Most bears can be scared off by yelling. In all of the generations of families that grew up in our area...there was never a situation where the bear didn`t back down. Course if you were trout fishing...the smart thing to do was drop your creel full of fish and bait if a bear wanted it. It is the dump bears and those that become acclimated to people that become dangerous.
Any time you get close to a mama bear and her cubs, you are in trouble. Most of the time if a bear becomes a problem, they are trapped and relocated by the department of natural resources.
It is very few that will attack unprovoked...but occasionally, you have a rogue.
I watched a documentary about the treadwell guy....seems to me that he was mentally unstable, drug addicted, and incredibly stupid. He THOUGHT that he knew bear behavior...in his arrogence, he pushed his limits and entered the bears personal space one to many times.
I think most people would agree with your assesment of Treadwell rascal. ;) Although it's still a horrible way to die it's a damn shame he had to give his girlfriend and those bears a death sentence as well. I have read that the bears can be scared off by yelling, before they go into attack mode of course, but damn, to think of being that close to one... :blink:
Anyway I still need my question answered as to what the protocol is for killing a bear rather than relocating it. I'm really confused.
Rottie, I seriously believe that the policy varies according to which state and who`s in charge of their dnr.
Usually when we run across a bear at the lake...we just stand up big and tall and yell go away....
One time....my uncle was walking up from the lake....he spotted a bear up the hill from him. Just as he spotted it, the bear started running for him. Dave, turned and ran as fast as he sould back to the lake...grabbing the boat as he ran into water, draggiong it with him, much to frightened to take the time and jump in....expecting those bears teeth to grab him one time from behind no doubt....well when he got chest deep, he finaly looked back over his shoulder only to discover that the bear had been a half grown cub running for the nearest tree...which incidently happened to be between them....lol the bear was more scared than Dave was.
We gave him a lot of grief for many years about his attempt to *walk on water*....lol
Nother time when my mom was a little girl....she was sitting in the out house taking care of business. She heard a snuffeling noise .....assuming of course it was her ornery older brothers trying to scare her....
She sang out....I KNOW that`s you Ben and Dave.....you can`t scare me........Leave me alone you guys...she kept up a steady stream of conversation ....when all of a sudden a huge bear sticks her head around the corner in inquery....lol
She just looked in and went on about her business.
Black bears are fairly common in NE Ohio and NW PA.
(Birdfeeders have been outlawed as the bears view them as an "all you can eat" smorgasboard.)
About 10 years ago(The numbers in this post are not necessarily accurate on account of I'm wingin' it), a young male black bear of maybe 1 or 2 years old, decided West Virginia was just not the place to meet young lady bears. So, off he went on his journey northward, searching for a place where he could find some "action".
Well, he got to about the middle of Ohio(about 140 or 150 miles) and found himself in downtown Newark(Ohio) at the height of lunch hour. Now Newark isn't exactly NYC but it ain't Mayberry, either, by any stretch.
The local law personnel acted quickly and shot him with a tranquilizer.
He was then tagged and relocated about 150 miles south, across the Ohio River.
The very next day, there he was again, just as if he hadn't ever left.
He had to swim the Ohio River and travel at a running gait, non stop, to succeed at this feat.
Again, he was tranquilized and relocated.
Wouldn't you know it?
The next day, the same bear showed up in Jersey Township, which is about 20 miles west of where he had been the previous 2 days.
This time, the local authorities decided that a bear this hell bent on doing his own thing was simply not to be trusted.
He was shot and killed.
What's the point?
There's just no telling what a teenager "in love" is liable to do so don't take any thing for granted.
I am doing an assignment for a class I'm taking and I need to know something about bears. I'm getting conflicting messages from various sources I'm reading. It seems that the places where there are bears, in National Parks, there is a certain "bear awareness" that people must learn in order to enjoy them, and for the bears and peoples protection.
My question is this. When are bears deemed to be too dangerous around people? I am reading that bears have a natural wariness around people we must respect and once they cross those lines (Mostly due to human ignorance and error) they become a danger to people.
I am reading stories of bears that have become too acclimated to human food (people feeding them, leaving open food around) and are roaming campsites, then they are shot because now they can't be trusted around people and campsites. Why are they not relocated?
