Flurry of Bear Attacks in Fall of 2018, Are You At Risk?

Ammoland ^ | 14 October, 2018 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Opinion

Flurry of Bear Attacks in Fall of 2018, Are You At Risk?

Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- It is the season for bear attacks. Bears are very active in the fall, when they must accumulate enough calories to lard up for hibernation. At the same time, human hunters are out and about, hunting all game animals, putting human hunters in the same areas with heavy bear populations.

In the last month, there have been several bear attacks in the news.

• On 9 September 2018, Dr. Brad Johnson was attacked and severely mauled. He had bear spray in his hand.  He was attacked by two bears and was not able to use the spray. He almost died. His two companions saved his life with first aid. The bears were never pursued or found. They are thought to have been grizzly bears.
• On 14 September, bow hunter Corey Chubon and Guide Mark Uptain were attacked as they processed a trophy elk in Wyoming. Chubon was mauled and Mark Uptain was killed. Bear spray proved ineffective. A Glock pistol was not used because it was yards away, and Chubon did not know how to use it.
• On 24 September a bow hunter who bagged a moose on the Blackfeet Indian reservation in Montana used a pistol to stop a grizzly bear attack there.
• On 26 September, a bow hunter successfully used a pistol to defend himself a sow grizzly bear and a grown cub in Montana.
• On 29 September, a Tye Carlson, a bear hunter, was mauled

[marktwain]

Bear attacks are a rare phenomena. But if you spend a lot of time in bear country, they are a serious risk.

[BenLurkin]

I’m more at risk of being attacked by an urban barbarian.

Much more.

[rktman]

Obvious contender for the cause, glow bull warming. So, is it a bear market?

[treetopsandroofs]

“It is estimated that between 40,000 to 50,000 bears are legally hunted in the U.S. each year”

Interesting statistic, did not know that before. Wonder how many attacks are related.

Source: http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=458

[Rebelbase]

Yep, must be climate change. Here’s one in my area that happened last month.

Bear with cubs attacks, injures Swannanoa woman
https://wlos.com/news/local/bear-with-cubs-attacks-injures-swannanoa-woman

[faucetman]

It’s “Bear Week”. /s

Do bears (attack people) in the woods? /s

Do bears eat in the woods? /s

[Buckeye McFrog]

Here in the East the population of black bears has exploded in the past 15 yrs.

They don’t go looking to tangle with humans, but more and more they are venturing into populated areas, and people don’t know how to react to them.

[exnavy]

bump

[TheTimeOfMan]

Grizzly population is WY and Montana have been allowed to grow FAR too high. This policy is driven by the feds who then use those populations as the reason to shut down large sections of wilderness areas to any human use at all.

They need to be heavily culled.

[RayChuang88]

In short, a lot of environmental laws designed to protect animals have some pretty negative consequences.

[BenLurkin]

“Bear week”

Can a “Bearricane” movie be far behind?

[rktman]

Or “Bearnado”?

[bankwalker]

Here in the East the population of black bears has exploded in the past 15 yrs.

and turkey, hawks, deer ...

[RitchieAprile]

Only if the bear is on a motorcycle on I405...or driving a behemoth PU truck anywhere on Kitsap.

[bert]

I just came from the barber shop where there was a mounted black bear head on the wall along with several impressive heads of white tail bucks

[DIRTYSECRET]

Grizzlies historically congregated in places like L.A. They like the weather humans like-without the pollution. The population was down to 800 a few decades ago. Guess we’re encroaching on their territory just like mountain lions in Calif. It’s illegal to shoot them.

[fruser1]

I didn’t know bears were democrats.

[TruthWillWin]

Below the deck (while in Juneau) this guy showed up. Saw me as I took this photo with phone, then he ran away.

[woodbutcher1963]

The problems back east is that people feed them either on purpose or inadvertently by not taking down their bird feeders. I can send you pictures my wife took in June 2017 of a black bear in my back yard in southern NH eating out of my $99 bird feeder.

The black bears have learned that there is food in the back yards of suburbia just like the deer and turkeys. Also, the animals have learned that they will not get hunted in your back yard.

[Guenevere]

What’s not ‘bear country’...?

Granted they’re not grizzly bears, but there are bears even in Florida....
....and certainly North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, etc etc