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Daddy Longlegs
10-15-2007, 09:25
Scout Not Seriously Hurt in Bear Attack
By Associated Press

WHITE HAVEN, Pa. - A Boy Scout played dead when attacked by a bear during a camping trip, avoiding serious injury.

Chris Malasics, 14, curled up in the fetal position in his sleeping bag after the bear ripped down his tent at Hickory Run State Park around 11:30 p.m. Friday.

"I was just trying to figure out what to do to not get hurt," he told the Daily Local News of West Chester.

As the bear started tossing Malasics around, a Scout leader tried to create a disturbance by banging pots and pans and flashing car headlights. The bear eventually wandered off.

Malasics, of Chester Springs, was taken to a hospital for treatment for his cuts and bruises. He was also given a precautionary rabies shot.

Malasics said the experience will not deter him from going camping. In the future, though, he intends to make sure he has a pepper spray for bears, and perhaps a gun.

"I know how to shoot," he said.

oldfivetango
10-15-2007, 09:30
When I Googled this I read in a newspaper article that
Mister Bear was after the Snickers Bars and the Reese Cups.

He wound up biting the kid in the buttocks.Personally,I would
have turned over the candy!
Oldfivetango

leeki pole
10-15-2007, 09:44
Well, the kid's got a trail name now.

Forrest Gump.:)

EWS
10-15-2007, 09:48
I like how they wrote "played dead", it makes it sound conscious decision. I'm guessing it was something more along the lines of scared to death and the body reponsed by contracting into the fetal postion.

dessertrat
10-15-2007, 09:48
I notice nobody in the press wants to say that the kid did the wrong thing, when it comes to black bear attacks.

EWS
10-15-2007, 09:55
Camping Skills

Pennsylvania Scout Bitten by Black Bear (http://scoutmaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/scout-bitten-by.html)

Here's an account of the latest Bear-Scout encounter in my part of the world-
From the Wilkes Barre Times Leader (http://www.timesleader.com/news/20070920_20bear_scout_ART.html)
By Tom Venesky

A Boy Scout from the Lehigh Valley area suffered three puncture wounds Saturday by a bear that entered his tent at Hickory Run State Park. It’s the second time this summer a bear has harassed a human in a White Haven area campground.
Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer Fred Merluzzi said the bear was attracted by candy bars that were left inside the tent. The 12-year-old scout was taken to the hospital after the attack and released, Merluzzi said.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. in the park’s organized tent camping area while the scout and two others slept in the tent. The bear tore the rear corner of the tent and grabbed the scout by the left front pocket of his jeans, according to Merluzzi. He said several smaller size Snickers bars were found at the scene.
A scoutmaster ran to the scene after he heard the three scouts screaming and saw the eyes of a bear in the woods, Merluzzi said, but couldn’t estimate its size. The Game Commission placed several live traps in the area and one bear – a 253-pound male, was trapped and relocated on Wednesday.



And




Park Advisories (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/STATEPARKS/parks/hickoryrun.aspx)

9/24/2007 9:44:00 AM Due to an active black bear population, the park is requiring all visitors to take certain precautions while exploring the park or staying in the campgrounds. Bear are generally not dangerous to people if they are left alone, however, as with all wild animals their behavior is unpredictable. All visitors, especially overnight guests, shall abide by the following: NEVER approach a bear to pet, feed, or photograph it. ALL food and scented items must be stored in locked vehicles. If a bear approaches you, NEVER throw food or other objects; they can act as an attractant rather than a deterrent. Do not run from a bear; stay together as a group, clap your hands and shout loudly while backing away slowly. For more information on black bear and their behavior, visit the following website from the Pennsylvania Game Commission: http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/blackbear/pdf/living_with_bears.pdf





So yeah, the kid screwed up and got bit in the ass for it.

dessertrat
10-15-2007, 10:05
I wonder if the Scout leader briefed them properly, and the kid ignored the rules, or was the Scout leader incompetent and let them keep food in their tents?

weary
10-15-2007, 10:06
I notice nobody in the press wants to say that the kid did the wrong thing, when it comes to black bear attacks.
I'm not sure the kid did the wrong thing. It's one thing to stand your ground when you meet a bear on the trail.

