Hunt Is on for Killer Bear in Tenn.

Yahoo News ^ | 4-14-06 | Associated Press

[george76]

Authorities hunted Friday for a black bear that picked up a 2-year-old boy in its mouth and mauled his mother, critically injuring them before killing the child's 6-year-old sister.

Witnesses told authorities the bear picked up the boy in its mouth while the mother and other visitors tried to fend it off with sticks and rocks, said Dan Hicks, a spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

When the bear attacked, the girl ran away, authorities said. Rescuers found the girl's body about 100 yards down the trail from the falls.

A bear was standing over her.

"Allegedly, after the rescue squad found the little girl, one of the squad members fired a shot from a small caliber handgun," Hicks said Friday.

"We don't know whether the bear was hit or not. There was no blood, but it chased it off."

In May 2000, a woman was killed by a black bear near Gatlinburg.

Glena Ann Bradley, a schoolteacher from Cosby, was attacked by two female bears when she took a walk on a trail near a Smoky Mountains campground.

[george76]

For a picture post...try <img src=" ??? ...

The ??? refers to the address of the picture.

Please ask if you have another question. I hope that this helps.

Have you been here ?

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3814cfc00f07.htm

[ZULU]

No.

Thanks.

I'll try it out.

[Trajan88]

look out Yogi

[mountainlyons]

Did the bear have a license to drive. This is another reason to have conceal carry but a desert eagle is hard to conceal.

[razorback-bert]

About a thousand yards.

[familyop]

"Coming out of hibernation, they are probably hungrier."

It seems that most people assume that, and the assumption is understandable. But bear don't even eat for a few days after awakening. Then they begin to eat a little, and so on. They do get very hungry before going into hibernation, though.

[familyop]

"Coloradoans beware of bears also! Laws have restricted the hunting of bears several years ago and bear sightings and bears breaking into houses are on the increase."

And the deer are really beginning to overpopulate up here. They're running around the roads like roaches and frequently getting hit between about November and March. That might add to the bear population and will add to the lion population rather quickly.

[Rhiannon]

National Parks have gun restrictions. National Forests are different and have hunting allowed.

[TN4Liberty]

No it's not whack. The bear was doing what bears do. It didn't kill the kids out of maliciousness the way a human would. Human beings have to understand, we are not the top of the food chain, and wild critters are not Disneyesque. People forget this stuff at their own (and their kids') peril.

Actually, the bear attacked a two year old boy in a swimming area, then followed and killed a seven year-old girl who had run away. It seems the bear was apparently in the mood to kill something.

People on this thread acting like bears only exist in the deep wilderness are mistaken. "Bear country" in East Tennessee include the cities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville, all well-developed tourist spots, hardly wilderness. While this attack was well south of there, many areas of Cherokee National Forest are easily accessable, complete with picnic areas, developed campgrounds, and swimming areas.

[Rhiannon]

I ride with horse and dog here in the east Maryland. See lots of deer and sometimes turkey ,but no bear or coyotes.
Bears still about a 100 miles away and not in coastal areas. Once in a while a male young black bear has wondered into Fairfax Va looking for territory. Bears are starting to get closer to suburban areas and are becoming a problem. We had bear season last year for the first time. Typical bleeding hearts fussed and the season was only 2 days.But if bears learn fear of humans then unfortunate clashed will be reduced.

About the mother and family in Tenn. That is wilderness and it is known bear country. Still black bears do not attack children usually. They go after campers food which is why they get close to campgrounds.

Rangers in the Smokies are really strict about keeping food safe in the campgrounds.

I agree with Hair of the dog about safely shooting from horseback. Trying to get the horse from spooking and getting a gun is very difficult. The fox hunter do shoot blanks from horseback so it is done safely.

Horses are quick to notice predators and will spin and run first. Not a bad idea with cougars.

The only cougar I have run into on horseback was a pair that was caged on a farmers land and we would ride right next to the cage. The cougars were used in a magic show

[elkfersupper]

Nice picture.

I own one of those (Winchester .45-70). It will dispatch any critter you can hit with it.

[Cold Heart]

A while back a reporter asked the hypothetical question to the president of PETA if she were driving down the road and had to make a decision about hitting a boy in the road or a squirrel. The president of PETA struggled to give her answer.

