Another Stupid Hiker Question: Bearbells

[Yuwipi Woman]

Oh you mean killed. I took mauled to be badly injured.

I didn't want to unnecesarily frighten anyone, but yes the bear ate him.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Sad, but probably true. I think they found him partially burried, which usually means the bear plans to come back later for another nosh.

Tbh, I'm afraid of bears. It's from having grown up near to a place where they killed people every year. Now I live in a place where, if you cross a bridge, you can be in some neighborhoods where there are hundreds of bear sightings every spring, rooting in people's garbage, breaking into garages etc.

I know a number of people, including relatives, who have had to cut their way out of the back of a tent and run for the car, because a bear was trying to come through the door of the tent.

I'd never knowingly do long distance hiking in a place where there were lots of bears.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I love the UK. People moan about the weather but are rarely killed by it. I think the last time someone was killed by a native snake bite was 1957.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

We mainly just die from cars, alcohol and cigarettes.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Oh, and too many pies.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I love the UK. People moan about the weather but are rarely killed by it. I think the last time someone was killed by a native snake bite was 1957.

Otoh, knife crime isn't a big problem in the woods.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

p.s. don't even get me started about cougars.

A toddler was attacked this morning in Pacific Rim National Park.

 

[bluestreak]

They guy who got mauled last week was hiking alone and suprised a mother with cubs. They found an energy bar in his pack, but it wasn't eaten.

only people are dumb enough to eat them.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Otoh, knife crime isn't a big problem in the woods.

I reckon there's as much knife crime anywhere as in the UK. We don't have bears though.

 

[bluestreak]

god i wish we had proper wild animal danger in this country.

as an aside, when on a paleontology dig in canada in his teens, my father woke up one night to find a bear in the food tent. cue a lot of people being very quiet and trying not to smell as tasty as food...

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I reckon there's as much knife crime anywhere as in the UK. We don't have bears though.

Not much knife crime here: but we have a fuckload of bears.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Well, I've stopped a knife fight on the bus. I wouldn't intervene in a bear fight though.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

One of the big problems, is that you're supposed to do different things with different types of bears. With some, you should be quiet and back away. With some, you should make yourself look big, and be really noisy. With some, if they attack, you should play dead. With others, you're supposed to fight back, because that type, likes eating dead things.

Unfortunately, I'm never able to keep straight, which type of bear it is you're supposed to do what with.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Seeing as your allowed to own guns, why don't more hikers go armed?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Seeing as your allowed to own guns, why don't more hikers go armed?

A lot of hikers are just city folk out for a lark, and it's a really big hassle to get a gun.

Pros in the woods carry guns. My relative is a trapper. He has a trapper's shack in the woods. He sleeps in it sitting up against the back wall, with a gun across his lap.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

One good thing about bears, though: lolling naked with your gf on a bearskin rug.

 

[goldenecitrone]

Read about that polar bear attack the other day. One of the kids said this about the attack.

"Suddenly it had my head in its jaws and I could feel it crunching my skull … I could hear it crack. I heard a growl which was deafening because I was so close up."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/28/polar-bear-attack-survivor-speaks

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Read about that polar bear attack the other day. One of the kids said this about the attack.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/28/polar-bear-attack-survivor-speaks

I wonder what a bear's breath is like?

 

[goldenecitrone]

I wonder what a bear's breath is like?

I hope I never find out.

 

[quimcunx]

One of the big problems, is that you're supposed to do different things with different types of bears. With some, you should be quiet and back away. With some, you should make yourself look big, and be really noisy. With some, if they attack, you should play dead. With others, you're supposed to fight back, because that type, likes eating dead things.

Unfortunately, I'm never able to keep straight, which type of bear it is you're supposed to do what with.

From what I've read they don't always behave according to type anyway.

Looking for some video I remembered about bears climbing to get to a food bag in a tree and found this.

 

[chilango]

p.s. don't even get me started about cougars.

A toddler was attacked this morning in Pacific Rim National Park.

Came across a cougar once half way up a volcano in Mexico, it slung across the path in front of me without a care in the world. Also heard one whilst night hiking in Utah.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Came across a cougar once half way up a volcano in Mexico, it slung across the path in front of me without a care in the world. Also heard one whilst night hiking in Utah.

If they decide to attack you, you aren't aware of their presence until they're on your back.

 

[chilango]

Yeah. Fortunately it wasn't the slightest bit interested in attacking me. Seeing a cougar just like that is pretty rare, they are pretty furtive creatures.

Now, polar bears, they are truly scary beasts. I was shitting myself solo camping in Spitsbergen...

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I've never seen a cougar in the wild: I don't really want to, either.

 

[stuff_it]

Sad, but probably true. I think they found him partially burried, which usually means the bear plans to come back later for another nosh.

So basically what you are saying is 'bears don't eat people, but I'm going walking/camping where there is a bear that eats people'....I'm not sure a bell would be that much help in this situation.

Not much knife crime here: but we have a fuckload of bears.

I'd far rather have to deal with hoodies....normally all you have to do is give them a light/rizla, or go the shop for them and they go away.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I'd far rather have to deal with hoodies....normally all you have to do is give them a light/rizla, or go the shop for them and they go away.

I just say "I know your Mum." That works well. When I broke up the knife fight on the bus, I waited for my moment and did non-threatening body language and said "Please stop, there are other people on this bus, old people, children. Someone else could get hurt." and they were so astonished that it all stopped and I got the worst injured guy to the back of the bus and came over all First-Aidy (A lot of blood but all superficial, it was slash rather than stab) and the other one legged it off the bus and down Camberwell New Road.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

There's a lot to be said for being a dumpy granny. You're invisible to people most of the time, and when I do intervene I'm just calm and not too loud and I'm really good at very non-threatening body language.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I doubt it would work with bears.

 

[stuff_it]

I just say "I know your Mum." That works well. When I broke up the knife fight on the bus, I waited for my moment and did non-threatening body language and said "Please stop, there are other people on this bus, old people, children. Someone else could get hurt." and they were so astonished that it all stopped and I got the worst injured guy to the back of the bus and came over all First-Aidy (A lot of blood but all superficial, it was slash rather than stab) and the other one legged it off the bus and down Camberwell New Road.

Yeah, 'I know your mum' often works...often they think they are immune from their family finding out as they are 'out and about'.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Yeah, 'I know your mum' often works...often they think they are immune from their family finding out as they are 'out and about'.

Also I've lived here for 30 years and beetle around and about. Because I've brought up 3 kids to adulthood round here you know the schools, after school clubs, playgrounds etc. Although many of the facilities for youth have been steadily closing