But that's not easily done when a bear rips down your tent and you are in a sleeping bag. About all you can do is yell. I'm not sure if I were in that position that I would crawl out of what little protection I had, my sleeping bag.

Weary

Monkeyboy
10-15-2007, 10:07
That's why I tell all of my kids not to leave food in their packs.....

Gray Blazer
10-15-2007, 10:29
I had a tent and I never brought food or candy or gum into it and a bear still tried to come inside. Ripped a hole in the outer wall and was falling on me. I shouted and hit him as hard as I could and he left us alone. We fixed the hole with a patch and had a good story to tell campers when they asked about the patch.

Newb
10-15-2007, 10:32
I had a tent and I never brought food or candy or gum into it and a bear still tried to come inside. Ripped a hole in the outer wall and was falling on me. I shouted and hit him as hard as I could and he left us alone. We fixed the hole with a patch and had a good story to tell campers when they asked about the patch.

You're freaking me out.

dessertrat
10-15-2007, 10:34
I'm sure it can happen even if you don't have food in the tent. A bear might associate nylon with food, since he's found food within such things before, or there might be cooking smells on the tent or on the clothing of the people in the tent.

But bringing food into a tent is not advisable, even though the odds of trouble are slim.

What I don't like is not that he played dead, but that the press headlines make it sound like this is the right thing to do in all circumstances. Somebody could get seriously misinformed by the way it is being reported.

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 10:44
What I don't like is this guy is planning to carry a gun next time he goes baiting bears with candy bars so he can shoot it. Isn't that like putting corn out for deer?

Monkeyboy
10-15-2007, 10:48
The idea about no food in the tent mainly here in Florida is racoons...

I've seen tents chewed through by coons trying to get the food inside.

I've had twelve packs of soda dragged off in the woods because they know what they are.

I've had coolers dragged off because they know what they are.

I've even seen the little boogers unzipping tents because they knew what they are.

Heck, if I left the keys in the car, they'd drive it off....

dessertrat
10-15-2007, 10:49
Yeah, there's that too, Tater!

Honestly, we'd be better off if everyone carried pepper spray. Pretty soon, bears would think of people as "big skunks" and steer clear even more than they do now. "If they don't shoot me, they'll spray me!" is the perfect mentality for a bear to have about people.

saimyoji
10-15-2007, 11:18
What about a chemical stain on tents that deters bears. A smell that humans can't detect, but bears can't stand.

How about vegemite? :D

Freeleo
10-15-2007, 11:27
i have had a conversation with buddies on more than one occasion and the hypothetical was as follows........

can humans mark there territory at night like animals do in the wild????

would it help deter animals from invading your camp territory..

and if so, lets hope its number one :p

does anyone have any insight or knowledge on this

oldfivetango
10-15-2007, 11:33
i have had a conversation with buddies on more than one occasion and the hypothetical was as follows........

can humans mark there territory at night like animals do in the wild????

would it help deter animals from invading your camp territory..

and if so, lets hope its number one :p

does anyone have any insight or knowledge on this

The comments I have heard at WB are that "marking" one's place
actually attracts wildlife to come lick the spot for the salt.

Since hikers are known to have an "athletic odor" and a bear can
smell many more times better than a bloodhound then I am sure
they are aware of your presence no matter what you do and are
letting you live only because they are merciful.:D
Oldfivetango

dessertrat
10-15-2007, 11:33
I have actually heard of people doing that. But then sometimes marking territory is taken as a challenge.

For the truly paranoid, there are small portable electric fence setups. I think they are too heavy for most backpacking, but I am sure whoever comes up with a two pound model will make a mint.

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 11:49
i have had a conversation with buddies on more than one occasion and the hypothetical was as follows........

can humans mark there territory at night like animals do in the wild????

would it help deter animals from invading your camp territory..

and if so, lets hope its number one :p

does anyone have any insight or knowledge on this

I pee around my tent at night. It may or may not keep animals away, but at least it lets them know I'm there.

Freeleo
10-15-2007, 11:52
o.k Tater,

are you serious or just trying to get me to pee all around my tent at night:-?

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 12:02
o.k Tater,

are you serious or just trying to get me to pee all around my tent at night:-?

