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steve hiker
07-25-2004, 16:32
This test is really hard. I took the training twice and still failed. Can you identify the bear ... black or grizzly?

http://www.fwp.state.mt.us/bearid/default.htm

Run through the training section first, then take the test.

Groucho
07-25-2004, 16:44
This test is really hard. I took the training twice and still failed. Can you identify the bear ... black or grizzly?

http://www.fwp.state.mt.us/bearid/default.htm

Run through the training section first, then take the test.

Got an 87 without training. :banana That only means I could have killed a couple of Grizzes by mistake. What's the penalty?

Streamweaver
07-25-2004, 16:53
I scored 100 the first time!! :banana I didnt take the training part :banana But Ive got Outdoor Life and Feild And Stream mags dating back to the early 70s so plenty of bear pics to look at lol Ive only seen black bears in the wild though,would love to see a grizzly some day. Streamweaver

Pencil Pusher
07-25-2004, 17:03
There's gotta be a better source for training than this. The first few pages of training should've been about what the bears were, versus confusing the hell out of someone trying to learn. What was good about it was stating the hair color of the bear being the least reliable indicator of whether it was a black or grizzly. Lastly, the answers along with your guesses should be shown at the end. As it is, it just shows your overall percentage and the questions you got wrong, but does not show the correct answers nor the answers you chose.
Off too Google to see if I can find anything better. Thanks for the link and the test, though:)

Big Guy
07-25-2004, 17:28
Did the training and took the test. I am a failure also. Will redo the training when I have some time to see if I improve. :-?

Streamweaver
07-25-2004, 17:36
I think the easiest way (but certainly not foolproof) to identify the bears is by looking at their faces,Grizzlies have a kinda dish shaped face thats quite a bit different than a black bears.

Of course the foolproof way of telling the difference between grizzlies and black bears is this-get one to chase you,if you climb a tree and it climbs right up after you and eats you ,its a black bear! If on the other hand it just stays on the ground shaking the tree untill you fall out and then eats you ,its a grizzly! Streamweaver

budman5
07-25-2004, 17:45
But I've seen lots of GRIZ up close and personal!

Pencil Pusher
07-25-2004, 17:48
So I failed that first Montana test with a 73%. I think I was a bit of a sore loser in my initial assessment. Here's a few others I found along my Google search:

http://gf.state.wy.us/bearid/index.aspx
http://www.bebearaware.org/gallerynfnfbww.htm (http://www.bebearaware.org/gallerynfnfbww.htm)
http://www.mountainnature.com/Wildlife/Bears/BearKnowledgeTest.asp (http://www.mountainnature.com/Wildlife/Bears/BearKnowledgeTest.asp)

I managed to pass the Wyoming one with an 87 and then went to the Montana test to get the same score. This is good stuff to know, thanks for bringing it up. Before this I had always assumed the grizzly would be big and brown and the black bear, well yeah... black. Even the Wyoming website mentioned color is the least reliable indicator. I imagine I'd have to browse through these websites again to make sure I didn't get lucky on the tests.

Well good stuff for me to know, more so than folks hiking on the AT.

Ramble~On
07-26-2004, 05:32
:jump 100% ! Which means that I am still free to roam all over North America and hunt any bear I want to, anytime I want to..WITH MY CAMERA.

Alligator
07-26-2004, 09:06
Took the training, 93%. May try the others. Enjoyed the link.

MOWGLI
07-26-2004, 10:45
No training - 93%. Thanks for the link. That was interesting.

Kozmic Zian
07-26-2004, 11:07
Yea.......93%. I got 'um differenciated. Watch the ears....dead givaway. Griz has little roundies, blackie has pointies. Also most Griz's have big back hump. Some females don't, though. Thanks for the interesting thread! KZ@;)

Fiddleback
07-26-2004, 13:00
Another tip off is to look at the different bears's scat...

Black bear scat as remanents of bugs, roots, berries, etc.
Grizzly scat is loaded with bear bells... :D

FB

walkin' wally
07-27-2004, 17:51
I got an 87. I have never been out West or seen a grizzly anywhere. I have seen plenty of black bears but most of the ones in Maine are black. This is a great link :)

steve hiker
07-27-2004, 18:37
I got 67%. Some of them grizzler bears got big ears and some of them black bears got curves on their noses. I studies TWICE and still flunked. This is really scary, how will I know whether to climb a tree or curl up in a ball?

