If a bear has ripped through your tent, and you shoot it with bear spray, it's going to go into a violent defensive rage if it suddenly can't see or smell and now has a tent shell draped over it's body. It would be interesting to know more about what happened in this case. We camp with our dog and I'm sometimes uneasy about it. The bear might just see the tent as a den with easy prey inside it.
Too bad really, Ya Ha Tinda area is one of my favorite places on earth just because it is so rough and rugged. There was a bear attack there a hundred years ago where a grizzly attacked an entire group of people walking their horses through a willow grove. A guide shot the bear 4 or 5 times and it kept charging and I think killed everyone before it finally died itself. There was an old Calgary Herald story about in the old restaurant that was at the entrance to Ya Ha Tinda, which has since burnt down.
The story said the hide from the bear proved it was a world record grizzly at something like 17' long (not sure how long that makes the actual bear, obviously sounds like a bit of a stretch), but nevertheless it was a big boss like bear. Apparently someone in Saskatchewan ended up with it somehow, no idea where it is today. I don't live in Calgary anymore but if someone has access to search old Calgary Herald stories from the library it would be a cool story to bring up.
If a bear has ripped through your tent, and you shoot it with bear spray, it's going to go into a violent defensive rage if it suddenly can't see or smell and now has a tent shell draped over it's body. It would be interesting to know more about what happened in this case. We camp with our dog and I'm sometimes uneasy about it. The bear might just see the tent as a den with easy prey inside it.
Too bad really, Ya Ha Tinda area is one of my favorite places on earth just because it is so rough and rugged. There was a bear attack there a hundred years ago where a grizzly attacked an entire group of people walking their horses through a willow grove. A guide shot the bear 4 or 5 times and it kept charging and I think killed everyone before it finally died itself. There was an old Calgary Herald story about in the old restaurant that was at the entrance to Ya Ha Tinda, which has since burnt down.
The story said the hide from the bear proved it was a world record grizzly at something like 17' long (not sure how long that makes the actual bear, obviously sounds like a bit of a stretch), but nevertheless it was a big boss like bear. Apparently someone in Saskatchewan ended up with it somehow, no idea where it is today. I don't live in Calgary anymore but if someone has access to search old Calgary Herald stories from the library it would be a cool story to bring up.
That's pretty wild, man. I'd like to ready the whole story on this.
Not sure what you meant exactly by 17' but that bit sounds like fiction to me lol.
The backcountry probably shouldn't be subject to the same blanket rules as the townsite of Banff and surrounding major tourist areas when the rules are likely made with the idea of keeping the inexperienced and sometimes unruly tourist crowds in check, and limiting impact on the wildlife.
People in those respective places are facing different situations, one with much more elevated risks.
The risk to me is probably higher in the backcountry if there are others running around with guns than the risk of a bear attack.
Nevermind the potential poaching problems.
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That's pretty wild, man. I'd like to ready the whole story on this.
Not sure what you meant exactly by 17' but that bit sounds like fiction to me lol.
It does, and the bear was definitely nowhere near that length obviously, I'm not sure how flattening the hide and measuring from snout to tail affects the measurement. Maybe the hide was stretched too. But it was a really interesting story and a testament to how rugged the area is. I want to say the incident was from the 1900s or 1910s or something like that. Either ya ha tinda or panther river.
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It does, and the bear was definitely nowhere near that length obviously, I'm not sure how flattening the hide and measuring from snout to tail affects the measurement. Maybe the hide was stretched too. But it was a really interesting story and a testament to how rugged the area is. I want to say the incident was from the 1900s or 1910s or something like that. Either ya ha tinda or panther river.
Ya Ha Tinda is a cool place. It's a mashup of prairies and mountains and is quite unlike the mountainous areas that surround it. Rugged is an apt description.
The access only by logging road has probably helped to preserve it pretty well over that time since.
A story like that adding to the lore of the area just makes it cooler (even if it's brutally tragic).
There are some cool & unique waterfalls out there, cabins you can horseback ride out to, and even a natural waterslide!
If watching Alone has taught me anything it’s that people who aren’t afraid to hunt or kill big game and predators and want to be equipped to do so are better at surviving and belong in the “wild” more than people who get upset because they yelled at a bear and were worried that they caused it emotional distress.
It's taught me that people start eating their belts far earlier than the casting director may have expected.
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If a bear has ripped through your tent, and you shoot it with bear spray, it's going to go into a violent defensive rage if it suddenly can't see or smell and now has a tent shell draped over it's body. It would be interesting to know more about what happened in this case. We camp with our dog and I'm sometimes uneasy about it. The bear might just see the tent as a den with easy prey inside it.
Too bad really, Ya Ha Tinda area is one of my favorite places on earth just because it is so rough and rugged. There was a bear attack there a hundred years ago where a grizzly attacked an entire group of people walking their horses through a willow grove. A guide shot the bear 4 or 5 times and it kept charging and I think killed everyone before it finally died itself. There was an old Calgary Herald story about in the old restaurant that was at the entrance to Ya Ha Tinda, which has since burnt down.