Yes, I pee around my tent every night unless there are people watching. If it's an established campground, I stick to the base of nearby trees. Animals are cute but not while I'm asleep. Mice and other animals can chew into your tent. Since I'm in their territory, it's just my way of saying "Hi, I'm over here" to avoid surprises. Surprised animals are more dangerous than ones that aren't, as any rattlesnake/bear/porcupine/grouse etc. will tell you.

Smile
10-15-2007, 12:07
I've camped at Hickory Run State Park for years, and have a friend who runs a kids camp there in the summer. Bears are all over, well fed, and have discriminating pallets.

They are readily seen in dumpsters and this particular area is well used. There are lots of bears in that area all year round.

There are also plenty of skunks. After dark if you are sitting around the fire in a chair and hang a piece of pretzel or something in your hand and hold still, the skunks will come out and eat from your hand. Bad idea to feed wildlife!

shelterbuilder
10-15-2007, 13:21
I pee around my tent at night. It may or may not keep animals away, but at least it lets them know I'm there.

I wouldn't be surprised if the scout in question has marked his sleeping bag.:eek: :D

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 13:26
I wouldn't be surprised if the scout in question has marked his sleeping bag.:eek: :D

No, part of their oath is to be clean of mind and body!

oldfivetango
10-15-2007, 15:38
Well, the kid's got a trail name now.

Forrest Gump.:)

Why Forrest Gump-cause "life is like a box of chocalates,you never
know what you gonna git" or "stupid is as stupid does"?

Or my personal Ron White favorite- "You can't fix stupid!"
Oldfivetango

Monkeyboy
10-15-2007, 15:46
Gump was shot in the "Butt-Tocks"....

Lilred
10-15-2007, 17:49
I pee around my tent at night. It may or may not keep animals away, but at least it lets them know I'm there.

For Chrissakes!!! Don't go peeing around your tent. Good Grief, Someone is gonna set there tent up right after you and get your pi$$ all over it. Common sense really needs to be used here folks. Peeing around your tent is about the stupidest thing someone can do. Talk about Forrest Gump, stupid is as stupid does

Lilred
10-15-2007, 17:54
Oh thank goodness. I posted that last one before reading you do it on the base of trees. There's hope for you yet Tater. Don't go telling others to do it though, they may night be as thoughtful in established tent sites. I can just see someone reading this and making a nice little pee circle around there tent. I've heard of this practice before and it always makes me cringe at the thought of someone coming after them and setting up on it.

Or maybe I'm just jealous................... No that ain't it.

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 18:52
Urine is sterile and animals urinate and defecate all over the place, even in the middle of the trail. I do pee in a circle if I'm stealthing. Besides, I try to rehydrate in the evening and usually get up to urinate at least once in the night. Believe me, I don't go any farther than the nearest tree, especially if it's raining or cold.

whitefoot_hp
10-15-2007, 18:53
For Chrissakes!!! Don't go peeing around your tent. Good Grief, Someone is gonna set there tent up right after you and get your pi$$ all over it. Common sense really needs to be used here folks. Peeing around your tent is about the stupidest thing someone can do. Talk about Forrest Gump, stupid is as stupid does

pretty sure it would be dry by the next day... not to mention your in the outdoors, where animals pee anywhere.

i pee outside of my tent/tarp/hammock not to mark my spot, but im mad because i had to get up to pee and i am lazy.

shelterbuilder
10-15-2007, 19:16
Urine is sterile and animals urinate and defecate all over the place, even in the middle of the trail. I do pee in a circle if I'm stealthing. Besides, I try to rehydrate in the evening and usually get up to urinate at least once in the night. Believe me, I don't go any farther than the nearest tree, especially if it's raining or cold.

Lilred, Tater is correct - urine is sterile (unless you have an active kidney or bladder infection); it's the OTHER stuff that can make you sick. Besides, when it soaks into the ground, the bacteria in the soil begin to break it down into usable nitrogen almost immediately. By the time someone else shows up to use the spot, it's mostly gone.

