As you should note, no one has been killed by a bear since the year 2000.
Rutgers student killed in Nov 2014....
Baby killed in Catskills in 2002
As you should note, no one has been killed by a bear since the year 2000.
Rutgers student killed in Nov 2014....
Baby killed in Catskills in 2002
Last edited by cmoulder; 06-23-2017 at 13:57.
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
So I would suggest that sleeping with your food is certainly the best strategy as all other methods have a know rate if failure
while they didnt have food in the tent or hammock----i would think the guy who was attacked last year by a bear along with the kid in the hammock in the GSMNP, would tend to disagree....
You sleep with food to protect the food
You sleep without food, to protect you
What you do, depends on your primary concern.
Not only that, but it never ceases to amaze me how many hikers on WB seem to only consider fatalities when gauging the risk from black bears. It's like they can't maul or bite you, they can only either kill you, or leave you alone. And since killing is so rare, no worries! SMH.
Black bear attacks in general are very rare. Its more dangerous driving in your car, than seeing a bear on the trail.
As I stated, no one has been killed by a bear when they were hiking the AT. I believe if you research those incidents you'll find that they were not hiking the AT.
I would state something about AT hikers being attacked on the AT but I don't have the information to look at. I believe none is the proper number to state but I'll leave that up in the air.
"Prior to the year 2000, I think you would have been correct to claim that no one had been killed by a wild bear in the Appalachian corridor for 100 years -- with the possible exceptions of a couple hunters whose prey was not as dead as they thought it was when theyapproached their trophy/harvest."
Perhaps I didn't but it was mentioned. There have been killings in the Smokies, but not of AT hikers. Small difference one might say, but still a difference. Is it the mindset of being a hiker that protects you, I don't know, but it's there.
Ran across this article this morning. Not sure if it's elsewhere in this thread but it calls into question the effectiveness of bear spray. I didn't realize it was deployed in the attack of the women this week.
https://craigmedred.news/2017/06/22/bear-ignored-spray/
Bears don't kill people,People kil.........Oh wait,bears do kill people.
The subject of bears always elicits emotional obsessions on backpacking forums---Injuries!! Deaths!!! But no one cares about car wrecks getting to the trail.
Far greater dangers exist on the AT and in the Southeast where I backpack----Falling trees and rattlesnakes. Stinging yellow jackets. Falling.
I just got back from a neato June trip and found my buddy Jimmy sunning himself at his usual spot by my campsite---no sweat---
Trip 183 (378).JPG
It's all part of wilderness. Take away bears and snakes and trees and lightning and hornets and ZAP you've just destroyed wilderness. Either go out and accept the risks or stay home and vegetate.
It's them damn Trash Pandas you should really be worried about!
I'm telling yall, those damn Trash Pandas will take over the world some day.😂😂😂
Chasing the sun,
Turtle
Just 1/5th as many as snakes, 1/20th as many as cattle, 1/28th as many as dogs, 1/50th as many as lightning, 1/100th as many as insect bites and stings, 1/200th as many as horse accidents, 1/16,000 as many as people, 1/27,000ths as many as falls, and nearly 1/2,600,000s as many as boring US deaths in general.
I know this is looking to start a barrage of controversy but how you defend yourself against humans or wildlife is your own business. Most of us walk through life never expecting to be attacked because most of the time that's the case. It's reasonable to be prepared and have a strategy for protecting yourself. For the weight of a canister of pepper spray you could carry a small semi automatic pistol. Knowing how to react and maintain the upper hand is often more important than using force. I am curious to see if anyone knows the difference in effectiveness between pepper spray and firearms against black bears. Loss of habitat, increasing bear population and increasing outdoor recreation will lead to more encounters between bears and humans.
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There are legal consequences to toting firearms along the AT. State and federal laws change as one follows the trail or its tributaries through different jurisdictions, which may present some unfortunate legal issues along the way. Bear spray (last I knew anyway) did not present this problem and may be the better alternative depending on where one is going.
I can't imagine toting any kind of weapon on my backpacking trips. It's dead weight. Imagine for the 40 years I've been backpacking in NC and TN and Virginia and Georgia---and for those years carrying a handgun never used. I carry enough crap as it is, why carry something never needed and/or never used??
It amuses me to hear about guys packing their fears and carrying pistols. So what if a lightning bolt strikes nearby, will you shoot out the sky? What if a tree limb falls next to your tent, will you shoot the tree?
Last edited by Tipi Walter; 06-24-2017 at 20:58.
They talk about that in this article https://craigmedred.news/2017/06/21/dangerous-bear/ . Seems like you are better off with spray.
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.
That's very funny and good points. On the other hand as someone else mentioned recently (Egilbe?) about having used a seat belt for 50 years and never needing it. Safety gear and protocols are in place for that rare moment something does happen. Fear is one thing and assessing risk another. I personally do not carry either form of protection from bears. But I am thinking about it.
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