Posted on 04/14/2006 4:28:47 AM PDT by Liberty Valance
BENTON, Tenn. - A bear attacked a family at a camp site in the Cherokee National Forest on Thursday, killing a 6-year-old girl and injuring her 2-year-old brother and mother, authorities said.
The attack took place near a pool of water on Chilhowee Mountain, said Dan Hicks, spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Witnesses described the bear picking up the boy in its mouth while the mother and other visitors tried to fend it off with sticks and rocks, Hicks said. The mother was injured before the bear was chased away.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
We used to haul our horses to the Cherokee National Forest to ride the mountain trails and roads. I always carried my pistol in a holster attached to the saddle horn. One day I became separated from the rest of the family and encountered a jeep full of rowdy drunks. They considered harrassing me until they saw the pistol on the saddle. They left. Well, along came a park ranger. He was concerned that I was that far back in the mountains on horseback alone. I explained that the rest of the family was up there somewhere and he noticed the pistol. He didn't say a word about it but his face changed. He wished me a nice day and told me to try to catch up to the rest. He never mentioned the gun. I guess he figured a female alone on horseback in the mountains needed all the help she could get. LOL I often rode alone and ALWAYS carried the gun and a self-defense knife strapped to my leg, inside my pants leg. I didn't have a carry permit at that time but TN is usually pretty cool when it comes to self-defense, especially when it's a woman alone. They use a little common sense. I have had a permit for five years and always carry when I'm alone.
I grew up in these mountains and personally it's not the wildlife such as bears that worry me. All that I've ever encountered, with the exception of wild hogs, were very shy. It's the two-legged predators that I worry most about.
You read it wrong. You can carry concealed handguns in NF land, according the the state laws for concealed carry.
You can carry loaded rifles if hunting and according to the season.
National Forest land is not Park.
All this tough guy talk is missing the point. Not every parent is gonna be armed to the teeth while enjoying camping with their little kids. Some do, some dont, but nothing was preventing these people from doing so. These kind of attacks are so rare as to be unheard of. She didn't expect this would happen. And it did. And that's really a tragedy.
Go to the gym, granny.
"But I do feel bad that these bears are leaving their natural habitat and coming to visit us in a very overcrowded county."
I think you have this concept reversed.
"These kind of attacks are so rare as to be unheard of. She didn't expect this would happen. And it did. And that's really a tragedy."
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I know what you are saying but I can't help laughing..when you say it is rare ..well how often have you been in a auto accident?? from an old boy scout..be prepared. Today we have many who show no respect for old Ma Nature..taking your family into the wilderness should not be done lightly.
but you and some others here will not agree..just as those who fear an Armed citizen your point of view is set and very very wrong.
We ride most of the time in State Forest land here in WA and it's legal to carry. I have carried, but don't always. Like you, I've been more concerned about the possibility of coming up on a meth lab than a wild animal problem. I've seen bears twice, black bears, and while it's a rush, it's not considered an immediate threat usually. This attack is a pretty unusual event.
"Go to the gym, granny"
We have joined Gold's Gym and just waiting for it to open the middle of May.....now if I can just get my dog trained to walk the treadmill we would be in good shape.
>>Cardinal rule is when you see the same bear around your house the second time, you just shoot it; otherwise it'll be breaking in soon enough.
And there's the problem, right there. In the locales primarily under discussion in this thread, you put your freedom at risk if you so act.
We've become a nation on Bambists.
What's set and wrong about my point of view?
>>They use a little common sense.
And that's a problem right there. They shouldn't have to use "common sense", the law should just flat be on your side in this.
Jerry Pournelle calls the selective enforcement of too many laws (that are often at odds with the BoR) "anarcho-tyranny". It's not a bad term, and this issue should be more-discussed. See the first quote on my FR home page for an illustration why.
I hate to scare you, but the most likely place to find bears is walking right down the trail. Particularly during seasons when the berries they like are ripe and easy to get to along the trail. They don't like fighting through heavy brush any more than you do. In black bear country, be loud, and keep your dog close on leash.
What a horrible way for anyone to die...let alone a child.
During mating season, males are very aggressive.
You don't want to be anywhere near a sow with cubs.
Nobody is denying that bears kill people, but when you consider the numbers of them and the numbers of attacks on people, it's a rare occurance.
States that protect bears and don't allow the hunting of them risk overpopulation and more bear attacks than states that keep the numbers in check.
Hungry bears are dangerous bears.
HOD - I don't think 'tough guy talk,' has been the point. I think that the comforts of the typical American lifestyle have left us largely desensitized to the realities of the natural world around us. The fact notwithstanding, more people are killed by bees than bears, and most people that know they are at high risk from bee stings pack the appropriate medicine whenever there is the slightest risk of exposure.
I have my thoughts as to why people fail to pack the appropriate medicine for bear.
I asked my husband to sharpen it this morning and after shaving his arm, he said "I think it's sharp enough." LOL My carry gun is a snub nose Taurus .357 Magnum. While I would much rather carry a handgun than a knife, I figure it's better than nothing and I don't want to lose a good job with over 30 years seniority. We shouldn't have to make a choice between our life and our job. :-( Anytime I'm alone in the mountains, I carry both.
You said both people 'saw' the weapon. Can you carry openly in TN even without a permit? Here in WA, you can. And some do, in the woods. Only need a permit to carry concealed.
It is apparently illegal to carry a pistol for protection at On the grounds of any public park, playground, civic center or other building facility, area or property owned, used or operated by any municipal, county or state government, or instrumentality thereof, for recreational purposes.
I couldn't find anything about national forests.
I was mostly responding to the people who were grousing about the fact she wasn't packing, and assuming the law prevented her from being armed. It didn't, and people were headed down the wrong path thinking that way.
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