Guy on reddit talks about his Grizzy bear attack where he was blinded…

[Kevin Burton]

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1dv96o/i_was_blinded_and_severely_mauled_by_a_grizzly/

…

or a short URL might work better:

http://tinyurl.com/cu6mxru

[Justin Baker]

How is he reading and typing?

[Erik Basil]

He's using a screen reader, which reads aloud the postings, and typing by touch.

[Jeffs Eleven]

I want to know where the bear got the laser from, and how he knew to shine it in the guy's eyes.

[Eli Zabielski]

Here is another one from a month ago about a black bear.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1byn1l/i_was_mauled_by_a_bear_fought_it_off_and_drove_4/

or

http://goo.gl/1hqBz

[James holden]

bears attack people … its uncommon but serious enough that some parks now require people carry bear spray

remember that cute fuzzay wuzzay doesnt care if youre a prancing ULer or a bumbling "heavy" camper …. you all taste the same ;)

[Jerry Adams]

ULer can run faster than the "heavy" camper who will get eaten distracting bear from ULer – unless there are two bears

[robert van putten]

Nah, heavy traditional camper has .44 magnum and blows bear away.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Nah, heavy traditional backpacker carries heavy 44 magnum and THINKS he's going to blow the bear away, but in reality the bear encounter is a surprise, the hiker fumbles around for that split second trying to grab the gun, the pees his pants as he nervously tries to aim the gun at the charging bear, who ends up biting his face off anyway.

[David Ure]

"Nah, UL backpacker carries bear spray and THINKS he's going to spray the bear, but in reality the bear encounter is a surprise, the hiker fumbles around for that split second trying to grab the bear spray, then pees his pants as he nervously tries to aim the spray at the charging bear, who ends up biting his face off anyway."

Jennifer, ever have a bear encounter?

[Jennifer Mitol]

Yep. Surprised a grizzly in Denali when we rounded a corner picking blueberries. Both parties were equally surprised :)
Had the bear spray ready to fire, but he was more interested in the berries. We walked backwards waving our arms over our heads talking like crazy people. It was awesome.

[Jennifer Mitol]

There has been SO much written and studied about the accuracy of trying to shoot a charging bear vs spraying in the general vicinity of the bear that I'm sure we don't need to go into that here.

We asked the guy who sold us the bear spray (he also sold guns) in Fairbanks if we should be carrying guns instead; all he said was "only if you want to piss off the bear."

[robert van putten]

I would have told you "Only if you are experienced with a heavy handgun".

I agree that unless you know what your doing with one you may be better off with the spray. Maybe.
And I agree that a charging bear is a very difficult shot, but that attack above was not a surprise. Not by a long shot. They had more than ample warning, and more than enough time to fumble out bear spray or a gun well before the bear charged.

I know I would have had a heavy revolver in my hands well before she charged!

[Bob Bankhead]

Jennifer got it right!

There are very few places in this country where you have any reasonable risk of encountering a Grizzly; even less so of encountering a hostile one. For those areas, and assuming it's legal to do so AND that you know how to handle the weapon, carrying a heavy caliber rifle with a round in the chamber and the safety ON MAY be a smart move.

Otherwise, by the time you can recognize the danger, get the rifle in your hands, jack a round into the chamber, release the safety, and get ready to fire, the bear can be on top of you. Those of you who think that casually carrying some sort of firearm will magically grant you immunity need to remember the time all that preparation can take. Also, any weapon sufficient to drop a charging bear is going to be HEAVY and has to be carried where it is quickly accessible if it's to be of any use.

Those of you who have ever UNEXPECTEDLY (we're not hunting now, folks) walked up on any large wild animal in the woods can recall the momentary brain freeze as your mind asks your eyes if they are really seeing what they are reporting. Then recall how long it took your mind to send instructions to the rest of your body, be that to your bladder, legs, or quick-draw response for your camera or firearm. Remember the adrenalin rush?

Most unexpected encounters are at less than 50 meters, usually much less. B'rer Bear can cover that ground at 40 mph and he does it in bounds, which means any vital target is rising and falling in time. The one shot kill area on a bear's chest is the size of a softball. You have to be a very good (and/or lucky) shot to place a single round in there AND GIVE IT TIME TO TAKE EFFECT before the bear is on top of you. Your odds are poor at best. Think of this as a last-ditch effort on your part. You will be lucky to have enough time for a single shot so it has to score.

And once your firearm is in your hands ready to fire, you have to have the self-control to be able to disengage the safety, sight your target, and fire while being charged by something with 3 inch teeth and 5 inch claws, closing the distance between you at 40 mph.

The pucker factor is beyond the red zone.

Stick to the bear spray. Better yet, learn where the bears are apt to be at different times of the day and be somewhere else or know how to let them know you are coming – even if it makes you look or sound like a fool. Know when and how (and be willing) to react and retreat – even if it makes you look or sound like a fool.

Better a live fool than a dead one!

[David Ure]

She got what right? That a scared hiker will fumble with a gun more than fumble with bear spray? No wait…that a Traditional hiker will obviously have a gun?

Spray works very well in very close proximity to a bear, assuming the wind is behind you and you don't fumble with the safety. Longer distances and a shot by a gun above the head of the bear generally would scare it off.

This is why guides in Denali NP carry rifles….and bear spray. Must be "Traditional."