Think of it as "ditching" around the tent like they did prior to the 70's, only instead of getting rid of excess rainwater, now we're trying to get rid of the excess critters!:D

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 19:18
pretty sure it would be dry by the next day... not to mention your in the outdoors, where animals pee anywhere.

i pee outside of my tent/tarp/hammock not to mark my spot, but im mad because i had to get up to pee and i am lazy.

Can't you just open up the hammock a little and pee right under it without getting out?

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 19:20
Besides, when it soaks into the ground, the bacteria in the soil begin to break it down into usable nitrogen almost immediately.

I try to pick a plant that looks like it needs a little boost when I pee along the trail. Basically, to a plant a small quantity of urine is just water and some fertilizer (nitrogen).

Lilred
10-15-2007, 19:39
urine may be sterile, but humans have one of the worst odors as far as urine goes, second only to cats, maybe. I don't think it's very good LNT practice to urinate in a campsite. Aren't you supposed to walk 100 yds off trail to go to the bathroom? seems the same consideration ought to be given to the campsites as well. Just cause you guys can whip it out and urinate anywhere you please doesn't mean it's right to do so. The smell alone is reason enough. How far offtrail do you go to urinate? or do you just go right next to the trail. Same difference in a campsite. Men, try to be just a little civilized in the woods and go someplace discreet to urinate.

"I try to pick a plant that looks like it needs a little boost when I pee along the trail."

I hope you mean when you walk off trail a ways first. The thought of someone peeing right along side a trail is disgusting. I've heard anti dog people rant about dogs peeing on the trail..... well, ok, many women would agree that men are dogs..........

Lilred
10-15-2007, 19:42
pretty sure it would be dry by the next day... not to mention your in the outdoors, where animals pee anywhere.

i pee outside of my tent/tarp/hammock not to mark my spot, but im mad because i had to get up to pee and i am lazy.


If you're in a shelter do you use the same logic and pee right outside the shelter?? I've been to more than one shelter that stunk of human urine from men that are too lazy and inconsiderate to walk into the woods a little bit. Just cause animals pee anywhere doesn't mean that civilized human beings should too. Lousy excuse.

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 19:43
You can whip out your freshette and pee wherever you want, too. Try it sometimes. Like somebody I met said last summer, you haven't lived till you've peed off a cliff.

Animals can probably smell my urine next to the trail but you can't.

shelterbuilder
10-15-2007, 19:47
...How far offtrail do you go to urinate? or do you just go right next to the trail...I hope you mean when you walk off trail a ways first. The thought of someone peeing right along side a trail is disgusting. I've heard anti dog people rant about dogs peeing on the trail..... well, ok, many women would agree that men are dogs..........

"arf."

If I pee alongside of the trail - not ON the trail - and you pass by 5 minutes later, you'll NEVER notice it. And don't even think about invoking LNT - any tracker/hunter knows that it is impossible for an animal to pass through an area and leave absolutely NO trace.

CoyoteWhips
10-15-2007, 20:13
If you're at an established campground every tree had been peed on many, many times. The animals in the area now associate human pee scent with the great variety of eatable garbage people leave. Peeing around your tent just says, "Check here for tasty treats!"

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 20:20
If you're at an established campground every tree had been peed on many, many times. The animals in the area now associate human pee scent with the great variety of eatable garbage people leave. Peeing around your tent just says, "Check here for tasty treats!"

Oh, did I say I pee around my tent? I meant to say I pee around other peoples' tents! ;)

Newb
10-15-2007, 20:29
Urine is sterile and animals urinate and defecate all over the place, even in the middle of the trail. I do pee in a circle if I'm stealthing. Besides, I try to rehydrate in the evening and usually get up to urinate at least once in the night. Believe me, I don't go any farther than the nearest tree, especially if it's raining or cold.


Wrong...your urine is sterile to YOU, not to everyone else...depending upon what horrid afflictions you're carrying...

shelterbuilder
10-15-2007, 20:34
Wrong...your urine is sterile to YOU, not to everyone else...depending upon what horrid afflictions you're carrying...

speaking as a general rule of thumb, urine is sterile UNLESS the person is suffering from a kidney or bladder infection.

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 20:42
How can something be sterile only to one person???!!??

