Camper, it is a numbers game, with the odds greatly in our favor. But someone will draw the bad cards now and then.Originally Posted by Camper1
Black Bears are an under-rated danger IMO. Every so often ( maybe every few years? ) a black bear will kill and sometimes eat a person right here in the southern Smoky Mountains. And some few others are mauled but not killed and maybe not injured seriously. Like the guy up in was it Kentucky in 2010. http://www.kentucky.com/2010/06/29/1...ar-attack.html
I don't think they even knew they had any bears. But this one tried to haul this lone hiker off for dinner, it would seem. He was able- with the help of other hikers who came upon the attack in progress - to fight him off. Otherwise I think he would have been lunch.
I think "only" 2 were killed by Black Bears in North America in 2011, including one lady in AZ. Most of these kills seem to be predatory in nature, and mostly seem to be on women. Most but not all.
The deaths from Griz seem to be from rage or defense more often than predation. Again I think about 2 were killed in the US by Grizz in 2011. Not sure, but I think the 2nd person was killed in Yellowstone a few weeks after the 1st and by the same bear. Which authorities had refused to kill after the 1st fatality because the bear was just acting like a bear. But they did kill it after it acted like a bear the 2nd time. Some one correct me if I am wrong on that, not sure.
But anyway, as you can see, it is a numbers game. Millions(or hundreds of thousands?) of hikers each year with hundreds or maybe thousands of bears through out the entire country, and even Canada. On a bad year, two or maybe 4 of those are going to be killed by a bear. I'm sure if a few are killed, there are maybe even larger numbers that are attacked but live to tell the tale, like the guy in Kentucky. But the odds are something else ( drowning,lightning, falls ) is much more likely to get you. OTOH, the prospect of finding yourself ( or your loved one ) in the jaws of a hungry or enraged bear is kind of off the chart for horror.
In August 17, 1997, one black bear killed Raymond Kitchen, 56, male and
Patti McConnell, 37, female and injured several others all in one bad day for all concerned:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._North_America
So, I do not ignore the threat of black bears, even if 99.9% are going to run away from me. And even if odds are vastly in favor of me or mine never being attacked by a bear. I like bear spray or fire arms as well as all normal bear precautions. Though admittedly, I often find myself hiking with no weapons just because I am too lazy to carry the weight. Or I forget them.McConnell died from injuries while defending herself and her two children from a black bear attack on a boardwalk to the hot springs. Kitchen heard the attack in progress, and was killed while attempting to rescue. McConnell's son and a 20-year-old man were also injured. The bear was shot while standing over the victims.[64][65] McConnell's son received a Star of Courage for his attempt to save his mother. Kitchen also received the honor, posthumously
Honestly, I worry a lot more about poisonous snakes. I nearly stepped on a snake on my last off trail map/compass hike. Looked like a water moccasin but he got in a hole- or under leaves- before I could get a good enough look and a picture. Might have just been some kind of dark water snake.
And when hiking anywhere but especially above timberline, lightening can scare the **** right out of you, even if it does not kill you!
P.S.
One time, in a mountain range that had a very small numbers of Grizz that had immigrated from the Tetons and Yellowstone over the years, maybe 2 or 3 in the entire range, we got into camp after an exhausting days hike, near dark. The tenters started setting up and me and the other hammock hanger started trying to find some nearby trees. As we are tying off to one of the few available, we notice fur all over one side of the tree from a few feet up to just over our heads. And as we are looking at it, we decide it has that "grizzled" look to it. There was nothing else available without us having to leave the immediate area. Either I was tied to that tree, or I was 10 feet from it and my buddy was tied to it! I guess we were too tired to deal with it. My HH tarp flapping and snapping in the wind kept me awake for a while, while I was trying to listen for old Grizz, not exactly the most relaxing situation. But finally I passed out and slept apparently without moving. I was the last one to get up the next morning.
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) she put her two front feet on a fallen tree and began to pounce on it ( hope that makes sence ) I lifted the net over my head once again and roared angain
That is a lot of encounters!
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