Some questions about being prepared for bears

[lonerock]

So the bears were on shore and the hunter went toward them in his boat. Please refer to my earlier comment about being willing to retreat if you see a bear (s). Avoid bears when you can but if they don't avoid you then yes, bear spray should work.  If I  see a bear I 'm not going to challenge their territory.Odds are they'll win that contest. Also bears will make bluff charges so don't always assume that they will attack but be prepared for that possibiliy.That's why you should read Bear Attacks, There Causes and Avoidance. It helps you understand bear behavior and signs to look for.

[toejam]

That was a bluff charge. If the bear was intent on attacking, neither the revolver nor bear spray would have made a difference. Fortunately, there are no grizzlies in the Smokey Mtns.

[lonerock]

Bear spray might have helped more than a revolver if the bear was actually attacking since it would cover a fairly large area while trying to shoot a bear from a bouncing boat would be pretty much futile. I think your right that it was a bluff charge. Actually more people are killed by black bears than grizzlies simply because there a lot more of them in the lower 48 states. It's important though to put it in perspective.An average of fewer than 3 people are killed yearly in this country by bears. There are 26 people killed by dogs and 90 people killed by lightning every year. Be more concerned about staying off high peaks during thunder storms than a bear hiding behind every bush. Reading the book I recommended will help you understand more about bears and thus lessen your fears. It worked for me as did reading a great book on rattlesnakes reduced my fear of them. People have a lot of misconceptions about wildlife and the only way to overcome it is through understanding.

[wspscott]

22 hours ago, Rocket said:

As a newbie to hiking, this is a matter I'm concerned about. Especially because I'll be in the Smoky Mtns.

Black bears in the Smokies generally run as soon as they see you. I most recently saw two bears just off the AT in the Smokies, actually I saw their rears as they beat tracks away from me as fast as they could. This has been the case the other times I have seen bears in the park. The only time I had a black bear not run immediately was when I surprised two of them. One of the grunted at me and the other stood up to check me out. The minute I clapped my hands and yelled at him, he headed down the hill away from me. I startled him, he startled me, but I got to see a bear stand up which was something new.

If you are backpacking in the park, use the bear cables. If you are day hiking, don't worry about being attacked, instead keep your eyes open and you might get lucky and see a bear or two. They are pretty awesome to see in the wild.

[Rocket]

2 hours ago, wspscott said:

Black bears in the Smokies generally run as soon as they see you. I most recently saw two bears just off the AT in the Smokies, actually I saw their rears as they beat tracks away from me as fast as they could. This has been the case the other times I have seen bears in the park. The only time I had a black bear not run immediately was when I surprised two of them. One of the grunted at me and the other stood up to check me out. The minute I clapped my hands and yelled at him, he headed down the hill away from me. I startled him, he startled me, but I got to see a bear stand up which was something new.

If you are backpacking in the park, use the bear cables. If you are day hiking, don't worry about being attacked, instead keep your eyes open and you might get lucky and see a bear or two. They are pretty awesome to see in the wild.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep my eyes open for them!

[Aconcagua]

On February 22, 2016 at 6:17 AM, toejam said:

That was a bluff charge. If the bear was intent on attacking, neither the revolver nor bear spray would have made a difference. Fortunately, there are no grizzlies in the Smokey Mtns.

A solid head shot with something along the lines of a 10mm, .41 magnum or .44 magnum would drop a bear -- even a grizzly dead in its tracks.  Actually it would make another 18" or so of forward movement.

Disrupting the animal's central nervous system -- turning off its brain will stop it immediately.

On February 22, 2016 at 10:38 AM, lonerock said:

Bear spray might have helped more than a revolver if the bear was actually attacking since it would cover a fairly large area while trying to shoot a bear from a bouncing boat would be pretty much futile. I think your right that it was a bluff charge. Actually more people are killed by black bears than grizzlies simply because there a lot more of them in the lower 48 states. It's important though to put it in perspective.An average of fewer than 3 people are killed yearly in this country by bears. There are 26 people killed by dogs and 90 people killed by lightning every year. Be more concerned about staying off high peaks during thunder storms than a bear hiding behind every bush. Reading the book I recommended will help you understand more about bears and thus lessen your fears. It worked for me as did reading a great book on rattlesnakes reduced my fear of them. People have a lot of misconceptions about wildlife and the only way to overcome it is through understanding.

That's not an easy shot given the adrenaline level and the moving target, but it's certainly not impossible.  Not even close.

[toejam]

18 hours ago, lonerock said:

90 people killed by lightning every year. Be more concerned about staying off high peaks during thunder storms than a bear hiding behind every bush.

