Pepper spray and wolf attack

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/...-alcan-highway/

Wow, that's quite an account!

I wonder what the best response in a situation like this is? I know I've usually heard that you don't want to run because it triggers the predator reflex, but in this case he was already in motion. Would stopping and facing the animal been a better or worse response?

In any case, his response was obviously a good one since he walked away, uninjured, to tell the story.

I was just about to post this story but clearwater beat me to it.

The cyclist did a good job with what he had, but I sure would have wanted some firepower in my hands.

I was really surprised the bear pepper spray was really that ineffective against an animal who has that keen of a sense of smell. That must have been one hungry wolf!

That is extremely unusual behaviour for a wolf! Especially the part about "More cars began to pull up and honk at the wolf, but he would not leave my bike, as though he thought it was his kill. It took someone finally beaning him in the head with a rock to get him to leave."

Mountain biking has become quite popular here in Alaska. However, cyclists are to some extent at greater risk of dangerous wildlife encounters (moose, bear, wolves) than hikers. Riding a bike one is moving fast, relatively quiet, and probably somewhat more focused on the next bit trail than what else is around you. This makes it easier to get into a bad situation before you realize it. In recent years there has been one girl seriously injured when she bumped into a griz while biking. There was also an interesting You Tube video recently of some bikers charged by a moose.

On another note, it will be interesting to hear how these guys do when they get to the Dalton Highway (the "Haul Road") to Prudhoe. If they found the Cassiar Highway challenging on a bicycle they will really enjoy the Dalton. That being said, I know it is sometimes done on bikes. I've been on both the Cassiar and the Dalton (in a pick up and a van, respectively), and the Dalton was a far worse road, in my experience.

Here was another wolf chase a couple of weeks ago, tho motorcycle.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2013/jun/16/photos-wolf-chases-bc-motorcyclist/

I have read, unless rabid, a wolf attack is rare. That must have been outdated information.

Jeanette Isabelle

I was thinking that the "unusual" aspect wasn't so much the chase (chasing things is what wolves do), but rather that the wolf refused to leave even when other cars pulled up, and that someone needed to bonk him with a rock. Most wild critters recognize bad odds when they see them.

I suspect this particular wolf is destined to very soon become a fur ruff on someone's parka hood.

Once an animal has decided to attack, pepper spray is really useless.

I just think that these cyclists have GOT to stop smearing themselves down with BBQ sauce. To me ... it's cause-and-effect :-)

Pete2

This is flat not true. Pepper spray has been used successfully on numerous occasions to ward off bear attacks.

The myth that pepper spray doesn't work is quite popular among a certain segment of the population, but a recent analysis of 83 incidents of use of bear spray ("Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska") showed it to be highly effective.

See also Rick Sinnot's article for more on popular myths regarding bears. Sinnot is a bear biologist recently retired from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Over the years he has investigated numerous bear-human encounters in Alaska.

Could it depends on what type of spray you have? Like ours can only has 1% legally, which I'm sure works more like appetizer to the attacking animal.

Legally the EPA requires that the pepper concentration be between 1% and 2% for bear spray. Any products labeled and sold as "Bear Spray" in the US will be within this range. As indicated in links I posted upthread, this concentration has been shown to be effective by actual experience.

Sounds like a scary ordeal! I'm glad the rider was unharmed, and I echo the sentiment that in a situation like that I'd be happy to be carrying one of my HK's stoked with 16 rounds of 147gr Federal HST 9mm ammo!

I had a pet wolf, long story but gave him a chance rather than see him killed outright. Bicycles and motorcycles caused a strong reaction in him that made him try to chase them. I could keep him under control, but it was difficult. That is the only time that he was difficult to manage. No other stimuli sparked anything similar to how he reacted to these two things.

I agree with Aksar that the strange part of the story is how the wolf stayed at the bike even when there were more people around. The wild wolves I have seen have all been very shy, curious but shy. I have encountered them alone and on foot in remote areas and never felt threatened by them. The fast moving bike could resemble normal prey, but they seem to recognize humans as different. Maybe it is the fast movement that sparks the hunting instinct.

How long did you have the wolf? Good experience?

My take is that there is a lot we have to learn about wolves as their populations rebound.

Very interesting story from the SPOKESMAN.

Another point about this story: the bicyclist was spraying while moving, at a moving target. Who knows what the wind was doing. Odds are low that he scored a solid face hit on the wolf. It was folly to think that just a 'hint in the air' of pepper spray would have repelled the wolf.

I still would have wanted a gun.

Here is from one of the commenters.

"Susan Rogan • 14 hours ago −
A friend of ours, just north of Whitehorse, in the Yukon, had a tour out and a wolf showed up in their camp and killed one of the sled dogs right in front of them, then stuck around trying to yank it off the gangline to pull it away. The wolf would NOT leave, even when Rod tried to chase it away with a skidoo. He then realized there were about 4 more wolves watching. The whole group got together around the fire, with the dogs, and they got out the sat phone to call for back up. All the wolves left as soon as the girl showed up on the second skidoo. The reason I am posting twice with stories is that I believe the wolves at least in the Yukon are becoming more bold, and I am not the only one who thinks this. I like wolves just as I like bears, but I am much more wary of them than most people are. Most seem to enjoy seeing wolves while they are out on trails. I get extremely, well, I'll admit it, they scare me. I have run into them a few times out there with dog teams as well. None have attacked me though. (But my dog was killed..)"