Any bear that has acclimatized itself to human surroundings, should be immediately shot.
Sorry -- but that's the truth. Humans have fed them/ provided dumps that the bears congregate to,
immunizing them from *natural fear* of mankind, etc. Living here in northern Minnesota, and having worked at the end of the Gunflint Trail in the BWCA -- there's lots of bear stories that I could tell, and not (necessarily) always in the bear's favor.
There is a current story (here in Minney-soda) about a bear named Solo.
There are a lot of black bears where I am from, other than knocking down birdfeeders or some occasional mischief like tipping over someones trashcan they dont cause any problems.
There has never been an incident where a human has been harmed in this region. Ever--
Still, Once every few years someone shoots one for some lame reason or another.
It's generally not looked on too favorably around here, but it is not illegal.
I read the book "Grizzly Maze" about the Treadwell disaster. In that book they go into a discussion about the difference between brown ( grizzly ) and Black bears.
First a sow with cubs no matter the species is a dangerous Mama not to be provoked or encroached on-- the farther away the better- camera clicks, flash bulbs, sudden movement anything that She perceives as a potential threat-- you have a good potential of being toast.
outside of mama and baby the studies show that...
Grizzlies attack because they feel crowded. They are big and fast -- if charged roll up into a ball cover your neck and head with your arms and no matter what no sound or movement when attacked. To ME that sounds like a really tall order and goes against the grain of every natural response. Grizzlies also have a tendency to back off and sit and watch to see if the object of their attentions is going to move-- they are incredibly patient and have been known to hang around as much as an hour after the initial attack-- any movement on the part of the person will often cause a renewed attack..again to remain motionless after such an attack would take superhuman will power -- more than I have-- that's for sure.
It is known that bears of any species can count -- two people are less likely to be attacked as one-- three is even safer and there are no documented attacks on groups of 4 or more people together. Most attacks are the result of the Grizzly being surprised. Always make noise-- bells, or singing, loud talking etc--- especially around fishing areas, in the brush, berry patches etc. A forewarned bear is likely to exit quietly given the opportunity.
Black bears, who attack humans, attack for a different reason- an unprovoked attack by a black bear ( who also can come in white, silvery gray {blue}, brown and tan and I have seen a black and white bear) means that he is hungry and you are on the menu-- Black bears retreat if the object of their intended meal fights back vigorously. There are documented cases of children as young as 10 successfully fighting off a bear by yelling, kicking, punching and hitting the bear with an object around the head.
Again the size of the group acts as a deterrent.
Polar bears-- those great white denizens of the north-- are a different kettle of fish all together. They, on occasion, stalk and hunt humans regarding them as just another entree.
Barrow, Alaska and the rest of the northern coastline has many documented accounts of bears waiting under trucks for people getting off work at night-, stalking trick or treaters and, in one case, going through the window of a mess hall and seizing a GI at chow.
Thank you so much for the great replies, I am still going over them reading them more thoroughly. Where do I start. First of all, Templelady, I just got grizzly maze, and i just started skimming through it. Looks like a great book. Thanks for the differentiations(sp?) I'm also reading Treadwells own book he wrote himself, and another one about his death by Nick Jans. Wow. Mind blowing stuff.
dmiller: That link to that story is great stuff. Incredibly sad on so many levels. Incredibly igorant for people who "live with bears" to have this kind of mentality.
"But the township, where some residents have fed bears for decades, just last week adopted a 17-page plan called "Living with Bears ... Coexisting with Wildlife in a Natural Setting."
"Personally, I think it's premature to kill the bear," Humay said. "A number of people are convinced this is not an aggressive animal. It hasn't done anything to merit destruction."
What? They are giving that bear a death sentence as well as some unlucky resident.
And ironically, the "bear expert" Lynn Rogers, is considered to be an incredible fool by his own peers. I actually found him mentioned in Grizzly Maze. He feeds the damn bears! Here is an excerpt of what the Center of Wildlife Information thinks of Lynn Rogers. "Such actions, feeding approaching, following, have led to the destruction of thousands of wild animals. They are also the leading cause of human-bear confrontations resulting in serious injury and death to people and wild animals."
Thanks for all this great stuff guys, and I'm interested in the difference between the types of bears too. Interesting stuff.
