Bear Attack

Posted by: 311

Bear Attack - 03/14/06 10:00 PM

Hello, ETSers! I was one of those anonymous lurkers. I trust the info I get from here. Mr. DR & forum posters seem to be the only ones generating new info or proving past survival advice by testing rather than just repeating old wives tales.
I was recently watching a show about bear attacks. They mentioned that at night, a bear is hunting for food. If you get attacked in your tent, the bear is trying to drag you out so he can eat you. The narrator said that you should fight back. He did not say how. If you use a knife on the bear as a last resort, what is likely to happen? Will a vigorous defense & wounds to the bear really [censored] him off or will he go look for a meal elsewhere ? Although Davey Crockett killed a bear when he was only 3?, It doesn't seem to me that you could do enough damage to a bear with a knife to kill it or wound it so much that it could not continue to attack.
Posted by: TQS

Re: Bear Attack - 03/14/06 10:46 PM

They say there is a big difference between grizzlies and black bears, and different strategies in dealing with the two types, but in Canada, I saw a blackie as big as any grizzly. I would definitely fight a black bear, and if I didn't even have so much as a knife, I would try to bite its eye out or its nose off or something like that. I think I would play dead with a grizzly, even if I thought it was hungry, until I was certain that it would eat me, then I would take as much of its eye or nose with me as I could. Don't put yourself in a position to where you have nothing to defend yourself!!! Rifle, shotgun, handgun, pistol, pepperspray, knife, firecrackers, whatever works, carry what you believe to be most effective. Research, read, study, talk to those with first hand experience, and prepare, prepare, prepare !!! Go in ready, stay aware at all times, expecting the worst, and sleep with one eye open.
Posted by: Dave568

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 12:07 AM

I was also wondering the same thing. I carry a 7" blade with my when hiking, and if I was ever attacked, I wonder how effective it would really be. I guess the best thing to do would be to attempt to stab it in the face/neck. If I was able to get a good stab in, it would probably do quite a bit of damage, but it probably wouldn't be the easiest thing to do in the heat of the moment.
Posted by: Susan

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 02:34 AM

I would find a road flare more valuable than a knife, I think. But you usually have to scrape them on the pavement to light them. I'd rather have a kind that you just rip the head cover off and it ignites. Is there anything like that out there?

Sue
Posted by: cedfire

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 03:06 AM

Here's a couple of recent posts about bears I found by using the search tool:

ETS Bear Post 1
ETS Bear Post 2
ETS Bear Post 3

I think the consensus is that bears have their own personalities and some respond differently than others. Supposedly black bears are more predatory and grizzlies are more defensive in nature. Either type might bluff charge if you startle them, attack if they perceive you as a threat to cubs, or decide you'll make a tasty snack if they're really hungry.

UDAP makes the "Pepper Power" bear spray and has some tips on their web site: www.udap.com/safety.htm
Posted by: Chris Kavanaugh

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 03:30 AM

Most camp attacks occur because the bears KNOW where the designated or heavily used camps are. I'm breaking rules, but I NEVER sleep in designated campgrounds in bear country. I justify this breach with zero impact camping. You can also assemble a poor man's perimeter wire by stringing light cordage with hanging tin cans.The noise will alert you and possibly spook Old Ephraim. Bear attacks are relatively rare. If you read the sensationalist accounts of those few, a few simple precautionary steps become obvious.
Posted by: lazermonkey

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 04:23 AM

What should I do as to not alarm the individual who set up the "can parameter" if I accidentally activate the can alarm?

I am thinking along the lines of ; the universal signal for distress is three of something. What is the universal indicator for ?Never mind?, ?O.K?, ?All clear??

<img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: Chris Kavanaugh

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 04:43 AM

Well unless you sleepwalk, or got lost on a midnight visit to the great Milky Way illuminated bathroom I'd suggest the universal "Hello the Camp" and freezing very still with arms in plain sight. I'll probably be armed with a very hot, very overbrewed enamel pot of coffee ( pepper spray and training- pushaww <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />) Some of the other folks on this forum will probably lay down a suppressing cover fire while looking for their flashlight and bifocals. I'd suggest dropping immediately and still yelling the salutation. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: lazermonkey

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 07:48 AM


Quote:
I'd suggest the universal "Hello the Camp" and freezing very still with arms in plain sight


Thanks Chris
Posted by: norad45

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 02:34 PM

Two or three years ago there was an article in one of the hunting rags about a 15-16 year old kid who killed an attacking sow bear with a knife, a Buck 110 I believe. If I remember right he was a pretty good sized kid. I'm sure there have been other people who have done it. About 15 years ago at one of the reservoir campgrounds near here a blackie grabbed a sleeping eight year old girl out of her tent and carried her off. Her grandfather chased it down beating it with a mag-lite until it dropped her and ran off. It was later tracked down and shot. The girl survived but was horribly mauled. At least with black bears I guess it pays to fight back with whatever you have at hand, because if you give up you are dead. Bear attacks are exceedingly rare, but that is small comfort if one is biting you. At minimum I carry a .357 revolver and a 5-1/2" knife. They are handy for other critters as well. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: norad45

