At least it was a LITTLE polar bear!

Why did he lock his truck???

Another site indicates that the truck he finally got into was just a third vehicle that was nearby, he took a chance that it was unlocked. It was getting into that vehicle that he got torn up (back and head) by the bear, fighting to get into the truck while the bear was trying to get him out of it.

After the bear left, I'll bet the guy checked to see if the photographer's rig was locked! And I'll bet it was! You'll notice that the photos are copyrighted with the photographer's name, but nothing in the article mentions the surveyor's name. I suspect that they didn't introduce themselves...

Sue

What bothers me is that somebody was photographing the whole thing and maybe - just maybe - not doing anytying to help the guy who was facing possible death - not that I know what might have been done to help him.

The cameraperson should have a big rifle over one shoulder at all times...

Yeah, I thought it looked kind of small for a polar bear too. About the size of my dog (a Newfoundland). However, even a bear that size could easily kill you.

What do they call getting surprised like this? Condition white! You should mostly be in condition yellow outside of all but the securest of locations (like in bed, asleep).

Wow. Think the guy bought a gun in the next 24 hours? If I remember correctly they have open carry up there, though probably not while working.

-Blast

I am betting he was "Condition Yellow" in what he thought of as one of his "securest" locations. It had been "condition white" until the bear showed up. I know I would have been "CONDITION YELLOW" all over the place followed by "CONDITION BROWN" trying to prevent "Condition RED".

Don't get eaten.

Can't outrun it.
Can't outfight it.
Only choice is to hide. Which is why I often have sparkplugs and keys in my pack, but the door to my car is unlocked when I'm up to camp.

Not sure what else the guy could have done for this incident. He got a passing grade (i.e. he lived to tell about it).

A radio remote control for the car locks would have been handy - if they were not buried deep in a pocket somewhere.

The right handgun might have helped but only if he was very comfortable with it and had lots and lots of practice, on moving targets, while running. Remember most handgun shootings occur at very close ranges and hitting the target on an adrenaline high is a lot harder than it really ought to be. A handgun could also have made things worse if he was carrying too small and/or just wounded the bear enough to make it mad.

A buddy along to distract the bear might have helped, especially if your buddy moves slower than you do.

Much Much better situational awareness. The pictures don't tell the whole story, like how did this little game of hide and seek start?

- Eric

Great! Now I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

For the record, I would try like hell to out run it.

Should that prove unsuccessful:

In my fantasy, I would fight heroically trying to gouge it's eyes and make it work for it's meal while maintaining a stoic demeanor.

In real life, I would scream my head off and flail about in vain while it ate me alive.


Note to self: If polar bears are in the area, stay in the @$#%#! car!!

How about that other childhood classic, Marco Polo.

I'm still amazed the polar bear bait survived. Not only does he need to buy a gun he should also pick up a handful of lottery tickets!

-Blast