Posted on 07/25/2023 4:36:26 AM PDT by marktwain
On the most northern Island of Japan, Hokkaido, enormous brown bears are thriving. The population has more than doubled to about 12,000 since 1990.
The bears are a closely related subspecies of brown/grizzly bears. Because they live in a similar environment to Kodiak Island, the bears are similar in size to the enormous Kodiak bears. The bear population in the Shirtoko National Park is said to be one of the highest concentrations of bears in the world. Because of the increasing population of bears, the number of people injured or killed by the bears has been increasing and is similar to the numbers in Alaska.
However, Alaska has about 3-4 times as many brown/grizzly bears. In fiscal year 2021, four people were killed by bears in Hokkaido. The average has been about one per year.
“Because the brown bear population has increased, we have entered a new period in which humans are coming into contact with them more often,” said Yoshikazu Sato, professor at Rakuno Gakuen University in Hokkaido and an expert on brown bear ecology. “Whenever we go into a forest, we need to assume that bears are nearby.”
A prefectural government official said, “We want to have bears fear humans and reduce the amount of damage they cause.”
There is a long open season for the bears in Hokkaido, from October to January. The season coincides with a significant period of bear hibernation (December to March). Bears were previously killed in the spring. Until 1990, bears were considered pests.
Brown Bear iStock-rai
Until 1990, Hokkaido had a policy of allowing hunters to exterminate brown bears but this was abolished due to conservation concerns.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
I want to try some bear sushi.
There is a great book by David Kopel, “ The Samurai, the Mountie and the Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies?‘
In this outstanding piece of history, and well-footnoted research, Kopel basically says that the underlying/foundational culture of a nation is a barrier to gun policy in Country A being adopted in Country B.
Regarding the US and Japan, the Cowboy and the Samurai are incompatible. The Samurai is effectively an elitist, defending “the little people” who crave his protection. It’s the opposite of the Cowboy.
I am not saying that these bear attacks are a result of this Japanese mentality. However, maybe someone should dispatch some Samurai to the woods.
I wonder how many Japanese citizens own a 44 mag?
No you don’t. Bears, like pigs, carry the trichina worm parasite. The meat has to be completely cooked to be safe to eat.
I had wondered about hunting in Japan.
Chewy and greasy.
Legal civilian gun ownership basically doesn’t exist in Japan.
I was in Alaska two months ago. That’s what our ATV tour guide was carrying in a nice chest rig, a big stainless .44 mag revolver with a set of reloads.
The funny part was, when the email confirmation for the tour came back, it said the tour included bottled water, trail mix snack, and *bear repellent*. I told my wife I was uninterested in bear repellent that wasn’t a firearm in a caliber starting with a four. This a result of reading all Dean’s articles.
So my son and I show up, there’s Jake the guide equipped as described above, and I immediately approved his bear repellent!
No bears were sighted on our tour. Though we did look for them.
Many of them love getting to the range or field when they visit here. A friend is a huge firearms aficionado who also is a political advisor/consultant to Japanese businesses. His ability to accommodate that first hasn’t hurt this aspect of his business.
“I wonder how many Japanese citizens own a 44 mag?”
3, and not legally.
Does somebody need a bear hug? At least four of them did!
“I had wondered about hunting in Japan.”
Then according to the Japanese government you must be a bear. And a talented one that can operate a computer.
Amazing that the Japanese government kills thousands every year and the bears fight back in revolt. Strong union.
wy69
“I told my wife I was uninterested in bear repellent that wasn’t a firearm in a caliber starting with a four.”
Size isn’t always the answer to dropping a grizzly, it’s placement. Bears have been dropped with a 9 MM. But like Gallagher said, “you’ve got to hit that sucker just right.”
wy69
There are some interesting videos on YouTube and other platforms. Mostly, they employ live-trapping methods to immobilize game, securing one leg at a time until the animal is completely unable to move. Then they dispatch it with a blade.
Sometimes dogs are used to do the catch and immobilize part, especially on boar hunts.
They have to use a blade since a gun is hard to obtain.
Wondering if a .44 Mag would be enough protection? I looked up this Hokkaido brown bear & it is a mighty big critter. I wouldn’t want one after me.
They are illegal in Japan, so maybe the bears don’t have much to fear. I heard a story of a Japanese visiting on business who asked to be taken to the shooting range, because he couldn’t do that in Japan.
If you drive a Nissan Leaf, they give you a hug.
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