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Bear Damage.

Torch

GONE WEST
Fairbanks, Alaska
I fly out to a small lake near Fairbanks. I use a small boat on the lake. The guy that owns the boat also owns a cabin on the lake. A bear tore up his cabin because someone that used the cabin was lazy and left a skillet full of grease. Here are some pics of the cabin.

t2.jpg

t3.jpg
 
Shoot bears, not pictures. What's the old saying? Shoot, shovel, Shut-up.
SB

Oh , yah, works on wolves, too!
 
Wow, first the bear rips up the cabin, then he defaces it with a corvette poster! Must of been one pissed off bear :-? :-?
Ken
 
Flashback

Wow...those pics bring back memories. Our maple sugaring/hunting cabin got ransacked by the obligatory Maine Black Bear (not as big as those creatures in Alaska). The damn thing threw the gas stove out on the lawn and licked off all the grease. Cleaned up that stove rather nicely.

Next time I see one from the air loping along I shall drop a water balloon on it for revenge!
 
I used to live about 6 miles west of Fall City on Hwy 202, we had a couple acres of Blueberries, the Bears were regulars in the late summer!
 
I have a different perspective. As a kid I got chased by a black and a griz. Two seperate incidents. Saw my next-door neighbor lay in intensive care for a month after being mauled. He had 1100 stiches. Had my daughter chased out of my front yard by a black that walked up behind her to about 5 feet before my 45 pound Samoyed attacked and treed it. Lost a friend about 5 years ago when a brown killed him. I have no affection for bears. I'll bet the bear that broke into Torch's cabin has done it before. No matter, now it knows how it'll do it again. Bears and people can't coexist successfully. Draw the territorial lines, and enforce them. Ask the young man laying in Providence after a brown mauled him on the Russian River. The famous combat fishery didn't deter the bear. That bear had bluff charged others several times, and nobody took it seriously.
Now a young man fights for his life after losing both eyes. It shouldn't have happened. The bear should have already been dead.
SB
 
Bears and people can't coexist successfully. Draw the territorial lines, and enforce them.

I have to agree with SB........bears are wild dangerous animals and unpredictable. To subject a human life to one of these overgrown dump rats makes no sense to me.
 
The problem with that logic, of course, is where do you draw the territorial lines? We wander around in "bear country" all the time. So, would it then be okay for any bear to kill anyone in "bear" country? Or should we just kill all the bears?

One of the reasons many of us love Alaska (substitute a lot of other places here if you like) is that there is always a bit of risk and unknown, things we can't always control. Weather, wilderness, and yes, even these "overgrown dump rats".

I'm a big believer in taking every precaution possible to prevent the miserable little fellows from occupying my camps/cabin, and I work hard at it. Sometimes I fail, and as often as not, it's something I did, or failed to do that invited the bear to come on in.

I've worked on bears and research on them for many years, both brown and black, and they are still fascinating creatures. Don't get me wrong, though, I'd shoot one in a heartbeat if I felt I was threatened.

One of the reasons I sold a cabin a while back is the neighbor, who goes out there only in winter, trashes his property, leaves all sorts of garbage out there, which brings the bears right to my door.

Sometimes it isn't the bear that needs a little electrical stimulation.

We have had great success with electric fences in the last few years in keeping the playful little forest creatures out of our camps. Knock on wood, we've never had a bear in a camp that was protected by a fence, and we're camping in some of the densest populations of black bears anywhere.

Shoot em if you have to, but it is really hard to draw lines on these sorts of things. Better to work on our behaviour and equipment, maybe.

And a little risk keeps you sharp. That's part of flying, too, especially off airport flying.

