Polar Bear Attack

[Call of the Wild]

Here a story I received by e-mail. I just can't imagine the pain from such an attack.

Question for you sheep/mountain hunters. How the you protect your self from bear attack, especially grizzly bear. I'm planning to go sheep hunting soon and one thing I can think of is to have a bear spray on a belt when sleeping.

Call of the Wild



Bear Hunt, Anyone?


Polar Bear Attack in the High Arctic
This is from up in the Yukon , this chap is lucky to be alive. The guy
survived the bear attack. The bear jumped on him while he was sleeping
in his tent and he managed to get it off of him and shoot it ..
One tough camper!

Question for you sheep/mountain hunters. How the you protect your self from bear attack, especially grizzly bear. I'm planning to go sheep hunting soon and one thing I can think of is to have a bear spray on a belt when sleeping.

Ya, those photos have been around the internet for a while..pretty nasty stuff!

As for protecting yourself in bear country....the best advice is to keep a clean camp and eat and store food well away from your tent and I doubt you'll ever have an issue with a bear. Keeping bear spray handy is a good idea but if you keep a clean camp and follow the rules of safety in bear country......bad encounters with bears are extremely rare.

Funny how everyone fears old ephram so much but the truth is, you are far more likely to have an encounter with a blackie go wrong.

[Call of the Wild]

Sheep Hunter
I think you're right on this. People exagerate their fear of bears. Also when I'll be hunting mountains I'll make sure to understand bears and to avoid them. Where I'm from in Ontario there is no bear so I want to learn about them.

Thanks

Call of the Wild

[honda450]

No I have never had any encounters with bears either. One took a dislike to my quad though ripped the seat to shreds, never did see him though.

[rugatika]

Wonder how he would have made out if he didn't have a gun with him?? Always good to remember that we aren't necessarily at the top of the food chain.

Originally Posted by rugatika

Wonder how he would have made out if he didn't have a gun with him?? Always good to remember that we aren't necessarily at the top of the food chain.

Especially in polar bear country!!!!!!

We always use an battery powered electric fence at sheep camp.However that is when hunting by horse.When backpacking,keep food away from the tent and keep your rifle handy just in case.

[scarey]

In close quarters I would rather have a shotgun than a rifle, loaded with bb's or ssg ...It will do more damage at short range. In bear country I keep one beside my cot. Put anything, trailer, truck, non-food gear at my head of the tent. I have even set up a tin can string perimeter.

[Copidosoma]

Polar bears are a totally different category than grizzlies. I don't think you can link the two very easily. Very impressive pictures though.

The advice about keeping a clean camp is about the most important (and often ignored) piece there is.

Originally Posted by scarey

In close quarters I would rather have a shotgun than a rifle, loaded with bb's or ssg ...It will do more damage at short range. In bear country I keep one beside my cot. Put anything, trailer, truck, non-food gear at my head of the tent. I have even set up a tin can string perimeter.

Not often you have a truck or trailer in sheep camp though....lol

Good advice for the low country though.

[gsteeves]

Grizzly Bears most times will never stop to say hello but black bears
can be very scarey!! I have had lots of bear encounters on the trap line and
what the old man used to say is sure to be true.

If a grizzly comes at you, lay down and play dead but if its a black bear
fight for your life.................

Gary

[CNP]

I have even set up a tin can string perimeter

No sleeping on a windy night for you!

Polar bears will stalk you whereas blackies or grizzly encounters are normally by chance.............or you've brought them to you (smelly camp).

Many encounters with bear...especially this season. Never at camp, only when on the move. Called in a blackie while cow calling (elk) in Sep. Thought I had an elk coming in....when he emerged 15 yards from me we were both surprised He took off after I scolded him. Woke up a couple more while still hunting/cow calling. They went their own way. Seen them in the distance on trails......I went the other way.

Been using the same can of pepper spray for 7 years. I'll have to think about replacing that can soon .

[Copidosoma]

Originally Posted by ehntr

Been using the same can of pepper spray for 7 years. I'll have to think about replacing that can soon .

LOL. I keep losing mine. Always have a fresh can.

[geezer55]

Been using the same can of pepper spray for 7 years. I'll have to think about replacing that can soon .

Check your can out there should be an expiry date on it somewhere. Will have to buy two new cans next spring as two of ours expired. The two that expired we shot with a .22 and walked right over to clean up the garbage and the spray didn't irratate the eyes so I'm assuming it was no longer effective.

[Hooked07]

Now thats nasty! Does anyone know if that chewed up foot was saved? I just don't think there's enough meat there for it to be saved...This is why we should have more freedoms with lets say a .44 mag handgun.

Apparently the attack is true but the details above are not and also, the photo of the ankle injury does not belong with this story...here's what snopes has to say.... http://www.snopes.com/photos/gruesome/polarbear.asp

[lazy ike]

X100 on keeping a clean camp! I'm no bear expert nor do I play one on the internet but I have met a few people who have been injured in bear attacks and of course heard/read about others and I cannot recall a Grizz or blackie attcking a person while they were sleeping @ night. I have howevr had the disticnt displeasure of having a Black bear run through my tent while I was sleeping, thanks to some stupid parks employees in Waskasoo