Been a while since 90 people were killed by lightning in a year - used to be a lot more when there were more farmers. http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/fatalities.shtml  

Lightnining is another outdoor danger I think people are unreasonably afraid of. Taking a fall is by far the biggest cause of injury and death among hikers. So be mindful of your footing when running like a co-ed in a horror movie to escape bears and lightning.

6 hours ago, Aconcagua said:

A solid head shot

Speaking of movies, that would make a great scene. I doubt there are many humans on the planet who could make that shot - I'd be as likely to accidently shoot myself in the head. Jeremiah Johnson would slit it's throat with a hunting knife, Chuck Norris would drop it with a roundhouse kick to the jaw...

[slosteppin]

I met a young thru hiker on the NCT yesterday. He had completed the AT last July. Then he backtracked a ways and started west on the NCT. He is now just short of half way on the NCT.

He said he had seen just two bears and both were running away. That is in about 4500 miles of hiking.

[lonerock]

On February 23, 2016 at 11:26 PM, Aconcagua said:

A solid head shot with something along the lines of a 10mm, .41 magnum or .44 magnum would drop a bear -- even a grizzly dead in its tracks.  Actually it would make another 18" or so of forward movement.

Disrupting the animal's central nervous system -- turning off its brain will stop it immediately.

That's not an easy shot given the adrenaline level and the moving target, but it's certainly not impossible.  Not even close.

Would you really risk wounding a bear and being at greater risk or the added risk of it escaping to be a danger to others? If you read my previous remarks I was discussing the advantages of bear spray versus guns. With bear spray you don't have to be a marksman and with a range of about 25 feet and a broad spray your chances would be much better than a gun. Most people in that situation with the adrenaline  plus the movement of the boat would probably not make their shot in the time it took the bear to reach them. This is simply not my own opinion but that of a bear biologist I knew in Canada and two guides I've known, one who worked in Alaska and one in Glacier National Park.

On February 23, 2016 at 5:42 AM, toejam said:

Lightnining is another outdoor danger I think people are unreasonably afraid of. Taking a fall is by far the biggest cause of injury and death among hikers. 

I don't think that being concerned about being struck by lightning during a thunder storm is an unreasonable fear. There's many things people should be aware of while hiking,including the danger of falling or other events such as an avalanche  I  don't consider any of them unreasonable fears if they have the potential to cause injury or death. The more you learn about these possibilities and take precautions the less you have to fear.

[Aconcagua]

On February 23, 2016 at 5:42 AM, toejam said:

Speaking of movies, that would make a great scene. I doubt there are many humans on the planet who could make that shot - I'd be as likely to accidently shoot myself in the head. Jeremiah Johnson would slit it's throat with a hunting knife, Chuck Norris would drop it with a roundhouse kick to the jaw...

It's not an easy shot given the conditions, but it's far from impossible.  The bear isn't changing direction.  There is one bear charging and not a herd of Cape Buffalo or the like.

There are MANY humans that could stop the bear in that setting...

On February 23, 2016 at 9:51 AM, lonerock said:

Would you really risk wounding a bear and being at greater risk or the added risk of it escaping to be a danger to others? If you read my previous remarks I was discussing the advantages of bear spray versus guns. With bear spray you don't have to be a marksman and with a range of about 25 feet and a broad spray your chances would be much better than a gun. Most people in that situation with the adrenaline  plus the movement of the boat would probably not make their shot in the time it took the bear to reach them. This is simply not my own opinion but that of a bear biologist I knew in Canada and two guides I've known, one who worked in Alaska and one in Glacier National Park.

Would I have fired on that bear in that situation?  Absolutely, if I had been in that situation.  Had there been a way to avoid the situation I would have, but that wasn't the case in this instance.

I wouldn't carry a firearm in that setting unless I was prepared (through training and practice) to effective deploy it.  I suspect my chosen firearm for that setting would have been a short, pump-action or semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, but the right pistol would have worked out too.

I think the use of bear spray is a bit overrated.  I don't believe it would be easier or faster to deploy than a shotgun.  I definitely don't think it would be more effective -- or even as effective.  Some for the right handgun in the hands of someone prepared to use it.

There is a practical rule in personal defense that you don't want to allow a potential assailant to close within 7 yards (21 feet) of you.  Because if they run and lunge there is still a good change you'll be harmed to some degree no matter what defense you put up (short of a head shot with a firearm.) 

I think if the fellow in the clip had tried to spray the bear as it was charging, it would have still slamming into him doing grievous damage.

Bear spray will not stop a charging animal like a firearm will.