Philosophical rambling, sorry,

Mike Vivion
 
Bear Damage

Enjoyed comments--Grindlay's humor re: Corvette sticker; Gunny's sharing dad's goof (honey in garage); Stewartb's sad tales of attack; Cubdrver's and Mike Vivion's. Interesting how we can either help condition/habituate bears or steer them clear of us. I'd like to see man and bear coexist but question its probability because of the wildness bred into them. Although I was pretty angry when Daniel Bigley was attacked and critically mauled on the Russian River and wanted to kill every bear around to avenge his injuries, it is not the solution. I'm all for saving man and bears...in that order. I believe with knowledge and preparation we can enter bear country pretty confident that we won't be injured. Probably right at the top of the list of safety factors is carrying a bad attitude there--to be the boss of the woods and to let the bear know that...to be able to back up our bluff. As has already been pointed out, removing a food source reduces man-bear interaction. Being aware of their nature and behavior better enables us to protect ourselves and do them less harm. Having spent portions of the past 37 years in Alaska's woods (since 1966), from Dillingham to the Wrangell's, Southeast, Kodiak, Galena, McGrath, Kotzebue and Tok without a serious bear encounter has been a blessing which I hope continues. I've never had a problem though have been closer than I wanted a few times and had to use the Boss of the Woods mentality on a grizzly or two. Best wishes for safety in the woods and in the air. Larry Kaniut
 
Lots of good comments, but let me add one more factor to the equation. I spend a lot of time in Skyline Drive National Park. The park is reputed to have the hiughest concentration of black bears in the lower 48. I believe that as I see them up close about one trip in three (unless I go looking for them). Now this population of bears has not been hunted since the 1920's or so. They literally have no fear of man. To them we are harmless creatures that often times carry tasty morsels. I firmly believe the national park systems preservation mindset has created the problem. You can hike throught the park and see deer that are starving to death on their feet. The deer are so tame that park rangers arrested a guy three years ago poaching them with a hammer!
They need to close the park one week a year in the fall and hold a lottery for hunters. The refuge system does this to cull deer and feral hogs and it works very well. Hell they could charge $100 apiece, might pay for one of those 2 million dollar outhouses.
Ken
 
Dang!!! Hammer hunting is spreading!! My advice, don't try that approach with the bears.

A great book for anyone interested in bear/human interactions is Stephen Hererro's recently updated "Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance". This is an excellent book on how to interact, or more specifically avoid having to interact with bears in the wilds. Hererro is a retired Professor of Wildlife Biology at the University of Alberta, and has spent the past 30 plus years of his career scientifically studying bear/human incidents, largely in the National Parks.

It is an excellent book, which does not sensationalize the subject (which is hard not to do), and offers the best advice on how to act in bear country and around bears that there is.

Hammer hunting for deer.........I like it, it's inexpensive, quiet, simple....

Course, it'll never catch on, for all the above reasons.

Mike Vivion
 
Bear Damage

Ken,
Thanks for the hammer hint-suggestion. Another issue. Tried by 12 or carried by 6. My advice to people is decide before entering bear country controlled by firearms regulations: do you want to end up like the Kluane Lake hiker's wife because you weren't packing? Don't want to read or hear Stephen Herrero's advice on that one...at least not the advice he gave BBC on tape (will check out his revised advice Mike). People have more value than bears. Period. Even if we only had one bear on earth, which is not the case. I think there are more bears now than ever but don't know the stats. Thanks to the email pix of a bear-chewed corpse I've renewed my attention to providing the most up to date info to woods travelers...for instance, re: Daniel Bigley and the Russian River, how safe would bear bonnets be (if bikers wear helmets, why not hikers)? Would they reduce or add to injuries? Something I'm pursuing. And there are other options besides guns. On the other hand, I'm certain that Cynthia Dusel-Bacon and the lady killed last year in the Smoky Mountains of TN would be alive and/or uninjured (or lelss injured) today had they packed a .22 or larger handgun. Safe outings for all. lk
 
This is enlightening. You mean that if I stop using my homemade bacon grease and honey bathin' soap, I won't have to carry those heavy S&W 50 cal. mags on each hip?

