Any bear attacks yet?

[steve hiker]

I'm under the covers every night in my bed reading books about big bears who tear hikers and photographers to shreads in a heartbeat. Any bear attacks yet in 2004?

Scared minds want to know.

[steve hiker]

Was looking for something scary before bed and found this.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_...E13762,00.html

Boy fights off bear attack
April 27, 2004
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A 15-year-old boy on an Alaskan wilderness expedition fought off a 180kg brown bear that entered his tent when he was sleeping.

The boy awoke to find the bear sitting at his feet.

After trying unsuccessfully to back out of the tent, the boy was bitten in the forearm and decided to fight back, punching the bear with his left hand a half-dozen times, Alaska State Trooper Adam Benson said today.

When the teenager tried to run, the bear bit him again below his ribs, this time leaving half-a-dozen puncture wounds on his back, Benson said.

The boy punched the bear again, and again she let him go, but chased him around a nearby stand of trees. He eventually remembered an air horn in his gear, and blew it in the bear's muzzle, waking others in the camp, said Steve Prysunka, director of the six week “Crossing Wilderness Expeditions for Youth” program for emotionally troubled youths.

The bear finally turned and ran after counsellors blasted her with pepper spray and fired a flare at her feet, Prysunka said.

Following the morning attack, officials found the bear in the campsite area on Deer Island in south-east Alaska and killed her.

The boy was flown to a hospital, where he was treated, then sent home to Barrow to give his wounds time to heal, Prysunka said. “I think he is the biggest, baddest thing in the woods. He punched the bear,” Prysunka said.

AAP

[steve hiker]

Look another one.

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/May/05072004/utah/164106.asp

Bear attacks rafter in Desolation Canyon on Green River <!--/RSSTitle-->

FRIDAY
May 07, 2004

By Brett Prettyman
The Salt Lake Tribune
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A black bear attacked and injured a recreational rafter on the Green River in eastern Utah's Desolation Canyon -- the second bear attack there in 10 months.

Details were lacking Thursday, but the victim, whose age wasn't known, received a puncture wound on the calf of one leg and superficial scratches on his abdomen. The attack happened around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, when two bears entered the camp set up by a commercial rafting company after being chased out of another campsite nearby.

"The first group had an incident with the bears, which grabbed some food and ripped up some tents," said Derris Jones, regional supervisor of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources' (DWR) southeastern region. "They were able to chase them away, but the bears ran right into the other camp."

Jones said it was not clear what the victim was doing when he was injured by the bear, but that the wounds were not life-threatening.

The outfitter for the raft trip called DWR offices with a satellite phone and the company then called the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the 84-mile stretch of river used by rafters.

The campers planned to float 54 miles to the take-out ramp near Green River rather than use a helicopter to get the man out, since his wounds weren't serious.

Wednesday's incident happened within three miles of where an attack occured last July, said DWR wildlife manager Bill Bates.

Two government trappers from Wildlife Services, a federal predator control agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, were flown by helicopter to the site Thursday afternoon to set snares for the two bears and put up warning signs closing the area to river runners.

"Our intent is to [kill] the bears," Jones said. "Whether or not we are successful remains to be seen. Whenever bears demonstrate a lack of fear for humans, and particularly when they attack people, it becomes a public safety issue and we need to remove them from the environment."

Craig McLaughlin, mammal coordinator for the the DWR, called Wednesday's attack "unusual" and "very rare."

"I would view it as a coincidence that it happened in the same area," he said.

"In my personal history with bears, these sort of incidents with campers are often associated with food."

[eyahiker]

You may be overdoing it on the scard of bears thing, it's really not that common, and common sense/education is the best preventative. Especially along the AT

The articles above are referencing locations out west....Alaska has a huge bear population, and grizzlies are WAY DIFFERENT behavior wise that east coast black bears, no grizzlies around.


There are some great posts on here about bears, and bear stories, I haven't heard of anyone getting mauled recently. I started a post about Bear fences across the front of some shelters down south, many have been removed, you can find some good info there

[Chappy]

I'm under the covers every night in my bed reading books about big bears who tear hikers and photographers to shreads in a heartbeat. Any bear attacks yet in 2004?

Scared minds want to know.

Bear Scared...good thing you're not a surfer. I hear sharks are worse than bears!

[jersey joe]

just remember, you don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than your friend!!!