I have no inner debate or struggle of the moral value of human life over animal life. I do not need to know more about the squirrels life or where his nuts are buried to make that moral decision. I would run over the squirrel even if the person in the road were the PETA lady.

I read the article about the family that went through the horror and terror of being mauled and the killing of a child by a bear. I got to your post where part of your response was concern that the bear was going to be killed by the authorities.

I doubted that an extensive explanation of the bears life or where his nuts were buried would shift your concern for the value of the life of a bear relative to the human family.

I didn't get back to you right away because I was headed out for the evening. I related your response to the people I was with. One lady opined that you felt that way because it wasn't your kid that got killed.

By the way, the PETA woman's response was that she would run over the kid.

[HairOfTheDog]

I agree with Hair of the dog about safely shooting from horseback.

There's a good argument for carrying the gun on our body, and not in the saddle bag... That way if the horse spooks from a bear or a cougar, and dumps us, at least we've got the gun... Wouldn't be good to be sitting in the middle of the trail with the predator while the horse disappears down trail with both your ride and your defense ;~D

It's not comfortable though, and I end up putting it in the saddle bag more often than not.

Horses are quick to notice predators and will spin and run first. Not a bad idea with cougars.

Heh - Like I said, our best hope is in retreat, and my best odds are stayin' with the horse ;~D

[HipShot]

"How are the suppose to know what bear did this anyway? Thsi is moronic, and a bunch of morons will surely kill bears that were not even involved. If people want to eliminate all chances of getting attacked by a shark then they shouldn't go in the ocean. The same goes for bears in the woods. I think people have enough space to do what they want, and if you walk around one of the few habitats bears have left then you are responsible for the bsafety of yourself and that of your children. If a bear ever attacks someone in Central Park then they can take it out.

That's a huge pile of troll crap. We "morons" that live here are not going to go bear hunting out of season and in a national park.

There are more than 2 black bear per square mile here. That number increases annually. The population is growing dramatically on a national level. Bear in Central Park is in our future at this rate.

Do you understand the nature of the black bear? They are not predators. They don't do what was done to this family unless there is something wrong with the bear. When they do eat meat, it's carrion. They have no "habitat", they have "territory". When the population explodes the territory expands into what you refer to as "enough space". There are no signs that a bear can read, there are no fences to keep them out. In spite of the overlap that has occurred, people are not being attacked in their houses or yards. This was a behavioral aberration no matter where it happened.

We're not being faithful to our responsibility of stewardship. It's up to us to keep them in numbers appropriate for their "habitat". It's people with a liberal mindset such as yours that limits our ability to be good stewards. We've got sickly deer, (CWD), running rampant over huge swaths of our nation. We've got predators returning in large numbers. We've got bear eating out of our trashcans. We've got large packs of coyote attacking healthy cows in the middle of a herd.

In spite of this, people like yourself scream bloody murder about hunting them.

You couldn't find a clue with a pack of clue hounds, covered in clue scent, in the middle of clue mating season.

[mountainlyons]

Bear country includes Boulder Colorado. They must be some sort of liberal wacko drugged out malcontent bear.

[toldyou]

You're wrong. Just because I didn't understand why the bear had to be killed and stated that, didn't mean my heart doesn't go out to the family. You have no idea who I am, what I have done for people in my life (family and strangers), so don't judge!

I'm a registered nurse and a flight attendant. I don't think I have to explain to you what a nurse does, or do I? But a few years ago, I was the last one down the slide after an emergency plane evacuation. An engine was on fire. I checked every single row of seats to see if everyone got out BEFORE I went down the slide. And, by the way, there weren't any animals on board. Just men, women, and children.

I have no interest in what the PETA people do....never followed them.

You, mister, are too quick to judge!

[toldyou]

Oh yes, since you elected to make this discussion public, I'll ask you this: I wrote the following to you in a "private," email yesterday. Why didn't you answer in private?

Your post #78:
"I get the impression that there is a lot you don't understand."

My private email to you:
"I'd appreciate it if you'd explain what you mean by this."

[Cold Heart]

My public response No. 101 was in response to your public post No. 78.

You posted a concern for the welfare of the bear. In light of what the bear had done I felt your concern for the bear was inappropriate.

[HereInTheHeartland]

"Now they're hunting him to kill him. UGH!"

What do you suggest, counseling? It's an animal, animals are expendable, humans are not.

[toldyou]

Just read my posts to find out what I am really about.

By the way, are you related to Cold Heart?