Bear a big hug and say youre from Berekely and itll go away
And let the bear know he can be any gender he wants
I'm dying 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Now that's some funny stuff !!! LMAO... OMG.. THATS SO TRUE AND FUNNY!!!!
Most likely lizard people/ posing as a Bear?
F- that bear sheet/
Yup / a 38/ 12 gauge / will take that f-ing Predator out/ better be prepared/ or your going down!!
Good times.. Christ Saves!!
I eat in my tent and hang my food in the tent, after eating my food I have a Marlboro red.
Never had any bear problems ever!
I found, by accident, that laying tarps around your tent works to scare bears off, just like green horses, the noise scares them when they step on the tarp.
Great tip with the limbs/branches around the tent. I might have closed it off a little more in front though
I follow spongebobs advice and make a circle around me for bears. He never addressed mtn Lions though.
When a bear tries to eat you and is unsuccessful, it's called a "Bear Attack". If it's successful, it's called a "Missing Person".
There's a whole bunch of missing people.
Lol the missing persons are people falling into ravines, into rivers or lakes and other similar but equally preventable situations. Rarely is it a predatory animal.
Very valid point
Chuck U. Your not missing it’s just thAt your now bear scat.
@@7wildernessSpecialist LOL. Really? And how did you come to that conclusion? You really need to rethink your logic on that one.
@@7wildernessSpecialist how would you know?
The Forest Service in AK helped a lady protect herself in a cabin on National Forest property that she was assigned to occupy by running an electric fence around it. It might be a little heavy but investigate at a farm store for a livestock electric fence that is battery powered. One wire 3' high around your campsite, store your food 50 yards away and, you will be much safer.
My parents took me and my younger brother camping many years ago in Oregon. We tried to get into a popular campground around Wallowa Lake, but it was full. So we were told about another small campground miles back into the national forest. So when we got to the other campground we were the only ones there. My brother and I decided to sleep in the tent and my parents were going to sleep in the back of my dad chevy pickup that had a canopy on top it. Well my dad for some reason thought he had put the cooler away in the truck but he accidentally left the cooler out next to the picnic table which was just a few feet from the tent where my brother and I were going to be sleeping. My brother and I had no idea that the cooler was left out. We all went to bed after dinner. Several hours later I woke up to some grunting noises outside of our tent. My brother was sound asleep. I just froze. I very quietly shook my brother and whispered to him that I think there is a bear outside. We both didnt move a muscle. We could still hear the bear grunting and getting into something. Well thank goodness my dad heard the bear from inside the truck and he knew what was out there. He pushed the alarm on his key fob and the alarm went off. That alarm did the trick and scared the bear off. We waited a few minutes and then my brother and I quietly unzipped our tent and with our flashlight looked around to see if the bear was gone. It was. He and I both ran to my dad truck and got in the back. My dad said that he saw a bear with its teeth embedded in the lid of our cooler and was thrashing it around. My parents were also very scared. We still have that cooler with the bear's teeth marks on the lid. After that experience I no longer enjoy camping and I refuse to sleep in a tent in secluded campgrounds and I will not camp in the back country, and I will no longer go into the mountains.
Update ,did you sleep on a tent again after the incident
The thought of a bear attack absolutely terrifies me. Thank goodness I live in the UK!
Me too...but I'm jealous because I live in Canada very close to bear country. A few bears have come right into my father in laws yard a few times. I get freaked out when I visit just getting out of the car to go inside the house. I'd love to live where there's no bears!
Everyone wonders why Americans love guns until they realize there's only a handful of cities and most of America's 9.8 million square kilometers are rural and in the rural areas most places have bears, mountain lions, coyote, bobcat and boar (more vicious than you think)
It’s a jungle out there. Go armed, or go down some predators gullet.
