Full Circle after 50+ years

[Malamute]

Re: Full Circle after 50+ years

The attack you talk about is the one I referenced earlier in my post.

People have camped in tents for hundreds of years during times when grizzly numbers were in much greater numbers than today. Inexperienced campers who read this forum might get the impression that the only way to enjoy the outdoors in grizzly territory is with a 80' camper with 1"-thick steel plates. That's just not correct.

People can have a fantastic time tenting as long as they avail themselves of the precautions they need to address. The statistical odds of a human death from a bear is extraordinarily low. I'm confident it is even lower amongst those who are familiar with bear behavior.

A bear mauling and death gets such media attention because it's not unusual for a bear to feast on a human after killing him/her. It is a primal fear to be eaten. Enter, the movie Jaws.

I mentioned pitbulls simply to highlight how few people are killed each year from bears. Horses kill 40 times more humans than do bears. Cows/bulls kill 6 times as many humans. Spiders, 13 times. And on and on and on.

People who venture out in bear country should read Dr. Stephen Herrero's book, Bear Attacks; Their Causes and Avoidance. He's the leading expert of bears in North America. They should also know what predacious behavior looks like, in both brown and black bear, and how to address it. Even when one knows what signs to look for, and how to avoid an encounter, there's always just bad luck.

I was reading about a hiker who just happened to be in an area where a grizzly had been tranquilized. He strolled through the area after the bear reawakened and the grizzly charged and killed him. Just the wrong place at the wrong time.

I quite agree with you for the most part. I would like a hard side rig for several reasons, bears are one, and the fact that some place one isn't even allowed to tent camp at times. Just being able to crawl in and go to sleep is another one of them.

I'm familiar with the other instance you mentioned and have read up on it a bit. It seems he was aware that they had trapped a bear and were releasing it, it was a poor choice to go through there afterwards. Sad situation in any event.

I've read Herraros book. Its good, but a bit dated. I don't agree with some of his conclusions, but overall its interesting and a good read.

[caravanserai]

Re: Full Circle after 50+ years

to the question on how I took the name "Caravanserai", while I could say it relates to the Santana album it also means essentially an inn or place to stay, in Persian. Caravanserai were the watering holes and places of refuge along the silk road. I always liked the term and titled one of my documentaries the same as a working title.

dave

[James.]

Re: Full Circle after 50+ years

I quite agree with you for the most part. I would like a hard side rig for several reasons, bears are one, and the fact that some place one isn't even allowed to tent camp at times. Just being able to crawl in and go to sleep is another one of them.

I'm familiar with the other instance you mentioned and have read up on it a bit. It seems he was aware that they had trapped a bear and were releasing it, it was a poor choice to go through there afterwards. Sad situation in any event.

I've read Herraros book. Its good, but a bit dated. I don't agree with some of his conclusions, but overall its interesting and a good read.

Good example of the Darwinian process. Sometimes you have to let the slow get weeded out.

[coloradowalt]

Re: Full Circle after 50+ years

For back country hunting in Alaska its common to use a bear fence around the base camp. These are campsites close to the airstrip where hunters are dropped off. They leave these camps setup while they pursue game via backpacking.

http://www.udap.com/bearshock.htm