just recently there was a bear attack in tennesee where a woman and her children were attacked. a 2 year old girl was killed, and the mother and her 6 year old were both injured.
this is a terrible and tragic event, but the truth is that black bears are usually very, very peaceful
and are almost never in any way inclined to attack people. not that i’m mr. woodsman, but i wanted to share a few bits of information in case you ever do find yourself in the presence of a bear in the woods(bears live on my property upstate, so i encounter them on occasion).
1-black bears and grizzly bears are very different. black bears are smaller and less agressive, and on the east coast we have black bears, so that’s what i’ll deal with as that’s what i know. the basic rule is: if you encounter a black bear and it sees you, you should make yourself look as big and scary as you can.
a-never run away from a black bear. this oftentimes will incite a peaceful bear to attack, and they run about twice as fast as people.
b-never play dead with a black bear. this only sometimes works with grizzly bears, but not with black bears. an otherwise peaceful black bear will be inclined to attack you if you play dead.
c-never climb a tree to get away from a black bear. they are great tree climbers.
d-if you encounter a black bear in the woods and it sees you, try to make yourself look as big and threatening as possible. 99 times out of 100 they’ll just walk away. if a bear rears up on its hind legs it’s not threatening you, it’s just trying to see you and figure out what you are.
e-if you encounter a bear you should slowly try to back away while facing the bear, maybe while making
yourself look big and threatening(if it’s seen you), or quietly and subtly(if it hasn’t
seen you).
black bears are incredibly peaceful animals, and they almost never attack people.
also, if you’re camping you should never leave food lying around. and if you put food in your car you should put in the trunk, where they can’t get at it.
sometimes black bears will charge. if you’re charged by a black bear you should yell and make yourself look huge. never ever run away, as crazy as that might sound. a charging black bear(even a momma bear protecting her cubs)will almost always back away at the last minute if you’re making yourself look huge and scary to them.
ok, that’s my bear wisdom…
i’m only writing it down because the black bear population on the east coast is growing very quickly, and anybody who spends any time in the woods has a good chance of, at some point, encountering a black bear.
-moby