Bear populations seem to be on the rise, for whatever reason. And more people are moving out into bear teritory. They like to eat what we like to eat. They love our garbage. I think more conflict between our species is inevitable.

I only have experience with our local blacks, which are usually very bashfull, and not agressive. Lots of encounters though, the closest, if I would have stretched out my arm, I could have touched his nose with the tip of my rifle barrel. No shots were fired, no claws were thrown, we parted ways peacefully, hopefully both a little smarter. A little bit of restraint and some common sense goes a long way. Note, though, these are NOT the far northern bruines most of you guys are talking about. These local bears are still hunted a lot, including hunting with dogs. If this hunting was ever decreased, I think there would be a lot more problems.


BTW, hammer hunting works great, no wasted meat.
 
mvivion said:
The problem with that logic, of course, is where do you draw the territorial lines? We wander around in "bear country" all the time. So, would it then be okay for any bear to kill anyone in "bear" country? Or should we just kill all the bears?

One of the reasons many of us love Alaska (substitute a lot of other places here if you like) is that there is always a bit of risk and unknown, things we can't always control. Weather, wilderness, and yes, even these "overgrown dump rats".

I'm a big believer in taking every precaution possible to prevent the miserable little fellows from occupying my camps/cabin, and I work hard at it. Sometimes I fail, and as often as not, it's something I did, or failed to do that invited the bear to come on in.

I've worked on bears and research on them for many years, both brown and black, and they are still fascinating creatures. Don't get me wrong, though, I'd shoot one in a heartbeat if I felt I was threatened.

One of the reasons I sold a cabin a while back is the neighbor, who goes out there only in winter, trashes his property, leaves all sorts of garbage out there, which brings the bears right to my door.

Sometimes it isn't the bear that needs a little electrical stimulation.

We have had great success with electric fences in the last few years in keeping the playful little forest creatures out of our camps. Knock on wood, we've never had a bear in a camp that was protected by a fence, and we're camping in some of the densest populations of black bears anywhere.

Shoot em if you have to, but it is really hard to draw lines on these sorts of things. Better to work on our behaviour and equipment, maybe.

And a little risk keeps you sharp. That's part of flying, too, especially off airport flying.

Philosophical rambling, sorry,

Mike Vivion

Mike,

I couldn't have said that better myself. I really enjoy seeing bears while flying.

Torch
 
I overstated my case. I like to see bears, too. Just not on my deck. My neighbor awoke to some noise it the night last weekend to find a blackie looking through her window at her. Her bedroom is on the second floor, with a 3' deck supported by small logs. Another thing, last year in Yakutat I watched an adult brown, be it a young adult, climb a slightly leaning spruce tree, lay down at the top (now leaning about 45*) and take a nap. A buddy has the pictures. Last year, on Afognak, a partner and I were on a hill looking for elk. 6 browns, all from different areas up-valley, came into the open and started flanking the hill, which would have put 6 bears in a creekbed between us and the beach. If you haven't had an adrenaline rush lately, go to Afognak. TJ's right about browns being smart. Those bears knew we were there. They didn't scare. We ran down-valley staying above the alder line. And fast! In the Susitna and Yentna valleys the preditors, including man, have reduced the moose population. Bears and wolves are like us in the respect that they'll travel to find food. Their range is expanding, or they are returning to, areas that we haven't seen them in the last 20 years, including my yard. 6 wolves were in the yard last weekend. There's a whole new subject. If you've ever stood in the woods with a wolf staring at you, you know. Evil. All they see is lunch. And they don't travel alone, so the one you see has buddies you don't see.
SB
 
bear damage

stewartb,
Are you at liberty to say which part of town you live in? I live on the lower hillside and know of a few predators in neighborhood/nearby this summer: black on neighbor's deck across street, coyote in powerline behind his house Friday, brownie in the neighborhood where friends were walking couple weeks back. Maybe it's time for a Cyrano de Bergerac to rise to the occasion, confront our game managers (or their superiors) about anonymously "visiting" some of our Anchorage incubated critters (perhaps kick off your new subject) ? Six wolves in your yard. Wow. It would be neat to have a computerized print out of predators in Anchorage annually since 1965. My daughter drew an elk permit on Afognak a few years back but was unable to go. I'm not sure how we would have dealt with the brownies, as I've heard forever that they come in bunches like bananas and thrive on the elk. Skylar
 
