#166623 - 02/06/09 11:20 PM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: bsmith]
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Member
Registered: 12/05/06
Posts: 111
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thank you for the post.
always good to read factual information - as opposed to speculation.
glad you're okay.
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#166625 - 02/06/09 11:22 PM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: acropolis5]
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Journeyman
Registered: 01/09/09
Posts: 59
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The risk of a bear attack is extremely small. Are you really going to carry a shotgun everywhere just in case?
Bear spray's lighter than a shotgun and ammunition, it's a good deal less unwieldy as you go about your business, and it's more effective than firing a shot into the ground. Carrying bear spray around with you is practical; a shotgun, not so much.
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#166631 - 02/06/09 11:54 PM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: Andrew_S]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
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Bears simply are not predictable. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/09/10/bc-bear-attack-port-renfrew.html?ref=rss A bear mauling a man on a boat in Port Renfrew, B.C., wouldn't let go of its victim despite being struck with a gaff, beaten with a hammer and stabbed with sharp objects, one of the rescuers said Wednesday.
"It didn't let go until it died right in his boat," said Bruce Miller, who was the first to try to stop the attack.
Two men were fishing around 5 p.m. Tuesday when a black bear swam towards their boat and jumped aboard, RCMP Sgt. Roger Plamondon said Wednesday.
One of the men threw fish overboard, hoping to distract the bear, but he was still attacked, Plamondon said.
Bruce Miller says he struck the black bear 10 times with a gaff but it wouldn't let go of its victim.
An unidentified 52-year-old man from Saltspring Island was taken to hospital with bites to his shoulder and arm, police said. He underwent surgery and is expected to fully recover.
Miller said he was working on his boat at the Port Renfrew Marina when he heard a "commotion."
"I just happened to look up and this bear was coming out of the water onto the dock, and right into the back of the guy's boat and went right at him," he said Wednesday.
"I had to take a second look … and the guy's friend or his brother was standing on the dock screaming."
Miller ran over with his gaff, a long pole with a sharp hook, and tried to fend off the attack of the bear, weighing about 136 kilograms.
"I gaffed him probably 10 times and was pulling on him and he wouldn't let go of the victim," he said.
"Two or three other guys came over to help and put more sharp stuff in it and gaffed it and beat it with a hammer and it wouldn't let go. Finally another gentleman came over with his filletting knife and cut the bear's throat."
Police said a conservation officer went to the scene and was investigating what prompted the attack. EDIT: I don't want to scare anybody, but... Bears have been known to simply ignore pepper spray in some cases. If you want a good read on bear attacks Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-Their-Causes-Avoidance/dp/0941130827is still the most complete work out there. Some bears are not stopped by anything less than .30 caliber
Edited by scafool (02/07/09 12:41 AM)
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May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.
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#166633 - 02/07/09 12:17 AM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: Susan]
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Newbie
Registered: 12/05/06
Posts: 27
Loc: New Mexico
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I had never heard of using an airhorn against a bear. Very interesting!
I live in the mountains where black bears come around in summer time, and I keep a "party air horn" (from WalMart) available. It's effective in scaring away the bears that come around my house. Regards
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#166636 - 02/07/09 02:32 AM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: justin2006]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 3824
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In this case a bear somewhere in the Yukon has a brain cell file that says people= unpleasant.
I have a nieghbor, insists on putting out trays of nuts for the squirrels. We only have 8 oaktrees in the complex. So, he's out in the rain putting out nuts and a mature raccoon waiting took a finger half off and a series of rabies shots.
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#166638 - 02/07/09 03:12 AM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: Chris Kavanaugh]
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Journeyman
Registered: 11/14/07
Posts: 87
Loc: Yukon
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My story: On fine day, I'm hiking quietly and ''Merde!'', I spook a bear sow and her cub! They run, fortunately for my skin. 30 min later, going up a trail, I'm ringing my bear-bell as loud as I can and what do I see at the top of the hill? Our young cub, at 20ft max, sniffing some bear food, not even aware I'm there! The little bugger is either deaf, stupid or simply not able to hear the bell's frequency. I clapped my hands, spoke to it dirty in French and it ran. Morale of the story: Don't rely on bear-bells. A non-scientific test published in Backpacker Magazine demonstrate that clapping your hands, breaking branches and singing is better. Singing in French also attract women... I think the best info on bear safety is the DVD : Staying safe in Bear Country. http://www.bearsmart.com/moreStuff/StayingSafeScript.pdfPS : As for the predictability of bears, well, they're more predictable than humans. Ha!
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#166639 - 02/07/09 04:19 AM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: justin2006]
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Veteran
Registered: 09/01/05
Posts: 1474
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I had never heard of using an airhorn against a bear. Very interesting!
I live in the mountains where black bears come around in summer time, and I keep a "party air horn" (from WalMart) available. It's effective in scaring away the bears that come around my house. Regards Thats good to know. I imagine the horn would work for coyotes and the like too? Or I guess you could always use the time tested method of blasting Slim Whitman's "Indian Love Call."
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#166648 - 02/07/09 01:30 PM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: LED]
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Journeyman
Registered: 02/28/04
Posts: 76
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hindsight is 20/20, and arm chair quarterbacking is the hobby du'jour on teh webz, but i would SERIOUSLY re-think going into a known wildlife area without some type of firearm. if black bear are as big as they get in your locale, a small(ish) revolver, or more modern semi loaded with 357, 40, 45, etc., would not only dissuade any would-be attacks, but wouldn't put a 63 year old man up a tree...plus, unlike those unwieldy spray cans, pistols go on the hip and aren't effected by petty things like 'wind', or 'distance'.
good to hear everything worked for ya though...yikes!
_________________________
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known" - A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
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#166654 - 02/07/09 03:52 PM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: nouseforaname]
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Addict
Registered: 03/19/07
Posts: 690
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Even if you do have a gun permit and the legislation allows carrying a firearm in the area it's not necessarily a be all, end all solution. Handguns are not ideal carry in bear country. Maybe as a backup, but that's about it. A little anecdote - a couple of LEO's around here were called in when a "hostile" bear invaded a small town a few years ago. It was only a cub but it actually survived two full 9mm mags fired at close range. At which point the LEO's made a hurried retreat to the car and pulled out the long guns. That finally settled the matter. .44 Magnum is usually considered the minimum as far as bears go. But how many people can control the kick? You'd probably need to score several good hits to stop a bear, even that might not be enough. A 12ga. or decent hunting rifle would be better IMHO but it's still no guarantee. Another story (LOL I actually have a few more) - I know of a guy who's been hunting for many decades. One time he was stalking deer and ran right into a big bear. In a desperate attempt, the guy fired a quick shot at almost point blank range but missed (probably too much adrenaline). Not having any more time for a follow-up shot with his bolt action, he dropped the rifle and ran like hell. The bear apparently got spooked by the sound of the shot and didn't pursue. A few hours later, the poor guy finally managed to get back to the site to pick up his rifle. He had about a dozen hunter buddies armed to the teeth but his knees were still shaking. Just something to think about... 
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#166658 - 02/07/09 05:54 PM
Re: Bear encounter and spray
[Re: Tom_L]
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Addict
Registered: 11/24/05
Posts: 478
Loc: Orange Beach, AL
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snip...A 12ga. or decent hunting rifle would be better IMHO but it's still no guarantee. ..snip I'll take the .44 over the knife. (Don't get me wrong I'll take the knife too.) The .44 might not be the perfect bear medicine but it also works beyond contact distance.
_________________________
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother." -Theodore Roosevelt
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