# Thoughts on Bears?



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Was having a bit of a debate regarding bears with a friend. My stance is that the threat from bears is generally over stated. They simply are not that dangerous, and with a little sensible behavior, the chance of getting in a jam with a bear is pretty small.

I don't live around bears, but have hunted both brown and black bears successfully, and encountered quite a few on hunting and fishing trips without incident. Generally soon as they see, hear or smell you, they are gone fast like a deer.

Now, I do imagine trash raiding black bears, crop raiding bears, and bears in national parks where hunting isn't permitted could be a real pain. About like giant raccoons, making a big mess.

Also suspect that there are quite a few bears killed by paranoid folks that really weren't a danger. Could have probably hollered and run them off, but instead they choose to shoot them.

Thoughts?


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

I spent many years living in a national park where bears both Grizz and black and brown were a fact of daily life. I lived in bear rich environment most of my adult life.

Bears are dangerous. You can take precautions and lower the likelihood of problems but you should not minimize the danger. There are too many small things that can cause a bear encounter that will catch you unawares. Sow and cubs, a garbage addicted bear or just plain illness or injury that will cause a bear to deviate from the norm.

You can't outrun them, you can't always stop them with your gun and you can't always smell them coming. I have had a bear trap me in a swimming pool. He was coming in to get me. It had to be shot by the parks service. I have had a bear that followed me every afternoon on my walk for months but never bothered me because we both knew what to expect of the other.

If you are in their territory, then they are the boss 95 percent of the time.


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## tiffnzacsmom (Jan 26, 2006)

They can be dangerous but they don't want to deal with us anymore than they want to deal with us. I live in bear country, my daughter walked out of the house one night and there was one in our yard. She walked back in and stayed in till it wandered off


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Have bears at my deer camp in the UP. Normally they are hibernating then so we don't have to inter act. Once in a while how ever for what ever reason one will be out and a bout. I have had them with in 15 feet of me and never saw me since I stood still with th3e safety off on the rifle. It passed me and got in my scent cone and it ran faster than deer do I believe. Next day it followed my tracks down the road side, it turned off at the cranberry bog to feed on them.

When I have been up fishing or canoeing and ran into them they always ran away when they smelled us or heard us.
Got to under stand people there do not feed them or try to make friends or pets of them. 

 Al


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

I agree with the advice above.
It all depends on the circumstances and most of the time the bear doesn't want a fight.
There IS a difference in temperament and aggression between the brown, like a grizzly and a common black bear, so that should be taken into consideration.
Also the presence of cubs makes all bets off as well.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I think that regular bear hunting with dogs is one of the best things to keep bear afraid of us and dogs. 

if a bear gets used to a dog barking meaning it is being hunted , then a dog barking is a much better deturant. 

numbers should be controlled to keep the numbers and interactions lower 

bear tastes great 


but people should know that a bear is a 200-600 or more pound power house of destruction should they want in or want to fight.
so removing those that can't play nice is always going to be part of the equation , it is just best if they can go to good use should that need to happen.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

I have been within 10 ft of a black bear on two occasions while bow hunting deer. In both cases, once the bear realized I was where I was, they bolted off. Have also come upon them fairly close while walking. Same thing - bolted away. Even had a bear and cub come down the bank opposite me on a small river - when the mother realized I was there, she ushered the little one away. In their normal wild state, black bears avoid humans even more than deer. Once, however, I had one about 50 ft away, while I was fishing, stand up and snap his jaws - I cracked a large stick to make a noise and he left - that one was a little bit more intimidating since snapping their jaws is a warning - still he left. 

On the other hand, bears that are fed by humans can be quite dangerous. And you hear of campsite black bears attacking on rare occasion. Same for junk yard bears. These bears may lose their natural fear of humans. 

I can't speak for brown bears but I personally would be well armed if I were walking in brown bear territory.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

I am really wanting to go Bear hunting in Minnesota.

We had a Member on here that really didn't want to run Bears off around her place then one got hold of her Dog. $600 later she changed her mind on Bears.

big rockpile


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## Bungiex88 (Jan 2, 2016)

You never know if there's a cub near by if one is running towards me the only sound I'll be making will be from my gun


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

I doubt there is anyone on this forum with more bear knowledge and experience with and about bear behavior, then myself.

