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I've spent plenty of time in bear country and been up close and personal with both black bears and grizzly bears, many, many times. Never had an issue. That said, about 12 years ago, my neighbor was hiking in Yellowstone and a grizzly came out of the brush and attacked his hiking partner. No time to get the bear spray out before the bear was on his partner. Then, as quick as it started it was over and the bear went back into the brush. The man that was attacked had to get over 300 stitches. Wild animals are unpredictable....plan accordingly.
I wouldn't say "wild animals are unpredictable". They are predictable as long as you have the right information at the right time. Your neighbor and his buddy walked into a situation about which they didn't have enough information (or they weren't paying attention; situational awareness). A grizzly happened to either be feeding on a kill or had cubs in those trailside bushes. Maybe it was startled because the hikers weren't announcing their presence as they should. Maybe there was too much ambient noise to warn the bear early enough. Either way, it felt threatened, reacted defensively and attacked what it saw as a threat. Once it felt the threat had been appropriately thrashed it stopped the attack, backed off, and left the scene. That bear ended the confrontation on its own. So much for the claim that what a grizzly wants is to murder someone.
Last edited by Parnassia; 10-14-2023 at 06:24 PM..
Well, sometimes grizzlies - and even black bears - DO "want to murder someone," or at least eat... Predation for food is a thing. They don't, however (unlike humans) kill just out of spite or for sport.
I wouldn't say "wild animals are unpredictable". They are predictable as long as you have the right information at the right time. Your neighbor and his buddy walked into a situation about which they didn't have enough information (or they weren't paying attention; situational awareness). A grizzly happened to either be feeding on a kill or had cubs in those trailside bushes. Maybe it was startled because the hikers weren't announcing their presence as they should. Maybe there was too much ambient noise to warn the bear early enough. Either way, it felt threatened, reacted defensively and attacked what it saw as a threat. Once it felt the threat had been appropriately thrashed it stopped the attack, backed off, and left the scene. That bear ended the confrontation on its own. So much for the claim that what a grizzly wants is to murder someone.
Animals including bears are predictable up to a certain point but never 100%. Like people, they have their own individual personalities. Some are more laid back while others are more aggressive. Some are more confident and brave when dealing with new situations. Some may be just having a bad day and not be feeling well. It all plays into whether or not they will tolerate a person getting too close to them.
There are documented occurrences where a black bear tracked, followed and observed a person or people for miles while hiking waiting for the opportunity to kill and eat them. It happens. People are usually easy prey. I suppose it all depends on how desperate a bear is for food and how aggressive an individual bear is.
Last edited by marino760; 10-17-2023 at 08:26 AM..
Animals including bears are predictable up to a certain point but never 100%. Like people, they have their own individual personalities. Some are more laid back while others are more aggressive. Some are more confident and brave when dealing with new situations. Some may be just having a bad day and not be feeling well. It all plays into whether or not they will tolerate a person getting too close to them.
There are documented occurrences where a black bear tracked, followed and observed a person or people for miles while hiking waiting for the opportunity to kill and eat them. It happens. People are usually easy prey. I suppose it all depends on how desperate a bear is for food and how aggressive an individual bear is.
True, but I was responding to another poster's claim that MOST bears want to murder someone. It just isn't true. Predatory attacks on humans do occur but are very, very rare.
Animals including bears are predictable up to a certain point but never 100%. Like people, they have their own individual personalities. Some are more laid back while others are more aggressive. Some are more confident and brave when dealing with new situations. Some may be just having a bad day and not be feeling well. It all plays into whether or not they will tolerate a person getting too close to them.
There are documented occurrences where a black bear tracked, followed and observed a person or people for miles while hiking waiting for the opportunity to kill and eat them. It happens. People are usually easy prey. I suppose it all depends on how desperate a bear is for food and how aggressive an individual bear is.
Didn't that happen in New Jersey several years ago?
There are documented occurrences where a black bear tracked, followed and observed a person or people for miles while hiking waiting for the opportunity to kill and eat them. It happens. People are usually easy prey. I suppose it all depends on how desperate a bear is for food and how aggressive an individual bear is.
Please post a source for these documented instances where black bears actively hunted humans.
If a bear is following a person or people for miles, the bear has most likely learned that people often leave behind food scraps.
There would be far more predatory black bear attacks on humans if we were such easy prey for them.
Please post a source for these documented instances where black bears actively hunted humans.
If a bear is following a person or people for miles, the bear has most likely learned that people often leave behind food scraps.
There would be far more predatory black bear attacks on humans if we were such easy prey for them.
Stephen Herrero confirms that predatory stalking, killing, and eating of humans by black bears is real in his seminal "Bear Attacks: Causes and Avoidance." Rare, but it happens. If he isn't the ultimate authority on this, I don't know who is.
Stephen Herrero confirms that predatory stalking, killing, and eating of humans by black bears is real in his seminal "Bear Attacks: Causes and Avoidance." Rare, but it happens. If he isn't the ultimate authority on this, I don't know who is.
What I recall about his study on bear attacks is that contrary to popular lore about mother bears protecting their cubs, male bears seeking food were more likely to be the culprit....but also that variables other than the humans being seen as prey in their own right were involved. They're carrying food, they're wearing a shirt that's retained the aroma of campfire cooking, or even that they're wearing some kind of foo foo that smells sweet/fruity. Another bear expert, Dave Garshelis, states that about one in a million black bears actually stalks humans as prey.
On another note, he also said that black bear attacks may be triggered by hikers' dogs, which is something I bet a lot of people don't really think about when they decide to take Fluffy along on hikes and camping trips.
Yes, females with cubs are more apt to attack defensively (and usually not fatally) when surprised and threatened while male bears are more likely to stalk and attack for food -- including for a human meal. There are of course many "variables" and attractants, but just wanting to eat you can be one of them.
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