QuoteNEW JERSEY (MYFOXNY.COM) - Authorities say a black bear attacked and killed a hiker in a northern New Jersey nature preserve.
West Milford police say five friends from Edison were hiking in the Apshawa Preserve when they encountered the bear on Sunday. Police say the group became frightened and ran in different directions. They noticed one member was missing when they regrouped.
Imo, you have to have rocks in your head if you don't carry a sidearm when you're 'out in nature'. We have 90 acres of woods with cut trails where we live. Even there, I 'carry'. A few years ago on an early afternoon I went for a walk on the trails and happened upon a raccoon. To my surprise and concern, the raccoon walked
towards me, so I shot it. Didn't touch it. Notified the local game warden. He came out and took the raccoon for testing. Turned out it was rabid.
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/26592220/bear-suspected-of-killing-hiker-in-new-jersey (http://www.myfoxny.com/story/26592220/bear-suspected-of-killing-hiker-in-new-jersey)
QuotePolice say the group became frightened and ran in different directions.
Why would they do that? People need to research where they are going and what dangers they may encounter and how to deal with them if they do. Splitting up and running is probably the worst thing they could have done.
Quote from: Dori on September 22, 2014, 04:16:06 PM
Why would they do that? People need to research where they are going and what dangers they may encounter and how to deal with them if they do. Splitting up and running is probably the worst thing they could have done.
The five of them, even unarmed, approaching the bear as a group would
probably have frightened it off.
Probably. But not
definitely.
Short of that, five unarmed city folk splitting up and fleeing in five different directions is as good a strategy as I can come up with. No matter how aggressive, the bear can only chase one at a time, leaving the other four unhampered escape.
Quote from: TboneAgain on September 22, 2014, 04:26:36 PM
The five of them, even unarmed, approaching the bear as a group would probably have frightened it off. Probably. But not definitely.
Short of that, five unarmed city folk splitting up and fleeing in five different directions is as good a strategy as I can come up with. No matter how aggressive, the bear can only chase one at a time, leaving the other four unhampered escape.
I have an even better strategy. After years of living in the wilderness I've learned to stick with the slowest runner in the group. :biggrin:
Quote from: TboneAgain on September 22, 2014, 04:26:36 PM
The five of them, even unarmed, approaching the bear as a group would probably have frightened it off. Probably. But not definitely.
Short of that, five unarmed city folk splitting up and fleeing in five different directions is as good a strategy as I can come up with. No matter how aggressive, the bear can only chase one at a time, leaving the other four unhampered escape.
Black bear attacks are pretty rare.
QuoteNo one had been killed by a black bear in New Jersey since 1852, according to a 2010 report on black bears by the New Jersey Fish and Game Council.
Quote from: Dori on September 22, 2014, 05:58:43 PM
Black bear attacks are pretty rare.
All it takes is one, if your the slow runner.
We have a lot of black bears in WNC and there are spottings in my neighborhood occasionally. Normally they are not aggressive unless protecting cubs or pursuing food.
Quote from: MACMan on September 22, 2014, 11:23:05 AM
Imo, you have to have rocks in your head if you don't carry a sidearm when you're 'out in nature'.
Nah... I carry a pot and a metal-spoon when wandering beyond the campfire to take a...
you know.
Hiking... make noise, with dangling metal.
I never have time to care about what I encounter. I happened-onto a black bear from behind, then just stood motionless next to a tree. Nothing transpired. Same thing when I intruded-upon a moose and her calf.
Rattlers, copperheads... veer clear. Bees that live in bases of trees; not so lucky
there.
I walked from Bar Harbor to Acadia State Park in the middle of a moonless night and something made weird noises at me. I mimic'd it. Nothing happened.
A bat or something attacked me from the air on another night, in other woods. While I was snooping on a fox across a creek, an Army helicopter appeared over me and followed
me for several disturbing minutes, but that's another story.
All kinds of oddball stuff occurs in the wilderness. I make the most of being in the wild because I'm in suburbia a majority of the time, so mauling and
death don't factor-in.
Ironically, carrying a shotgun,
game usually disappears.
Quote from: kit saginaw on October 24, 2014, 07:49:03 PM
Nah... I carry a pot and a metal-spoon when wandering beyond the campfire to take a... you know.
Hiking... make noise, with dangling metal.
I never have time to care about what I encounter. I happened-onto a black bear from behind, then just stood motionless next to a tree. Nothing transpired. Same thing when I intruded-upon a moose and her calf.
Rattlers, copperheads... veer clear. Bees that live in bases of trees; not so lucky there.
I walked from Bar Harbor to Acadia State Park in the middle of a moonless night and something made weird noises at me. I mimic'd it. Nothing happened.
A bat or something attacked me from the air on another night, in other woods. While I was snooping on a fox across a creek, an Army helicopter appeared over me and followed me for several disturbing minutes, but that's another story.
All kinds of oddball stuff occurs in the wilderness. I make the most of being in the wild because I'm in suburbia a majority of the time, so mauling and death don't factor-in.
Ironically, carrying a shotgun, game usually disappears.
It's really pretty much a gamble and most of the time you're fine in the wilderness, but the more time you spend in it, your odds diminish.
I've lived in the wilderness for nearly 30 years, and I've had two very close calls in all that time, and a few warning shots at their feet did work, but that lion still stalked us from a distance.
I had a neighbor gored by a buck in mating season, he moved away after that, it totally freaked him out.
But you're right, make a lot of noise, let them know you're coming through, they prefer not to meet you in person.
It's the sick and rabid that force you to be armed.