You have to memorize your plan, where in the tent you keep everything, clockwise, let me tell you, I was reading in my tent, in a campground with my kids sleeping next to me, five and six, just me and my kids. when I hear the crunch of a bear walking up to my tent, you could hear his weight in his steps, his deep growl, sniffing and leaning on my tent right next to my head, I Kidd you not, the fear is nothing like I have ever experienced before or since, my husband was away working so I had decided to take my kids camping, there had never been bears around that area, but because of fires the bears moved down, my food was in a cooler in the trunk of my car, but my neighbours had food in their trailer, which was a distance from me. once it left my campsite it moved on to my neighbours, the bear started banging around their trailer, I threw my kids in my car and drove into town, the next day, I went to retrieve my belongings, and on the side of my tent the bear had put claw marks on my tent, and now, I only will camp in a trailer, with a couple of guns, bear spray and my husband and will be forever terrified of bears........
keithrobyn keepness - that is a very terrifying bear encounter, thank you for sharing that with us!
That is much closer than I would have cared for. I can certainly understand your fear, and I am glad everything turned out okay for you and your children. Thankfully your food was not stored in your tent. This is why I will never use one of those rental campsites in bear country. They are too confined.
Despite what some may claim, I am of the mind that you should always be armed sufficiently to protect yourself from whatever may threaten you. In this case bear. The best overall bear defense is either a 0.4 caliber or larger rifle, or a 12-guage shotgun loaded with .65 caliber slugs. This becomes your "camp gun." Since you will not be carrying your camp gun everywhere while you are at camp, a back-up .4 caliber or larger revolver or pistol should be worn at all times.
Not every bear encounter will be as fearful as the one you described. I have had many bear encounters in the 26 years I have lived in Alaska, and I never felt threatened by any of them. I will continue to be armed while in bear country, and I will continue to camp in the manner I described above and I will continue to be observant. Hopefully by paying close attention to my surroundings I can spare a bear its life. The very last thing I want to do is to shoot a bear in self-defense knowing that I could have prevented it.
I also bring a zip-lock baggie that contains a few ladyfinger firecrackers when I go camping. Bears are very curious critters, and will occasionally stumble into your campground following their nose. If shouting at them is not enough to get them out of your camp site, then a firecracker or two in their vicinity is usually enough to scare them off.
You will have to assess each situation yourself to determine the seriousness of the threat and decide what means to use to keep yourself and your family safe. I am glad that the encounter you had did not put you off camping altogether.
keithrobyn keepness, you sure that "deep growl, sniffing and leaning on my tent right next to my head" wasn't a drunken neighbor wandering around lost that night?
I'm so glad you and the kids survived.Wow what a story of survival.Thanks for sharing your story.
The worst thing you can do is to have food in your tent. That will attract not only bear, but skunks, raccoons and even wild boar.
Your advice with the tent scenario is very good advice to understand what might happen.
I have never been attacked yet in my tank when camping. I usually set up a claymore perimeter
Doug Taylor
I prefer a Bradley. More maneuverable
I spent a period of a few years in SE Asia where they have wild elephants. There are warning signs for autos and motorcycles at entrances to National Parks. It was frightening riding my motorcycles through those areas. They say if on a motorcycle try and get a car between you and the elephant. Do not stop if you encounter one on the road keep driving. Do not stare or look them in the eye. The sound of the motorcycles can piss them off if they're agitated. I encountered an 'old one' once. I rode 20' from it and hoped I didn't set it off. It was a humbling experience and I was thankful it let me pass.
There are RUclips videos of rampaging elephants.
The damage they do make bears look like puppies in comparison.
Great pointers, my friend. Thank you for sharing. Be safe out there.
Bears is one of my ultimate camping fears. These are good tips. I'm still trying hard to get better at sleeping at night.
Loved this video I’m from the U.K. so I would be very scared to camp out in bear country huge RV for me lol
The bear-a-Cade is a great idea. Kind of like an Africa boma. I'll be doing this for sure next camping trip
Really appreciate that!