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 02:44 PM

A flare makes a lot of sense, and it obviously has other uses too (firestarting, signaling.) I wouldn't want to use one in a tent though! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I have some out in my truck. I'll have to check on how they ignite.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 02:54 PM

My Grandparents camped in Yosemite in the 1930s with my Mom and her four brothers and sisters. Even back then the bears knew what the campers had to offer in the campgrounds. My Grandfather would tie about 10 feet of fishing line to a piece of bacon, and the other end to a bunch of empty tin cans. The story has been passed down in the family, that you could hear the bear being chased by the tin cans for quite a while. You may wake up the neighbors if you tried that now.
Posted by: Milestand

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 03:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chris Kavanaugh:

Well unless you sleepwalk, or got lost on a midnight visit to the great Milky Way illuminated bathroom I'd suggest the universal "Hello the Camp" and freezing very still with arms in plain sight. I'll probably be armed with a very hot, very overbrewed enamel pot of coffee ( pepper spray and training- pushaww ) Some of the other folks on this forum will probably lay down a suppressing cover fire while looking for their flashlight and bifocals. I'd suggest dropping immediately and still yelling the salutation.


I always look forward to new bear attack threads, so I can read Chris Kavanaugh's latest level-headed, yet hilarious response...
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Bear Attack - 03/15/06 05:26 PM

Quote:
... prepare, prepare, prepare !!!


I don't think it's possible to adequately prepare for a bear attack... especialy if you are sleeping in your tent and a bear decides to make you his lunch !

An attack survivor described hearing the bear chewing on a bone realizing the bone was her skull ! She fought back and survived.

The best You can do is equip yourself with knowledge (and you fav. gear) and not worry too much ...
Posted by: TQS

Re: Bear Attack - 03/16/06 12:06 AM

"I don't think it's possible to adequately prepare for a bear attack..."

I agree that with bears being unpredictable it is difficult to prepare for an anticipated moment in a bad situation and to thereby have a sure way out of injury, but preparation would consist of be aware of the possibility of a curious or hungry bear becoming aggresive, not leaving food scents nearby, having AT LEAST a pepperspray device, and even a first aid kit. There are many things one can do to adequately prepare for bears, although there is no guarantee that even the best equipment will not fail you despite your skill level with them.
Posted by: TQS

Re: Bear Attack - 03/16/06 12:08 AM

The cap on a road flare has a cap on it where the scrapper is. First remove the outermost cap, then the flare cap itslef, and a quick srike against it will ignite the flare.
Posted by: TQS

Re: Bear Attack - 03/16/06 12:38 AM

I saw a young adult black bear on the side of a mountain road once, in the wilderness, not in any kind of park setting, leaning on a car window. I pulled over and watched. It didn't seem quite fully grown, but I am no expert. It began to push on the window with its body weight, and that's when the "sightseers" in the car drove away. I imagined that if this bear got much bigger, the next window would probably break. Well, maybe not the best move, but I wanted a photo of that bear, and so I got out of my truck and went around to the back where I had left my camera. Anyway the bear noticed at once, and came immediately at me. Apparently, people were in the habit of feeding this particular bear by throwing food out of their windows. Well it immediately thought that either I would give it food or that I was food. It was strange how cute and harmlessly hungry it looked at me with those eyes, it made me think of trying to pat its fuzzy head, until it was about 1 foot away, then I thought that it would bite me so I yelled loud and strong at it while stomping my foot angrily on the ground. It was startled and hesitated. I was frightened that it had become to used to being fed by people that I couldn't scare it off, so I put more energy into my intimidation and scare-off attempts, and it then scampered off to the nearest tree with was only about 10 feet away, and climbed about 10 feet up that tree and just stared at me. Again I thought, how cute, a big bear acting like a cub. So, instead of getting back into my truck, I continued to look for my camera, then the bear backed down the tree and I yelled some more and made aggressive motions toward it. It backed all the way down to the ground despite my attempts to scare it away or at least into submission, but it just lay down at the base of the tree and watched me. It was like it was telling me that it wasn't going away no matter how much I yelled, and that if I stayed where I was it was going to find out what I tasted like. I felt sad that people had "trained" this bear to the side of the road. It was pathetic, and dangerous. I got back into my truck and it came up to my truck, I honked and honked my horn and it had no fear of man. I pulled forward and backed up, honking and yelling, but it had no fear. Then another car pulled up and these two women were throwing Doritos cornchips out to it like it was their pet. I tried to explain the dangers to both man, property and bear, in feeding these animals. They did not understand, and thought I was crazy in telling them not to feed the wild bear. I tried to explain to them that bears like these usually end up dead because they will eventually hurt someone or damage a vehicle or something like being shot by someone who sees an opportunity for easy meat. But those women did not seem to care. They just scoffed and mocked me. I only hope it was live-captured and transported deep into the wilderness where it would have to learn to rely on wilds foods instead of fritos tossed from car windows.

