Posted on 11/19/2004 9:52:01 AM PST by d-back
The encounter last weekend between three bears and two Boy Scouts at a camp in Warren County was more harrowing than originally reported, as the bears pawed at the teenagers for an hour, bit one of them and attempted to bite the other, according to a report by state wildlife investigators.
The boys, who were later vaccinated for rabies, cowered on a rock as they fended off the two 60-pound cubs and the mother bear at the Yards Creek Scout Reservation in Blairstown on Saturday night, wildlife investigators said.
One of the boys was bitten twice by a cub. The animal first bit down on the boy's left arm -- leaving four scratch marks as the youth pulled away -- and then bit the boy's right hand, leaving three puncture wounds, according to a Division of Fish and Wildlife report obtained by The Star-Ledger on Wednesday. The second boy escaped injury when the second cub bit his coat sleeve -- but missed his arm -- and tried to pull him off the rock, the report said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection did not release the report until last night -- after being pressed by The Star-Ledger-- leaving officials from the Central New Jersey Council of the Boy Scouts to field questions about the incident. The council initially reported the incident as a brief, minor encounter with two bears, and said only one bear had "scratched" a scout's hand before the cubs ran off. . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Interesting article, especially with regard to Bradley Campbell trying to sweep the severity of the attack beneath the rug.
Interactions with bears should be an exceptionally RARE situation. The wacky environmentalists talk about how the bears are being "crowded" from their homes. They can't comprehend the place where this attack occured is only an hour from Manhattan by bus...it ain't rural Wyoming! The letters to the newspaper are equally absurd. Everyone saying "Leave the poor bears alone!" is typically writing from Atlantic City, Colts Neck, LBI, or a similar place where they don't have bear confrontations.
The article described the kids having a Pop-Tart in their backpack like that is the "source" of the whole problem. So, all hikers using the Appalachian Trail or getting some fresh air near the Delaware Water Gap should have NO food or energy bars on their person...or attacks by wild animals should be expected? Good ole' Bradley will need to whip-up a much better solution than that.
In addition to the hunt, citizens should be allowed to carry sidearms as a means of last resort. It is outrageous that lives of humans and bears are even being compared so casually. One article in the The Star-Ledger even advised carrying an umbrella (!) and opening and closing it rapidly to frighten away curious bears. They have truly "gone around the bend" with regard to this problem.
~ Blue Jays ~
Warren, Sussex, Morris, Somerset and Hunterdon Counties should seceed and join Pennsylvania. That would put that state in the Republican column. As for the rest of New Jersey - let them join Massachusetts.
Coyotes don't bother me, nor do eagles. Actually even cougars and bears don't bother me much either. I don't live in Jersey and so I can carry a shooting iron to protect myself. I like watching wildlife too. But I like to the one in control - not the bear or the cougar.
I do not have a problem with joining Pennsylvania. It would be nice to be a Red state. I am not against the bear hunt because I realize that there have been attacks and home invasions. I just wish the would stop building up the areas so much so there would be some place for the bears to live, and HOPEFULLY not interfere with humans.
It would probably be a good idea to keep a rifle and some ammo on the side of your home where you see the bear. Seconds really count in emergencies.
Posted by ZULU:
"...I can carry a shooting iron to protect myself. I like watching wildlife too. But I like to the one in control - not the bear or the cougar..."
We are in complete agreement. In the summer of 2002, my spouse and I encountered three cubs and a mother bear while on the trails near Delaware Water Gap. We had stopped for a drink when I heard a "snap" in the woods and saw the mother bear and two cubs. Upon looking around, I noticed we had "split" the final cub who was off to our right from the rest of the family. Total distance between everyone was no more than 20 yards.
My eyes were probably as big as saucers because I recognized the extreme danger in which we found ourselves. I could swear I could hear my own heart pounding in my ears.
The only thing I could think to do was to continue facing the mother bear and walk backwards until disappearing from the line of vision. Once this was accomplished, we turned and ran...warning everyone we encountered what just happened. We reported it to the rangers as well. You would not believe the number of dopes who listened to my breathless story and then checked their cameras to ensure they had plenty of film! My .357 Magnum and extra speedloaders would have been very welcome as "insurance" during that stressful time if we weren't in such a liberal state.
Hopefully few will have to endure a fright like that.
~ Blue Jays ~
This state is out of control and I for one can't wait to get the hell out of here.
Yep
With all due respect, I must disagree with you. I'll attempt to explain why: When talking specifically about the issue as it refers to the bear population of NJ, there has been no reason for bear to fear man since 1973 when the black bear hunting season was abolished by pressure from the Sierra Club and regional "environmental conservation" groups.
The bears that had a healthy fear of humans have been dead for years. The current generations (and future) presenting as aggressive and opportunistic have zero fear of man due to regulatory factors that prevent all acts of hostility towards bears beyond banging pots and barking dogs. It is this factor alone that makes them dangerous. Humans are not feared and are quickly becoming a viable food source.
The first hunt for NJ since 1973 netted 328 bear from my immediate area and it's highly probable that those that were caught out-of-den during the harvest were the top tier of problematic bears.
Hunters always have been and continue to be, the original "conservationists".
Mmmmmm.....You're making me hungry!
Bear pepper spray isn't perfect by any means but, based on the reading I've done, it can greatly reduce the risk of attack. Common sense in bear country, obviously, is your best defense.