JaDeD dRaGoN the problem with videos are that they lead people like you to do stupid shit just because it was posted on the internet... #thintheherd
anonymity nice attitude. So by your logic the African boma (which is essentially what this is) is a bad idea ? Ok, hey everyone, let’s ignore thousands of years of proven bushcraft knowledge and listen to this dipshit instead ! Lmao moron
JaDeD dRaGoN Last I checked dipshit a lion and a grizzly are very different animals with completely different hunting patterns. When a grizzly in interested in something- it will walk through a wall of trees and brush to get to it. I know this. Your entire knowledge is based on things you read online or saw on a vlog. Please do your parents a favor and take the tide pod challenge... #thintheherd
anonymity lol ok expert. Not our fault you’re too dense to understand the concept. Thanks for playing, idiot
Was also a bear going through tents at Juniper Prairie on the Florida Trail. The black bear was caught and put down. No food or hygiene products were in the tents.
The smell of FOOD is the biggest attraction. Bears live only to eat. I learned this the hard way yesterday as we were at a day-camping area (picnic tables/fire pit). We setup our mini tailgating BBQ on the picnic table and enjoyed some of the best burgers ever...well... about 1/2 hour later... the smell of those burgers must have lured in a black bear that was sneaking up on us...it was so quiet we did not even hear a single twig snap as it got within 25-30 feet of our 5-person group. I was very aware we were in bear country and HAD my bear spray in it's holster on my hip and was keeping watch. Luckily my wife saw it first and all of us were able to safely retreat inside the van. This bear must be a regular at that camp site and accustomed to people since no amount of noise we made seemed to scared it off. It took it's sweet time slowly retreating. I learned a very big lesson. Never again will I BBQ in bear country. From now on it's cold sandwiches or snacks kept in ziplock bags and NEVER will we spread out a burger feast on a picnic table with all the "fixins" as I could have been the main course and my granddaughter the fixins. Very scary to see how BOLD that bear was! NEVER let your guard down people! That was one sneaky bear we were being stalked by! But looking back...it was our own fault for having a yummy BBQ in a campground in bear country. Lesson learned. Trust me, these animals KNOW how to be quiet when stalking.
had a similar experience and the bear was about 6' away when it 'appeared' out of the woods.
Bear fence and a .44 mag!
When I am out hiking and camping in bear country I always hang out a pair of my most heavily soiled underwear as a deterent. One whiff of that and they don't stop until they hit the next county.
"most heavily soiled"
@@jaceofheartstheprinceofbed9415 Actually, I meant"moist, heavily soiled"
I once stayed in a campground in Glacier National Park in which only those with hard sided vehicles could camp. No tents or tent trailers. All because of bear problems. I had my Volkswagen camper and promised to keep my pop top down so they allowed me to stay. .
Exellent vid,and you explain it calmly..without a lot of useless clutter...yu give great info
Perimeter alarms/trip wire with fishing string and primer caps would be much easier and more effective.
My parents were camping in Red lodge Montana in a tow camp trailer. The trailer was fairly large, about 6’ High by 7’ wide by 10’ long. Anyhow,... my dad was about 20-30 feet from the trailer getting some gear from his truck when a Grizzly Bear came charging from the woods he ran full speed to the trailer and literally just made it inside and slammed the door when the bear hit the trailer! The bear was standing on it’s hind legs and was pushing on the trailer trying to tip it over and get inside. My mother was already inside. My parents screamed at the bear to go away and screamed for help! Eventually it did leave. But their camper was all clawed up and the door was partially smashed in. Their camper was a fairly tough camper NOT A POP UP style. My Dad said: the sound the bear made was terrifying to say the least. He did have a 12 gauge shotgun in the camper but didn’t fire it because the bear left just in Time. The point is , even though the “stick and branch” idea is a good one and might buy you a few seconds,... if a Grizzly wants to kill you, well, you’re probably gonna meet your maker. People grossly underestimate just how strong & Fast Grizzly bears are. A night time surprise attack when you are sleeping is a recipe for disaster! A big loud Dog or two would also help but a 454 Casull round is a must have.
Cody Johnston Yep, bears live in the woods. Some sticks do not stop them from going where they want to. I recommend living somewhere that doesn't have bears.
