Playing dead works better with Grizzlies than it does with Black bears. The
Griz will usually wait a while to eat you after he kills you. The Black will
eat you right away so playing dead is a bad strategy. Be aggressive, noisy,
and look as big as possible with the Blacks. Stand still and don't make eye
contact with a Grizzly. Don't run from either type as that will trigger an
attack. Almost all Black bear charges are bluffs so the odds are with you if
you bluff back. The pepper spray does work but you have to be close. If the
wind is blowing toward you the spray will also come back your way. I carry
pepper spray, a large revolver or shotgun, and a knife, all where they can
be used immediately. I just hope there is sufficient time to use them but
sometimes the attacks happen very quickly when the animal is surprised.
Making noise and wearing bells helps to prevent surprising the critters. If
I'm looking for wildlife to photograph, noise will assure that anything I
see will be far away so no bells for me. Bears are unpredictable so all
behavioral rules are generalities based on statistical history. There are
some good books on the subject. "Your bear" may not know he or she is
supposed to behave "that" way and that's what makes them so interesting.
/jim
<< snip
Hi Scott:
The idea of wearing bells or other noise makers is to announce your arrival,
for most bears that allows them to manouver away as they don't generally
like to make contact. For the rogue bear, hurt bear, or hungry bear it is a
dinner chime. The Grizzly is a creature of the Rockies in N.A. Kodiacs are
even bigger and feed mostly on Salmon and dont range as far west as the
Grizzly. As pointed out neither one resides in Algonquin Park in Northern
Ontario.
The number one rule of bear encounters is to always travel in the mountains
with a fatter and slower friend, as pointed out earlier you can't outrun a
grizzly but you only have to outrun your companion. Joking aside, survivors
have 'played dead' and 'fought back' etc., the play dead philosophy has
merit and you may lose a bit of your scalp or butt, but women find scars
attractive, right? The logic is that the bear sees that you are dead or a
wimp and pose no harm to cubs, or food supply and loses interest. Pepper
spray will cause the bears eyes to water while they rip you limb from limb,
a little like bringing a knife to a gunfight. There aren't many encounters
on well travelled trails that are not too deep into the wild, Park Wardens
can be consulted and will warn of any problem spots.
Gord
<snip
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