Bear Attack.

[CPASPARKS]

I saw on the news this morning that a six year old girl was killed by a black bear at a National Park in Tennessee this week.
I live in North Texas and we do not have bear in this area. I have only camped in one area that had black bear, Big Bend Area of Far West Texas, but never saw any.
Have any forum members had any close calls with bear? If so, share with us.
What advice can you give if approached by a bear?
Do you think a teardrop is bear-proof.
I know you can't out-run a bear or out-climb a bear.

[bledsoe3]

I probably shouldn't admit it but I once chased a bear off with a paintball gun. I think is started with "hold my beer and watch this".

[jje507]

Kevin
I have been around quite a few black bears in The Smoky Mountains and I've had them circle my tent on more than 1 occasion.
The only problem I have ever had is losing a hamburger to one because I wasn't paying attention. I would really like to hear the full story of what happened in this case.
A bear will normally go for a picnic basket and then move on.
But as I have told my kids many times, bears are wild animals no matter how cute they look and we are trespassing in their house.
Jeff

[josephhanson]

As I saw on the news this morning, the mother and two children were playing in a pool by a waterfall when the bear attacked the son. The mother then attacked the bear and the bear mauled the mother. The girl wasn't accounted for untill help arriver and they found the girl about 50' away with the bear standing over her. The girl was pronounced dead at the site, the mother and son had surgery and are expected to recover.
(Physically that is)

[Chip]

Kevin,, way bck when,, there was a thread about bears on this forum,,, I think the general feelings were , A teardrop is not a bear proof structure,,, its just a convient package for a meal that they can easily get into,,,

If approached by a bear several options were available,, one of the better ones was a 44 mag, 8" vented barrell, speed loaders, pacmire grips,,
other one was do not run,, beat pots and pans together,, make noise,,

44 mag makes lots of noise dont it

That was real bad about the small child in Tnn getting attacked,,, I sure hate it for her parents,,, thats got to be tough

chipper

[Joseph]

Have any forum members had any close calls with bear? If so, share with us.

Yes. Encountered a mama & two cubs while hiking. She knew we were there and was swatting the kids along like a couple of furry beach balls - "Come ON - there are HUMANS here! Moveit, moveit MOVEIT!!" We just stood still and let them move on.

What advice can you give if approached by a bear?

No idea. I'm told that if attacked, curl up in a ball with your arms protecting the back of your neck and play dead. Don't ever want to try it. Personally, I'm with Chip - .45 ACP is my minimum preference.

Do you think a teardrop is bear-proof.

Absolutely not. The only food I'd store in a teardrop is unopened cans or jars. If you cook in your galley, keep it, your stove and all utensils scrupulously clean. I wipe everything down with an ammonia based cleaner. I wouldn't use citrus cleaners - I don't know if they smell like food to a bear and I don't care to find out.

I know you can't out-run a bear or out-climb a bear.

I don't need to. I just have to out-run YOU!

Joseph

[oklahomajewel]

so sad about the girl being killed! I hadn't heard the whole story.

Thanks for the info about wiping down the galley with ammonia... would be good for keeping wasps and ants, etc away too.

The only thing I've heard about bear siteings is that if you see
a Black Bear, stand still or curl in a ball and play dead.
a Brown Bear, run uphill... not down.


A white Polar Bear.... hand him a bottle of Coke and a smile.

[Joseph]

a Black Bear, stand still or curl in a ball and play dead. a Brown Bear, run uphill... not down.

He's still going to catch you. Brown bears can't climb so if you can get up a tree quickly you may be OK - but last I heard there are no brown (aka grizzly) bears in the lower 48 so this really only pertains to our Alaskan & Canadian members. Rule of thumb for trees - a black bear will climb the tree and eat you, a brown bear will knock the tree down and eat you.

A white Polar Bear.... hand him a bottle of Coke and a smile.

Seriously, most bears are opportunists when it comes to attacking people, and more often than not the people are at least partly to blame. OTOH, polar bears are the only species of bear that deliberately hunts man.

Joseph

[rainjer]

but last I heard there are no brown (aka grizzly) bears in the lower 48 so this really only pertains to our Alaskan & Canadian members

That is not true. The are Grizzlies in Glacier NP & Yellowstone NP.
Being they don't read signs, I would have to believe they are also outside the parks.

[Joseph]

That is not true. The are Grizzlies in Glacier NP & Yellowstone NP. Being they don't read signs, I would have to believe they are also outside the parks.

Great! Major predators make life interesting...

Joseph

[Laredo]

This is not ordinary behavior for a bear.
Bears are not unlike skunks, bats, opossums, coyotes, squirrels, rats, foxes, horses, cattle, and dogs in one sense -- they are subject to rabies.

Be careful out there.

[Ira]

In that other bear thread, I told the story about jogging in the Poconos (East Stroudsburg) in the 70s on this small country road.

I'm going full tilt, and out of the woods comes a black bear and I literally crashed into his a**.

I basically pissed my pants, he looked over his shoulder with some surprise, but he just kept walking on his way.

[Kens]

Camping in the Allegheny Natioal Forest in Pa you often see bears. Mostly in the dumpsters in camp grounds. Just take pictures from a distance and leave them alone.

[Denny Unfried]

A ranger in the Serria's told me that the bears hate the smell of Vics Vap-o-rub so I take it with me and wipe the galley seals with it. Only problem being I'm not nuts about the smell either.

Denny

[Slayer]

There are several things to consider when dealing with bears. One thing that is often overlooked is that bears have poor eyesight, and rely heavily on their sense of smell. First rule, don't wonder around in the woods smelling like food. As far as a bear is concerned, if you smell like food, you're food.

Another thing to keep in mind is that bears are, as previously mentioned very opportunistic. A bear would much rather steal food than fight for it. This has nothing to do with being lazy or shiftless. It has to do with safety. Bears can be and frequently are seriously injured as a result of attacks on other large animals. Second rule, don't pesent yourself as an easy opportunity for a quick snack. If you act like food, you're food.

The last, and perhaps the most important thing to know about bears is that they are very curious. Why is that important? Because if you let a bear get curious about you, unlike the cat a bears curiousity is far more likely to kill you than him. I,m not joking about this. The bears natural curiousity may be the leading cause of attacks on humans. Third rule, don't let a bear get curious about you. If you do, chances are, you're food.

I could go on and on about How and why bears do what they do, but I don't want to bore you to tears. So let me just say this. The best way to avoid being attacked by a bear is to be aware of your surroundings.

There are only two reasons that bears attack humans, (or anything else for that matter) they either see you as a threat, or they see you as food. Don't be either one. If you should find that you're being stalked by a bear your best option is confrontation. Bow up. wave your arms, scream and yell, throw rocks or sticks. Do whatever you can to let the bear know you're not going down easy And if you should ever be so unfortunate as to be attacked? FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!! Don't run. You can't out run a bear. Don't play dead. That is your worst option, and should only be used as a last resort. Any military man or woman will tell you the best way out of an ambush is to attack. The same holds true if you're ambushed by a bear.