Jerry Krause I believe it's not meant to stop a determined bear, unless it's a really strong barricade, but to make a noise before it reaches your tent, so to give you a few precious seconds. Yet people in Africa surround their villages with a high fence of thorny bushes to defend from lions, and it works.
Dogs are the most VALIANT animals..for thousand of years dog being used to hunt..elefant.tiger.bull.lions and HUMANS..you can see 2 o 3 smalls dogs cirnering a 600 pound tiger..my one year german shepperd WAYEE..putt away a bear and follow him for almost a mile..you cannot negotiated whith a barking dog..senses hearing and smell too..for me dog is a must..beside weapons
I only have a new modle blackhawk with 300gr bear loads from bitteroot ammo. It's better then nothing and doesn't smash my little old wrist. Hope it does the trick.I only have 6 in it.
@Major Dickenson I agree
To sum it up: a minimum of a .44 caliber. What do you recommend for people visiting your back country but not coming from a country where fire arms and mace are legal weapons?
do you think maybe spraying your tent with ammonia might help we use it on in and around our trash cans and it seems to help
Always carry a gun and never travel alone.
They make portable battery operated electric fences to contain livestock, the game dept in many areas use them to keep bears out of feed at game feeding areas.
Gallagher makes a good one, they will keep bears out of camp. Just pack some wire and insulators and a way to ground it.
They hurt bad when you run into the wire.
Tom Hickman, our Foster Gulch channel has a video on the bear electric fences:
ruclips.net/video/po0T7JvhKM4/видео.html
The NOLS allowed the use of their footage where the fence was tested with live bears. Click that link to watch.
yep, just what i want to pack when i go hiking
I never encountered a bear while tent camping. A friend however did, while camping north of Yellowstone, he was spared though but never went camping again. Until he saw my RV rental. It's camping enough for me to sleep well at night. He on the other hand had nightmares for a very long time and was put on meds for a while. Even when he came with us; every little natural sound would cause him to react. Motion lights outside seem to not make him feel even a little more secure. Needless to say he never went camping again and never went hiking with me again either. I can't imagine what he was feeling, but only those who have gone through an encounter do. By the size of the prints it was a grizzly. He knew pepper spray would be useless if a bear would pounce on his tent so he also had a hand held air horn can of compressed air type while he slept. He believes the air horn saved his life.
My wife and I camped at Mesa Verde - 8k high and rangers return to town at night. Last summer they had bears entering camp sites and posted signs for mountain lions.
We didn’t need it for the nights we camped but what I had was bear spray plus a Boat horn Which is load as hell and scared the krap out of our neighbors so I was hoping it’d do the same with a bear. Seemed like a decent idea and you can buy the small canister ones that are about 4” big.
Also didn’t cook there nor brushed our teeth etc.
One thing we learned at that height - the campers closet to us were drinking pretty good. About 2 am one of the wives started crying and screamed to get her down the hill. Turns out at that height 1 drink reacts like 2 so you can very easily get extremely drunk quick. They drove her back down the 8K winding steep road in pitch black Didn’t sound like fun especially since they were all drunk
People underestimate the use of string and tin cans or bells. Line them completely around your camp. Any large animal will make itself known coming through the barrier. It will allow you time to arm and prepare yourself. It even works on dumb criminals lol i have caught people and animals sneaking into my yard in the middle of the night thanks to bells on my fence.
CT Wild I always carry an extra bag full of bells and tin cans when I'm backpacking 🙄.
This might work if your camping in your yard, or maybe even car camping. Better to just avoid contact altogether by keeping your cooking area and food supplies separate from your camping spot. And of course bear spray and large caliber hand gun as a last defense.
I always break for eating at least a half hour before arriving at my camp site and keep my food hung on a high branch a good 60 yards or so away from my tent. Never had a problem.
CT Wild thats exactly what i always do & have bear spray & knife handy..
henry R. , Whats the knife for?? Better get a LARGE caliber gun w HOT HEAVY BEAR LOADS. Or, stay OUT of the woods. Bear be using that knife for a toothpick to clean YOU out of its teeth.
