My guide and I moved off the trail, and he had his bear spray at the ready. However, the bear was not aggressive at all. In spite of the fear mongers who will insist that every bear is a rampaging maniacal killer, you can get a pretty good idea of a bear's mood. The bear was just using the trail, as we were, and our intentions were to give it plenty of space and let it go by. Had it attacked (very unlikely) it would have gotten a face full of pepper spray. Note that it is much easier to drive off a black bear than a grizzly, and this was a very young black bear. The bit about outrunning your companion makes for several variations on a very funny joke. But the reality is that if you run and your slow friend is smart enough to stand still or play dead, the bear will leave him/her and chase you. This was not a cub. It was a young bear, apparently recently kicked out by its mom, and now on its own. But you are right that getting between a mother bear and her cub is the most dangerous thing you can do regarding bears. My guides say that those bells are not even audible far enough away to do any good. But they are annoying enough that another hiker may toss you off the trail. Feeding wild animals creates dependence, and they will learn to rely on handouts and forget how to find food on their own. Please do not ever feed wild animals. Here in Waterton, there are loads of deer right in town. I'll post some pictures when I get home. Moose are far more dangerous than bears, whether black or grizzly. Moose will not eat you, but if you're dead that hardly matters.
I had never heard of bearpocalypse. But I like it. Being reverent (of nature) myself, I guess I'll be spared.
I've made it a rule to stay away from any animal that would find me soft on the outside, crunchy on the inside. So to say. This rule follows closely the rule of stay away from girls named Bambi, Stacyi or Barbi . regards Froley
My fun times have all been with girls who have those sort of names. I think you're missing out on something
:focus: Then you are missing 99% of the natural beauty of the world, in the misguided notion that everything out there is out to get you. With all the bears and moose and mountain lions, the wilderness is still safer than the highway. The most dangerous part of hiking in bear country is still the drive to get there. And I gotta tell you, it is spectacular here. Today we walked 20 km (12 mi) and climbed 3600 vertical feet and it was amazing. Today was my last day here. Tomorrow I drive home, and if I don't get killed or horribly mangled on the drive, I'll post some pictures. I really am far more afraid of the maniacs on the roads than of the wildlife here... though I was a little scared of falling off the mountain in just a few spots.
Well the natural world is good...and I'm sure you appreciate nature respectfully and in the proper manner... but the wildest animals I come close to are my two Boston Terriers. I could never understand the guy, you know that guy we all know, who would poke a snake with a stick until it bit him..... that kind of thing...or the adventure guys on tv I've heard of wrestling alligators (we don't have tv so this is office gossip). The--- let me train really, really, dangerous animals and put them on stage in a cage with me people...or the people who climb over the fences at zoo's for that perfect picture.... We humans are still a tasty, and once caught, noisy for a few moments, treat that can't run too fast to a mountain lion...and always will be. I like my wild animals at a distance i just don't like the idea of getting----- bitten--poisoned---mawled---stung---clawed--gored---pulled underwater---or stomped. Everybody loves the cute monkeys till they throw their crap at you... another example Horses----horse people adore an animal with power of a bulldozer, and the brain of a chicken....and they usually walk with a limp. Animals---we have an agreement---they don't come into Starbucks---I don't go where they are hanging out. regards Froley
Come visit some time Froley, we have some lovely wild life hanging around our homes. And there are more. None of these care to eat you but they can kill you all the same. Fortunately I don't have funnel web spiders (shiny black) in my back yard here in Adelaide. I do have redback spiders and Brown Snakes in the area though. Redbacks love living under window ledges outside.
We have a close cousin to the Redback: the Northern Widow. On the other hand, our snakes are pretty tame. Tom
We do have a salamander known as the hellbender, which is just cool. [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellbender]Hellbender - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] In the better safe than sorry vein, it's best to assume everything in Australia is made from poison.
What's really hilarious is sneeking up on a sleeping Grizzly ... then screem real loud. Our 1st Kalispell home (outside of town) was maybe 400 yards to the paved road and the mail box. Moma bear & 2 cubs near by ... 'oh, maybe I'll get the mail later' ...
Funny for everyone else, maybe. Here's a shot of a smiling bear, and another of baby bear with mom, just to show the size difference.
SSshhhhhh! You're leaking my secret plans for a new high protein food substitute I can't stand monkeys, they're filthy disgusting things. Where do you think the phrase "running monkeys***" came from? Don't forget that horses and cats have one thing in common: they're both too curious for their own good. Yes, as a kid I sometimes walked with a limp. I like horses, but also respect them too Oh, you're just going to LOVE lamas!
That's the part I just don't understand. If they can easily kill you, *especially* if you croak in horrible screaming pain, they might as well go ahead and eat you It would be even more entertaining if they started nibbling on you while you were still in the process of croaking That's the only thing I like about our plentiful garter snakes Common Garter Snake: Natural History Notebooks is that they are very tame and easy to get along with. I've actually felt very guilty about accidentally running over one with the lawn mower, fortunately it was instantly killed I've seen both the black/green and the black/red garter snakes. They have an amusing trick they perform in public: if a woman is nearby, in either a dress or a bikini, the garter snake will silently curl around her feet. She suddenly senses something cool coiling around her feet, looks down, and screams like only a woman *can* scream. I usually giggle until I pass out I agree. Just make eye contact with the average Australian wildlife, you're doomed. If you're very lucky, you'll instantly croak. If not, use your emergency first aid kit pistol to blow your brains out, so you won't have to suffer for 10 days You first! Yes, mama bear is *very* protective of her cub
You're INSANE! Garter snakes are a KNOWN TERROR! There was only one less death due to garter snakes in 2007 than there were due to sharks! The safest thing is to curl up in a corner in a fetal position completely covered by a blanket.
Me - afraid of a bear? BTW - this cat is from Josey near Philly...if Michael Vick considers catfighting and runs into him....
