Ah, yes! The experts (cough, cough) say bear and human encounters are rare – rare as compared to avoiding mosquitoes in the dense northern forests in the springtime. Those of us in the know now realize that bear encounters are really not all that rare, and thus this leaves us wondering whether any advice the “experts” give us is worth a bear’s drool.
Regardless, here we go with another round of “rare” bear encounters.
1. A northern Minnesota man perhaps had his life saved when his pet dog was killed trying to fight off a black bear.
2. But wait a minute! This “expert” says dogs can cause bear attacks. Gasp!
3. Even though bear encounters are “rare” say the experts, the same experts seem to have an awful lot of advice on how to avoid becoming a meal for a hungry black bear. One “expert” says to clap your hands and whistle (“You know how to whistle don’t you? You just put your lips together and blow!). And oh yeah, “throw things.” I suggest about a 180-grain hunk of lead traveling at about 2,500 feet per second. But something is missing from this advice. What could it be?
4. In Arizona, a bear wanted to get into the campground host’s trailer in the worst way. The campground was closed and a trap set up. Didn’t the host make enough noise and, ………?
5. In Bangor, Maine, a jogger encounters a bear on a running path. HOWEVER, I can’t say much about someone out for a jog, is told there is a bear and cubs ahead and yet runs on up to “get a look.” Because it happened in Maine, it must be because of the “millions of pounds of donuts” hunters have piled up in the woods.
6. With all this “expert” advice on how to avoid encounters with bears and what to do if you do, when you have this information mastered, then think about what this guy (expert?) says when he tells readers that you have to understand bears, like Timothy Treadwell – who, incidentally was eaten alive by grizzly bears. He also says we should run away from bears instead of backing away slowly. He says pepper spray them or shoot them with a gun….you know, throw things at them.
But with all this advice, remember, above all else,