Polar bears, from what little I know, do not regard humans as the top of the food chain, but rather as an alternative to seals.
I did hear once of someone describing a test for telling a black bear, which can be almost any color, from a grizzly bear. Irritate the bear in question, then climb the nearest sturdy tree. If the bear climbs up after you, it is a black bear, as grizzlies are too big to climb. If it shakes you out of the tree, it's a grizzly. Best advice; stay away from the critters and give them their space.
I don't live so far from Newark that it is impossible I will see a bear munching on my black raspberries some summer day. I have NO idea what I would do, except that I would want it out of there because there are a lot of kiddies in this area. I'd hate to see it shot, though.
I think there may be a a bear or two hanging out southeast of here in the summertime, in the Hocking Hills area. Never seen one, though, in Ohio. In fact, we spent a long weekend in Glacier National Park once, noting many bear warning signs throughout the three days we were there, but all we saw was a mule deer. I was actually disappointed.
Don't know as any of yas will ever need this advice,
But, if you're ever in a situation where you have to shoot a bear, aim for the end of his nose. That's your shot. Anyplace else and you're likely to just wound him and put yourself in even greater peril. A shot in the end of the nose puts him down immediately. Not an easy shot, I know, but it's still your best.
Interesting George. I've been reading about the benefits of bear spay, which some campers/hunters swear by more than a rifle. They tell stories of shooting a bear only to make it madder, but bear spray seems to do the trick. I'm even thinking of getting a cannister to keep at home. Isn't that what Dog the Bounty hunter used? Those mega giant cans of mace?
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rascal
Well, I grew up around bears in the michigan up.
Most bears can be scared off by yelling. In all of the generations of families that grew up in our area...there was never a situation where the bear didn`t back down. Course if you were trout fishing...the smart thing to do was drop your creel full of fish and bait if a bear wanted it. It is the dump bears and those that become acclimated to people that become dangerous.
Any time you get close to a mama bear and her cubs, you are in trouble. Most of the time if a bear becomes a problem, they are trapped and relocated by the department of natural resources.
It is very few that will attack unprovoked...but occasionally, you have a rogue.
I watched a documentary about the treadwell guy....seems to me that he was mentally unstable, drug addicted, and incredibly stupid. He THOUGHT that he knew bear behavior...in his arrogence, he pushed his limits and entered the bears personal space one to many times.
Wasn`t the bears fault.
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RottieGrrrl
I think most people would agree with your assesment of Treadwell rascal. ;) Although it's still a horrible way to die it's a damn shame he had to give his girlfriend and those bears a death sentence as well. I have read that the bears can be scared off by yelling, before they go into attack mode of course, but damn, to think of being that close to one... :blink:
Anyway I still need my question answered as to what the protocol is for killing a bear rather than relocating it. I'm really confused.
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rascal
Rottie, I seriously believe that the policy varies according to which state and who`s in charge of their dnr.
Usually when we run across a bear at the lake...we just stand up big and tall and yell go away....
One time....my uncle was walking up from the lake....he spotted a bear up the hill from him. Just as he spotted it, the bear started running for him. Dave, turned and ran as fast as he sould back to the lake...grabbing the boat as he ran into water, draggiong it with him, much to frightened to take the time and jump in....expecting those bears teeth to grab him one time from behind no doubt....well when he got chest deep, he finaly looked back over his shoulder only to discover that the bear had been a half grown cub running for the nearest tree...which incidently happened to be between them....lol the bear was more scared than Dave was.
We gave him a lot of grief for many years about his attempt to *walk on water*....lol
Nother time when my mom was a little girl....she was sitting in the out house taking care of business. She heard a snuffeling noise .....assuming of course it was her ornery older brothers trying to scare her....
She sang out....I KNOW that`s you Ben and Dave.....you can`t scare me........Leave me alone you guys...she kept up a steady stream of conversation ....when all of a sudden a huge bear sticks her head around the corner in inquery....lol
She just looked in and went on about her business.
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waysider
Relocation vs. ummm--- the other option.
Black bears are fairly common in NE Ohio and NW PA.
(Birdfeeders have been outlawed as the bears view them as an "all you can eat" smorgasboard.)
