Take Canadian legal limits off owning/carrying this, and that will reduce the problem.
Posted on 05/15/2006 12:21:15 PM PDT by george76
A black bear chased, caught and mauled a bicycle rider on a mountain trail in Canada's oldest and most popular national park, and was shot and killed when it refused to leave the area, a warden said.
The biker, Greg Flaaten, 41, a Web administrator for the town of Banff, was being treated for severe arm injuries at Foothills Hospital in Calgary following the attack, and reconstructive surgery in the biceps and triceps area was scheduled Monday.
Authorities initially feared Flaaten might lose his arm, but that concern was eased when a key artery was found to be intact, maintaining circulation to the lower part of the arm, said Ian Syme, chief warden for Banff National Park.
A bear evidently ran down and attacked Flaaten on Friday evening along the heavily wooded Hoodoos-Bow River Trail through the park east of the town...
"We heard he had been chased on the bicycle for a while," Syme said. "We're not sure how far that was.
Certainly at the time when you are chased like that, things can seem to be a lot longer than they might be, but apparently he was chased."
Flaaten was found around 8 p.m. after two acquaintances, Robert Earl and Robin Borstmayer, saw his bike and a broken helmet near the trail, then heard him calling for help.
They spotted Flaaten nearby, along with dragging marks and signs of a struggle.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...
One more reason to stay in shape and practice interval sprints.
Sorry and all that the guy was injured, but that's funny no matter who you are.
well it is national bear awareness week.
be aware.
There is a huntin' season; bears hunt humans. No bag or size limit. And always travel with someone slower in a foot race than you.
"Say, I've found a perfect spot to catch us a bear."
"How can you be sure?"
"I saw a sign that said Fine for Hunting."
Never, Ever be the slowest in your party.
I know. To suggest such a thing means I have no brain
Also never be the last one in the group on the trail.
The predators attack the last one.
Bears-Gators in FL. People dying in wrecks with deer. Lots of Hunting needed.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them.
This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzley bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur.
Grizzley bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
Uh, ever hear of a dog mauling and even killing a human? How About a cat.....the spotted type.
The only advantge we have is brains, we're not as equipped in a fight as some of thee wild animals. A brain tells you to carry a GUN, now there's an advantage.
The bear will catch you, kill you, and eat you.
Even if you weight more than the bear.
This would be true of a wolf, mountain lion...too.
Just remember to hike with someone slower than yourself.
Then you do not have to out run the bear...just out run your friend.
nope...a monkey half his size would maul and kill you as well
No matter how much you do that, it would not be possible to out-run a bear.
Bells might work to warn a bear.
The bells will not work if the bear is hungry. The bells will just make you an easier meal.
Remember the little brass bells in the bear scat joke ?
"That is how you know that you are in bear country," said the farmer to the city girl.
Sounds like the bears and 'gators have already!
Identifying Bears:
If you see a Bear... climb a tree.
If the bear climbs up the tree and kills you... it's a Black Bear.
If it knocks the tree down and kills you... it's a Grizzly Bear.
If there are no trees around for you to climb and the bear chases you across the snow and kills you... it's a polar bear.
An atheist is running through the woods when he spots a bear in the distance.
The bear immediately takes chase, and the atheist runs for his life. Just as the bear is about to take him, the runner exclaims, "Oh, God!".
Suddenly everything is frozen, the bear mid-stride, and all the sounds of forest are silent. The atheist hears a booming voice from above, "So, now you believe".
"I, I, um, I can't become a believer, now", stammers the atheist, "All my friends will think I'm nuts. Make the bear a believer, so he will be peaceful".
"Done", boomed the voice. The sounds of the forest returned. The bear stops in his tracks and with a very peaceful look upon his face, sits down on his haunches, bows his head, and says, "Thank you Lord for the meal I am about to receive..."
Free, hot lunch for the bear...
LOL. That's the best response yet to my question.
... you're about to have your head torn off.
The bear will kindly remove that extra 40 pounds and let you lay there to die since he is no longer hungry.
Handgun?
Is that for shooting the bear or yourself?
You know what they say about having a handgun in bear country...
Be sure to file the front sights off so it won't hurt so much when the bear takes it and shoves it up your ass ;-)
With a .500 S&W you are throwing more lead and at a faster speed than the original .45-.70 black powder rifles did. Not that I ever want to play bet your life with a bear, I am pretty sure that would stop a black bear. Grizzlies? Well, at least you would have a fighting chance.
I've hiked at Glacier a couple times. We did see a grizz at a distance trying his hand at hunting Elk. What I noticed is you can smell bear, it's very strong, and have you ever noticed that someone staring at you without your knowledge can give you the heebie-jeebies? Bears too, but it's different.
You think that's bad, I hit myself with a stapler this morning. Hurt like crazy!!
Pray for W and Our Troops
Yogi to Ranger Smith: Up yours Mr. Ranger Sir, I am not leaving. He had a picanic basket and wouldn't give it to me. He thought he was smarter than the average bear, but I showed him.
Ranger Smith to Yogi: I warned you Yogi, now I have to shoot you. (BANG!)
Canada ping.
Please FReepmail me to get on or off this ping list.
I know this area pretty well. What's most unusual about this is that it involved a black bear, and not a grizzly. I didn't think black bears were all that common in the Canadian Rockies.
Animal muscle is much stronger than human muscle. A four-hundred pound man is no match for a four-hundred pound gorilla which could easily tear the man limb from limb. Aside from the fact that the four-hundred pound man would probably have a tough time moving at all. A grown adult chimp could easily whip a strong 200+ male pro wrestler which has been demonstrated in an experiment some years back. The much smaller and much less heavy chimp threw the wrestler around like he was a rag doll.
I was going bear hunting. But on the curvy road to Banff, there was a sign, bear left. So I came home.
Toss in the Canadian Geese as well. Crap everywhere.
Ping!
I'd rather spray lead.
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