Actually urine is only sterile in the bladder. It becomes contaminated in the process of leaving the body. Urine itself is not usually involved in disease transmission unless it is contaminated with feces.

whitefoot_hp
10-15-2007, 20:55
If you're in a shelter do you use the same logic and pee right outside the shelter?? I've been to more than one shelter that stunk of human urine from men that are too lazy and inconsiderate to walk into the woods a little bit. Just cause animals pee anywhere doesn't mean that civilized human beings should too. Lousy excuse.
i rarely sleep at a shelter. being 'civilized' is more illusion than reality.

whitefoot_hp
10-15-2007, 20:58
Can't you just open up the hammock a little and pee right under it without getting out?

i use a top loader, but i like to pee at least far enough from the hammock so i dont end up walking in it or something. you are right tho.

River Runner
10-15-2007, 20:59
urine may be sterile, but humans have one of the worst odors as far as urine goes, second only to cats, maybe. I don't think it's very good LNT practice to urinate in a campsite. Aren't you supposed to walk 100 yds off trail to go to the bathroom? seems the same consideration ought to be given to the campsites as well. Just cause you guys can whip it out and urinate anywhere you please doesn't mean it's right to do so. The smell alone is reason enough. How far offtrail do you go to urinate? or do you just go right next to the trail. Same difference in a campsite. Men, try to be just a little civilized in the woods and go someplace discreet to urinate.

"I try to pick a plant that looks like it needs a little boost when I pee along the trail."

I hope you mean when you walk off trail a ways first. The thought of someone peeing right along side a trail is disgusting. I've heard anti dog people rant about dogs peeing on the trail..... well, ok, many women would agree that men are dogs..........

I doubt that many people walk 100 feet off the trail just to pee. I thought the 100 feet was for defecation.

Some places you are doing good just to get slightly off the trail to pee due to terrain or vegetation.

Unless the same area is frequently used, the smell of urine usually isn't noticeable to humans.

With that said, I would not pee very near my tent at night, since it might draw in critters interested in the scent and/or salts. (But I don't go too far either, since I don't see well after I take out my contacts.)

Anyway, back to the scout and the bear - it's a shame the media isn't publishing (in what I've read) that the scout had food in the tent.

Topcat
10-15-2007, 21:46
Our troop was just there about 3 weeks ago and the place was loaded with bear traps, which should of been a clue. We locked our food in the cars, the youth group area is car camping.

By the by, for people who havent been to this area, it is great place for hiking, mountain biking and white water rafting the weekends they open the dam. A good time was had by all and no one got ate by a bear.

pixel
10-15-2007, 23:03
Anyway, back to the scout and the bear -

Wow! Thanks River Runner! I totally forgot about the bear and scout! (Ha, I was wondering why I was reading a post on peeing!!)

oldfivetango
10-15-2007, 23:29
Our troop was just there about 3 weeks ago and the place was loaded with bear traps, which should of been a clue. We locked our food in the cars, the youth group area is car camping.

By the by, for people who havent been to this area, it is great place for hiking, mountain biking and white water rafting the weekends they open the dam. A good time was had by all and no one got ate by a bear.

That is all fine and good but now the bear has had a taste of
SNICKERS.He has associated it with humans and their tents.

Do you think he will ever get the taste of SNICKERS out of his mouth
or off his mind?I sure doubt it,why,I have to HIDE mine in the pantry
in the old bread box behind my beef jerky(shhhhh) so the wife won't
find it or she might turn into a bear herself!

In the end the bear will turn into a nuisance(no reflection on my mrs.)
and have to be destroyed.He will probably die with the thought of
SNICKERS running through his mind.:D
Oldfivetango
ps I might sneak one out tonight if she will go to bed first

shelterbuilder
10-16-2007, 07:08
That is all fine and good but now the bear has had a taste of
SNICKERS.He has associated it with humans and their tents.

Do you think he will ever get the taste of SNICKERS out of his mouth
or off his mind?I sure doubt it,why,I have to HIDE mine in the pantry
in the old bread box behind my beef jerky(shhhhh) so the wife won't
find it or she might turn into a bear herself!

