I have not been afraid of black bears

[stephanD]

Definitely gives me second thoughts about carrying pepper spray. I know it is heavy and bulky. I know most people on this forum will tell you you don't need it, but I tend to be a solo hiker, and i would hate to become a statistic.

[TexasBob]

.......There are no absolutes. Theres no guarantee what any bear will do, only odds ..............

If you spend enough time working around animals you find this is so true. Just because most act in a certain way there is no guarantee a particular animal will act in the expected way and those are the ones that are the most dangerous.

Thank you. Y'all make some excellent points. I've been complacent recently when encountering black bears...assuming they will always behave as I expect. Thanks for the reminder to always expect the unexpected.

Good advice - expect the unexpected.

[cmoulder]

The bear that has been reported around Fingerboard shelter in Harriman is still hanging around.

I saw him there yesterday.... little video clip... OK, it's crappy little clip. Ennyhoo...

When he saw me he did not skedaddle into the woods nearly as quickly as other bears I have seen at Harriman in the past. When I first saw him he was about 50 yards away and walking parallel to my direction and quite frankly I was a bit concerned that he might turn toward me. He looked rather scrawny, maybe 125lbs or so.

I camped near Fingerboard (that nice little shelf about 200 yards north) last night and did not see him again.

[HooKooDooKu]

There are no absolutes. Theres no guarantee what any bear will do, only odds . Some momma bears dont run, some bluff charge and slap ground, jaw pop, etc. And some, might just really attack you.

So true... case-in-point. The one bear fatality that has happened in GSMNP was caused by a momma bear with a yearling cub.

i'm actually perfectly fine with anyone taking whatever risks they want

Yea, but the risks you take doesn't only affect you.
Doing something stupid and get yourself in "trouble" can also put police, search and rescue, and similar civil servants as risk too.

[martinb]

Definitely gives me second thoughts about carrying pepper spray. I know it is heavy and bulky. I know most people on this forum will tell you you don't need it, but I tend to be a solo hiker, and i would hate to become a statistic.

I carry it on every BC trip because you never know.

[Colter]

It had been over 4 years since any bear: grizz/polar/black, killed anyone in Alaska. In that time about 17,000 Alaskans died of other causes.

There are about 100,000 black bears in Alaska. On average, there are at least 10 years between each incident in which a black bear kills someone here. So that would make the "murder rate" for black bears less than 1:1,000,000 bear years.

Humans murder someone in Alaska at about 1:18,000 per year, making humans about 55 times more dangerous than black bears.

18,000 vs 1,000,000.

According to Wikipedia there have been about 20 grizzly-human fatalities in recorded Alaska history. If that's over 100 years, that's .2 people a year for about 30,000 Alaska grizzlies. So that would make the murder rate for grizzlies about 1:150,000. Almost ten times lower of a "murder" rate than humans.

I think too often people look at the numerator without looking at the denominator. Without a hard look at both it's hard to assess what the risk is.

[rickb]

I think too often people look at the numerator without looking at the denominator. Without a hard look at both it's hard to assess what the risk is.

True enough.

On the AT proper, not a singe person -- be they a thru hiker, section Hiker or day hiker -- has ever been killed by a bear.

By way of comparison, 6 AT thru hikers (yes, thru hikers) have been murdered by a complete stranger in the middle of their 2000-mile walks on the trail proper.

Statistically, a thru Hiker has far, far more to be concerned about by a lone male (especially at a shelter outside of the bubble), than a bear anywhere at all.

That said, the OP's sentiments resonated with me. As one who has long thought of black bear as no more of a threat than a spruce grouse because of "the statistics", it does seem that there are more and more scary incidents with black bear than ever before.

As such, I see these reports as a good reminder to respect that -- and to reject the advise of old-timers like Lone Wolf that still suggest sleeping with your food is a good idea.

[TNGabe]

I can refer you to a bear attack a few yrs ago where two guys were pursued by black bear after startling it, it chased them, they climbed trees, it climbed trees and pulled them out, while they fought it. It killed one guy, then climbed his buddies tree and pulled him out too. On the ground, fighting it wasnt working, so....he tried plan B...played dead. Exactly what NOT to do when being attacked by black bear. Bear lost interest and left....he survived.

Was it your cousin or is there a published account of this fantastic tale?

For those of you too lazy to read the article but still looking to blame the victims behavior, the kid killed in Anchorage had finished the race, so no reason to assume he was running when he attacked.

