Bears vs. Lightning

**BearChaser** · 02-21-2011, 16:54

I know both have been discussed here before. I just happen to plug in a new computer today which had dells msn home page and saw an this.

Biggest Risks - No. 11 is the below.

Here is what they had to say about bears vs. lightning:

Bears vs. lightning: The bolt or the bruin?
In recent years, bears have killed about one person annually in the U.S. and one in Canada. Black bears have caused about half of the fatalities, and the much larger brown bears killed the others. (Polar bears apparently have not killed any North Americans in this century -- yet.)

Lightning is much more dangerous, killing about 100 people in the U.S. and Canada each year. A North Carolina man is particularly unlucky, having been struck by lightning in 2006 and then attacked by a bear in 2010. On the other hand, perhaps he’s particularly lucky, since he survived both events.

and how about the poor fella from N.C. Geesh

**MrTiles** · 02-21-2011, 17:24

That's how we do it in NC!

**Law Dawg (ret)** · 02-21-2011, 17:35

A North Carolina man is particularly unlucky, having been struck by lightning in 2006 and then attacked by a bear in 2010. On the other hand, perhaps he’s particularly lucky, since he survived both events.

Well if he didn't have a trail name before I vote for "Lucky Strike" or "Spitzum Out"!

So then any hammock hanger here ever been hit by lightning (preferably while hanging) or been bear bait?

**lori** · 02-21-2011, 17:35

I'll still continue to worry about neither. I have the sense not to be on some exposed high place in a storm, and I don't hike in Alaska or Wyoming.

(yet.)

**BearChaser** · 02-21-2011, 18:34

Originally Posted by Law Dawg

Well if he didn't have a trail name before I vote for "Lucky Strike" or "Spitzum Out"!

Nice!

**Red Wing** · 02-21-2011, 18:38

That guy is a warrior! I'd definitely let him be my trail buddy. They say the BEST bear attack defense system is a hiking buddy slower than you

**BearChaser** · 02-21-2011, 18:43

With the screen name of Slo, you can be my hiking buddy.

**Red Wing** · 02-21-2011, 18:48

Originally Posted by crackedup

With the screen name of Slo, you can be my hiking buddy.

I'll still trip you

**BillyBob58** · 02-21-2011, 19:18

I had lightning strike my house, come in through a fire place gas insert with fan, follow the cord for the fan to the out let, Where it exploded the magazine rack next to the outlet and my recliner. It forced the plug out of the outlet and directed the bolt to the floor, where it exploded about 1 square foot of hard wood floor and drilled a 2 inch diameter hole through the concrete slab to ground. For a grand finale, on it's way through the gas insert it ruptured a gas line and started a huge flame thrower style fire, which missed burning the house down by seconds ( we managed to get the gas turned off). What a wake up at 400 A.M. that was! But it would have been worse at 10P.M. when I was sitting in the same recliner!

So I am no fan of lightning. But considering it can even come into your house and get you, I would say the numbers of people exposed to risk of lightning per year is thousands if not millions of times greater than their exposure to bears in the wilderness. So, keep that in mind when considering relative risk, if you hike/sleep where bears are living.

However, when in the wilderness, as I do hike over exposed passes in places like WY, I consider lightning the greater risk. OTOH, if I have to go and get to choose, I would rather a bolt of lightning take me out than being eaten by a bear. Or worse, Coyotes like the poor girl in Canada.