Grizzly spoted in N.W. Colorado
#31
#35
#37
Understood, but the stastic that black bears kill more humans than griz includes places like Wisconsin and Maine, where they are infinitely more dangerous because there are no griz. If the statistic was based on western Montana, I doubt the same would hold true.
It's really apples & oranges, though.
It's really apples & oranges, though.
#39
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: WY
Posts: 2,056
In the interests of full disclosure, I've never been attacked or eaten by a bear. However, what I've read (Kaniut, Herrero, et al) tends to suggest that black bears will indeed attack humans, but for different reasons than grizzlies typically do. What I recall is that Blacks will attack humans for the same reasons mountain lions do - they're hungry. Grizzlies often start an attack trying to chase a human off (blacks generally run the opposite direction), and when the human is slow or stubborn and gets itself killed in the process, often ends up the mystery meat du jour.
That then lends some clarity to why they say you should fight a black or a mountain lion, but play dead with a grizzly. Somehow, the latter doesn't seem all that wise, either, since the victim often ends up dinner anyway? I think I'll just try to avoid all of them. I don't particularly care for bear or lion filets, truth be known.
That then lends some clarity to why they say you should fight a black or a mountain lion, but play dead with a grizzly. Somehow, the latter doesn't seem all that wise, either, since the victim often ends up dinner anyway? I think I'll just try to avoid all of them. I don't particularly care for bear or lion filets, truth be known.
#40
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Buffalo, WY
Posts: 992
The good news, and we need some here, is that 99.9% of us jackpine savages will never have a dangerous encounter with a bear. It's like flying. If something goes bad it goes real bad but your chances are extremely slim that it will.
None the less, finding yourself looking at fresh bear sign sure does spice things up.
None the less, finding yourself looking at fresh bear sign sure does spice things up.