In regards to Black Bears (Ursus americanus) not North American Grizzlies (Ursus arctos horribilis)...
Quote
DavidSenesac
Ulyssses61 >>>"Over the years I have encountered at least 40-45 bears in the Yosemite backcountry. I have never met an aggressive bear. Without any exception, they were all very timid and ran away (FAST). Even when I have seen mommy bear with cubs they have been docile and got away as fast as they could or ignored me. ..."
What you say about black bear tending to be timid and running away is true for those bears that have been exposed to humans but NOT true for those black bears that live in areas where they do not see humans and especially young big male bears that have not yet had a chance for human encounters. Also a solo backpacker or hiker is far more likely to experience such than groups because animals very much understand numbers. Also very much true of mountain lion attacks. And there are such places in Yosemite if one does a lot of off trail travel. I have experienced such very aggressive bears one place was Frog Creek where a bear with a transmitter around its neck would probably had grabbed the pack off my back had I not been so aggresssive (and have a loud voice) throwning rocks. That is one reason most black bear attacks occur in Canada where there are much more unpopulated areas. Wisdom is to understand they are large powerful wild animals.
Have to admit I doubted your statement simply because it did not connect with my experiences and what I was taught...so I did some research. Lo and behold I came across a study published in 2011 in a professional journal (The Journal of Wildlife Management or JOWM) at the link posted at the end of this message that made statements similar to yours based on a study of hsitorical events. While the actual reserch supports some of what you say, respectfully, it offers absolutely no support to other statements you make so I am wondering if there are other studies out there I am missing. I do not mean to be argumentative but the whole bear thing kept me out of the back country for a long time... I worked hard to overcome that fear and do not want to allow myself or others to held back by concerns based on misinformation. The fact that I found the study sensationalized in popular media concerned me and made me wonder if you read news articles or the actual research. So I have some questions.
You are right to speak of the need to repsect and understand bears - they are larger, faster and more powerful than all of us. They are intelligent and have powerful memories. You are also right that bears tend to attack small parties of two or less rather than larger groups. Not sure though if the bears can count or if the noise that larger groups create is the deterrent.
You are right, more black bear attacks happen in Canada than in the lower 48, however you step beyond the conclusions of the research when you draw a causal relationship between the number of black bear incidents and the expanse of unpopulataled land in Canada. The research does not support this and in fact points out that there are large areas in Canada, highly populated with bears that have had no bear incidents. Such a statement lends itself to the notion that perhaps some of the aggression has to do with environmental conditions (quality/quantity of food in the habitat) rather than lack of human encouter. I thnk the reseachers actually pose this as a possible cause in their conclusion. Is there another study some places that suggests what you say?
You refute Ulysses61's obervations that bears in the backcountry are timid and imply that lack of human contact results in bears that are bolder and more aggressive. There is nothing in the JOWM study to support your claim that bears involved in these fatal attacks lacked exposure to humans. Even if these fatal incidents occurred in the back country, the tendency of backpackers to frequent established campsites (in an effort to minimize impact) would create the opportunity for numerous bear - human encounters on any given trail that is even remotely popular. Is there some other research that substantiates your claim that unhabituated bears have a more aggressive attitude towards humans?
I think it is important to note that the article I read discussed fatal encounters only. The study involved analysis of whatever information was available for the 63 fatal attacks that occured in a 110 year period (1900 - 2009). ( I could not find any research that looked at nonfatal attacks in the same manner.) Based on in the facts, a conclusion about the "cause or the nature" of the attack was made. In 88% of the incidents fatal attacks, the reserchers determined that the bear acted as a predator (eats all or part of the person). 88% might seems like cause for alarm and might be initially disconcerting but when you consider that we are talking about 63 events occurring over 110 years, it becomes a little less frightening. If we were to compare the number of fatal black bear - human encouter incidents to the total number of reported black bear - human encounters (fatal or not) over the same period, we would see a more realistic refelction of the likelihood of encountering a black bear who will behave in a manner that is predatory. Reproduction on a molecular level allows for chance events and mutations, thus there is always the possibility that there is a mutation that produces overly aggressive bears that will see humans as a prey, but given the infrequency of such events and the fact that many maulings that do not result in death do involve food (in fact in 38% of the fatal predatory incidents, it was concluded that the bears were drawn to the area initially by food and/or garbage) the mutation is likely rare. The fact that we tend to hunt down and shoot bears who behave in an aggressive manner means that many will take the gene (if there is one) to the grave with them without passing it on across several generations. Most wildlife reaserch shows that animals would prefer to avoid human contact and tend not see humans as prey unless we behave in a prey like manner and run away. They tend to attack when they are protecting something like food, territory or offspring or have been habituated to associate people with food. Very few, if any of the incidents described in the links provided on various post in this thread involved maulings by black bears that were acts of simple unprovoked aggression.
You are right that bears need to be respected, but I think its best to explain to people how to minimize the likelihood for a bear encounter rather than portraying bears as predatory beasts hungry for human flesh....
it would be better to encourage people in the back country to...
- cook, eat, clean and store your food/toiletries far away from where you sleep.
- carry a bear canister even if not required, rather than just counter balancing your food. Black bears are excellent climbers. Make certain your bear cannister isn't near water or someplace where it can be pushed down hill.
- do not sleep in the clothing you cook and eat in. We put those clothes along with our fly fishing tackle in our pack, cover our packs with a rain poncho and lash them to a tree, again far from where we sleep.
- when hiking, carry snacks in your pack and not on your person. If the bear wants your pack, he can have it. IF there are snacks in it rather than your pocket, the bear will likely leave you alone and get down to the
business of finding those treats.
- research the trail you are taking..... for example there are known "bear areas" along the JMT.... Quail Meadows, upper lyell canyon to name a few..... camp some place else. Bears are creatures of habit.
-clean up after yourself... we have come across numerous back country campsites strewn with wrappers and food remains. Last year up at 1000 island lake we found unopened mylar pouches of food dumped by someone who decided they did not want the weight. We were fortunate enough to come across a hungry PCT hiker who wanted the food so we did not have to hump it out.
If I have left something out, let me know.... I really want no business with bears. My experiences have all been like Ulysses... bears we have encountered have really wanted little to do with us. Loud noise was enough to scare them off..if our simple arrival around a bend was not enough.
Pepper spray and firearms are just more weight I cannot afford to carry. I'd rather use good camp hygiene and keep my wits about me.
Happy Trails
(def. known to attack with little or no provocation)
