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Old 07-25-2011, 03:48 PM
 
109 posts, read 167,029 times
Reputation: 201

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Quote:
Originally Posted by AONE View Post
Doesn't the question indicate it is "bear country" and therefor why not stay the H out of it? this bear has a right to live and protect her young. Here is a quick survival tip. stay away from mama bears with cubs. avoidance is the best action when it comes to survival skills.

You have to question the sense of the people offering this course, sounds like they could have chosen better options. bring a gun... please, stay home if you can't respect nature stay out of it.
I would say "You can't be serious" but sadly I'm guessing you are. I see you live in Orlando, do you run up and down the beaches telling everyone to stay out of the water, avoiding negatively impacting the lives of the sharks? Get real.

I certainly hope you don't run up to injured surfers in Florida and scream at them for invading the shark's territory.
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Old 07-25-2011, 03:51 PM
 
Location: Palmer
2,519 posts, read 7,035,075 times
Reputation: 1395
I usually carry a gun. But I think it would be good policy to carry both. There are times for both. Bear spray until you are actually in contact...then a small double action revolver. I carry a 357 mag airweight which is NOT adequate for bear protection but it's on me and handy.

I don't worry about bears because it's so rare to be attacked.

On the few times that I know I'm in bear country, (I know there are lots of bears around), I carry a short barreled 12 guage pump shotgun with slugs.

I think bear spray is also a good idea.

BTW...this is the second mauling this summer where there victims actually had protection but were attacked so quickly that it didn't help.
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Old 07-25-2011, 03:55 PM
 
Location: Lyon, France, Whidbey Island WA
20,834 posts, read 17,109,199 times
Reputation: 11535
I am also not sure if a gun would have helped but it could have prevented the 2nd attack. It is unfathomable to me that these young people only had bear spray at this time of year and in that environment. Not pointing fingers just unfathomable...
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Old 07-25-2011, 04:07 PM
 
Location: Lyon, France, Whidbey Island WA
20,834 posts, read 17,109,199 times
Reputation: 11535
These are teenagers. None of them have probably witnessed any real trauma scenes. They cannot be expected to react with an adult's knowledge base.

IMO these adults were irresponsible. There its' said. No more pink elephant.

Reminds me of the most of the adults here in Cali.
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Old 07-25-2011, 04:58 PM
 
Location: 112 Ocean Avenue
5,706 posts, read 9,633,582 times
Reputation: 8932
"We turned this corner and the person in front started screaming and yelling bear, and we all turned and ran," he told ABC News.

"I saw this brown something, this brown shape attacking my friends... I remember as I was running, I turned to look and it was maybe four feet behind me, and it just launched on me," Gottsegen said. "I remember it running behind me, and .... the jaws just on my head, and I thought I'm going to die, I'm not going to live through this."

The teenager was awed by the speed of the massive bear. "It runs so much faster than a human, I didn't have a chance," he said.

Grizzly Bear Attack Survivor Describes Alaskan Ordeal - ABC News


Sounds like they had no time to do anything and did what they could. Stayed together and helped each other out after the beat down. A surprise attack by a grizzly is something not many can do a darn thing about.

Take your mauling and hope for the best.
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Old 07-25-2011, 05:21 PM
 
455 posts, read 743,957 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedJacket View Post
"We turned this corner and the person in front started screaming and yelling bear, and we all turned and ran,"
Gosh I really hate to be a critic on such a sad day for these kids and their families... but running should be lesson #1 in "what not to do" when a bear charges. I think their instructors failed them on that point.
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Old 07-25-2011, 05:31 PM
 
Location: Lyon, France, Whidbey Island WA
20,834 posts, read 17,109,199 times
Reputation: 11535
Twig snap alerts dog-walker to charging grizzly: Bear Attacks | Alaska news at adn.com

This guy had seconds got his 454 Ruger out and hit the 900 lb bear....he claims he was lucky. I believe him.
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Old 07-25-2011, 05:45 PM
 
Location: Wisconsin
1,786 posts, read 2,878,100 times
Reputation: 898
Thank you Red... I did read the early report but this has much more detail. Sounds like they were crossing the sows teritory or too close for her anyway. My prayers are with them and their famlies.
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Old 07-25-2011, 05:49 PM
 
28,895 posts, read 54,171,925 times
Reputation: 46685
Quote:
Originally Posted by EllaRose View Post
I'm curious what you all prefer to carry when hiking or camping in bear country...bear spray or a gun? (or both?) I've read a lot of different opinions about that subject. (I asked about bear bells once...no one seemed to be a fan of those .)
I'm thinking bazooka.
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Old 07-25-2011, 05:53 PM
 
455 posts, read 743,957 times
Reputation: 520
Here's a great video from last year illustrating the exact right response to a brown bear charge. Note there is no running, no shouting down the bear, and no direct eye contact. Lots of adrenaline, but no gun fire and no loss of life.

Charges do not need to end in physical contact, they can (in most cases) be diverted by passivity. Of course it's the "most cases" that bothers us


grizzly brown bear charge, Alaska brown - YouTube
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