In the end the bear will turn into a nuisance(no reflection on my mrs.)
and have to be destroyed.He will probably die with the thought of
SNICKERS running through his mind.:D
Oldfivetango
ps I might sneak one out tonight if she will go to bed first

Shoot the scout - save the bear! Lots less paperwork, and less damaging to the environment.:eek: :D

HIKER7s
10-16-2007, 07:27
I have to think those kids were given a "bear-guarding" talk and hopefully a demonstration. Did this kid think he could fool mother nature or (I would hate it to be so) was this talk never given to the kids.

Does any one know or heard what rank this kid was. Age suggests Star or Life scout.

dab48eu
10-16-2007, 10:40
My understanding is that you always resist a Black Bear attack whether on the trail, in camp or in your tent. You "play dead" with a Grizzly encounter on the trail but you resist if he attacks you in your tent because he intends to eat you!

EWS
10-16-2007, 10:43
My understanding is that you always resist a Black Bear attack whether on the trail, in camp or in your tent. You "play dead" with a Grizzly encounter on the trail but you resist if he attacks you in your tent because he intends to eat you!

Very few people will conciously react under such duress.

Just hope that if one grabs hold of you, he lets go cause you don't taste good.;)

oldfivetango
10-16-2007, 10:52
Once again the US Media misses another GOLDEN opportunity
to make a concise report and educate the public.
Oldfivetango

whitefoot_hp
10-16-2007, 10:53
yeah i am not sure i would 'attack' any bear inside a tent. things could get ugly. I would only fight back if we were in the open, where there was a possibility that he would run off. In a tent, a bear is only going to feel trapped and cornered.

dab48eu
10-16-2007, 11:06
I hope I never experience the duress of a bear attack either by a Black or Brown Bear, I have had several close encounters with both types including a 10 yard encounter with a Grizzly at Glacier Park. The point I was trying to make was what most "bear experts" recommend you do under those circumstances.

Appalachian Tater
10-16-2007, 11:09
yeah i am not sure i would 'attack' any bear inside a tent. things could get ugly. I would only fight back if we were in the open, where there was a possibility that he would run off. In a tent, a bear is only going to feel trapped and cornered.

Um, actually, if a bear had huevos big enough to rip into my tent to attack me, and I'm zipped up in my sleeping bag, I would be the one who felt trapped and cornered, not the bear.

Captn
10-16-2007, 11:26
Racoon's are a big problem in the midwest too .... When I was in scouts some years back I remember one camping trip cut short when one of the scouts in another tent woke up and suprised a racoon chowing down on a candy bar from the kids pack.

Kid got pretty scratched up before the coon found his way out.

I also remember a friend of mine who put his garbage in the backseat of his car but left the window open about 3 inches overnight. (We always locked our trash in the trunk).

Two Coons figured out how to squeeze in but then couldn't figure out how to get back out.

I don't know what they got into in that garbage, but it made them sick from both ends ...... most disgusting thing I've ever seen happen to leather seats.

He ended up having to get rid of the car ... he never did get the smell out.

Even out of bear country one should always practice keeping a clean camp ... it just makes good sense.

dessertrat
10-16-2007, 11:39
I don't know what they got into in that garbage, but it made them sick from both ends ...... most disgusting thing I've ever seen happen to leather seats.


Animals locked in cars almost always get sick. I think it is a stress reaction more than anything to do with what they eat. (I've seen a couple of farm cats stuck in a car overnight do the same thing).

weary
10-16-2007, 11:56
Once again the US Media misses another GOLDEN opportunity
to make a concise report and educate the public.
Oldfivetango
Missing golden opportunities is a chronic dilemma for all media. But this is not really an example. An excited parent or other adult calls a newspaper and tells the tale of the scout being attacked by a bear. The reporter has no way of knowing what the proper procedure is in dealing with a bear -- or even that there is such a thing.

And in this case it's not clear there is a proper procedure. The kids survived with only a couple of tooth marks on his butt. What do you want the home town paper to say, "It's all the kids fault. This skinny 14-year-old should have jumped out of his sleeping bag, hunched himself up as big as possible and scared the bear away?"

Weary

Lilred
10-16-2007, 12:00
Locking food in a car or trunk is not a wise idea either. I've seen video of bears ripping open a car trunk like it was a tin can. And that food was in a cooler, in the trunk.

