If you get this part of the world, try to see S. Utah and S. Colorado as well--more wide open space than you could explore in a lifetime.
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A question about fighting off bears, including polar bears
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Posted 9 months ago #
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Thanks - that's really interesting. I shall start planning a trip to this corner of the US, perhaps next Spring, I think. That's a really helpful introduction. Cheers.
I saw a guy at an Iron Maiden gig wear an Albuquerque Rattlesnake Museum t-shirt, which is the best t-shirt I've seen in some time.
Spring is usually a good time, fall is better (weatherwise)--spring here is usually pretty windy (April & May especially). If you are going to try to get some biking in, many of the higher mountain trails aren't accessible until at least May 1st and in a heavy snow year, some not available until June.
Fall weather is generally gorgeous (Sept through Oct). Temperatures have dropped, nights cool and very little in the way of rain or wind in a normal year.Posted 9 months ago # -
In a walk in the woods Bill Bryson recalls the advice he was given at the outdoor store regarding differentiating between a black bear and a grizzly. If you see a bear climb a tree to get away- if the bear climbs the tree and eats you it's a black bear if it shakes you out of the tree and eats you it's a grizzly.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Another bit of sage bear advice: if you are in a group that is attacked by a bear, only run if you are faster than at least one other person in the group
Posted 9 months ago # -
I always thought that the "don't climb a tree cos he can climb faster than you" advice was a bit over the top- until I saw a bear absolutely launch itself up a tree, properly digging his claws in and leaping his way up like a squirrel!
When in Canada we were advised against bear spray as it's 10x stronger than regular pepper spray but often results in you getting a good dosing too. As for the bear bells, I think they're just souvenirs- although maybe if all the bears wore bells then we could hear them coming!
Posted 9 months ago # -
Bearbells are a definitely no-no in my experience, and I think some of the literature now is saying the same thing. More like a dinner bell for a skinny bear. You want loud sharp noises (at distance) to make a bear aware of your presence without startling them and that you're likely a threat to avoid, not tinny bells like a Morris dancer that make you sound delicious.
Bearspray, my colleagues and I do carry it, but if we were getting stalked by a black bear (which does happen, especially on cutlines - for pipelines, seismic lines and so on) I would be alot happier with my machete/bowie knife in hand and/or two bits of 2x4 to knock together to make enough racket to scare a bear off. In any event, that bear can move a damn slight quicker than you can in the same environment, however fast you can run, so you're better off standing your ground (atleast with a black bear, with a grizzly, just hope it doesn't feel hungry)
You can have rifles with you in the field, but frankly if a bear is stalking you and you're distracted, you will see it i.e. close, charging, before you hear it coming, better off with a bat than a gun.
The environments I work in (Alberta Boreal) is often peatbog, very quiet underfoot for all the mosses, and with the dense black spruce there - see the last photo, the bear is walking around the berm of a well (oil) pad, you could be working feet from a bear and never know it, which is why you tend to look for the signs (scat, entrails) etc and use common sense. More scary was one site I worked on last year where a peatland was surrounded by a massive sand bar esker....covered in blueberry and saskatoon berry bushes...walking around in there in late summer with the berries out (delicious!)...I was expecting to walk into a bear at any minute.
Oh and bear bangers, from vivid experience, USELESS
Have some bears from last year.
First was likely a yearling, decided to have a go at the recycling containers SEVERAL times, bit of a retard, kept climbing rotten trees to escape when we shouted at it. The second appeared as I was having lunch sat on the bonnet of my truck, not in the slightest bit interested in me but to give you perspective, the berm it's walking around is close to 2.5m tall. It was one big adult!
As for polar bears...a friend of mine has just moved to Paulatuk, NWT (shores of the Beaufort sea) where her boyfriend is to start teaching Science to the kids up there. They bought matching rifles before they left and have applied for a .50 licence for a hand cannon. Although being in an enclave of Inuit, they're pretty safe.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Really excellent post - thanks
Time to watch Grizzly Man I think (what an asshole)
Posted 9 months ago #
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