"I was chased by a wolf while skijoring. It grabbed one of my dogs from behind me, (a loose dog). I turned back, yelled at the wolf and it left the dog alone. She (Emma), jumped and ran. The wolf then followed me and my other four dogs, one of whom was older and loose. It followed me all the way to our yard 6 km outside Atlin BC, which is 160 km from Whitehorse, Yukon. I believe every word of this encounter, as described. I was banging my poles together, hitting overhanging branches to drop snow on the ground, and was very glad to finally get back to the yard. I believe it was the same wolf that killed one of our dogs about a month later, 500 feet behind the house."

Note that even if you had a gun, you would still be faced with the same problem of shooting at a moving target, while you are also moving, furiously pumping the peddles of your bike. A rather challenging shot, to say the least.

In response to Outdoor Quest: I do not believe in making pets of wild animals. I took the wolf in from a military that was transferring overseas and could not take it. The wolf was the most intelligent animal I have ever dealt with, it took discipline well and learned everything very quickly. When I took it for walks around the neighborhood (or rather when it dragged me around the neighborhood) and we encountered other dogs, it was clearly acknowledged by other dogs as dominant. It did not deal well with groups of people but never showed any aggression except with bikes and motorcycles, and other dogs. He killed and ate the neighbor's dog one night (first time my wife had visited my house!) and I put him down. He weighed more than 100 pounds, was large and strong. He did accept my domination without a problem and the relationship between us was good. There were too many children in the area and I could not take a chance. Wild animals are wild, and should be left that way.

To Clearwater: I can see how the wolves in that area could become more aggressive and lose their fear of people. It only stands to reason. More contact and intrusion into their habitat, along with a reduction in their normal prey must have an impact. The ones I have seen were in national parks and were not so pressured by human habitation or disruptions in their food supply. I respect wildlife, and enjoy watching them, but do not try to interact with them in any way. The human population in Alaska and BC is growing and building further and further into the "wilderness". Domestic dogs do seem to incite aggression in wolves as well. Maybe they are viewed as a threat, or maybe they are viewed with prejudice by the wolves, I don't know.

Also, jzmtl, confusion about the potency of US vs. Canadian bear spray comes from the differences between how the active ingredients are labelled and regulated in the 2 countries (similar to the Canadian vs. US beer alcohol content labeling differences that brought rise to the stronger Canadian beer myth).

As ASKAR quoted, in the US the EPA requires a concentration of 1% to 2% of capsaicin and related capsaicinoids. Health Canada, on the other hand, doesn't recognize related capsaicinoids so our products are regulated based on the percentage of capsaicin only. For example, the spray I carry is marketed as a 1% spray (the maximum in Canada, I think) but if you look at the actual specs, you'll see it is 1% capsaicin and .84% related capsaicinoids.

So our bear sprays are likely as potent and effective as those sold in the US, they are just labelled differently.

I've been trained to shoot on the move...but my minds eye balks at trying to picture the CRSO's face if I asked to bring my bicycle to his range for movement drills. I can't even make my mouth move to ask for shooting behind my back from a moving bike.

I think there are indications that in areas where wolves and people live in close proximity, the wolves can get accustomed to people and become more bold. On the north side of Anchorage and on our local military base, a pack of wolves had taken a liking to killing and eating dogs, and had followed some people. This pack has now been eliminated:

A plus for the bear spray in this case was that while it didn't stop the wolf outright, possibly due to the improbability of being completely on target in this scenario, it sounds like it did slow the wolf down enough to allow the cyclist to ultimately get to safety. I would think the wide dispersion the bear spray provides was a significant factor in this.

And you're much less likely to injure or kill someone by accident if you miss.

I carry a pistol essentially everywhere it's legal for me to do so, and it's hard for me to figure out how that would have helped me in this situation before the rider was able to dismount his bike.

Negative, Ghostrider! I would have stopped, let the wolf get closer, and shot the everloving shiite out of it.

I don't think so Glock. According to the link in the original post the wolf "..... raced forward and attacked my panniers, in the process ripping my tent bag and spilling my poles onto the highway." If the wolf was close enough to rip your panniers he would have been ripping "the everloving shiite" out of you the instant you slowed down! By the time you actually stopped, you would have been lunch.

You are assuming that all the facts of the event are written up with an accurate timeline in that article, and that there are no gaps in the narrative. Was there was a time gap where the guy could have gotten off the bike and had time to draw a pistol? Is that bicyclist qualified enough to say that there was no point in time where he could have shot the wolf, had he been armed? My post was based on MY experience and training, not the bicyclist's.

Would there have been risk in acting decisively? Certainly. You pays for your ticket and you takes your chances.

I'm going to have to side with ASKAR on this one; it just doesn't sound like there was time to stop & let the wolf get closer. The wolf was on him once he noticed its presence and I'd wager most wolves are capable of keeping up with, and easily overtaking, most cyclists (I believe wolves can hit upwards of 60 kph). Note the following:


Based on this, it sounds like stopping (without deploying the bear spray) would indeed have resulted on the wolf being on him immediately. It sounds like the only way he was able to stay ahead of the wolf was due to the spray's ability to at least slow down the wolf.

I think this is one of those scenarios where both bear spray and a firearm would've provided the best chance of survival. It sounds like there may have been an opportunity for a proficient individual to use a firearm if they first used the bear spray to get some distance between the attacking wolf and themselves. Alternatively, without spray, an individual with only a firearm likely would have had the unpleasant task of trying to ready and use the firearm with the wolf already in contact with them.

Here's the story from CBC.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/07/10/north-cyclist-wolf-alaska-highway.html