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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Bear Encounter Strategy
 
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OgimaaBines
08/31/2022 03:38PM
 
THis thread makes me think of a story I was reading about a fella (might have been Heimo Korth) from WI who moved to Alaska to homestead/trap/hunt. He was new on the scene and told an old timer that he'd picked up a .357 revolver to carry for bear protection. The old timer asked him, "Did you file the front sights off the gun yet?"


Young fella said "No, why the hell would I do that?".


Old timer says "So when the bear shoves it up your ass it don't hurt quite so bad."


(Point being, a .357 handgun might be too marginal a caliber for bear protection, especially grizzly's)
 
tumblehome
09/02/2022 05:31PM
 
Good stuff!


Of all my nights in the woods over the decades. And there have been many of both, I have never feared or worried about bear encounters, I do fear falling and breaking my leg, heart attack, lost, drowned, sickened. And statistically all of those far outnumber a bear problem
However, people overlook all off the common catastrophies for a rare and very uncommon bear issue.


If people wrote about all the open wounds, capsizes, beaver fever, burns, heat stroke and so on, bear problem stories would hardly come up.
Tom
 
Basspro69
08/29/2022 08:17AM
 

 
carbon1
08/31/2022 05:13PM
 
Handguns are very effective against bears.



Handguns and bear defense.
 
Basspro69
08/29/2022 10:49AM
 
Northwoodsman: "WARNING!



Frequency of human-bear encounters is increasing!



Paddlers: please take extra precautions and wear noise making bells on clothing to give advance warning and avoid surprising the animals. We also suggest carrying pepper spray in case of an encounter with a bear.



Be vigilant for fresh bear activity and be able to distinguish between Black bear and Grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces are smaller and contain lots of berries and squirrel fur.



Grizzly bear poop has bells in it and smells like pepper."
LOL
 
andym
08/29/2022 11:38AM
 
Savage Voyageur: "Not worried, my fishing buddy uses a cane.
"



And he’s thinking,” I’ve got a nice strong stick to beat off the bear and then it will chase my defenseless buddy.”
 
missmolly
08/29/2022 01:18PM
 
Funny thread!


My tactic is to paint all paddling partners with honey and then stick salmon to them.
 
gravelroad
08/29/2022 01:21PM
 
The ultralight solution, from the lips of the protagonist, an otherwise accomplished outdoorsperson with a record book brown bear in his personal history.


He once took a Lower 48 visitor and the visitor’s kid across Cook Inlet from Anchorage on an overnight trip for king salmon. They caught two kings and foolishly thought that burying them in gravel would keep the fish safe overnight. Bear came, dug up fish, ate fish and commenced to circle the tent while growling. Their only available means of defense happened to be a folding knife clutched in the visitor’s quivering hand.


“Bobby! Bobby! What are we gonna do if the bear comes in the tent??!!!”


“We’re going to die if the bear comes in the tent.”


It did not. When Bobby and his guests cautiously exited the tent in the morning, they saw a bear pile that had been left alongside it. Message received.
 
ockycamper
08/29/2022 12:12PM
 
There was one guy we kept asking to come that was worried about bears. We told him we did not bring bear spray or guns. Just someone slower then we were.


He didn't come back
 
jwartman59
09/08/2022 02:40PM
 
Maiingan: "MReid: "merlyn: " So true! The Walmart parking lot is a lot scarier than a bear in the BW."




Yeah, Walmart people shoot each other! Walmart shooting "



Way too funny!!



Was it Hilary Clinton or Peter Strzok of the FBI that made the comment about Walmart and smelling Trump voters??



Are the Twin Cities shootings mostly at Walmart's?


s/"





Are you joking ?
 
schweady
09/08/2022 03:50PM
 
How does a semi-humorous meme devolve into this? C'mon folks...

 
merlyn
09/04/2022 12:49PM
 
tumblehome: "Good stuff!



Of all my nights in the woods over the decades. And there have been many of both, I have never feared or worried about bear encounters, I do fear falling and breaking my leg, heart attack, lost, drowned, sickened. And statistically all of those far outnumber a bear problem
However, people overlook all off the common catastrophies for a rare and very uncommon bear issue.



If people wrote about all the open wounds, capsizes, beaver fever, burns, heat stroke and so on, bear problem stories would hardly come up.
Tom"



So true! The Walmart parking lot is a lot scarier than a bear in the BW.
 