Dave Jan im in new jersey guns are illegal for most people including bb guns sad i know..
good lord i just read the dumbest thing on the internet today ...
Fishing string and cans with rocks or something to make noise a few yards away from ur sleeping area will help u be alerted of potential dangers and very inexpensively
In July 2017 a black bear came into my camp, bumping into my tent, and ran like a scalded dog when I came out of the tent and yelled at it. It was just looking for food and it smelled the left over odours of our camp fire.
I was wondering if spraying bear mace around your tent would repel them? If they come sniffing around your tent while you sleep they wont like that smell.
I always post the sign “ No Bear Zone” so that they know to stay away.
The bear drug him and when the drugs took effect, he dragged him away. Lol
So the brush and twigs around the tent, usher the bear right to the front, where it is forced to politely knock?
I don't go hiking and overnight camping on the trail . just day hikes we sleep in a slide in camper.wondering if it's safe to leave foodstuff in the pickup ? , doors locked , of course.
How about a strobe light ?. Is it effective ?
Black bears, although they look cute from a distance, they have a more aggressive predatory side that people seem to write off. I spend a week every summer in bear country. I've only seen a blackbear up close a few times, and only once did on really make me nervous due to it's behavior. They are opportunists- I've found changing camps miles away puts you out of harms way if you have an aggressive bear in an area.
A lot of people responding must be very light sleepers. You can have your gun and bear spray but if you go to sleep and that bear really wants to get you it'll be through that stick bear-a-cade and on you before you have much of a chance. Seems like it'd be smarter not to sleep outside in an area where bears are known to live. I mean, you wouldn't go to Florida and sleep in the Everglades with all those alligators, would you? Common sense can keep you alive.
Or just grow some balls. With bears across all of North America it's kind of hard to avoid sleeping around them if you enjoy camping
I sleep in the Everglades all the time lol
So many places to go where dangerous animals do not exist. I just hiked three days through Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE. Here there is only shy, curious, peaceful goats that will take a look and then quiickly scamper away. As a solo hiker it was always a nice surprise to see one along the way or to hear them calling to each other in the distance. It really added to the experience.
no thanks!
The improvised fence is a good idea.
In dangerous campgrounds in Canada, I use my truck and picnic table as a fence around my tent.
At least it will slow the bear down,,and make noises when breached so I get to prepare for the encounter.
Electric fence is best. They are made small and portable for camping.
I prefer a log cabin to a tent any day.
Good topic.
Does the beariccade actually work? Any proof, without experimenting with humans?
These comments are awesome! Just the comic relief I was looking for! 😂
Apart from practicing basic "camp-protocols", preventing or reducing bear interest and investigation in the first place, it's a good idea to "fence-up" a tent site, if possible; at least it may provide a bear with a visible, identifiable barrier, while the camper may catch some moments to get aware of and adjust to the stressful situation, that a nearby bear has approached. Though bear attacks are rare, these yogis are also curious, which alone could lead to unwanted human/bear encounters. To carry both anti bear-spray and a fire-arm (if applicable and acceptable by someone as a tool for protection) seems to be the way to go. But a handgun, especially in .38 Cal., is not a good choice, even for black bear. When the bear has decided to prey on a person, wants to feed on a human, the predatory mode has already kicked in, the animal is pumped with aggression, full of adrenalin, its instinctual pattern and avoidance behavior has been crossed, which creates a somewhat "different creature" from the ordinary. To open the chance to stop this kind of lethal beast, a more powerful caliber is needed, at least such as 357 magnum/158 grain.
Thanks for the input. We have a video on the bear electric fence: ruclips.net/video/po0T7JvhKM4/видео.html
After some reflection, I realized - we should be more fearful of BeARs than ShaRKs.
Discovery Channel needs do to Bear Week. - with segments opening with " I woke from the sound of my skull being crushed."
The Griz pulled a camper from his tent to feed her Cubs.. Yikes.. Forget about not going into the Water, Don't go into the WooDs☠️👹
I thought about that very thing last night, watching shark week!
