Very interesting survival story.

B.C. man beats black bear to death with a stick
Darcy Wintonyk, ctvbc.ca

A B.C. man who was attacked by a black bear says he was forced to use a stick to defend his life against the animal.
Jim West, 45, was walking with his two dogs near 70 Mile House -- about halfway between Kamloops and Williams Lake -- when he his dogs reacted to a noise in the woods.

"All of a sudden I heard a 'whoof' on my right and I looked over and there was a bear six feet away from me," he said.

Full article here

Google map of the area here. I know this area extremely well and it is truly bear country...

Yes.

I hope that this means that with this in mind the idea of playing dead is finally done for, especially with Black Bears.

I've always been told:
Grizzly: play dead.
Black Bear: fight as though your life depends on it.

Gotta say that this guy is one tough dude! Remind me not to mess with him!

Maybe we should have background checks for sticks, it seem they can be dangerous.





I read something about hiking with a dog and how it can cause more bear attacks then being alone. It seems the dog will go after the bear and rile it up to the point it attacks. When a person is by themselves they will be nothing more then a very mild interest to a bear.

I was backpacking on Grand Island in Michigan’s UP and on a trail about 60-feet in front of me a bear came out in the open. He looked at me and just wandered off. I waited a min and continued down the trail.

Also that night a bear walked by my tent that was on the beach. The only reason I know it walked by is the footprints in the sand. I did not even come up to the tent; the tracks were of a bear just walking by as if the tent was not there. (my food and camp stove were on a bear pole.)

Bears don’t bother me at all, the mosquitoes & fly’s on Grand Island were unbelievable. I would take the bears any day over the bugs.

He must have eaten his vitamins that day…

Give it time and PETA will take him to court over this…

I'd agree that dogs and bears are a bad mix. Dogs don't have the sense to leave cubs alone, of course momma bear is going to try to get rid of them. Then the dog runs back to you, wanting to be protected. Now it is your problem.

I've had bears come pretty close to me- I don't freak, they don't freak, and it's just a couple of pedestrians sharing the terrain.

Not from the bears point of view!

Maybe we'll see a new product at next year's Outdoor Retailer ("That's not a stick; now THAT'S a stick!").

Also, look for billboards in your area soon: "Nov. 2-3 at the Anytown Trade Center - Gun, Knife and Stick Show".

lol. +1 on wanting to see the video.