The story said the hide from the bear proved it was a world record grizzly at something like 17' long (not sure how long that makes the actual bear, obviously sounds like a bit of a stretch), but nevertheless it was a big boss like bear. Apparently someone in Saskatchewan ended up with it somehow, no idea where it is today. I don't live in Calgary anymore but if someone has access to search old Calgary Herald stories from the library it would be a cool story to bring up.
The typical dog problem is the off-leash dog being chased by the bear back to you drawing a bear in attack mode to you. I don’t think the dog in a tent scenario would be a problem. Also your tent should smell like people and not food as you don’t cook where you camp in the back country and your food is properly stored far away.
There is a plastic strap on the trigger so they can’t be discharged in the store accidentally. I’ve seen hikers who haven’t removed it and they would need to cut that strap, remove the safety and then spray. You need a knife to get the strap off.
I've bought a few cans over the years, including different brands, and I don't recall anything more than plastic wrap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
If watching Alone has taught me anything it’s that people who aren’t afraid to hunt or kill big game and predators and want to be equipped to do so are better at surviving and belong in the “wild” more than people who get upset because they yelled at a bear and were worried that they caused it emotional distress.
The other way to not get eaten by a bear, other than ensuring we arm ourselves with weapons, is not going into where bears live. Particularly super remote locations or rugged areas where they are.
The typical dog problem is the off-leash dog being chased by the bear back to you drawing a bear in attack mode to you. I don’t think the dog in a tent scenario would be a problem. Also your tent should smell like people and not food as you don’t cook where you camp in the back country and your food is properly stored far away.
The above is an article from Steven Herraro the worlds leading expert on bear attacks. It focuses on black bears rather than Grizzlies.
Not bear related, but I have a friend who was walking his dog along a trail and the dog agitated a moose. The dog was on a leash, but went bonkers when it saw the moose and the moose chased him down the trail and tried to gore him.
But to the bear issue, it's true that dogs often attract bears to camp sites. People think bringing a dog camping will give them an alarm if a bear is nearby, but often the bear is actually enticed because of the dog.
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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.
Please don’t lump me in with the other rational people here.
There are many of us on the lunatic fringe who agree with you who that the key to great sex is shooting your wad before you even encounter a partner.
Preach brother!
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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.
Bears that get put down are carefully shot from a distance by very good shooters, with extremely high powered rifles. Or sometimes they are caught in traps and put down medically. Nothing that would be useful in an emergency situation.
You shoot at a grizzly, you probably are just going to pass it off.
Bears that get put down are carefully shot from a distance by very good shooters, with extremely high powered rifles. Or sometimes they are caught in traps and put down medically. Nothing that would be useful in an emergency situation.
You shoot at a grizzly, you probably are just going to pass it off.
This isn’t close to the truth, all Alaskan guides will carry a sidearm pistol or a 45-70 style rifle or shotgun setup with buckshot then slugs to dispatch them effectively. In many cases they are very close incidents because it’s forest or dense bush. In this case had it been daylight they would have likely shot the bear from the helicopter had it shown signs of defending the human bodies. Bear spray can by you time but bears will often circle back, if you are proficient with a weapon it’s the highest chance of survival. That being said If you haven’t practiced with a gun close up then it’ll do as much good as someone who has never used bear spray
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Yeah, in my limited research on this it seems like wildlife officers in Canada carry semi-automatic rifles to put down bears while many others get by with shotguns, handguns, etc (basically anything that can fire more than once in quick succession).
Apparently bears are pretty susceptible to gunshots of all sorts and are not invincible killing machines like the terminator. Who knew.
This isn’t close to the truth, all Alaskan guides will carry a sidearm pistol or a 45-70 style rifle or shotgun setup with buckshot then slugs to dispatch them effectively. In many cases they are very close incidents because it’s forest or dense bush. In this case had it been daylight they would have likely shot the bear from the helicopter had it shown signs of defending the human bodies. Bear spray can by you time but bears will often circle back, if you are proficient with a weapon it’s the highest chance of survival. That being said If you haven’t practiced with a gun close up then it’ll do as much good as someone who has never used bear spray
They carry sidearms because it’s Alaska. You will not kill a charging grizzly with a pistol or a shotgun.
People who are commenting like to think they know about this stuff without ever having dealt with bears.
Yeah, in my limited research on this it seems like wildlife officers in Canada carry semi-automatic rifles to put down bears while many others get by with shotguns, handguns, etc (basically anything that can fire more than once in quick succession).
Apparently bears are pretty susceptible to gunshots of all sorts and are not invincible killing machines like the terminator. Who knew.
A charging grizzly bear versus a shotgun or handgun? You are dreaming. I have a semi auto .300 Magnum Weatherby. I don’t like my chances against a charging bear. Off at a distance, sure.
It’s not that handguns can’t possibly kill a bear. It’s just that it hardly ever works out that way:
When I’ve worked remotely with a fish and wild life officer on “bear duty” they have only had a shotgun… this was out in NWT and Yukon. They seemed happy enough with just a shotgun.