Would a chain link fence keep a bear out? Of course it's silly to do in the woods but I'm very curious :)
Camped in northern calif. hear a bear snuffling around about 2am. It left, and so did we. I was pretty scared hiking out, hoping it did not sneak up on us. Got out ok
😨😨😨😰👍
Lot’s of great advice on keeping safe in the comments below. What I do is make sure I stay safe from bear attacks by living in a country which doesn’t have wild bears. This technique has worked flawlessly for me for over 40 years and god willing will continue to do so. I make sure I stay alert and vigilant at all times while out walking the countryside of the United Kingdom.
My dog goes berserk whenever a bear shows up in the yard. Point being, if you're sleeping in a tent, get a dog that doesn't like bears. The dog is an alarm, not a protector. Have a large enough caliber gun with a socially unacceptable magazine giving you as many rounds as possible. Yeah yeah yeah, you're in the bears backyard and they're peaceable lovable critters. Who eat people. If you don't have a problem with having a bear crunch you up like a twix bar, then Kumbayah to you.
Amen,you told it true.
And that is exactly what I did.
Unless the bear eats the dog first 😦
bear spray around the outside of your tent / bramble fence ?
Some West Virginia boy scouts were camping in Philmont in New Mexico and a bear came within 5 yards from their campsite. The bear left and they were not harmed because they knew that if they would've got up to leave the bear would've attacked. Bears see that as a threat. That's just one way of surviving.
I have spent a lot of time camping in the Alberta and British Columbia wilderness. Something that I learned a long time ago is to urinate at multiple places, several yards out from my tent, to mark a circle around my tent. I have seen bears come up to the spots and turn off to the side or reverse their course. It is marking my territory in a way that they understand. I would not recommend a woman doing this while she is having her period, nor would I even recommend a woman camping in bear country while she is at her time of month.
Man, the comments of amateurs is astounding! "I'll use a .22", "I'd take a .38 over bear spray any day". Sheesh, even the presenter is full of $hit. Search for relevant advice from experts folks.
When I was growing up in N.C. an old man who lived nearby had been hunting black bears all his life with a .22. A shotgun would be best, but if you can't shoot well enough to kill a bear with a .38 in 1-2 shots, take the bear spray.
That " Bear a cade" looks like it will entrap the campers more than keep bears out
Wonder if a bottle Cayenne pepper 🌶 is in some people’s backpack 🎒 to sprinkle around your tent ⛺️. It keeps the critters. Big and small away from my house (also in black bear country)
It’s a light and small thing to Cary that could definitely deter curious noses 👃🏻🦨🦝🐗🐺🐻
Me and my boyfriend never get attacked by bears when we go camping because for some reason they are repelled by passion poop.
Making that barricade sounds like a good last defense but that's a lot of work if you have that kind of dead fall laying around!
MrJx4000 exactly. After backpacking all day, I don't want to have to set up a Roman fort every night. I am wondering in these bear attacks if these people kept food in their tent?
Shane Reeves I feel you Shane, backpacking all day and collecting all those branches sounds awful man forreal. I'll just stick to bear spray.
Shane Reeves yea! Their bodies
ForPETE’S sake it's hilarious that videos like this exist. It's alarmist approach.
Keep your food out of your tent.
I have been backpacking and camping for 20 years. In remote wilderness in Colorado.
Not once have I ever even seen a bear in the wild. Every other critter. Even moose. But no bear. Not saying it doesn't happen. But how many hundreds of thousands of people head into the wilderness in a year? And there are only a handful of attacks?
Alarmists
Leftists would probably advocate for banning bears.
The past tense of drag is dragged, not drugged or drug.
Yes, I was about to post that there were no drugs involved in the Montana attack.😎
I wonder if lighting a mosquito coil outside your tent would have any effect? Any thoughts?
Might help with the mosquitos a little .
Surrounding your tent with debris that a bear will have no problem getting through but will stop you from escaping smart plan
You could always just camp somewhere which doesn’t have bears.
Very smart idea.
Seriously? A 38 Special?