About 10 years ago(The numbers in this post are not necessarily accurate on account of I'm wingin' it), a young male black bear of maybe 1 or 2 years old, decided West Virginia was just not the place to meet young lady bears. So, off he went on his journey northward, searching for a place where he could find some "action".
Well, he got to about the middle of Ohio(about 140 or 150 miles) and found himself in downtown Newark(Ohio) at the height of lunch hour. Now Newark isn't exactly NYC but it ain't Mayberry, either, by any stretch.
The local law personnel acted quickly and shot him with a tranquilizer.
He was then tagged and relocated about 150 miles south, across the Ohio River.
The very next day, there he was again, just as if he hadn't ever left.
He had to swim the Ohio River and travel at a running gait, non stop, to succeed at this feat.
Again, he was tranquilized and relocated.
Wouldn't you know it?
The next day, the same bear showed up in Jersey Township, which is about 20 miles west of where he had been the previous 2 days.
This time, the local authorities decided that a bear this hell bent on doing his own thing was simply not to be trusted.
He was shot and killed.
What's the point?
There's just no telling what a teenager "in love" is liable to do so don't take any thing for granted.
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dmiller
Any bear that has acclimatized itself to human surroundings, should be immediately shot.
Sorry -- but that's the truth. Humans have fed them/ provided dumps that the bears congregate to,
immunizing them from *natural fear* of mankind, etc. Living here in northern Minnesota, and having worked at the end of the Gunflint Trail in the BWCA -- there's lots of bear stories that I could tell, and not (necessarily) always in the bear's favor.
There is a current story (here in Minney-soda) about a bear named Solo.
CLICK HERE!
Buncha greenie/ liberal/ posey-sniffers have their panties in a wad,
and seem to think this bear deserves life instead of death.
They even used pepper spray, to roust the bear out of hibernation,
in order for it to move from under the porch, to a *safe* location,
away from those who would *do it harm*. (As if they didn't).
It's the folks in Ely Minnesota that got this bear to where it is.
I guess they all think her *cute* or sumpthing.
So now it (and her cubs) have been relocated to the U.P.
(Upper Peninsula of Michigan).
What good does that do, eh???
Solo is going to go looking for the food she was used to back here in Minney-soda.
Nother words -- handouts from humans.
When I worked at the end of the Gunflint Trail (75 miles above Grand Marais, Minnesota),
I was at the county dump many a time, taking out the garbage
from the outfitter's company that I worked at then.
Every time I went to the dump -- there were bears in abundance there.
Onced they have gotten the taste of *free food* from humans ---
there is no going back for them.
Just my IMO.
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WordWolf
I thought that behaviour was a bit different, depending on if you were dealing with a brown bear
or a black bear. (Or a polar bear of course, but we're not talking about them...)
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rascal
Yes wolf, I was thinking about that. My experience is purely with black bears. The rules wouldn`t apply to a grizzly or brown bear.
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mstar1
There are a lot of black bears where I am from, other than knocking down birdfeeders or some occasional mischief like tipping over someones trashcan they dont cause any problems.
There has never been an incident where a human has been harmed in this region. Ever--
Still, Once every few years someone shoots one for some lame reason or another.
It's generally not looked on too favorably around here, but it is not illegal.
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templelady
I read the book "Grizzly Maze" about the Treadwell disaster. In that book they go into a discussion about the difference between brown ( grizzly ) and Black bears.
First a sow with cubs no matter the species is a dangerous Mama not to be provoked or encroached on-- the farther away the better- camera clicks, flash bulbs, sudden movement anything that She perceives as a potential threat-- you have a good potential of being toast.
outside of mama and baby the studies show that...
Grizzlies attack because they feel crowded. They are big and fast -- if charged roll up into a ball cover your neck and head with your arms and no matter what no sound or movement when attacked. To ME that sounds like a really tall order and goes against the grain of every natural response. Grizzlies also have a tendency to back off and sit and watch to see if the object of their attentions is going to move-- they are incredibly patient and have been known to hang around as much as an hour after the initial attack-- any movement on the part of the person will often cause a renewed attack..again to remain motionless after such an attack would take superhuman will power -- more than I have-- that's for sure.