[NW Hiker]

I sure don't think guns are allowed in Denali NP- I worked there for years and never saw one – http://www.moon.com/destinations/alaska/the-interior/denali-national-park/hiking

In addition, Bears are super mellow in Denali so Jennifer did not have much to worry about, in fact there has never been a fatality there. They are really used to the 100's of thousands of visitors each year, are much smaller inland Grizzlies and Blackies, and feed mostly on rodents and berries.

Big 'ol momma bear on any riverside Alaska, Canadian, or Montana trail – whole different story altogether.

I have had many, many (at least in the dozens) bear encounters, and never once wished I had a gun. Most were pretty darn cool seeing an animal that magnificent up close, and my bear spray on me was all I needed to feel secure.

On the flip side, every gun carrying dude I've met out there on the trails was way less cautious, and not too careful to make their presence known, etc. thinking the firearm takes care of all that : )

To each his own.

[Justin Baker]

Guns are allowed in National parks now if state laws allows it (if you can open carry in a public place, you can open carry in a national park). The law was changed back in 2009.

[James holden]

http://www.newswire.net/newsroom/financial/73466-bearattack.html

The Burkes raised their arms and made loud noises to scare the bear but continued toward them

When the bear began bounding toward them Toby yelled to his wife and kids to get behind him and not to run.

As the bear attacked Toby stuck his spotting scope attached to a 6-foot long tripod into the bear's mouth. The bear swatted and broke the scope off. Armed now with just the tripod he used it to hit the bear in the face. The bear continued and batted the tripod from his hands.

Then it was just Toby between the bear and his family. "At that point, I made physical contact. All I could do was put my left arm up. Then its mouth clamped down on my forearm. So I remember hitting it in the face with my right arm." said Toby.

more at link …

bears r soooo cute and cuddlay ;)

[NW Hiker]

Gun possession is "allowed" you just are not allowed to use them by Federal Law – http://www.nps.gov/dena/parkmgmt/firearms.htm

[Buck Nelson]

Attacks like that are rare enough that we have to recycle them over and over for years. In fact, I knew exactly what incident it was before reading about it.

Fear of bears undoubtedly hurts people far more than bears.

2,500,000 people die in the US each year
1 dies from bear attack
1 in ten deaths is caused by inactivity http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/lazy-kill-physical-inactivity-responsible-5-millions-deaths-year-article-1.1116883

Fear of bears is a major factor keeping people out of the backcountry, and inactive. For example, 50% of women in Alaska say they are afraid to go into the backcountry because of bears.

Unfortunately, a story like "GUY BLINDED BY GRIZZLY!!!" tends to be more effective at scaring people than real world numbers are in comforting them.

FLABBY GUY DIES READING SCARY BEAR STORY ON INTERNET!!! is a much more likely scenario. But not as morbidly fascinating. : )

[Marko Botsaris]

Colin Fletcher wrote an article about a two week trip he made where he got dropped off by plane at a remote Alaskan lake. The pilot was worried he didn't have a gun for the bears, so he left him a large revolver. Though Fletcher was in the military in his youth, he was mildly uncomfortable with the idea of having a gun in the wilderness.

Anyway, he did end up using it – as a drumstick on his cooking pot. Apparently that sound scared the bezeesus out of the griz and it took off running. Mission accomplished.

[David Ure]

"2,500,000 people die in the US each year
1 dies from bear attack
1 in ten deaths is caused by inactivity http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/lazy-kill-physical-inactivity-responsible-5-millions-deaths-year-article-1.1116883"

How many of these people hike in remote, bear infested areas?

[Buck Nelson]

"1 in ten deaths is caused by inactivity http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/lazy-kill-physical-inactivity-responsible-5-millions-deaths-year-article-1.1116883"

How many of these people hike in remote, bear infested areas?

Not many. That's the point. Of the ~250,000 a year who die of inactivity in this country, you can bet that most of them don't spend much time hiking in remote country, and a lot of them don't do so because they're afraid of bears.

People are really bad at risk analysis.

And by the way, the guy in the story wasn't on a hiking trip and he wasn't in a remote area. He was a salmon fisherman in a popular area. Millions of Americans spend time in grizzly country each year. And even in remote grizzly country, grizzlies are way down on the list of things most likely to kill a person.

It's not just a rhetorical game. I think it's important for people to be aware of potential bear danger, but to distinguish between the perceived level of risk, which is often very high, and the actual level of risk, which is usually very, very low (with the exception of the Treadwell types.)

[Cayenne Redmonk]

Nobody has ever lived to tell the story of what happened when a bear found the cord from a PCT hang.

Nobody. Bob Gross has raised the concern, repeatedly, but until someone survives such an encounter to tell the story, we can only speculate on the horrors the hikers have faced.

Until we better understand these animals, the only solution is is carry an AR10 for protection, supplemented with a large handgun for protection, backed up by spray and track shoes for when the protection fails. I recommend spraying the least popular group member and then putting the track shoes to use.

–G.B.–

[Bob Gross]

"Bob Gross has raised the concern, repeatedly, but until someone survives such an encounter to tell the story, we can only speculate on the horrors the hikers have faced."

Cameron, I have never made any such comment concerning grizzlies before. Would you retract your statement?

–B.G.–

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