That don't even work on a two legged animal.
Ok good you just covered that as I finished typing. It's also a good idea to not camp right next to a water source.and down wind.
I've only been camping once in my life. I couldn't sleep and stayed up all night and kept the campfire burning. Will wild beasts still invade your camp if they see fire? Aren't animals afraid of fire and avoid it?
I will never go into bear country again. Did so as a very young man, thank God I was young or I wouldn’t be here today to comment. 2 friends and myself went hiking in Alaska almost 40 yrs ago , we had no weapons or bear spray. Me and another guy totally depended on our friend who was raised in Alaska we were military and we had a weekend furlough decided to go hiking . We were in the woods and thank god we were almost at the end of our hike. I noticed something large a furry moving about maybe 1000 ft maybe less . I didn’t think it saw us , so we started walking fast one good thing the bear look old and seemed to have an injured paw it was limping there was an incline that led to highway if we could get up the incline we could try and stop a vehicle remember we had no vehicle we just like idiots are out hiking. I remember being up that incline fast I was only 20yo we noticed the bear limping but strangely it was moving fast we were up that incline and signaled vehicles to stop that old bear was making it up the incline but was slow due to the injured paw. We finally got this old guy with a pickup to stop, we told him a bear was chasing us, he allowed us to get in truck,just as we got in that bear was onto the highway. I often said God was smiling at us that day, suppose that truck hadn’t stopped, I’m sure that bear injured still would have been able to kill all 3 of us. That was a long highway there was nowhere to run but to the other side where there was more woods . That bear would have killed us all . We had nothing, nothing but the distance in front of us. If that bear wasn’t injured would we have made it up that incline. I’m 59 in July I never went hiking anywhere but with the military.
Poor bear..he might have been injured in a damn trap so guess it's karma if he managed to eat someone. Was probably very hungry. Ain't the bears fault..they don't think " oh that's a human, I mustn't eat that " ...it's their territory and we are the intruders. You were lucky to escape yes but don't blame the bear!
Gillygerbil Chillman
lol go into the woods and feed yourself to a bear if it will make you feel better.
Poor bear! He just wanted to be loved...
That's scary! I would have been easy pickings for that bear because I would have had a heart attack! Glad you made it out OK 😨
My peace of mind is a big dog....
EARTHCRAFT
Dogs have woken me up on more than one occasion.
What ever it was never came closer.
Bears respect dogs.
I won't camp without one...
Exactly! The best dog for campers/hikers is not necessary a big and strong one, but ie. ... a terrier.
They are very vigilant, fast moving and they make a lot of noise when in danger. While bear try to get rid of this barking and jumping around "silly" creature, you have plenty of time to prepare yourself. In most cases bear prefer to quit and leave you alone.
My old buddy Conan :) has save me twice
And a big GUN!
@John Smith how do i train my dog lol? where do we get a practice bear?
It's curious you said "big dog". The only advantage a dog has is that it "may" make you aware of a bears presense. The problem with dogs, is even if they attempt and chase off a bear, they can just as easily bring the bear back to you since it is looking for you to protect it. So, bring a dog and keep it on a leash or in your tent, but don't think it will help outside of that.
Bear-a-cade 😂 can you please include the link for the fatal attack from the last incident in July? It is not in the description.
I worked the hospital when this attack happened and another attack the year before by Lily Lake that wasn't fatal. To find info it was covered in our local paper the cody enterprise or the closest big city paper the billings gazette. The Lily Lake attack happened because the guy went to bed in the clothes he cooked in.. smart!
I remember an article in readers digest where a woman was shooting a charging grizzly with a 30-06.4 shots bounced off its skull.The last shot went in the nasal cavity ito the brain.That was one brave lady.
She couldn't have been hitting him squarely on the head. I would love to read that specific incident. That's crazy.