Mother's Finest
10-16-2007, 12:32
In an interview on the local Philadelphia news, the kids Father said he wants to get a bear hunting permit this year to "even the score"

Brilliant, enlightened and mature parenting.

peace
mf

dessertrat
10-16-2007, 12:52
Sounds like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

dessertrat
10-16-2007, 12:54
Missing golden opportunities is a chronic dilemma for all media. But this is not really an example. An excited parent or other adult calls a newspaper and tells the tale of the scout being attacked by a bear. The reporter has no way of knowing what the proper procedure is in dealing with a bear -- or even that there is such a thing.

And in this case it's not clear there is a proper procedure. The kids survived with only a couple of tooth marks on his butt. What do you want the home town paper to say, "It's all the kids fault. This skinny 14-year-old should have jumped out of his sleeping bag, hunched himself up as big as possible and scared the bear away?"

Weary

No, but I think we want them to say that you shouldn't keep candy bars in your tent when in an area known for bear activity.

HIKER7s
10-16-2007, 12:58
In an interview on the local Philadelphia news, the kids Father said he wants to get a bear hunting permit this year to "even the score"

Brilliant, enlightened and mature parenting.

peace
mf


Now, I do agree with you however. The media didnt wait to get the fact too much beyond the bear attack...putting it out there for the sensationalism of "A BEAR ATTACK!!!"

Who's to say they havent twisted this guy's word to fit yet another one of their cliches

Sly
10-16-2007, 13:02
Locking food in a car or trunk is not a wise idea either. I've seen video of bears ripping open a car trunk like it was a tin can. And that food was in a cooler, in the trunk.

Probably out west, in Yosemite. Same, but different animal. What's funny is that certain national parks require food storage in cars while Yosemite will fine you. They have bear boxes at car camping sites, in the backcountry and a canister is required if you're hiking in the park. If you hang your food in Yosemite consider it gone. The bears have an uncanny knack for getting it.

oldfivetango
10-16-2007, 13:27
Missing golden opportunities is a chronic dilemma for all media. But this is not really an example. An excited parent or other adult calls a newspaper and tells the tale of the scout being attacked by a bear. The reporter has no way of knowing what the proper procedure is in dealing with a bear -- or even that there is such a thing.

And in this case it's not clear there is a proper procedure. The kids survived with only a couple of tooth marks on his butt. What do you want the home town paper to say, "It's all the kids fault. This skinny 14-year-old should have jumped out of his sleeping bag, hunched himself up as big as possible and scared the bear away?"

Weary

I would think that any serious journalist is on a never ending
quest for truth.And I would expect them to question the bear's
motives for making the attack.

Furthermore,I would have a hard time believing that there is a
college graduate of a school of journalism in the USA that is
unaware that food and odors attract unwanted wildlife activity.

Now the kid is being heralded as some kind of a hero or survivalist
when he in fact did everything wrong.I know he is only a juvenile but
a responsible adult should have at least lectured the scouts on the
proper protecalls for camping in bear country.

But he and Dad will be back AND with guns next time.I just think it
is totally irrresponsible that with all the media hype to grab your
attention(so they can sell more advertising) that they should at least
point out-"Hey STUPID,don't go to bed with SNICKERS in your pockets
because some animal may kill you for those things.":D

Honestly,the media has a duty to diseminate proper and correct information;even if it means doing a little research on a subject
before reporting the story.In defense of the local news,they got it
right which is how I know about the SINCKERS in the first place.
But you won't hear that from the "camera news departments".
Oldfivetango

dessertrat
10-16-2007, 14:49
According to an article on one news site, this kid is even dumber than I thought:
"My friend got pulled out by the bear and he came running back in and woke me up. I didn't think much about it and I was going to go back to bed," Malasics told MyFoxPhilly. "The bear comes to my side and steps on the tent and the tent collapses and there's a big hole and he rips me out with his mouth. Grabs my butt and flings me a round."

