Grizzly bear kills two people in Banff National Park

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by Sliver

harmless device literally designed to scare bears away because apparently that makes you the biggest ####### ever.

Who knew that "giant frightened toddler" is blurred out on Calgarypuck

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

lmao an elephant gun? I missed that in my attempt to be snarky. You lunatic. Can you imagine a scared boy hiking around with an elephant gun

[ResAlien]

Some people are built to spend their lives in shopping malls and that’s ok. The sooner those people realize that and stop trying to ruin things for rest of us the better.

There are common sense precautions in place for these activities and even when they’re followed it’s possible for things to go sideways as you’re out in the wild, hence the name. If you want being out in nature to be the same as staying home then, I dunno, stay home.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Depends, were the people that died teachers?

After stepping out of their underground bunker?

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by D as in David

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.

https://www.rmoutlook.com/banff/fran...-banff-3297155

Originally Posted by habernac

The Canmore lady, who was a great mountain bike racer, was killed by a grizzly, not a cougar.

Are you maybe thinking of a different woman?

[D as in David]

Use of those bear bangers should be restricted to C-train stations in order to keep the crack/meth heads out.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Some people are built to spend their lives in shopping malls and that’s ok. The sooner those people realize that and stop trying to ruin things for rest of us the better.

There are common sense precautions in place for these activities and even when they’re followed it’s possible for things to go sideways as you’re out in the wild, hence the name. If you want being out in nature to be the same as staying home then, I dunno, stay home.

This made me laugh. Thanks.

It's true that a chunk of people are really just "trying out" the outdoors, likely because it's the trendy activity on social media and they want to be a part of that.

The number of people I've seem grossly under prepared or dressed for conditions (i.e. sleeveless in 6C and freezing rain without anything on their backs) on difficult hikes or passing me/my group as we're heading back when it will be dark in an hour or two has been staggering.

But every one is allowed their chance to try it out i guess. They could really use some guidance in some cases though because ####. It's long pork on a silver platter for them cougars.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by D as in David

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.

https://www.rmoutlook.com/banff/fran...-banff-3297155

Dammage is right. There was a fatal attack in Canmore. I know the woman that was with the victim when it happened.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah, I'd be a lot more comfortable with a 45 or an elephant rifle or something. It's wild we have to go into the woods without adequate protection.

Good luck getting that change made, though. Just look at people lose their minds and flap around in circles if you - heaven forbid - use a bear banger...a harmless device literally designed to scare bears away because apparently that makes you the biggest ####### ever.

We were camping on Crown Land up near Nordegg/Ram Falls area and had a close encounter with a black bear a few years back. It had been sniffing around our site early in the morning and was 'loitering' in the area I'd guess 50-60 meters away.

I just fired a couple warning shots into the air and it took off like a rocket never to be seen again.

Usually that's all it takes. But if it ever got too close for comfort, I'm sorry, I'd much rather be sending a few 12 gauge slugs down range instead of fumbling with spray or furiously jingling my bear bells.

I think a lot of people casting judgment on this stuff have zero firearms experience, zero backwoods experience, and zero hunting/being close to big game experience.

One of the few good firearms laws here in Canada is the ability to buy comically short and easy to carry shotguns which are your absolute best defence in the woods should the situation arise.

[KelVarnsen]

More guns is never the answer

[PepsiFree]

More guns is probably the answer to this specific question

[KelVarnsen]

Is it though?

[Doctorfever]

Yes. It is.

[PepsiFree]

Maybe just a pinch more guns.

[KelVarnsen]

Better education and supplies is the answer. More guns increases the risk for accidents. You can be well trained on how to use a gun but fear is involved. Bad things happen.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by dammage79

It's the silent predators who DGAF if you're human or not, they'll hunt ya down for hours and wait. Cougars. I'm far more weary of Cougars than Grizzlies. Because it doesn't matter how much noise you make, how much spray you have, you cannot fight what you cannot see, until it's too late. Well majority of the time anyways. But if they want you, they'll take you.

And in the instance of Cougars, I'm also not so sure it's wise to have anything but a trained dog on the trails. Fur babies are just snacks and an attractant for big cats.

https://www.alberta.ca/cougars

Cougar attacks on humans are very rare. The majority of those that do occur happen with adults who are in cougar territory alone, or with children.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Can you explain how that would fit in with the mission statement and mandate of the Parks?



https://parks.canada.ca/agence-agency/mandat-mandate


I think sometimes people forget why we have parks.

I don't disagree, as I opened my original statement with "I understand the reasoning by keeping National Parks gun free." I can understand how people would assume it would turn into a bunch of gun toting lunatics in the woods.... which I highly doubt would happen. But I do understand why they would have reservations as well. Canadians have been conditioned to assume every gun owner is a dangerous psychopath.

That being said, I don't really have a ton of sympathy in these situations. The risk is there, and you accept the risk of relying on essentially mace against a 600 pound animal in a Provincial or National Park. There's millions of beautiful acres you can explore where you are allowed to carry adequate protection.

[PepsiFree]

I’m not a pro-gun person myself, but I don’t know if that’s a great reason why not to have them. “Risk for accidents”… “bad things happen”… well, a bad thing did happen, two people died. I don’t have any problem with guns used by hunters and I don’t think I’d have a problem with guns used by people in the backcountry.

Plus, if an accident did happen with a gun at least we wouldn’t have to kill a bear, a true tragedy.

[Wormius]

The guns is just a dumb idea. I doubt it would be any more effective in a stressful situation than releasing bear spray.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Wormius

The guns is just a dumb idea. I doubt it would be any more effective in a stressful situation than releasing bear spray.

It’s just expanding the area where guns are allowed in the bush, it’s not like they aren’t already being used.

How do you think bears that pose a threat get put down by wildlife officers? I assumed they shot them, and I don’t know if coming across an angry bear eating people is a lot less stressful than coming across a bear in general.