I would be willing to answer a few questions, if they are kept brief, simple, and deal with only one aspect of bear behavior or how to interact with them.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

sourdough how do you avoid unpleasant bear encounters ?


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

In my opinion the single biggest problem for Humans in Bears encounters, is their (Human's) natural reaction to retreat rather than stand their ground. This retreating by a human (even only one step) triggers the bears "Natural" Reaction to chase. And this is just natural behavior for humans and bears. 

The young bears 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years old are very lonely, very stupid, and very curious. Which makes them inclined to approach humans and human dwellings. 

A very brief overview is, you have to watch young cubs reactions with their mother and even more closely the reactions learned between the cubs. She the mother will pick them (the cubs) up by the neck, and she will swat them. The little cub start to do this with each other as playful tag. The cub will take turns chasing each other, get caught and the one chasing will lightly grab the neck of the other.

This is sometimes played-out with three cubs, if there are three cubs still alive. It is chase-catch-subdue, the break contact. This is a key point Chase-Catch-Subdue-Break Contact. Note: this is note restricted to bears only....foxes & wolverines I have noticed doing this, including young bears playing Chase-Catch-Subdue-Break Contact with both foxes and also wolverines. I have never seen bears "Play" with young wolves. The sows do not seem to have any concern about her cubs playing Chase-Catch-Subdue-Break Contact with other species like fox or wolverines.

In my opinion this is what happens when a bear encounter's a human. If you watch the cubs as soon as they break contact, they fake each out back and forth to see which will run. I think this carries over for bears the rest of their life, Chase-Catch-Subdue-Break Contact. This is why "IF" a human is stupid enough to retreat they will get Chased-Caught-Subdued-(Now: if they fight being subdued, they will get mauled till subdued). If they surrender it is likely the bear will break contact. 

This explains why humans get mauled, the bear stops mauling and walks away..........but if the victim moves to soon, after the bear walks away, it will trigger another.....Subdue sequence, the bear will return and maul some more. If you look at this from the bears cub conditioning, you see it is more "playing" than attempting to kill the human. The problem is humans break very easy.

If you study the bear mauling of humans most are not fatal. But humans have soft shells and because the main way that cubs subdue each other is by grabbing the neck or ear of the other cub. Humans break easy.

The skittish and fearful behavior is about Size. The size of the human sillioute as compared to that of other bears. Bears are constantly judging the danger of other bears. This is the whole dance of hopping on their front feet, and popping their teeth.

The skittishness and fearful behavior is (in My opinion) caused by their fear of being killed by another bear. I don't think it is a fear of humans as much as a fear and skittishness of any animal that stands and watches them. I think their filter is first can I (The bear) make this other "thing" (human or bear or caribou) run or retreat. As soon as it see's that the other "thing" is not retreating or worse running towards it, it shifts to skittishness and fearful. This is why you ofter first notice a close bear just standing there watching you.

On a slightly different bear behavior subject........I have been "Stalked" (5) five times by bears and this stalking is a completely different type of bear behavior that any other bear behavior. And very comical (unless you are not watching and it startles you and you jump......triggering Chase-Catch-Subdue). They stalk by circling and hiding, well hiding their head, leaving their huge Butt up in the air. This is a serious behavior, and it is hard to snap them out of this once the stalk has started.

There is a big difference between a direct (More or Less) straight line approach and this stalking behavior. I have never been stalked by a black bear, they were all grizzly/ brown bears. Three of those times it was with a client and we were not after bears. The other two times I was alone.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

I think Feeding is the worst thing you can do.

Don't be fooled on Black Bears. Know a Guy that was killed by a Black Bear, Bear shoved the Body into his Camper, fed on him for 3 days before anyone found him.

Know another Guy that had an Old Sow Grizzly take after him, he shot her 3X before killing her. She was guarding a Moose he had shot.

big rockpile


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

big rockpile said:


> I am really wanting to go Bear hunting in Minnesota.
> 
> We had a Member on here that really didn't want to run Bears off around her place then one got hold of her Dog. $600 later she changed her mind on Bears.
> 
> big rockpile


Find a guide in the no quota zone if it still exists. Been awhile since I have hunted there.


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