Let's see: tentmate gets yanked out of tent by bear, comes back in and wakes you up, so you go back to sleep?

taildragger
10-16-2007, 15:16
If the bear bit him in the butt, he might not have just gotten the taste of snickers, but maybe some hershey's as well :eek:

envirodiver
10-16-2007, 15:27
In an interview on the local Philadelphia news, the kids Father said he wants to get a bear hunting permit this year to "even the score"

Brilliant, enlightened and mature parenting.

peace
mf

At the end of the interview did the Dad say "Dooooh"

whitefoot_hp
10-16-2007, 16:15
According to an article on one news site, this kid is even dumber than I thought:
"My friend got pulled out by the bear and he came running back in and woke me up. I didn't think much about it and I was going to go back to bed," Malasics told MyFoxPhilly. "The bear comes to my side and steps on the tent and the tent collapses and there's a big hole and he rips me out with his mouth. Grabs my butt and flings me a round."

Let's see: tentmate gets yanked out of tent by bear, comes back in and wakes you up, so you go back to sleep?

could have been a 'boy cried wolf' scenario

Tankerhoosen
10-18-2007, 08:56
Seems like there was a second bear attack....

A second bear attack at state park

Food likely drew the bear to the Hickory Run site. A Chesco scout was sent to the hospital.

By Nancy Petersen
Inquirer Staff Writer
The bear attack that sent a Chester County Boy Scout to the hospital over the weekend was the second at Hickory Run State Park in Carbon County this fall.
Park manager David M. Madl said another scout suffered puncture wounds from a hungry bear in mid-September. Since then, eight bears have been trapped and removed from the area, he said.
The bear that attacked Chris Malasics, 14, of Chester Springs, over the weekend may be the same one that game wardens found in a trap at Hickory Run, he said.
"The one in the trap this morning didn't appear to have tags," Madl said yesterday. Witnesses to the bear attack said that animal had no tags.
Malasics was one of three youths injured by the bear early Saturday. He was taken by ambulance to Lehighton Hospital and treated for cuts to his buttocks and a puncture wound to his knee. He could not be reached for comment yesterday. The other two youths were treated at the site for minor cuts.
Tim Conway, a supervisor at the Pennsylvania Game Commission's northeast regional office, said the bear was likely attracted to the smell of food.
"We don't consider this a predatory attack," he said. "People yelled and screamed, and the bear took off. A predatory attack will be much different."
Conway said that cookies and fruit-drink mix left on a picnic table probably drew the bear to the area, and then it smelled something else inside the tent and followed its nose.
"The humans were kind of in the way of what the bear wanted," said Madl. "Nobody was severely injured, but it was a bit of a harrowing experience for the young men."
Conway said that this is the time of year when bears are eating almost anything in sight in preparation for hibernation, and acorns, a particular favorite, were especially abundant around the campground.
"They are like vacuum cleaners out there," he said. "They will sit all day long and feed, and they will not go into hibernation until the food runs out." Madl said access to a popular campground would be severely curtailed for the remainder of the season. A large group that had reserved the space next weekend will be moved to another section of the park, he said.

HIKER7s
10-18-2007, 10:04
predatory attack :

Just to re-hash my knowledge.

If its this type of attack, you do what you can to appear bigger, no direct eye contact, back away speaking , do not run.

if possible back away downhill and away, be attenitive of any cub issues. (do you drop your gear?)


otherwise, if he's already on you fight back


do not play dead

Dirtygaiters
10-19-2007, 01:05
I notice nobody in the press wants to say that the kid did the wrong thing, when it comes to black bear attacks.


With regards to he should have fought back or with regards to he shouldn't have had food in his tent?;)

Appalachian Tater
10-19-2007, 01:09
No, but his father wants to even the score with the bears by killing some because his genetic offshoot can't follow the no-candybars-in-the-tent rule.

I sleep with food in my tarptent sometimes but I'm not going to blame the animal that comes to get it for my stupidity.

HIKER7s
10-22-2007, 08:25
You know why they are so active in HRSP. Its some of the weekend Weenies feeding all the animals, ie- domesticating food expectancies of the animals, namely Mr/Mrs Bear.

Those people have to wake up and realize "out there" is not a Disney Movie.

NICKTHEGREEK
10-22-2007, 08:48
You read about so many of these attacks all started by kids (of all ages) taking food into their tents at night. The boy scout store catalog should add 2 new products. A tent with a flashing 7-11 sign and a scout sleeping bag with a snickers bar motif on the shell.