[pct-l] Black Bear

[Tortoise]

from the North American Bear Center web site:


        Spray more effective than guns against bears: study

    Guns were effective only 67 per cent of the time because shooting
    accurately during a grizzly charge is difficult, and it takes an
    average of four hits to kill a charging grizzly bear.

    Most of the incidents involved grizzlies. The remainder involved
    black bears and polar bears.

    The research dealt with concerns that wind can interfere with
    accuracy and can blow the spray back on the user. In 71 incidents
    studied, wind interfered with accuracy 5 times, caused minor
    irritation to the user 10 times, and caused near incapacitation
    twice. The spray was used at an average distance of 12 feet.

    There were no reports of the spray malfunctioning unless one
    considers 11 additional incidents where it was applied to objects
    like tents. When used in that way, the spray attracts bears to roll
    in it.

    Smith et al. concluded that bear spray is an effective alternative
    to lethal force.

    Reference

    Smith, T. S., S. Herrero, T. D. DeBruyn, and J. M. Wilder. 2008.
    Efficacy of bear deterrent spray in Alaska. J. Wildl. Manage. 72(3):
    640-645.
    [http://www.bear.org/website/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=202:spray-more-effective-than-guns-against-bears-study-&catid=62&Itemid=123]

So if you are worried about bears, carry bear spray.  Lighter, safer, 
and more effective.

Tortoise

Because truth matters"



Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com wrote:
> I'm sure all the scary bear stories are true and that certainly,  
> bears can potentially hurt people. But I saw lots of bears on the PCT  
> and not a single one of them tried to hurt me. All the bears I saw  
> ran away from me in terror. Only one bear took my food and that bear  
> was IN TOWN in the campground in Mammoth. All he got for his efforts  
> was to put a few trophy scratches in my bear canister.
>
> The trouble I have with scary bear stories is that the idiots out  
> there hear them and say stupid stuff like "I'm going to bring a 44  
> magnum with me if I go into the woods." I have a guy who says that to  
> me every weekend when I go hiking with the Sierra Club. The stupid  
> thing about this is that the thing you need to protect yourself from  
> bears isn't a sexy gun, it's a boring bear canister. But after  
> hearing so many scary bear stories, the only thing this guy is  
> wanting to do is carry a gun.
>
> So if there are any newbies on this list reading these stories, THE  
> MOST YOU NEED to protect yourself from bears is A BEAR CANISTER.
>
> Keep on walking...
>
> Diane
>