Why don't we just exterminate all bears?

[Yeah_Baby]

honestly the best way to exterminate a bear is to have the Calgary Zoo take care of it.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm afraid of bears. It's why I'm not big on hiking. I can think of so many better ways to die than being mauled by a brown bear. I'm fully aware that it's around maybe one bear attack a year but I have that kind of bad luck where I can't afford to push it.

Oh hey, one thing I've been absolutely loving the past couple years with our crappy snow (I don't bother snowboarding if the snow sucks) is actually hiking in the winter. Zero worry of bears. It's so much more relaxing and enjoyable than summer hiking. I think I put on more hiking miles in the winter in 2024 than in the summer.

[puffnstuff]

Hiking near Powderface last Wednesday, doggo and I saw a bear. 150 yards away, walking away at an angle, so I got my bear spray out. There was a guy with an easel set up painting nearby, he was aware of the bear, one hand had his brush the other his bear spray. Went over had a chat with him to kill the some time and let the bear clear away.

[Drak]

I was killed by a bear once.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Drak

I was killed by a bear once.

I see that you got better...

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Oh hey, one thing I've been absolutely loving the past couple years with our crappy snow (I don't bother snowboarding if the snow sucks) is actually hiking in the winter. Zero worry of bears. It's so much more relaxing and enjoyable than summer hiking. I think I put on more hiking miles in the winter in 2024 than in the summer.

Bears in Banff National Park generally enter their dens for hibernation in late December, and the earliest they might emerge is in the second week of February. While they are typically hibernating, it's important to remember that they can wake up and move around, even during the winter.

You're not as safe as you think.

[blender]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm baffled by how many people are letting fear of bears affect their lives. Utterly bizarre, IMO. Driving to the trail head is far more dangerous. I know it isn't a rational fear and maybe you can't be helped, but seriously, what is the point of even discussing it?

[jayswin]

Yeah i work around bears constantly and have rarely ever felt unsafe in the slightest. They mostly just go about their business.

Key is to put more people through bear awareness training that is offered to people that work around them. Be smart and understand how to act and your chances of a bad encounter are so ****ing low.

Its absolutely an irrational fear if you're considering stats vs stats of being injured or killed in any number of ways in your daily life.

[jayswin]

Its just one of those things, people have irrational fears for the "scary" ways you can die. Its why there's so many people with a fear of flying who drive daily with no concern. Falling and crashing out of the sky is a rounding error chance but the idea of it happening puts irrational fears on people.

[Sliver]

I honestly don't understand why CalgaryPuck thinks bears are no big thing.

Look at this article from fricken yesterday:
https://www.rmoutlook.com/banff/bold...-park-10791499

A giant chunk of Banff National Park closed because a bear is prowling around people.

Maybe you guys should let BNP know they're just being wusses and they should nut up and quit worrying about bears since they're such harmless creatures.

[Fuzz]

It's almost like what Jayswin said about bear training is true. Oh look, a bear is hanging around a picnic area looking for food, because people are dumb. So they closed it. The bear is now dangerous specifically because of people. You'll notice they didn't close a vast swath of land around it.

[Johnny Makarov]

Well at least this is better than his archie Bunker thread.

[MRCboicgy]

To bump this thread during pride month of all times...

[Locke]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

To bump this thread during pride month of all times...

Fine. You get a 'Thanks' for a well timed joke.

[powderjunkie]

Honestly getting bigger isn't the worst idea.




The only problem I see is you couldn't make it more than 200 yards without someone pranking you, like Q does here

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by Sliver

A giant chunk of Banff National Park closed because a bear is prowling around people.

"giant chunk"



It's one day use area, calm down. I know you want to use nature for exactly what you want to use it without anything upsetting you but.. get over yourself. Stop being so myopic. Banff National park is six and a half thousand square kilometers. Do you know how absurd it is to suggest one day use area as a "good chunk" of that space?

[Fuzz]

Perhaps all Sliver really needs to quell his fears is to get mauled by a very different type of bear...

[BigThief]

Giant actor Peter Dinklage

[Fuzz]

Colossus of the Deep goldfish.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Yeah i work around bears constantly and have rarely ever felt unsafe in the slightest. They mostly just go about their business.

Key is to put more people through bear awareness training that is offered to people that work around them. Be smart and understand how to act and your chances of a bad encounter are so ****ing low.

Its absolutely an irrational fear if you're considering stats vs stats of being injured or killed in any number of ways in your daily life.

While I do subscribe to the notion that driving is riskier, we do need to contextualize the stats.

In Canada it's about 4.5 fatalities per billion kms driven. It's probably not far off for bears per billion kms hiked - though that's probably not the best metric to consider. Hours driving vs hours on the trail is probably better...but we don't really have those stats.

But ultimately I'd say it's gotta be way riskier to drive all year long than to to spend 5 or 15 or 50 days on the trail each year.