Cougars are pretty wary about their own safety when attacking. They generally won't attack a full grown adult, particularly a male, unless they are in some kind of mental health crises, which could include starvation.
They love to eat pets though.
Yup, fur babies are snacks.
Cougars are ambush predators though, there was one in Kananskis village back in I want to say 97-99 that hunted a woman for a week or two and killed her at her weakest point in her daily routine. Then there was the cougar attack in Canmore in 06-07 I want to say, a woman mountain biking got ambushed as well.
Maybe not adult men as often, but they will hunt adults. Yes they are very self preservant but that's what makes them so dangerous, they don't just bump into you, they pick their spots.
I also want to remind the ladies not to go hiking in the back country when it's your time of the month either. Thats no wives tale.
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This is debatable. There's research that bears don't notice the sound and likely don't attribute it to humans. One bear biologist suggests it might actually attract curious bears. The best tool to deter bears is your voice. It's annoying and you feel stupid but it's best to shout, sing, or similar.
Yep. Whoop and yell for a few seconds every 10 minutes or so if you’re in the back country with few other people around. And leave the dog at home.
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Originally Posted by fotze
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It seems like a lot of people take the dangers of backcountry camping/hiking pretty lightly. Most people I've met who do it take their dogs. Do a lot of people who trek out there actually have a good education on what to do if they have a bear encounter?
I'm not a camper but if I was to spend more time in the wilderness I would absolutely be concerned about bears. People always retort a bear attack is very rare (maybe it is), but it certainly does happen and every so often you hear stories like this. Would be a horrifying way to go.
I admit that I’m one of those. I’ve done some backpacking and day hikes and have not taken all proper precautions. I should know better after our Berg Lake trip has to be called off due to a bear incident a few hours ahead of us. I’d never take a dog with me. I’ll have to get done bear spray, at the minimum.
Bear spray - where is economical place to get a new can in Calgary? Mines a few years past it’s “best before”…. And yes I still carry it around. Better than nothing. (Besides lots of noise and always going in groups).
Atmosphere, MEC, Bass Pro, whatever your favourite outdoor store is.
As I understand it, what expires is the propellant. So if you need to use it and it's expired it may just fizzle out rather than actually spraying.
(Also, apparently a non-expired can sprays out at ~110km/h so even if you're firing into the wind, it will still get the bear. It'll just blow some back at you as well which would be less than pleasant. )
Last edited by Torture; 10-02-2023 at 01:22 PM.
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CP: Make lots of noise when hiking.
Sliver: I use bear bangers - they make a noise specifically designed to deter bears.
CP: That's obnoxious.
Also CP: Make lots of noise when you're hiking.
Like, I can't even. This place - as much as I love it - is so fricken weird.
Would I fire off a bear banger before pitting in for the night at my campsite? Absolutely. To me it's just a sensible and proactive precaution. I don't know if it would have saved these people, but I'm definitely doubling down on my bear bangers after this situation.
It seems like a lot of people take the dangers of backcountry camping/hiking pretty lightly. Most people I've met who do it take their dogs. Do a lot of people who trek out there actually have a good education on what to do if they have a bear encounter?
I'm not a camper but if I was to spend more time in the wilderness I would absolutely be concerned about bears. People always retort a bear attack is very rare (maybe it is), but it certainly does happen and every so often you hear stories like this. Would be a horrifying way to go.
I think you have to take a bit of relaxed approach, though, or why would you even go out into a predator's territory? We're all playing the game of it being a super low probability of a dangerous encounter when we go hiking or biking in the mountains. If you're going to be on high alert and scared the whole time (I was like this for years) it robs you of all the pleasure of the outdoors.
Cougars are ambush predators though, there was one in Kananskis village back in I want to say 97-99 that hunted a woman for a week or two and killed her at her weakest point in her daily routine. Then there was the cougar attack in Canmore in 06-07 I want to say, a woman mountain biking got ambushed as well.
I think you may be misremembering or conflating the attacks as according to this 2021 article, there has only been one fatal cougar attack in Alberta history.
I think you may be misremembering or conflating the attacks as according to this 2021 article, there has only been one fatal cougar attack in Alberta history.
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