If that bear was a grizzly, I would NOT have gotten out and "played" with it.
Posted by: gunsmith

Re: Bear Attack - 03/16/06 02:57 AM

<img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: gunsmith

Re: Bear Attack - 03/16/06 03:40 AM

Well now, fighting bears is quight a subject, there are after all, Bear's...and..there BEARS...
But the bottom line....why wouldent you fight???
Posted by: cedfire

Re: Bear Attack - 03/16/06 06:02 AM

How does the saying go? I think it's "a fed bear is a dead bear". It's a shame people think wildlife is like nature's big zoo to throw peanuts and food at the critters.

Here's a neat photo from Yellowstone years ago:

http://www.airstream.net/images/bear.jpg
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Bear Attack - 03/21/06 08:09 PM

Do you think this would scare the bears away <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />?
Handi Blaster

I can hear it now ?
Sorry officer, I did not mean to burn down the 1000 acres of forest <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />, but this big bear was out to get me <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />.

Pete
Posted by: NAro

Re: Bear Attack - 03/22/06 02:38 PM

" If that bear was a grizzly, I would NOT have gotten out and "played" with it. "

No offense, but I think you should have stayed in your truck anyway. What you did is just as ill-conceived as feeding the bear. To approach any wild animal that closely, and/or to fail to withdraw if possible, is (IMHO)poor woodsmanship. By the way, I believe Black bears account for far more attacks on humans than do Grizzlies.

My concern isn't just for your personal safety, but also for the animal. No bear should be encouraged to get that close to a human... regardless of WHO has to retreat. I believe that if a wild animal approaches you .. or lets YOU approach it.. that closely, something is wrong.
.... just IMHO
Posted by: MissouriExile

Re: Bear Attack - 03/22/06 08:42 PM

Bottom line; If a black bear attacks you in camp at night you have no choice but to fight or get eaten. Whether you succeed or not is secondary.
A couple was attacked by a black bear who got the man down and proceed to devour him. The woman attacked the bear, hitting it with her purse, It ran off. The man survived but was never quite the same afterwards..... Some things were missing. Any pepper spray, guns, or large knives will be confiscated by national park rangers if seen. Keep them concealed as well as possible.
Posted by: desertrat1

Re: Bear Attack - 03/23/06 03:08 AM

I just checked with the National Park Service website, they have a page discussing the effectiveness of pepper spray http://www.nps.gov/search/query-meta?q=p...;as_sitesearch= I tried weapons regulations but the page wa being updated. I would bet the regulations vary with the state where the park is located.
Posted by: MissouriExile

Re: Bear Attack - 03/23/06 06:10 PM

Very possible. I know that Great Smoky Mountain Park confiscates Pepper spray. I had mine buried in my pack (not much use), another person had a small one clipped to belt. It was taken.

My large "Bear Spray" canister has a warning: " DO NOT SEEK OUT BEARS TO TRY THIS ON... IT MIGHT NOT WORK"

I ask you.... how is Natural Selection going to work if we keep warning people?
Posted by: DBAGuy

Re: Bear Attack - 03/23/06 09:09 PM

Quote:
Some of the other folks on this forum will probably lay down a suppressing cover fire


It's amazing how people's bowels react when they see 30 rounds of AK-47 TRACERS come at them <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: cedfire

Re: Bear Attack - 03/23/06 11:02 PM

Here's something I posted a while back in another bear thread.

National Parks (US DOI) are far more strict when it comes to any sort of weapon, including pepper spray. There is an exemption for most parks in Alaska (Part 13) on weapons.

CFR Title 36

National Forests (USDA) seem to be much more lenient. Firearms are generally permitted, as is target shooting, hunting, fishing, etc. (under compliance with state laws). At least, in most forests. I'm sure there a few forests with tougher restrictions in place.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Bear Attack - 03/24/06 02:29 AM

Oh yes, we cannot deny the Darwin Awards their due process.
Posted by: Susan

Re: Bear Attack - 03/24/06 02:49 AM

"I ask you.... how is Natural Selection going to work if we keep warning people?"

I hate to have to be the one to point this out, but warning people has absolutely NO EFFECT on Natural Selection!

Sue
Posted by: snoman

Hey, Chris, how about one of these... - 03/28/06 10:59 PM

Bear Repellent Portable Electric Fence
or
Electro Bear Guard
Posted by: TQS

Re: Bear Attack - 03/29/06 12:58 AM

You are probably right, but I simply couldn't resist finding out just how bad the situation was. I thought I would be doing the right thing by scaring it back into the woods, but that's not what happened, and I admit, I may have made the situation worse. But, anyways, I reported it, and I'm sure the bear has been relocated by now. Either that or, sadly, it may have been shot. In any case, thanks for your critique.