Streamweaver
07-27-2004, 19:17
I got 67%. Some of them grizzler bears got big ears and some of them black bears got curves on their noses. I studies TWICE and still flunked. This is really scary, how will I know whether to climb a tree or curl up in a ball?

Well as somebody else pointed out,if you are hiking the AT there are no Grizzlies so that narrows it down. Never and I mean never Climb a tree or roll into a ball if you are accosted by a black bear(which is very unlikely) There have been people that played dead during a black bear attack and they were eaten alive!! Generally a black bear will attack for food rather than protecting
young though that can happen.With blacks the best thing to do is make alot of noise ,try to make yourself appear larger and fight with all you got! Grizzlies will sometimes attack just because you startled them (hence the bear bells popularity out west) but fighting a grizzly doesnt usually favor the human ,so then its time to play dead. Grizzlies can move at an extremely high rate of speed for something so big ,so by the time you realize your under attack you aint got a snow balls chance in hades of getting to a tree much less climbing it!!! You wont out run a bear and running just ticks em off anyway. Streamweaver

Fiddleback
07-27-2004, 19:23
I know it's a tired cliche but it 'bears' repeating;

'You don't have to outrun a grizzly -- you have to out run your hiking partner."

You're...:welcome

FB

Frosty
07-27-2004, 19:28
Well as somebody else pointed out,if you are hiking the AT there are no Grizzlies so that narrows it down. Never and I mean never Climb a tree or roll into a ball if you are accosted by a black bear(which is very unlikely) There have been people that played dead during a black bear attack and they were eaten alive!! Generally a black bear will attack for food rather than protecting
young though that can happen.With blacks the best thing to do is make alot of noise ,try to make yourself appear larger and fight with all you got! Grizzlies will sometimes attack just because you startled them (hence the bear bells popularity out west) but fighting a grizzly doesnt usually favor the human ,so then its time to play dead. Grizzlies can move at an extremely high rate of speed for something so big ,so by the time you realize your under attack you aint got a snow balls chance in hades of getting to a tree much less climbing it!!! You wont out run a bear and running just ticks em off anyway. StreamweaverThe play dead/fight back scenario is actually based on the purpose of the bear. If a black bear comes after you, as you say it is almost certainly "food-conditioned" and looking for food, so playing dead is the wrong thing to do. Should a grizzly be predatory, the correct thing to do is fight back, not play dead. You usually can tell a grizzly is predatory when he either starts eating you or drags you off. At that point, scream away. In any event, you are right. The wrong thing to do with a grizzly is run or even move backwards, especially if the bear is moving toward you at the time.

As I prepare to head out for British Columbia, I've done a lot of reading about bears.

Frosty
07-27-2004, 19:30
I know it's a tired cliche but it 'bears' repeating;

'You don't have to outrun a grizzly -- you have to out run your hiking partner."FBWhat if your slower hiking partner suddenly stops running and stands still, leaving you the sole fleely quarry?

johnny quest
07-29-2004, 11:57
no training, 87 percent. hoo hoo!

steve hiker
07-29-2004, 13:37
I flunked. At first I thought I'm a real dummy after reading post after post from people who scored high, then I realized that only those who got lucky and passed are posting their scores. :rolleyes:

Jersey Bob
07-30-2004, 10:51
at least 10 characters

Streamweaver
07-30-2004, 11:45
Ha! Either that or they're lying. I bet we'd do better on the polar bear vs black bear test.

Actually there are white black bears(not counting albinos) so it might still be a bit confusing. Streamweaver

Groucho
07-30-2004, 12:27
Ha! Either that or they're lying. I bet we'd do better on the polar bear vs black bear test.

I thought this might come up so I copied my results (http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/4265/password/0/sort/1/cat/500/page/1). Of course I could have taken the test multiple times. :jump

I know one I missed; a sharp-eared black one. Don't have any idea what the other was. Need to be able to check your results, and one Blazer noted.

Again, does anyone know the penalty for mistakenly shooting a Grizz?

Edit: Was there a way to check errors. The directions say to scroll down to do so, but I didn't catch this when I took the test.

MedicineMan
07-30-2004, 23:39
87% no training, typical looks like.
Also I didnt know not to play dead with a black bear and that I should stand my gound and prepare to fight....good to know.

smokymtnsteve
08-07-2004, 17:04
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040806/ap_on_re_us/bear_ice_ax_1

eyahiker
08-08-2004, 11:15
Just went on AT through CT and MA, hung food, never saw a bear. Saw lots of signs, but the blueberries ( small/med) are in on the mtn. tops, I suspect they are all up there..........

