Maine's Own Off-Topic Thread -- Pt.2 (Portland, Saco: new home, to live in, sushi)

[7th generation]

Originally Posted by AliceT

I've been told to stand straight, raise my arms and hands as high over my head as I can and walk backwards.

What I was told as a wee lad, was to stand on your hands and walk backward.

Bears are built to climb, therefore their front legs are shorter then the hind legs. We were told to run down hill, as a bear can run uphill faster. That is great unless the bear is below you. It would be pretty hard to convince the bear to allow you to sneak by him and get on the downhill side first, before he chased you.

[bignhfamily]

OK people lets not scare the flat landers

I have spent a good part of my life in the great outdoors. I avidly hike and hunt in bear territory from the deep south into northern Maine. Black bears are generally very timid and, unlike grizzly bear females, black bear mothers with cubs are unlikely to attack people. When black bear mothers confront humans, they typically send their cubs up a tree and retreat or bluff.

Bears mostly eat grasses, berries, fruits and other vegetation. Only a small small portion of the diet of bears consists of meat or flesh, and then primarily it's from insects and beetles.

To keep it all in perspective there have been something like 40 attacks from black bears that resulted in a human death in over 100 years. Dogs kill almost that many people a year.

So yes please be safe and use common sense but enjoy yourself fear free in the great NNE forest.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by 7th generation

What I was told as a wee lad, was to stand on your hands and walk backward.

Bears are built to climb, therefore their front legs are shorter then the hind legs. We were told to run down hill, as a bear can run uphill faster. That is great unless the bear is below you. It would be pretty hard to convince the bear to allow you to sneak by him and get on the downhill side first, before he chased you.

I was told that if you run downhill, the bear will attempt to follow you but he will slip and fall on your 'stuff', the 'stuff' that is scared out of you, that you leave behind in your wake.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by 7th generation

What I was told as a wee lad, was to stand on your hands and walk backward.

Warning label! You're supposed to put a "put down the drink" warning label on something like this!

We were picking blackberries on an abandoned homestead on the Duck Lake Rd in Lakeville one day. My parents told us repeatedly not to run if we saw a bear, just make noise and it would go away. My aunt started chiming in with my parents. So, what did she do when she reached through the brambles to get an especially big berry and see a bear not too far away? Run. She got the noise part right though - she screamed all the way to the car.

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Maine Writer likes my singing!

WooHoo!

Somebody finally likes my singing!

Oh happy day!



And someone recently said that I was crazy, Hah

I think the word I actually used to describe you was.... 'insane' and now that I hear about your yodeling in the deep Maine woods, I'm gonna stick with that.

[AliceT]

Originally Posted by bignhfamily

Bears mostly eat grasses, berries, fruits and other vegetation.

Not my berries and fruits when I am picking them. Or I'm likely ta git 'im with my pink rifle!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by AliceT

Not my berries and fruits when I am picking them. Or I'm likely ta git 'im with my pink rifle!

Good luck with that. It's a .22, you might be effective shooting your way OUT, maybe.

[msina]

LOL!!!! I've been repped by "the snow fairy"
Thank you very much, seems I'm not the only one that likes the snow.
I think "the snow fairy" hangs out with "The Christmas Moose"

[mollysmiles]

darn it msina....are you sure? I thought *you* were the snow fairy!! I wish I could get this stuff right! It's fun to try to figure it out though


And ALISON !!! I changed the thingie under my name and I won't ask for any more snow.....and I have a confession......


I called to have the driveway plowed today--I went out with the shovel and just couldn't do it!! BUT if I didn't have this cold I would have! we got about a foot total....

[BacktoNE]

I gotta tell you, while we realize that this Winter in Maine has been a VERY rare occurence, it's making us think twice about moving back! We'll get over it I'm sure, and still come home but yikes!