[Blue Jay]

There is a bear sneaking up on you right now, quick get under your bed and stay there. There has never been a confirmed case of a bear getting yoou while under your bed. There have been many attacks while showering so never take one again.

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea.....Scared. This is a joke, right? This is the Whiteblaze, right? Appalachian Trail has the Whiteblaze, right? Appalachian Trail is east o' the Misssissippi, right? Grizzly Baars are west o' the Misssissippi, right? Black Baaars are east o' the Mississippi, right? Grizzly Baars are aggressive, right? Black Baars are more scared o' you, than you are o' them, right? Go Figure.....KZ@

'The Onlyest Thang to Be Afeared of, Is Fear itself' .....Barney

[smokymtnsteve]

well them black bears ate that women in the smokies back in May of 2000....

I hear these black bears are getting meaner every year. and hungry too..

talking about hungry the Side Track Cafe here in Damascus is just full of hungry hikers waiting for the donation dinner. Hope no bears show up!

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea....Ate. The woman musta' smelt real good, then....you know parfume and all, cause Baars don nawmally be eatn' no human....yuk...tase like rubba tire. KZ@

[smokymtnsteve]

Taste lika RUBBER TIRE????.......now how would you know that??

[flyfisher]

well them black bears ate that women in the smokies back in May of 2000....

I was hiking up on the Little River Trail one day this last March. It was a little spooky the next day, when I came across the article in the outfitter at Gatlinburg about the death on that very section of the Smoky Mountains 4 years before.

When I researched the fatal accident, I found that this is probably the only fatal bear human attack in the Southeast for many years. (The only one fatal to the human...)

[gravityman]

Note that one of the two incidences posted was a black bear.

There are black bears out west. In fact, most bears in the rockies are black. Not many grizzles too far south of North Dakota.

Just because they are black bears doesn't mean you don't have to treat them with the utmost of respect!

Last year a black bear mauled a few campers in Rocky Mountian NP. They had done everything properly with their food. He attacked them in their tent. They did live.

Gravity man

[Blue Jay]

Last year a black bear mauled a few campers in Rocky Mountian NP. They had done everything properly with their food. He attacked them in their tent. They did live.

How many peple died DRIVING to Rocky Mountain NP? Trees falling on people have killed more people than bears so let's be TreeScared. More people have been killed falling off Waterfalls, so let's be WaterfallScared. How about falling in your bathrooms? Give me a freaking break.

[steve hiker]

Trees falling on people have killed more people than bears so let's be TreeScared. More people have been killed falling off Waterfalls, so let's be WaterfallScared. How about falling in your bathrooms? Give me a freaking break.

Yeah but I haven't heard of many trees, waterfalls or bathroom floors that intentionally stalk and jump on and go to munchin on hikers. I can avoid an aggressive toilet if I know it's "lying in wait" behind the bathroom door but I won't know if a bear's got my number till it's too late!

[hiknmik]

If'in youall wanta be scared of somethin, be a scared of them there Lightnins.They's real quick and sneeky two. Why they'll pick ya outta a crowd becuse you put a spark in them their eyes! And if'in ya try to hide, they's will find ya. I'd heard theys kilted folk in groups of 10 or 15. Them's lightnin's can reach a long way two, 5-6 miles I'd heard. Youse won't see um comin either. But they's reel noisy afterin theyve gone. Yes sir them Lightnins is the ones to watch out fer.


All kidding aside, lightning is the bigger killer in the outdoors, besides maybe our own stupidity.
Safe trails.
mike

[funkyfreddy]

Bee stings and deer ticks kill more people than bears do, but this year I hear that what you really have to watch out for is alien abductions. Apparently the greys have stepped up their hybrid breeding experiments and are looking for healthy stock to match their spores with before the next presidential election. AT hikers fit their purposes well so be careful, watch out,watch the skies, and don't share a shelter with anyone who has grey skin or pointy ears.

[Ramble~On]

Hmmm. People eat more bears than bears eat people. Hope it stays that way. More to fear from rabid raccoons and the such than bears.
Lightning, falling limbs, ticks, bees, hantavirus (sp?), dogs, drunken idiots, plain idiots, spotted idiots, speckled idiots, idiots, snakes....and pissed off moose.

[okpik]

..............................

[Rain Man]

Lightning, falling limbs, ticks, bees, hantavirus (sp?), dogs, drunken idiots, plain idiots, spotted idiots, speckled idiots, idiots, snakes....and pissed off moose.

You had me on more genuine dangers until you threw in snakes.