[Bronk]

A few years ago shark attacks were all over the news, and the public perception was that there were more shark attacks that year than normal. But after someone dug up the statistics they found out that there were fewer shark attacks that year than normal. What had changed was that there was a sensational case that attracted a lot of attention and as a result the media started doing more reporting on shark attacks.

I've never seen a bear in the wild, and if I ever do I won't be afraid of it. More than likely I'll be struggling to get my camera out before it runs away.

[rickb]

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.

Since then, you had the fatal attack in GSMNP and other fatal attacks by a wild bear in the Cherokee National Forest, with another in NY (not sure exactly where, could have been in the Daks or Western, NY) and still another in NJ.

Still a small number of fatalities, but for those of us who formed our opinions regarding bear well befor the millenium -- like the OP and myself -- the more recent reports deserve consideration I think. As do the incidents like the one last year where a thru Hiker had his leg bitten through his tent.

[somers515]

A few years ago shark attacks were all over the news, and the public perception was that there were more shark attacks that year than normal. But after someone dug up the statistics they found out that there were fewer shark attacks that year than normal. What had changed was that there was a sensational case that attracted a lot of attention and as a result the media started doing more reporting on shark attacks.

Can you link the article that you are referring to when you say there were "fewer shark attacks that year than normal."?

I didn't spend much time doing research but here's a June 2015 National Geographic article that says "The Tarheel State typically gets one to two shark attacks a year but has had four this year, says Frank J. Schwartz, a shark biologist with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...shark-attacks/

I agree of course that a shark attack or a bear attack are very rare events.

[Sojourner74]

A few years ago shark attacks were all over the news, and the public perception was that there were more shark attacks that year than normal. But after someone dug up the statistics they found out that there were fewer shark attacks that year than normal. What had changed was that there was a sensational case that attracted a lot of attention and as a result the media started doing more reporting on shark attacks.

I've never seen a bear in the wild, and if I ever do I won't be afraid of it. More than likely I'll be struggling to get my camera out before it runs away.

In all honesty, that's far easier to say than it is to do.

[Bronk]

In all honesty, that's far easier to say than it is to do.

I've gone swimming with snakes, alligators and sharks, I don't think a bear is going to scare me.

[MuddyWaters]

Can you link the article that you are referring to when you say there were "fewer shark attacks that year than normal."?

I didn't spend much time doing research but here's a June 2015 National Geographic article that says "The Tarheel State typically gets one to two shark attacks a year but has had four this year, says Frank J. Schwartz, a shark biologist with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...shark-attacks/

I agree of course that a shark attack or a bear attack are very rare events.

3 in one day once in my hometown when I was in college. All blue sharks.

Rare? Yes
Happen? Yes

Reduced visibility and water conditions contributed. One grabbed fin of snorkeler dangling feet off boat. Wasnt even in water.

[BuckeyeBill]

I've gone swimming with snakes, alligators and sharks, I don't think a bear is going to scare me.

I find this a very bold statement. The words "don't think" shows that you aren't certain, as if the bear is safer than a snake, alligator or shark.

I been around snakes and bears and have a very high respect for both. I follow the philosophy of backing off slowly and giving them very wide berth. I never been bluff charged or had a bear follow me down a trail, so I can't say what I would do.

[Traveler]

I've gone swimming with snakes, alligators and sharks, I don't think a bear is going to scare me.

Interesting hobby...

[MuddyWaters]

[TexasBob]

I've gone swimming with snakes, alligators and sharks........................

I'd find a new place to go swimming if I were you.

[wannahike]

I've gone swimming with snakes, alligators and sharks, I don't think a bear is going to scare me.

I've been hiking in the Everglades for awhile and would much rather see a bear than an alligator. Alligators scare me more than bears. Did see a bear on the Florida Trail north of Alligator Alley and before the Big Cypress Reservation once.

[Fredt4]

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.

Since then, you had the fatal attack in GSMNP and other fatal attacks by a wild bear in the Cherokee National Forest, with another in NY (not sure exactly where, could have been in the Daks or Western, NY) and still another in NJ.

Still a small number of fatalities, but for those of us who formed our opinions regarding bear well befor the millenium -- like the OP and myself -- the more recent reports deserve consideration I think. As do the incidents like the one last year where a thru Hiker had his leg bitten through his tent.

As you should note, no one has been killed by a bear since the year 2000. So I would suggest that sleeping with your food is certainly the best strategy as all other methods have a know rate if failure. Now you may not be conformable with this method and choose another method but remember your rejecting a tried and proven method for a method that is proven to have a failure rate for reasons that are not supported. But as they say, HYOH.