Crash! Bang!
10-11-2004, 14:16
73.3 percent. just "bear"ly missed:banana

The Solemates
10-11-2004, 14:24
Got 93% correct, only missed one question. No training here either.

The Solemates
10-11-2004, 14:26
Got 93% correct with no training. I missed the Montana bear question.

Crash! Bang!
10-11-2004, 15:46
watta ya want, a cookie?:bse

The Solemates
10-11-2004, 17:06
Just answering the post, I dont know what went wrong...since it posted twice. but since you asked, I'll take oatmeal raisin.

Tractor
10-11-2004, 19:50
I learned as I went along. Good test.

Connie
10-11-2004, 20:17
Just goes to show you.. there is more to know about bears!

I heard the penalty for being wrong is $10,000 fine, jail time, and no hunting or fishing license ever. That may have been an exaggeration, but I don't think so.

Fiddleback
10-11-2004, 21:37
One FWS site I viewed said civil and criminal penalties for killing a grizzly in the lower 48 can total $50000 and a year in jail. An article from the archive site of my local newspaper said the penalty is up to $20000 and six months. I would be happy with either.

The sad fact is these penalties are rarely (ever?) assessed. This June a man was fined a total of $3840 for the killing of TWO grizzlys and then hiding their carcass. I consider this to be a pretty light penalty but, unfortunately, I think it's typical. Poaching and 'accidental' killings of grizzlys continue in Montana despite the identification test required for a bear hunting license.

FB

Doctari
10-12-2004, 01:27
Kool, I got a 93%.
Another good test is:
If you climb a tree & the bear climbs the tree after you, it's a black bear.
If you climb a tree & the bear simply knocks the tree over to get at you, it's a Griz.

:p


Doctari.

blindeye
10-12-2004, 08:32
i'm a loser! did the training,scored 70% on the test. i'll try again

Ridge
11-21-2004, 00:35
http://a1055.g.akamai.net/f/1055/1401/5h/images.barnesandnoble.com/images/7170000/7179668.gif (http://a1204.g.akamai.net/7/1204/1401/03121018011/images.barnesandnoble.com/images/7180000/7180781.jpg)

I've never seen a bear like this on the AT. Doesn't look like the run of the mill Black Bear.

SGT Rock
11-21-2004, 19:35
It is a Gizz.

Ridge
04-13-2006, 04:14
How many people know what kinda bear is on the cover of Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods"? HINT: You want find one of these bears on the AT, unless he drives from out west.

HIKER7s
04-13-2006, 07:34
87% w/o training.

I have had close encounters to about 30 yards with blacks. One thing, most of us at least delve into this subject going into the wood. We all take that as it is, natural selection. If you chance on a bear in a bad mood, your hoping you perform well enough to come through it. Just think of how crowded our sanctuary would be if there was no threat of the bear. Thank You Bears.

NOW the mountain lion being seen and reported on in Pa. does concern me...a little.


"the safest place to eat food in your tent is in your living room"

brancher
04-13-2006, 08:07
No Training. 93% for me. I have seen lots of black bears here in the east, but Grizzlies only in pictures.

Freighttrain
04-13-2006, 08:12
93% without practice ... only missed the last one

sparky2000
04-13-2006, 08:29
Where is the training to id the difference between Big Foot and basketball players?

Phreak
04-13-2006, 10:35
93% for me

wilderness bob
04-13-2006, 11:13
80% for this old man. The older Blacks were hard to tell apart. All I know for sure is this, If you camp where they are, you are not #1 on the food chain anymore. I once slept in valley behind the Port of Valdez, Alaska where a number of Grizzly's walked circles around me all night long. Scared the Bajesus out of me. Closest Black was in the Catskills. I broke the number one rule of camping in Bear country. I cooked where I slept. I awoke to a Black eating my spilled Ramin, about two feet from my head. I heard it sniffing. Great Post, It brought back many memories. Peace, WB

the goat
04-13-2006, 11:24
no training, 80%.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
04-13-2006, 20:28
I got 80% without training. I already knew the ears, shoulder and snout of the grizzly and I've seen many black bears.

weggers
04-13-2006, 22:24
The play dead/fight back scenario is actually based on the purpose of the bear.

Thanks for clearing up a really common, deadly misconception.

Humans have a lot to learn about bear attacks- it's never as simple as run from a black, play dead with a grizz or fight back with a black back away from a grizz.

