Bear bites Appalachian Trail hiker in Tennessee

reuters ^ | 5/13/16

[5th MEB]

Didn't think you were and I appreciate that fact; an awful lot of the people out here get their knowledge of bears from Bambi, The Jungle Book, Yogi Bear, and Smokey The Bear.
I have had 2 of my dogs killed by bear in the last 5 years; just waiting for Billy to get smacked down and killed. He has no fear of bears and what he doesn't seem to understand is that they have no fear of him and the rest of the pack.
Been a moratorium on bear hunting out here for about 30 years, almost impossible to get a tag anywhere, that may be the reason for their attitude and aggressiveness.
In my opinion the only thing they are good for is dog food.

[Osage Orange]

Plenty of hunters disagree with you.........

[JBW1949]

I don’t know of any...I’ve hunted bear, hogs, bobcat and coons for forty years...Bear are wanderers...A bear can roam up to 50 miles a day during the fall when searching for food for the winter fat buildup...

I don’t know where you are, but in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, the most successful way to bear hunt is with dogs....

[Nita Nupress]

I started chasing it, then I though better of it.

That was an interesting story. (Have I ever mentioned how I hate bears?) If you ever tell it in print again, though, you may want to elaborate with a few more words in key places. Maybe just a prepositional phrase would do. I mean, we're talking about the difference between you being perceived as a rational, intelligent human or a complete dumbazz who needs supervision.

"I started chasing it, then AFTER TAKING ONLY 2 STEPS FORWARD, I thought better of it."

Reader: "Wow, this person is really intelligent! I bet he's a really good camper and has a ton of common sense that serves him well in life!"

Or, if the reader is left to his own active imagination:

"I starated chasing it, AND AFTER 30 MINUTES OF RUNNING AROUND ALONE, IN THE DARK, IN THE MIDDLE OF BEAR COUNTRY, MOMMA HEARD, SMELLED,AND SAW ME CHASING HER CHILD, SO SHE STARTED CHASING ME TO KILL ME DEAD, AND I thought better of it."

:-)

Some of us have very active imaginations. (Did I mention bears are on my hate list?)

[SJSAMPLE]

Here’s how it went, in detail:

I ran about ten yards and stopped to pull out my Fenix LD20 flashlight. I lit up the trail and saw a small set of eyes about 30yds away. So I looked down to adjust the beam to max brightness and then lit up the trail again.

This time, I saw TWO sets of eyes. One distinctly larger than the other.

I go to Shenendoah National Park several times a year. In fact, I’m going there this Thursday. I’ve run across bears every time. The last time, a cub ran across the trail in front of me and climbed up a tree. Danger, Will Robinson. So I stepped back a few years and got really nervous. I carry a Glock 22 everywhere while hiking/camping, but I was in no hurry to use it. I looked around and saw the mother bear 50yds up the hill, watching her cub and me. So I beat feet down the trail about a hundred yards before slowing, just in case.

[BiggerTigger]

Off topic ?: Is there a place with an overpopulation of black bears and wild hogs where it’s legal to combine both into one hunt? Closer to the west coast would be preferable, but all suggestions welcome :)

[N. Theknow]

I once hiked the ENTIRE width of the Appalachian Trail.

[Nita Nupress]

Thank you. Now I know you’re a sane person!

Personally, though, I wouldn’t step foot into woods where bears live without carrying a full auto .50 caliber long gun with 10k rounds of backup ammo. Lol.

[Let's Roll]

I’ve heard of cars being destroyed over gum left in the car. We can’t even fathom a bear’s sense of smell.