Dicing / dancing with bears

[The Snark]

Here’s A Quick Lesson On Why You Should Never, Ever Approach A Bear - CELEBAND

A woman in Romania tried to nab a quick photo with a wild bear. The bear had other plans. The footage captured last week in Bacău showed the woman inching closer to the bear while someone nearby attempted to take a photo. The bear suddenly lunged forward and the woman ran. The unnamed person...

celeband.com

I think the best part of the article is the last sentence. " By December, local officials claimed that 8 people had been killed by bears during the year, leading to calls for more aggressive population control measures."
Excuse me, but population control measures appear to already be in place. Dumbasse vs bear; natural selection.

Running a pack station in bear country it has always been interesting to me how bears operate. As seen in that video they almost always issue that challenge. They may repeat this challenge several times. The common follow up is the prey getting startled and running. That's the perfect bad move. A bear can match the speed of a horse for maybe up to 25 yards. When they hit they barrel into their victim with their chest then come out swinging. Just no way to avoid that flurry if/when it happens.

But what's interesting is prey response to a bear challenge. If the herd bolts that's that. A race. But if the herd has an alpha, say a buck, the buck will issue a reciprocal challenge and a stand off usually ensues. Most often the buck will get the bear to back down. If a bear backs down they go into a wide circle mode of the herd, looking for an opportunity target. Quite similar to the great cats stalking.

I observed the stallions we had in the pack operation do exactly the same thing. Challenge, counter challenge, often rearing up a little, then both circle. The stallion has the height on the bear and striking front hooves is a serious deterrent which the bear appears to be fully aware of. I think this is why the bear does the short initial challenge. To see if a head down buck will come charging at it, or a stallions flailing hooves are in it's future.
But bears are not carnivores. They will back down and their main diet is nuts, berries, and all too often, people dropped garbage. When problems occur between bears and people, the root of the problem usually finds the human initially at fault.

 

[FrDoc]

Here’s A Quick Lesson On Why You Should Never, Ever Approach A Bear - CELEBAND

A woman in Romania tried to nab a quick photo with a wild bear. The bear had other plans. The footage captured last week in Bacău showed the woman inching closer to the bear while someone nearby attempted to take a photo. The bear suddenly lunged forward and the woman ran. The unnamed person...

celeband.com

I think the best part of the article is the last sentence. " By December, local officials claimed that 8 people had been killed by bears during the year, leading to calls for more aggressive population control measures."
Excuse me, but population control measures appear to already be in place. Dumbasse vs bear; natural selection.

Running a pack station in bear country it has always been interesting to me how bears operate. As seen in that video they almost always issue that challenge. They may repeat this challenge several times. The common follow up is the prey getting startled and running. That's the perfect bad move. A bear can match the speed of a horse for maybe up to 25 yards. When they hit they barrel into their victim with their chest then come out swinging. Just no way to avoid that flurry if/when it happens.

But what's interesting is prey response to a bear challenge. If the herd bolts that's that. A race. But if the herd has an alpha, say a buck, the buck will issue a reciprocal challenge and a stand off usually ensues. Most often the buck will get the bear to back down. If a bear backs down they go into a wide circle mode of the herd, looking for an opportunity target. Quite similar to the great cats stalking.

I observed the stallions we had in the pack operation do exactly the same thing. Challenge, counter challenge, often rearing up a little, then both circle. The stallion has the height on the bear and striking front hooves is a serious deterrent which the bear appears to be fully aware of. I think this is why the bear does the short initial challenge. To see if a head down buck will come charging at it, or a stallions flailing hooves are in it's future.
But bears are not carnivores. They will back down and their main diet is nuts, berries, and all too often, people dropped garbage. When problems occur between bears and people, the root of the problem usually finds the human initially at fault.

No, no, no! You write of common sense and personal responsibility. There will be no consideration of such things.

Please note: hyper-sarcasm.

 

[The Snark]

No, no, no! You write of common sense and personal responsibility. There will be no consideration of such things.

It's sort of funny. I had one of those bear moments. I'm going to approach this bear until he does the challenge... The common sense part of my brain was packing and getting ready for a trip to Australia.
Actually we had become used to and aware of the bears around us and knew their habits. The trick is wait for that challenge then when it stops to see what you will do, counter by making a sudden move then firing a shot into the dirt at it's feet. Bear begone. Follow up with a few shots over it's head as it scampers. Just getting it to back down and maybe start circling doesn't cut it when you got 20 horses in a pasture.
My co-worker was much better at bear boogying than I was. She'd casually stroll right up to them.

 

[Arthroverts]

I find that this was posted by a member who has their profile image as a penguin clashing cymbals over a sleeping polar bear's head ironic...

Thanks for sharing,

Arthroverts

 

[The Snark]

I find that this was posted by a member who has their profile image as a penguin clashing cymbals over a sleeping polar bear's head ironic...

Never thought of that. Need a cartoon caricature of us and our first close encounter with a bear. Cabin wall and door. On one side, bear scratching at the door. The other side, the intrepid duo, one armed with a large iron skillet, the other with a chain saw that wouldn't start. Caption the picture with "When I nod my head, you hit it."