I hope everyone planning a trip into bear country will do their homework as you have. John Hechtel, of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, has some great information about bear encounters and bear behavior.

[email protected]

DawnTreader
04-13-2006, 22:49
no training ..80%..

Felon
04-13-2006, 23:30
93%, no training.

Ridge
04-14-2006, 00:01
One of the test subjects had a strange resemblance of the infamous "Grizzly Man"!!!

boarstone
04-14-2006, 07:06
I got 93%, must of missed one! Remember: dished face just below the eyes is the grizz, straight nose from the eyes is the black bear. but when it's running at/for you, don't bother to try and wait to see what it is...it won't matter, it's big, ugly, and has some of the biggest teeth and claws..

RockyTrail
04-14-2006, 11:38
This was a great quiz, I enjoyed it.

Having never seen a grizzly, the thing that amazed me most were the huge long claws; it looked like Edward Scissorhands or whatever that character was!:D

vipahman
04-14-2006, 11:54
This test is really hard. I took the training twice and still failed. Can you identify the bear ... black or grizzly?

http://www.fwp.state.mt.us/bearid/default.htm

Run through the training section first, then take the test.
I got 87 without training too. Here's my suggestion. That first page that pops up when you click "Test" had grizzly on the left and black bear on the right. Notice the differences in face profile, ears and shoulder hump. That's all you need.

KirkMcquest
04-14-2006, 14:45
Looks like a dark Grizzer

KirkMcquest
04-14-2006, 14:53
93% no training, just used my gut.....never steers me wrong

Hana_Hanger
04-14-2006, 19:46
93% I think I got the one wrong that most did..the one that looks like a black bear due to the ears being so much longer and more pointed but it still had a hump on its back...should went with the first thought.

Mountain Mike
04-14-2006, 21:37
There is one true way of telling the difference. A grizz can't climp a tree. So if you see a bear climb a tree. If the bear climbs up it & eats you, it a Black bear. If it knocks the tree over & eats you it's a Grizz!

Sly
04-14-2006, 22:19
As I prepare to head out for British Columbia, I've done a lot of reading about bears.

Reading is good but actually hiking through Griz country is better! It's a thrill of a lifetime whether you see one or not. I had the privilage seeing 5 on the CDT. One far off and no danger whatsoever, one on the open trail well ahead but gone as I approached and three (sow and 2 cubs- no. wy) probably less than 100 yards but down a drianage and across a creek. Upon see us, and after the mom barked, they split into the woods.

Also, in Glacier three of us came upon a black bear with cub 20 feet tops just off the trail. They froze, with the cub about to climb a tree as I snapped a pic before we hiked on. We got even closer to a bull moose blocking the trial before it split when I jumped foward to catch it on film.

If you're into wildlife, I don't think there's a better park than Glacier and as a whole, the CDT beats the other trails handsdown.

frank713
04-15-2006, 05:20
Aloha,

Seen allot Black Bears in my earlier days in VA, and a had few visits as they passed going to the spring, they sure make lots of noise as they walked down the hills as they stepped on old fallan tree limbs, made for a interesting night sleeping!! But in the morning seeing all the deer nearby made you forget about bear the night before! This was in the mid 80's.

Hmm, took the test with no practice and passed with an 80%, hmm no bears in Hawaii!

Mahalo,

Paco

Billygoatbritt
04-15-2006, 07:50
93%. Very interesting and fun.

TOW
04-16-2006, 07:46
This test is really hard. I took the training twice and still failed. Can you identify the bear ... black or grizzly?

http://www.fwp.state.mt.us/bearid/default.htm

Run through the training section first, then take the test.

i got 67.9% right without the training..........

Uncle Silly
04-16-2006, 22:10
87% right, still haven't looked at the training. and at the scoring page they tell you which ones you missed but not what the right answers are, so without actually going through the training i have no idea which they are. shoulda wrote down my answers...

Just Jeff
04-16-2006, 22:37
87% with no training. Those two I missed were tricky!

ed bell
04-17-2006, 00:53
I failed trying the no training route. Took the training and got a 93%. Still don't know why I missed the one I did. Very tricky test. Highly recommended.:sun

RockyTrail
04-17-2006, 10:06
Why do so many avoid the training? That's where I actually learned something. Then I took the test and passed, but it's not likely I'll be bear hunting in MT anytime soon...if you haven't fliiped through the training section it's actually very interesting IMHO.