Camper Survives Bear Mauling

[tonycc]

Anywho; Bear Canister, Pepper Spray and improved food handling are my new mantras.

Be aware of several limitations of pepper spray:
- There are restrictions in place in New York and Mass., I know the sales are restricted, but I'm not sure about regulations concerning carry and use. There may also be local regulations.
- You need to figure out how to carry it so that it is immediately available at all times. You should also practice using it.
- The sprays have a very limited effective distance, less than 20 feet in calm air, forget about it in windy conditions.
- Even in calm conditions, there is a chance you will end up disabling yourself, thus reducing your ability to fight back and/or escape. (another reason to practice)
- Despite the manufacturer's hype, it is not 100% effective in stopping a bear, it is a distraction at best. It buys you time to slowly back out of there, maybe.

With all of the above, it is strictly a last resort and I guess would be better than nothing if you do need to use it. Bear bangers have become popular north of the border, but they are illegal down here. These give you a chance to scare the bejeezus out of a bear before they get close enough to see the whites of their eyes.

Given the probability of an attack, I don't see pepper spray as something I would carry in the Northeast.

Tony

 

[sardog1]

I'd like to hear the opinion of someone schooled in bear behavior on this, it is interesting that it's termed an encounter and not an attack. I assume like dave mentioned the prey reaction was triggered, but what do I know?

I'm making a conscious effort to maintain civility as I write this: The assistant park manager quoted in the story is dangerously ignorant of bear behavior. She needs retraining before she is allowed to make any public pronouncements on the subject again.

Once the female camper ran and the bear chased her, he was targeting her as prey. His persistence (even in the face of opposition by her companion), the bites on her head, and his covering of her with brush while he lay near her, are all indications of this to someone familiar with bear behavior. This was a "predaceous" black bear, in the words of Stephen Herrero in his excellent Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance. Once such a (black) bear decides you're the entree, the best course of action is to fight back with every means, fair and foul, at your disposal. You want to convince the bear that you're either going to (1) win the fight and slay it, or (2) at least hurt it enough to make it reconsider the wisdom of continuing the attack. (Note: If it's a brown/grizzly, fighting back is not likely to succeed unless you can kill or disable it with a powerful firearm. Otherwise, you're probably going to be the entree, because you won't be able to intimidate that species.)

Apart from the obvious error in bringing food into the tent, I would suggest that standing together as a threesome, shoulder-to-shoulder, at the outset would have been a better course of action than fleeing and eventually splitting up. There are very few instances of bear attacks on a party of three adult humans standing together.

 

[Maddy]

ENCOUNTER vs ATTACK
I was thinking more in terms of the damages. I would have thought that if a black bear "attacked" the injuries would be far greater. That bear could have killed that woman in the blink of an eye.
The woman was treated and released from the hospital.
How do you define an encounter? Would it be more like a bear passing by your camp a few feet away and moving on?
If this is how we are defining it I would agree that the bear "attacked" and was justified in doing so. Perhaps there were cubs nearby. No matter what you call it the message is the same. You don't mess with the bears dinner, especially one that you so generously provided. We cannot possibly fault the bear in this case.

 

[Barbarossa]

ENCOUNTER vs ATTACK
I was thinking more in terms of the damages. I would have thought that if a black bear "attacked" the injuries would be far greater. That bear could have killed that woman in the blink of an eye.
The woman was treated and released from the hospital.

I have read that bears are not hunters, but they are opportunists. Cubs don't learn how dispatch prey, unlike young of true predatory species, such as wolves or cats.

 

[Grumpy]

ENCOUNTER vs ATTACK
. . . How do you define an encounter? Would it be more like a bear passing by your camp a few feet away and moving on? If this is how we are defining it I would agree that the bear "attacked" and was justified in doing so. Perhaps there were cubs nearby. No matter what you call it the message is the same. You don't mess with the bears dinner, especially one that you so generously provided. We cannot possibly fault the bear in this case.

1) I'd say an "encounter" runs the gamut from having a bear stroll closely across your path or closely past your camp to having one enter your "space" and ransack your camp and gear.

2) I'd say further that once the doggone bear escalates its activity to actually laying paw or tooth on your person you are looking at an "attack."

3) There is no "justification" or "non-justification" for a bear encounter or attack. These things can and do happen when bears are present. Driven by their appetites and urges to mate or nurture young, bears follow their natural instincts which are conditioned to one extent or another by their experiences.

4) Bears are not docile, harmless creatures. They frequently damage or destroy human property in their hunt for sustenance. They are equipped to do serious damage. Bears also are unpredictable and capable of being a physical threat to people as well as to property. That's one thing we we find out when an incident like the one under discussion here occurs.

5) Incidents like this happen for reasons, no doubt, but to assign "blame" or "fault" all the while is a mistake because it tends to lead us away from dealing with the problem. My suggestion is to quit playing the blame game and look closely at what actually happened, figure out what you can do to prevent such incidents involving yourself and your party in the first place, and what to do to survive if an encounter escalates to an attack.

6) I also suggest you (and I) thank our lucky stars it wasn't you (or me) who tangled with this bear, and hope our own good fortune holds out over the long haul.

G.

 

[Quack]

age vs. beauty

The story on www.mcall.com says the bear weighed 150 lbs. I'm assuming that was someone's best estimate, but assuming it's an accurate one, does anyone know how old that would make the animal?

