Bushwalk Australia

best,most extensive article i've read on bear behaviour and how to be prepared for them...
this is a pay article, either one off fee or subscription, i think it's worth it for anyone who might go into bear country

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... _mind.html

Didn't realise you had many bears in UnZud.

north-north-west wrote:Didn't realise you had many bears in UnZud.

Actually there are a few. We call them "beers" over here.

It's the bears in Sydney that you've gotta watch out for.

I think I learned all I needed to know about bear danger from Bill Bryson who discussed his extensive researches into the subject in his book 'A Walk in the Woods" There's two kinds of bears in American woods. For one type of bear it's best to lie doggo and play dead and for the other, it's best to climb a tree because only one kind can climb. I think. In both cases, I forget which bear is which but it doesn't matter because you'll only panic, forget whatever to do and run like hell. But whatever the type, the bear will always catch you! The only solution is to walk in groups, not alone, and so improve the odds for surviving.

its a myth only one kind of bear can climb,,, black bears climb better than grizzlies, but grizzlies are more limited by their size they can stil get up a decent sized tree....

mikethepike wrote:...For one type of bear it's best to lie doggo and play dead ....

Coz this is what bears are thinking when you lie down

mikethepike wrote:The only solution is to walk in groups, not alone, and so improve the odds for surviving

The trick is to make sure that you can run faster than at least one other person in the group

It's an interesting topic. When I was hiking in Canada I was suprised at the variety of responses when I asked people what I should do if I saw a bear. Of all people, you'd think there would be consensus amongst Canadians, but there wasn't... Some said play dead, some said run/climb a tree, some said yell and call out and make as much noise as possible, some said approach the bear making yourself appear as big as possible and make a lot of noise (yeah right) etc. The only dude who seemed to have a no-nonsense answer was a backcountry fishing/skiing guide I met who carried bear spray, apparently they hate that stuff and as far as he knew it was the only fool proof method for deterring bears outside of carrying a rifle.

he actually the article says your best bet is to stand still , if your mate runs the bear is likely to ignore you and its chase instinct will have it lock onto your mate like a guided missile.... bt having said that , if you stand your ground and make some noise the bear almost always decides it not worth messing with you since thats how bears act

Seems like you have to say what kind of bear, don't you? The black bears that we have (California) are not a threat. They are generally quite timid and run away from humans. More people have been injured by deer. Even the bears that are habituated to people and their food are still less dangerous than almost any of your spiders or snakes... at least that's what Bryson has written.

Canadian Bear sign,



Tony

Very good Tony, I've seen that one before but still got a chuckle out of it.

Orion wrote:They are generally quite timid and run away from humans

I had a very close encounter with some bears on Vancouver Island a few years ago by almost tripping over a pair that were feeding in the long grass by the trail. I was walking with three others back from a waterfall we'd had lunch at, in the middle of nowhere, and heard a rustle in the bush not too far in front of us. We'd already seen a few white-tailed deer and thought it was another one so we kept quiet and kept walking toward the noise hoping to see a cute little deer. As we got to about 5 metres away the first bear became aware of us and stood on its back legs scaring the *&%$#! out of everyone (one of the guys let out a very embarassing scream which he didn't live down for the rest of the trip and I swear my heart completely stopped for a couple of seconds ). Turns out the bears were even more terrified and charged off into the bush amid a huge amount of noise and destruction. Before the incident we were spaced in pairs at 10 or so metres apart and after that we walked the hour or so back to the car in a tight little group of four

Only slightly on topic, but since this topic is about bears.....



( clearly I need to be very busy this morning because my procrastination levels are at 11 right now! )

mikethepike wrote:The only solution is to walk in groups, not alone, and so improve the odds for surviving.

It's like diving and sharks. You always take a big knife with you when in the water, in case a shark approaches. You then stick the knife in your buddy and, while the shark (or, if walking, the bear) is busy with him, bugger off as quickly as you can.

north-north-west wrote:...You then stick the knife in your buddy and, while the shark (or, if walking, the bear) is busy with him...

Another one that has been doing the rounds for years NNW, I love it. I was on a dive at Julian Rocks (off the coast from Byron Bay) a number of years ago and through force of habit from my navy days (and a good streak of commonsense) I had a knife strapped to my leg. On the way out a smart *&%$#! pommy bloke condescendingly asked me why I had it and with the straightest face I could muster, told him that exact reason You should have seen the blood drain from his face... Funnily enough we saw a rather large tiger on that dive, the only one I've seen there.

It's the main reason I don't bother with a large knife - 'cause I invariably dive alone. No-one to use it on.
Fortunately I have a deal with the sharks - I don't eat them, they don't eat me. Bears are a different issue, however. And crocs. Crocs really scare the *&%$#! out of me.

That's why I don't dive....I LOVE a bit of flake with my chips....

saw a thing on the news, lines with magnets on them suspended from buoy's , repel sharks, sharks dont like it interfering with the electromagnetic receptors....

how to fend of a polar bear. something every bush walker down under needs to know!!

http://www.adventure-journal.com/2011/1 ... olar-bear/

surviving bear attack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVS1UfCf ... r_embedded