Posted on 07/06/2008 12:00:32 PM PDT by george76
Always there have been the bears in and around Anchorage.
Never before has there been a bear mauling in town.
Not that the horrific attack on 15-year-old mountain biker Petra Davis last weekend came as a shock to those familiar with local bears. A small group of wildlife biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have been warning for years that something like this could happen ...
Some who have been hiking, running and mountain biking in the park and the adjacent Chugach State Park for decades say they see more bears and more bear sign than ever before.
a growing bear population.
Hillside resident Scott Gorder has seen so many bears in his yard in recent years that he's nervous about leaving his house come summer.
"It's getting absolutely ridiculous,"... "My daughter was walking to the shed one day, and a (black) bear stepped out behind her. I ended up sticking a pitchfork in its butt."
A lifelong resident of the city, Gorder knows that a black bear is no match for an armed man -- even if the man is only armed with a pitchfork. Black bears are fairly easily intimidated. Grizzly bears, on the other hand, are not.
Wildlife biologists would not recommend sticking a grizzly with a pitchfork...
He's found grizzly tracks and what little was left of moose calves they caught.
Since he bought his home in 1990 he's seen the number of bears increase...
"I grew up in town," Gorder said, "but as kids we camped everywhere (on the city's edge). I never saw a bear."
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
I am so NOT sentimental about bears.
"I agree."....Patrick J. Buchannon
They’re attracted by trash cans - but because they’re protected, they’re no longer scared off by people with guns. Start killing them again and they’ll back off.
But wait! The anti-everything econuts are telling me the bears are going extinct! They would never lie, would they??
But, but, uhh, global warming, right? They just put polars on the endangered species list, right? Wadda bout that photo of the drowning bear?
Wadda ya mean there are twice as many polar bears as there were in 1970?
I did not know black bear lived in alaska. I thought black and brown bear territories did not overlap. Black bear in the south, brown in the north.
I guess you learn something new everyday.
The only difference is that our state government is going to wait until they're scooping kids out of carriages before they implement a rational bear management policy.
Right now, hunting is forbidden and the government wants to focus on birth control, but according to the state biologists, they're having trouble teaching the bears to put the condoms on.
Same in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho...
The policy will change only when the child of someone politically connected is turned into an hors d'oeuvre by a bear.
Teach them to run an oil rig and send them to ANWR.
When the animals reach the point they’re maiming and killing the people where they live it’s time to start thinning the animals.
Alaska isn’t the only place! Friends of ours about 5 mi from her have found very large tracks in their yard that look like bear tracks. So far they haven’t seen anything but are now making sure they are armed when out in the field. This is SE Ohio and not something we normally see!
Have a small pitchfork. Perhaps an upgrade to a long-handle pitchfork would be prudent.
I heard Bear roast is very good sounds like there is an overabundance of good food running around.
Florida
Make a good bumper sticker...
New Jersey,Florida...
Makes one wonder about the ancient Native American prophecy about the 'end times' - of the status quo and return of the Indians former stature - the sign being "when the animals come back"
black, brown, griz and Kodiak.
Grizzlies are super dangerous and have been known to hunt humans down - but the Kodiak is the meanest of the mean. They'll kill ya for the shear fun of it.
Or at least put them on security patrol
ping
For all you who missed the point. It was federal tax dollars used to dna the bears. John McCain mentioned this at a rally in Greendale WI. It was some obscene dollar amount. Guess funds were included in the farm bill. Not 100% sure. Anybody out there have the answer?
No ... then they’re hire “sharpshooters” and pay them a $400 a bear bounty rahter than having hunters pay them to do it.
There are polar bears too, in addition to the black bear the grizzly, and the kodiak. (There’s also the Glacier bear and the Kermode bear, but those are just bizarre color phases of the black bear-the glacier’s a grayish or slate blue, the kermode’s a creamy white. I’ve seen pictures of both-they’re gorgeous and very rare. Biologists think their genes are being swamped by those of the normal black or brown phases of the black bear.
The DOW has been taken over by liberal activists.
They often catch and release bears, lions...just a few miles away.
The bears and lions are back in a few days.
Here in Wis they live trap bears move them 50 miles away and they are back in a few days. A couple of miles would take them min. to get back.
That's one tough kitty...
I lived in the Berkshires for many years - Love it. I think of it as my second home.....Wachona Falls and the Clark Art Institute are my favorite haunts...
Recently, the DOW in Boulder caught a mountain lion next to an elementary school.
It is likely back by now.
Next thing you know, they'll be taking over the tourist industry.
Okay but what happens if your particular black bear hasn't gotten the message? While not as big as a grizzly nor as heavily armed, a black bear is perfectly capable of inflicting enough damage on you to keep a team of emergency-room surgeons busy patching you up. Fatalities in black bear attacks are not unknown.
Personally, I would treat ANY bear with a lot of respect.
“Personally, I would treat ANY bear with a lot of respect. “....
We just got back from Yellowstone a few weeks ago invading the bears space. I can’t tell you how many stupid tourists were actually running thru the fields with thier camera’s to get a better shot.
We saw at least 9 or 10 different bear and on 3 occasions we saw chasers.
I’m mister paranoid and my kids and wife stayed close to me so that I had a chance since I can outrun all 3. :)
Bear Advisory
The Forest Service has issued a BEAR WARNING in the national forests for this summer. They're urging everyone to protect themselves by wearing bells and carrying pepper spray.
Campers should be alert for signs of fresh bear activity, and they should be able to tell the difference between Black Bear dung and Grizzy Bear dung.
Black Bear dung is rather small and round. Sometimes you can see fruit seeds and/or squirrel fur in it.
Grizzly Bear dung has bells in it, and smells like pepper spray!
I like the bear joke that ends, “Admit it, Frank; you’re not coming here for the hunting, are you?”
LOL now you have to tell it
Frank was excited about his new rifle. So, he went bear hunting. He spotted a small brown bear and shot it. There was then a tap on his shoulder and he turned round to see a big black bear. The black bear said "You've got two choices, I either maul you to death or we have sex." Frank decided to bend over.
Even though he felt sore for two weeks, Frank soon recovered and vowed revenge. He headed out on another trip where he found the black bear and shot it. There was another tap on his shoulder. This time a huge grizzly bear stood right next to him. The grizzly said "That was a huge mistake, Frank. You've got two choices. Either I maul you to death or we'll have rough sex." Again, Frank thought it was better to comply.
Although he survived, it would take several months before Frank finally recovered. Outraged he headed back to the woods, managed to track down the grizzly and shot it. He felt sweet revenge, but then there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned round to find a giant polar bear standing there. The polar bear said "Admit it, Frank, you don't come here for the hunting, do you?"
You forgot Kalifornia!
Damn bears are driving me nuts!
LOL I’d heard it. I was just too lazy to tell it.....thanks
4 mean pitbulls. That’s a good antidote to a stubborn black bear that won’t get the message.
‘course then someday you’ll need an antidote to the 4 pits...well maybe 3 pits. It’s likely not all 4 will survive. ;)
What is that at the base of the tree? A housecat?
Brown bears are Grizzly and Kodiak. At Taku lodge there is a bear skin, which measures 11 feet long with paws a foot wide. I will hunt for my picture.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.