In the Early 90's I went with a friend I had since grade school to Northern California (Weaverville). We went to a bar (The only one) and had a few beers and decided we was going to drive up a mountain to the fire station lookout. We were nearly to the top after driving for 30 minutes in a rented car and hit a locked gate.
We turned round and about half way down the beer started to work on my bladder and asked him to pull over. We got out and both were doing our business and he said, "Did you hear that?" I told him I heard nothing so we got back in the car and backed out of a little pull off in the road and as soon as he turned his headlights back down the road there was a large black bear running away about 50 feet away running down the road. I don't know much about bears an figure he was just curious. But I remembered telling him there is nothing out here but dark, I was wrong.
I don't think black bears are dangerous, but am glad we got back into the car before we found out.
Are black bears dangerous, anyone know? He had white fur on his back legs like socks if that helps.
Black bears don't normally attack humans. When they do it is because they are hungry or you have scared them. IF they are hungry they are going to eat you. Grizz will hit you and come back latter. The common wisdom is to fight a black and play dead with a grizz.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the best way to fight a black bear without a gun, stamp his feet, pull his wiener? :) I wouldn't have the first Idea, but won't ever need it anyway, just rhetorical. I think pulling his wiener would work the best.
ReplyDeleteRes knows what he's talking about.
ReplyDeleteBears have very sensitive noses, punch or hit them in the face with a large stick. Avoid hitting the skull as it is think and hard. A large black bear will be about 200 lbs, most are smaller. Yell stand at your full height swing your arms be visually intimidating. A small animal fears a larger animal.
ReplyDeleteNone of this will work with a grizz or a large black bear. A gizz can go over 600lbs and can deliver enough force with one swing of his paw to take a human head off its shoulders. That's not counting the damage it can do with its claws and teeth. The grizz has thick bone and muscle structure.
I've encountered both in the wild. The closest I've been, not in a truck, to a grizz is about 50 yards. It was a sow with two cubs. Meeting her was an accident. The closest I've been to a black bear, also a sow with cubs was about 2 feet. The grizz scared the heck out of me, the black was cute.