One more troubling story. The last time I fished reds at the Newhalen, the typical brown bears were there, looking for the easy meal of fishermen's fish. In that environment, we know the bears don't want to mess with us, they just want to steal a fish. On one visit down to the rocks by a momma with two cubs, a Colorado tourist decided to defend his fish. He stood with the fish laying between his feet, a whistle in his mouth, a camera in one hand taking pictures, and a 9mm pistol in the other hand aimed at the bear. Several of us asked him to please put his pea-shooter away, but he refused. The last thing the 50 or 60 other fishermen needed was a pissed-off, wounded bear. Now there's an idiot. Fortunately, momma chose somebody else's fish. Contrary to my first statement, I enjoy that kind of experience, less the idiot.
SB
 
bear damage

SB,
I stand corrected. I thought you were referring to AnchorTown. Thanks for sharing re: the Newhalen and the local furry fish watchers. skylar
 
Great thread!!! Fun to read.

I'll be headed to the 'Sound' for some island hunting next week-end and the next.....weather permitting.

...Will definitely be shooting a piece big enough to down a browny whose dinner bell may have been my shot on my quarry (black tail).

...Will also piss and pour ammonia around the airplane AND my camp.

...Am also considering a portable electric fence set-up....Heard it works really well and costs less than $100 US and is light enough for a backpacker to haul around...Should carry several around in the airplanes to protect them, as well.

PS If he can be found, SHOOT THE BEAR THAT HARMS A HUMAN!!!

A good 'ass-whooping' should be given to any bear that charges or bluff charges humans, as well. It's for their own good, as well as the next humans.

Sure, we've all had inocuous encounters with blacks and browns, and that's a good thing, but any bear ill-tempered enough to charge a man should be put in his place, with his face and his ass hamburgered.

...my own personal opinion. DMC
 
bear damage

Big AK,
Hope you score on blackie (tail) in the Sound. Enjoyed your post. Looked up electrobraid site today for sun powered electric fence and asked what lengths and testimonials they have. A former Katmai (I think) superintendent had a testimonial, where their product kept all but one bear from the camp (it had been chased in by larger bear). Am thinking it might be a good solution for hunters, campers, hikers (and pilots)--good suggestion re: urine. Another site I checked out today for deterrents suggested human MALE urine was a goodun for keepin' bruin out...noting that NOT female. Interesting...Guess they don't have the testosterone! I've also heard that ammonia and moth balls kept all bears from food in cooler on float trip (one guy). Best. Oh, should you have any tips on the acquisition of blacktails that wouldn't intrude on others' "spots", I'd be interested sometime. My goal is to hunt the Sound one of these days as I think blacktail is at the top of the list of great cuisine. Skylar
 
Skylar,
My favorite is Knight Island's "Bay of Isles." Anchor in the cove at Dish Island, no weather can get to you there. Perry Island is next. West Bay is usually protected. I have a friend that likes Green Island, because it's got lower terrain. Another likes LaTouche, since fewer hunters go that far. If there's snow, and the deer are on the beach, it's easy. Otherwise, get ready to climb. Not much opportunity for planes on these islands, though.
SB
 
bear damage

SB,
Thanks for the headsup on the Sound. Have been as far as Blackstone Bay once...about 20 years ago in a Zodiac. Some day I hope to go for "bambi" out there. Sky
 
Big AK, how do you give a misbehaving bear a "good ass-whooping" without shooting it? I heard today that a bear hit 3 or 4 planes one night over on the West side.pak
 
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