Northwoodsman
08/29/2022 09:28AM
 
WARNING!


Frequency of human-bear encounters is increasing!


Paddlers: please take extra precautions and wear noise making bells on clothing to give advance warning and avoid surprising the animals. We also suggest carrying pepper spray in case of an encounter with a bear.


Be vigilant for fresh bear activity and be able to distinguish between Black bear and Grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces are smaller and contain lots of berries and squirrel fur.


Grizzly bear poop has bells in it and smells like pepper.
 
MReid
09/04/2022 02:18PM
 
merlyn: " So true! The Walmart parking lot is a lot scarier than a bear in the BW."


Yeah, Walmart people shoot each other! Walmart shooting
 
moosedoggie
09/01/2022 05:33AM
 

 
ockycamper
08/31/2022 07:39PM
 
carbon1: "Handguns are very effective against bears.




Handguns and bear defense. "



Finally some actual data on this. I would wager that the cases where handguns were not effective was in the cases where untrained shooters were involved, or the shooter was too frightened to shoot straight.


I would also doubt that bear spray has anywhere near a 97% success rate.


That being said, we teach our groups a four staged approach. Bear comes into camp: Everyone gathers together and yells; everyone starts banging pots and making noise with what is available; if the bear continues to approach we use the bear spray; If the bear is aggressive past all of these we have men in each camp trained to use firearms and all are carrying 357 magnums or larger.


I will not return home to tell a wife or child that their husband/father is injured or killed because I didn't use every defense available.
 
Grizzlyman
09/01/2022 04:57AM
 
Our 8 yr old loves to repeat this a saying:


“If it’s black, fight back. If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s white, say goodnight!”
 
portagedog09
08/29/2022 03:32PM
 
Bacon scented bug repellent (for your buddies) - always a good option.
 
MN_Lindsey
09/02/2022 08:54PM
 
This is hilarious since my kid does BJJ.
 
mc2mens
09/02/2022 03:08PM
 

 
Basspro69
09/02/2022 11:18PM
 
tumblehome: "Good stuff!



Of all my nights in the woods over the decades. And there have been many of both, I have never feared or worried about bear encounters, I do fear falling and breaking my leg, heart attack, lost, drowned, sickened. And statistically all of those far outnumber a bear problem
However, people overlook all off the common catastrophies for a rare and very uncommon bear issue.



If people wrote about all the open wounds, capsizes, beaver fever, burns, heat stroke and so on, bear problem stories would hardly come up.
Tom"
I almost was taken out by a Bull Moose near Surber Lake, so no I’m not worried about black bears at all.
 
Heyfritty
09/02/2022 08:11PM
 
jhb8426: "


When bears come... "



And does this…I just thought this was funny.


Fritty
 
jhb8426
08/30/2022 12:52AM
 


When bears come...
 
Basspro69
08/29/2022 10:25PM
 
Love the hilarious responses .
 
LesliesDad
09/03/2022 09:58AM
 
To repel bears, I bring along an air-horn-in-a-can. Been camping on and off in the BWCA since 1972 and have yet to see a bear, so apparently it must work.
 
YetiJedi
09/07/2022 10:53PM
 
This one made me smile! bear meets self
 
Maiingan
09/08/2022 07:48AM
 
MReid: "merlyn: " So true! The Walmart parking lot is a lot scarier than a bear in the BW."



Yeah, Walmart people shoot each other! Walmart shooting "


Way too funny!!


Was it Hilary Clinton or Peter Strzok of the FBI that made the comment about Walmart and smelling Trump voters??


Are the Twin Cities shootings mostly at Walmart's?

s/
 
jwartman59
08/30/2022 10:14AM
 
When I lived in Alaska I carried my dad’s WW2 bayonet for bear protection. I’m sure the bears saw that and ran for their life.
 
Basspro69
08/30/2022 11:24AM
 
jhb8426: "


When bears come... "
Hilarious
 
Savage Voyageur
08/29/2022 11:19AM
 
Not worried, my fishing buddy uses a cane.

 
butthead
08/29/2022 09:14AM
 
Good one Brad!


butthead


PS; My own plan is to throw my food bag at the bear. While it considers what to cook up I can sneak away! bh
 
heavylunch
08/30/2022 08:20PM
 
Thanks. Made me laugh. I remember that old salmon commercial too. good ones..