 

[Jaytrek57]

Grumpy,

I agree with most of what you had to say. I am glad all parties are alive and relatively ok.

However, based on what I have read, I think one can draw certain "faults" from this story. Then we can evaluate and learn.

Also, I would say 100% of bear attacks are "encounters".

Peace.

 

[Waumbek]

The story on www.mcall.com says the bear weighed 150 lbs. I'm assuming that was someone's best estimate, but assuming it's an accurate one, does anyone know how old that would make the animal?

Young male, or female. It's hard to estimate weight however. If male, possibly a yearling who's just been driven off?

 

[Jasonst]

Anywho; Bear Canister, Pepper Spray...

What about "lead" spray. I know this isn't PC in the hiking community but - who knows whan you're going to run across a rabid bear or coyote? Let's just call it the "equalizer"

 

[sardog1]

The story on www.mcall.com says the bear weighed 150 lbs. I'm assuming that was someone's best estimate, but assuming it's an accurate one, does anyone know how old that would make the animal?

It's real easy to overestimate actual weight, especially in the circumstances described in the story. Assuming that the figure is approximately correct, the bear would probably be at least two years old, as a yearling would not have had time this season to put on that much weight yet. (Different story by the late fall.) A yearling would be very unlikely to have behaved as described, as well. The hesitancy to actually kill the unfortunate woman indicates a bear lacking just enough confidence to finish the job, this time. He's on the verge of crossing completely over to the dark side (I do think it's a male). This bear needs to be found and humanely killed.

Before the flaming starts, I invite anyone so inclined to come look at my library and my pictures of bears and talk with me about my admiration for all things ursine.

 

[Grumpy]

Young male, or female. It's hard to estimate weight however. If male, possibly a yearling who's just been driven off?

Take this for what it's worth:

A close friend is an avid archer and successful bear hunter. He is the kind of guy who sort of follows the “be the bear” (or “be the deer”) idea in hunting. He spends far more time afield unarmed, studying his prospective prey in all seasons, than actually hunting for the kill. I regard him as a true expert when it comes to knowing and understanding the behavior of animals he hunts, including bears.

My friend tells me that a young male black bear is without doubt the most aggressive and unpredictable, and therefore potentially dangerous type in its species. My friend compares such a bear to a big teenage boy who has the physical capacity of a grown man, raging hormones and absolutely no mitigating good judgement.

G.

 

[VFTTop'r]

Dosen't our constitution allow for the "right to bear arms"? Or is it the right to arm bears? I'm with Jason, a little "lead" spray works for me.

 

[Chip]

What about "lead" spray. I know this isn't PC in the hiking community but - who knows whan you're going to run across a rabid bear or coyote? Let's just call it the "equalizer"

High-Speed lead poisoning is an option if you are licensed properly.
However, like self-defense against humans, this is likely to cause more problems than it might solve. The only thing worse than a hungry/aggressive animal is an injured one. Rabies, sickness, etc. in racoons, skunks, coyote, etc. is a larger and more real concern for me and these "encounters" are nearly as rare as bear attacks are.

But it's interesting to speculate in this case, what would have occured here if one of the campers had had a gun and used it.

 

[dr_wu002]

Before the flaming starts, I invite anyone so inclined to come look at my library and my pictures of bears and talk with me about my admiration for all things ursine.

No flaming -- your posts on this topic have been excellent.

I'm not an expert on this subject and honestly, haven't sat down and really considered it nor do I have much experience with bears (except for one that came over for a "visit" to my parents house in the Berkshires) so all I'll say is that I "unofficially agree."

Great posts!

-Dr. Wu

 

[Rik]

But it's interesting to speculate in this case, what would have occured here if one of the campers had had a gun and used it.

Someone may have been killed.

 

[Neil]

I don't think pepper spray or firearms (hot lead sandwhich - speedy delivery )for that matter come even remotely second to thoroughly studying and then applying the knowledge to be found in Herrero's book. There's your weapon of choice.

One sobering thought: most of the interviews conducted by the author took place in the hospital.

 

[Chip]

You are correct, Sir ! I've decided to skip the pepper spray and buy the book !
I love floating my hair-brained ideas here !

 

[VFTTop'r]

Someone may have been killed.

Yeah, Smokey the Bear.

Remember, only YOU can prevent.....

BEING EATEN!

 

[VFTTop'r]

In light of rising human/grizzly bear encounters, the Montana Department of Fish and Game recently cautioned hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and to keep alert of bears while in the field:

"We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle the bears. We also recommend outdoorsmen carry pepper spray with them in case of a confrontation with a bear."

The department further advised people to watch for fresh signs of bear activity:

"Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear excrement. Black bear excrement is typically smaller, and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear excrement is larger, has little bells in it, and smells like pepper."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hikers were out in the woods when all of a sudden, a bear started chasing them. They climbed a tree, but the bear started climbing up the tree after them. The first hiker got his sneakers out of his knapsack and starts putting them on.

The second hiker said, "What are you doing?"

The first responded, "I figure when the bear gets close to us, we'll have to jump down and make a run for it."

The second said, "Are you crazy? You can't outrun a bear!"

The first guy replied, "I don't have to outrun the bear; I just have to outrun you!"

 

[Neil]

The differentiation of black and grizzly bears, may be quite difficult at times. Here is an important field technique to aid the woebegone and perhaps beleaguered hiker.

If it climbs up the tree after you it's a black.
If it knocks the tree down it's a grizzly.