How far away did it start the charge for her to get off 5 shots? Think about this, consider the speed a bear runs and hitting a running bounding target while probably rattled. The article had to be very fictional. Normal 30-06 deer loads will scramble his egg
I still can't get past the.. "imma go sleep in the woods where bears roam" kind of thinking
Bet you hide under the table when it thunders too
Better to sleep out in the woods where bears roam than in a city where retards roam lol,thats my thinking anyway
Because camping is so much fun. Try it sometime, it’s very relaxing.
I live in Asheville North Carolina and I camp all the time and I use mothballs put mothballs around your tent a fifty-foot radius you have nothing to worry about
That attracts them because smell that's exactly what not to do
People are having trouble with bears, not moths!!!
What would you have to say about the fact that maybe a pistol might not have enough stopping power? I'm not bringing this up to bash or deny you, but instead as a real question and hope you can reply.
It seems like stories from the olden days sometimes they'd need a rifle to bring down something like a larger predator, and smaller guns wouldn't work.
So is that still the case? Or did the technology nullify this idea? I noticed you did mention hollow point bullets, so maybe that would bring up the edge a bit?
Hope to see your reply, and thanks for your article/video!
Props Boulder CO, that happened by my favorite camping spot!
Nice to see someone advising carrying a handgun in bear country. I will have to disagree somewhat with the advice. First a standard velocity158 lead round nose 38 splslug is a poor stopper of an an average sized human . It has a velocity of 850 fps , maybe from a 4 inch barrel . A plus p semiwadcutter is better but not by much . A 158-180 hard cast bullet with sharp shoulder is far better but you will need a357 to make it a reliable black bear stopper . If you handload ammunition you can come up with a 180 at around1150 fps, and a little better with a 158 , probably 1300. The best anti bear ammunition is made by a company called Buffalo Bore bullets. They offer a180 gas checked to prevent leading , hard cast bullet that leaves a 4 inch 357 at around 1400 fps, just about the same as a 41 Magnum in a 357 package. It has the weight and penetration to stop a black bear and possibly a brown bear . A lot of people have a 357 revolver. The next step up would be a 44 mag, or a hot loaded 45 Colt in a revolver like a Ruger. I wouldn’t sleep in a tent in bear country but if I did I would surround the tent with a row of spikes and hang barb wire or a metal cage around . the tent.I am a cabin or RV type camper
Michael Rosenfeld
Good firearm advice. I have family in the NE US and we have over 20,000 black bears in their home state. I do spend time in other parts of the country, but more time in the NE. I carry a Ruger 357 mag and have it loaded with Buffalo Bore 180 grain cast ammunition. The average BB is about 200lbs in my relatives home state, but can get much larger. The bear population has greatly increased in the last 2 decades, so tent camping is not as safe as it once was thought to be. As I get older, I hunt in the game lands, carry a rifle, a side arm, and knife. I am out of the woods before it gets dark most of the time. Coyote hunting in winter months means getting in the woods before dawn and that requires a partner for safety. Anyone with half a brain would not go in the woods at night alone. The threat of 2 legged animals around Game Lands and state forests in probably a greater risk that 4 legged animals. Thanks for your Post.
Bear-a-cade...dude... pun intended. You were so cute to say "pun not intended". I almost laughed.
Just remember, you don’t have to be faster than the bear, you just need to be faster than your friend.
i dont trust bear,,am a prospector and i carry,,bear spray,,,a 14 inchs knife,,bear banger,,and flairs and a 12 gaige shot gun,,the whorse thing i dont like is a snick attack,,am always warry about that..good luck and be careful and always be alert
I camped for 30 years woth out a gun now that Im a bow hunter I understand that alot of people use a gun as a security blanket to be in nature. If you need a gun to feel safe outdoors your not one with nature nor should you be out there.
id be more worried about a serial killer murdering me than a bear attack. it happens more often than ppl think.
Captaraknospider you are foolish
ForPETE’S sake I dont have to contend with Grizzlies so I feel pretty safe.
"you are not one with nature"--when you are bear shit are you one with nature??
A Sasquatch is the Grizzly bear's only predator.
Rule 1. Build a barricade of twigs.
Is 30-06 good enough for black bear or 308 good for black bear also can a gun shot scare a black enough to make it run away.