http://www.udap.com/product.htm
Flare, Whistle, and gun... but the spray stops most from all my reading and no one is harmed.

Kavanaugh quote:

The number of human deaths miniscule, with most the result of human stupidity. To give our most arrogant of species a dedicated bear stopping firearm assures a single option and sad end for the bear when We intrude on HIS world. My Choctaw clan lineage precludes making war on family in any case. " If we have a race war, I'm siding with the Bears."

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Are we to assume that we "arrogant" humans should never intrude into "HIS" (the bear's) territory and certainly not with a weapon for self protection? And if suddenly attacked by a sacred bear, should we hug the nearest tree and appeal to the great Choctaw spirits to save us from certain death? I think not. Unlike some people, I get no joy or satisfaction from killing any kind of wildlife although I am an avid hunter. Likewise, I would not enjoy killing a charging bear but I would stand my ground until the last bullet is fired and hope that I prevail over the beast.

Granted, bears, mountain lions and other dangerous animals have been pushed to the point of extinction due to man's never ending quest for more territory. But to imply that man should not invade HIS domain is not realistic. I'm sure most intruders
into bear/mountain lion country do not do so (hunters excepted) with the intention of soliciting a confrontation with them but good judgement dictates that we be prepared to defend ourselves against wildlife that is indeed wild and subject to going berserk and attacking anyone that invades his territory.

I suspect that the number of bears and other dangerous animals killed legally by hunters far exceeds the number killed in self defense by "arrogant intruders" into their territory.

No offense, but some of your posts defy common logic and reasoning. <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Boone

Translation, Just because I live in a state with Ruppert the Bear and the PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. star on the flag does not mean I am whoefully ignorant of bears nor in some "Yuppie" PC freefall against firearms. I have not heard one mention of how to behave around bears, both Old Ephraim and the more dangerous black, how to observe your surroundings for bear sign, bearproofing a camp or even proper shot placement should the rare neccessity of shooting an agressive individual become the last option. Instead it's just BAM!BAM! get the camera and call Outdoor Strife for another 'it happened to me' story replete with a slobbering monster pulled from Bullwinkle's hat on the cover.

Mr.K, as usual, deciphering your post causes my imagination to work overtime to extract your point(s). I disagree that nothing has been posted relative to bear sign, etc. I am bringing back one of my earlier posts on the subject:

KyBooneFan
enthusiast


Reged: 06/19/05
Posts: 202
Loc: West Kentucky
How to protect yourself from bear attacks.
06/22/05 08:15 PM (216.135.43.141) Edit Reply



In light of the rising frequency of human/bear conflicts, hikers, hunters and fishermen are advised to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field.

It is suggested that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle bears. They are also advised to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear.

It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces are smaller and contain lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear feces has little bells in it and smells like pepper!

"The more I carry, the less I need."

Post Extras:

http://www-cs.canisius.edu/~salley/Bard.book/waltz.bears.html Bears are niether cuddly anthropormorphic friends ( and Teddy is a vital part of my BOB along with spiritual literature, a romanian Bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh) Or protean nightmares with no respect for BMW car alarms. The real bear is something entirely different, and deserving better than either Bill Ruger or Timothy Treadwell. ETS has a reputation for testing everything impartialy. Exausting pre conceived folklore about the big dark woodssss is part of that <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Good one Chris, and by the way, I got the meaning and intent of the original post crystal clear <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy

I'll say this much, you're always good for a chuckle. Entertainment at it's finest, even if some find it a bit cryptic (not us spooks anyways).

As for me, armed or not, if I encounter a bruin (any species qualifies) out of season or I'm otherwise without tag, I'll do my best to E&E. If that ain't an alternative, I treat them the same as any other assailant. I must admit, bear stew is a might tastier than braised Homey. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Having been jumped by other critters, I can say that a big bruin that has the drop on me will likely make me lunch before I can quick draw anything, pepper spray included. It's one thing to have an unexpected encounter, quite another to be stalked by a predator. I'd be more concerned about getting bushwhacked by a big cat than any bear. Them cats is sneaky.

The best stunt I ever saw was a bear chasing a coon and the coon went down a steep grade and the bear tried to follow. Trouble is, bear's are a might heavy in the keester, and when that load gets higher than their head it is akin to trying to balance a weeble upside down. As you might guess, that bear went ass over teakettle the rest of the way down the hill, gruntin' and oomphin all the way down. When he hit bottom, he'd lost interest in the coon and was just trying to get his feet back under him proper. It'd have been a shame to have missed such a stunt, and I learnt that some bears can't go down hills at all without darned near breakin' their own necks. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

That's an old trappers trick for getting away from brear bear, problem is you've gotta have a steep enough hillside nearby <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy

While I wouldn't use this as a replacement for a bear bag, the people over at Watchful eye designs state: [snip]
"While most bear proof containers allow the bears to detect food but don't allow the bears to get into the containers, O.P.SAK actually keeps the bears from coming to the campsite at all. Keep both food and toiletries in an O.P.SAK and you can even leave them on the ground outside of your tent. Make sure not to contaminate the outside of the O.P.SAK with food odors." [snip]

Does anyone in the group have experience with these?



http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/References/beartips.html
offers some comments on the subject of bears though I'm not qualified to judge it's accuracy.

http://www.corbon.com used to make one of the best "big game" rounds which might be a good survival round.

Ashamedly, I must admit that I am guilty of over focusing on the topic. Thanks for the nudge, Chris.