"... FIGHTING BACK
The biologists darted the grizzly from the helicopter, then landed. Approaching the bear to take blood samples, they sensed something wasn’t right. The bear moved, and moved again. Suddenly, from just 19 feet away, the bear charged the two researchers.
One biologist pulled a .44 and fired four shots at the bear, which quickly beelined for the brush. The pair ran for the safety of the helicopter cab. From the air, they noticed the bear still wandering around, so they darted it again. Upon examining the bear, they found that even at close range not a single bullet had hit the bear.
Do Sprays and Guns Help?
When it comes to arguing about the effectiveness of bear sprays vs. firearms as deterrents in bear attacks, both sides have valid points to make. The truth is that people don’t shoot particularly well under stressful situations like a bear attack, as illustrated by the above example. Sprays can also fail spectacularly as deterrents, especially when the canister is stashed in a backpack (as often happens) or if the wind is blowing the wrong way. But Smith says one thing is certain. Having a deterrent handy is much better than facing a menacing bear with nothing but your fists. For one, the spray or firearm gives you something to do other than run, which is the wrong response to an encounter..."
An excerpt from "THE BIOLOGIST’S CORNER: Bears and Pepper Sprays"
I always get lots of questions about bear sprays. Do they really work? What is the best kind to have? How is it used? What’s the story about bear sprays attracting bears? Should I carry bear spray if I carry a firearm? And lots more. What I would like to pass on is some of what I have learned personally, as well as what other biologists have learned about bear sprays.
What is bear spray? The active ingredient in bear spray is Oleoresin Capsaicin; a naturally occurring compound derived from peppers. Peppers are rated as to how hot they are (measured in Scoville Heat Units or SHU’s). Bell peppers have 0 SHU’s while the red hot Habenero pepper has 300,000 SHU’s! There are red pepper sprays on the market sold for personal protection; they have a rating of 1,000,000 SHU’s. The bear repellents are rated at 2,000,000 SHU’s. It is reported that human skin will blister when exposed to Capsaicin rated at 3,000,000 SHU’s; pure Capsaicin is rated at 15,000,000 SHU’s!
Does bear spray really work? Dr. Stephen Herrero of the University of Calgary, Alberta has published the definitive work on this question. My good friend, Dr. Tom Smith, has summarized these findings.
What Dr. Herrero found was: of 36 encounters with grizzly bears, 20 were non-aggressive encounters and 16 were aggressive encounters; sprayed to the face of non-aggressive bears, pepper spray was 100% effective in changing the bear’s behavior; sprayed to the face of aggressive bears, pepper spray changed the behavior of 15 bears, but six continued their attack after recovering; repeated spraying caused five of these six bears to stop their attack.
Only four instances of pepper spray on black bears were described, in each case the aggressive behavior of the bear was stopped, but in no case did the bear leave the area after being sprayed; 26 garbage bears were sprayed with pepper spray; 20 stopped their aggressive behavior, 14 left the area, eight of the 26 bears did not leave the area, or left and later returned, after receiving a “substantial” dose of pepper spray to the face.
In a recent discussion with Tom, he related to me that he now has good records on 75 uses of pepper spray in Alaska on all three species. In a nutshell, the success rate is better than 90% at stopping or deterring an aggressive bear...
You can read the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s position about pepper spray its web page. For an “all you ever wanted to know about bear sprays but were afraid to ask”, see Dr. Smith’s excellent review. Additionally, the EPA maintains a listing of registered bear deterrents.
An excerpt from "Are Bear Deterrent Sprays For You?"
"... Spray Is Effective
Canadian researchers investigating incidents involving the use of pepper spray deterrents on bears in the field reported that 94 percent of bears that had been displaying aggressive behavior stopped the behavior after being sprayed and 88 percent left the area. Only three human / bear contacts resulted from the 66 incidents and only one resulted in injuries requiring more than an overnight stay in a hospital. Two of the people injured were hurt while using a spray to come to the aid of a companion already under attack. By comparison, another group of Canadian researchers found that firearms are effective in deterring grizzly bear attacks only about 50 percent of the time. There is also evidence that use of a pepper spray during a contact greatly reduces the length and severity of the mauling.
Claims that deterrent sprays attract bears have never been scientifically proven, although rumors continue to circulate. Allegations that a Japanese photographer killed by an Alaskan grizzly in an area where pepper spray had been used days earlier fail to point out that he was sleeping outdoors in an area frequented by over 60 human-acclimatized bears that had been repeatedly fed by other photographers seeking close-up shots. One Canadian hunter mauled by a grizzly after reportedly spraying it with pepper spray was found to have used a pocket-sized self-defense spray designed for use against humans while another missed his target completely with a similar pocket canister, which shot a stream instead of a cloud of spray..."
If you can't encounter bears on a camping trip, why friggin camp?? Why not just pave the whole forest, set up concession stands, open an outlet mall, if safety from nature is what you want.
It's 45 miles actually.
But I also agree ( as does one of the references I posted above - see reply 75 ) that it wouldn't hurt to have a gun as well, IF you feel you're capable of hitting a fast charging bear and IF you're premitted to carry one in the part of bear country you hike, camp, or live in.
Nope. Mapquest says: Total Est. Distance: 31.63 miles from Main St in Blairstown to my front door in Morris County. I live in NORTHERN Morris County.
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.