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Posted on 07/25/2011 8:28:15 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner
A grizzly bear sow with a cub attacked a group of teenagers on a month-long survival-skills course Saturday night in the Talkeetna Mountains, causing severe injuries to two of the hikers, according to Alaska State Troopers.
(snip)
The group was on the 24th day of a 30-day backpacking trip, school spokesman Bruce Palmer said by phone from Wyoming. It was the group's first day unaccompanied by adult instructors, Palmer said.
"For the last bit of the course, we would have them travel as a student group without the instructors, utilizing the skills that they've learned over time," Palmer said.
(snip)
The seven group members were in a line, calling out to make noise as they crossed the creek, Palmer said. The first hiker had apparently made it out of the water and was out of sight of the others when he began screaming, Palmer said.
The grizzly mauled the teen, attacked another group member, then returned to the first victim, Palmer said.
"It sounds like it was moving around within the group," Palmer said. The hikers carried three canisters of bear spray, but there was no initial indication that the hikers used the repellent, Palmer said.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
[I know exactly what you mean, hunted Browns last year on the Nushagak River about 150 miles north of Dillingham.]
I have been there myself. The river areas around King Salmon and Naknek are also very spooky.
And, on the plus side for Fred; most bow hunters have a stand up in a tree - not down on the ground with the bear. Given a choice between drawing a bead on a bear on the ground - I'll take a rifle over a bow anytime. I might be persuaded to put aside the rifle, if I had a bigger weapon .... oh, say a chain gun...
And, on the plus side for Fred; most bow hunters have a stand up in a tree - not down on the ground with the bear. Given a choice between drawing a bead on a bear on the ground - I'll take a rifle over a bow anytime. I might be persuaded to put aside the rifle, if I had a bigger weapon .... oh, say a chain gun...
I believe the story is that his first two attempts at polar bears ended with the guide having to shoot the arrowed bears with a rifle to avoid a mauling.
On his third try, the bear was charging after being arrowed & Fred hollered "shoot", but the guide held off and the bear dropped before reaching him. Fred had mixed feelings about the experience.
Absolutely! The design is why it performs so well. It is also important to pick a cartridge that has a taper to it’s body. (From the base to the shoulder) This is why the taper was designed into most cartridge types. It greatly aided feeding and repeat shooting. It was vital in bolt action rifles used in combat.
Any good reloading manual will outline the best rounds with these characteristics. But for Brown Bear, I would want at least a .338 Win. Mag. (Which has a moderate taper)
Au contraire - most folks who are familiar with guns have more presence of mind than the tyro who would think of using pepper spray against a Grizzly. If I had a gun with me, it would come into play. If all I had was a can of pepper spray, I might throw it at the bear as I panicked (and I would indeed panic if that was my only weapon) as it would have the same general effect as being close enough to spray it...
How would my credentials impact the the information I posted?
I’ve now posted an excerpt of a study, the full study, and an
news story proving my point that bear spray is effective in stopping aggressive bear behavior.
Not that it’s better than guns, not that it’s better than brains, just that when used properly it is effective.
It’s amazing this well known fact is being questioned here.
For the record, I hike and camp often (day hikes 3-5 times a week) in prime black bear habitat. Until recently I lived in NJ where both guns and bear spray are illegal for the most part. Now I am in PA.
I have had many encounters with black bears. They are fascinating creatures. This led me to start researching them and other bears.
I have never hunted, I wasn’t brought up in the tradition.
I was a very strong supporter for the NJ Bear hunt as their population is exploding and the hunt is the best way to control it.
None of that makes me an expert. That’s why i cited the experts.
Local gunsmith here in Alaska that modifies a 45-70 lever action into a specialised tool for bear protection.
.50 cal 450 gr @ 2050fps!
I also remember the story of how Fred had to have his Polar Bear “stopped”.
Was this course held by the Timothy Treadwell School of Wilderness Survival?
And you still have no clue what you are talking about.
Reading is fine, up to a point.
But experts cn be found on both sides of every issue.
Lawyers, economists, global warmers can be found on both sides of all subjects.
Practical experience enables one to sort out what he reads and make it relative to his needs.
Grizzlies and polar bears are not the same as black bears, although I grant you that black bears are much more dangerous than the tree huggers understand them to be.
I tend to follow the advice of those who live the problem. The topic of this problem is “grizzlies”.
Hahaha!
Ok champ!
You’re not known here for facing facts so no problem.
Me, all the bear experts and the guy who stopped the charging bear are all clueless.
Keep spreading the misinformation. It’s what you do here on most subjects anyway.
When work calls me out to the woods of Alaska I carry a big can of bear spray and a 12-gauge with some “fancy” slugs (Bernakke?). They say the spray is a good option to get off a quick shot in the brush with less accuracy involved. And hopefully it gives you enough time to be ready with the shotgun.
A local will be with me and is armed. Although the last guy was a little too easy-going regarding the bears. Bragging about hunting them, how they really aren’t dangerous if you know what you are doing, etc.
alma, i’m giving ya a NH ping for future reference.
Cheshire County is my home base up there.
Never had to use it in the Alders. I had a policy to never let the Bear get there in the first place. But my partner had a few get away and we hated every second of it. Talk about “TENSE” moments!
I have a .45/70 but in the event of an actual attack, I think I would me more comfortable with the shotgun.
I know the differences between the bears. There is no scientific study or anecdotal evidence to suggest that bear spray is NOT effective.
So there are not experts on both sides on this issue.
If you go back to the beginning of the thread you’ll see that people here were saying that kids, who could not even use the can of bear spray they had, would have been just fine if they were armed. That doesn’t make sense to me.
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