It is known that bears of any species can count -- two people are less likely to be attacked as one-- three is even safer and there are no documented attacks on groups of 4 or more people together. Most attacks are the result of the Grizzly being surprised. Always make noise-- bells, or singing, loud talking etc--- especially around fishing areas, in the brush, berry patches etc. A forewarned bear is likely to exit quietly given the opportunity.
Black bears, who attack humans, attack for a different reason- an unprovoked attack by a black bear ( who also can come in white, silvery gray {blue}, brown and tan and I have seen a black and white bear) means that he is hungry and you are on the menu-- Black bears retreat if the object of their intended meal fights back vigorously. There are documented cases of children as young as 10 successfully fighting off a bear by yelling, kicking, punching and hitting the bear with an object around the head.
Again the size of the group acts as a deterrent.
Polar bears-- those great white denizens of the north-- are a different kettle of fish all together. They, on occasion, stalk and hunt humans regarding them as just another entree.
Barrow, Alaska and the rest of the northern coastline has many documented accounts of bears waiting under trucks for people getting off work at night-, stalking trick or treaters and, in one case, going through the window of a mess hall and seizing a GI at chow.
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RottieGrrrl
Thank you so much for the great replies, I am still going over them reading them more thoroughly. Where do I start. First of all, Templelady, I just got grizzly maze, and i just started skimming through it. Looks like a great book. Thanks for the differentiations(sp?) I'm also reading Treadwells own book he wrote himself, and another one about his death by Nick Jans. Wow. Mind blowing stuff.
dmiller: That link to that story is great stuff. Incredibly sad on so many levels. Incredibly igorant for people who "live with bears" to have this kind of mentality.
"But the township, where some residents have fed bears for decades, just last week adopted a 17-page plan called "Living with Bears ... Coexisting with Wildlife in a Natural Setting."
"Personally, I think it's premature to kill the bear," Humay said. "A number of people are convinced this is not an aggressive animal. It hasn't done anything to merit destruction."
What? They are giving that bear a death sentence as well as some unlucky resident.
And ironically, the "bear expert" Lynn Rogers, is considered to be an incredible fool by his own peers. I actually found him mentioned in Grizzly Maze. He feeds the damn bears! Here is an excerpt of what the Center of Wildlife Information thinks of Lynn Rogers. "Such actions, feeding approaching, following, have led to the destruction of thousands of wild animals. They are also the leading cause of human-bear confrontations resulting in serious injury and death to people and wild animals."
Thanks for all this great stuff guys, and I'm interested in the difference between the types of bears too. Interesting stuff.
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waysider
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Watered Garden
Irony and nostalgia in one clip!
Thanks, Waysider!
Polar bears, from what little I know, do not regard humans as the top of the food chain, but rather as an alternative to seals.
I did hear once of someone describing a test for telling a black bear, which can be almost any color, from a grizzly bear. Irritate the bear in question, then climb the nearest sturdy tree. If the bear climbs up after you, it is a black bear, as grizzlies are too big to climb. If it shakes you out of the tree, it's a grizzly. Best advice; stay away from the critters and give them their space.
I don't live so far from Newark that it is impossible I will see a bear munching on my black raspberries some summer day. I have NO idea what I would do, except that I would want it out of there because there are a lot of kiddies in this area. I'd hate to see it shot, though.
I think there may be a a bear or two hanging out southeast of here in the summertime, in the Hocking Hills area. Never seen one, though, in Ohio. In fact, we spent a long weekend in Glacier National Park once, noting many bear warning signs throughout the three days we were there, but all we saw was a mule deer. I was actually disappointed.
WG
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RottieGrrrl
Interesting WG thanks for the input! :)
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George Aar
Don't know as any of yas will ever need this advice,
But, if you're ever in a situation where you have to shoot a bear, aim for the end of his nose. That's your shot. Anyplace else and you're likely to just wound him and put yourself in even greater peril. A shot in the end of the nose puts him down immediately. Not an easy shot, I know, but it's still your best.
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RottieGrrrl
Interesting George. I've been reading about the benefits of bear spay, which some campers/hunters swear by more than a rifle. They tell stories of shooting a bear only to make it madder, but bear spray seems to do the trick. I'm even thinking of getting a cannister to keep at home. Isn't that what Dog the Bounty hunter used? Those mega giant cans of mace?
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