Cuty Folk Sure are Dumb

Apparently this guy thought he could get within 50 yards of a Grizzly and nothing would happen.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/25/13479502-grizzly-mauls-hiker-to-death-at-denali-national-park-bear-shot?lite

A little math for you city folk before you go looking for Grizzlies:

Bears run about 30 plus miles per hour...
the formula for "feet per second" is: (mph) * 1.466666 = (ft/s)

So 30mph x 1.46 = 43.8 fps
30 mph = 43.8 fps

So in this case... if this hiker was 50 yards from this bear:

1 yd = 3 ft.
50yds = 150 ft.

150 ft./43.8fps = 3.4 seconds...

Take a little advice from someone who has hunted in bear country and has spent most of his life out in the woods. Stay as far away as you can. Animals do not care about intent. They do not sense "good intentions". You are not now nor will you ever be "one with nature". I would also recommend protection. 44 magnum works wonders.

Disclaimer: I do not know for sure if this guy was from the city, but a country boy would be smart enough not to get near that bear.

am guessing you meant "city folk"?

Damn that "i" and "u" being so close together and damn my big, fatass fingers.

Yeah, kinda makes the topic ironic don't it.

Marconius wrote:
Yeah, kinda makes the topic ironic don't it.

I was thinking it'd be some "dumb blonde" article really.....

Thats why I'm glad that the only wild grizzly left in California is the one on our state flag. California once had a considerable population of brown bears, however they were systematically annihilated in the late 1800's. Once can only wonder why.

We still have plenty of black bears, but they're far less dangerous.

Bryant wrote:Thats why I'm glad that the only wild grizzly left in California is the one on our state flag. California once had a considerable population of brown bears, however they were systematically annihilated in the late 1800's. Once can only wonder why.

We still have plenty of black bears, but they're far less dangerous.

I would say it's better to have the grizzlies. There's worldwide shortage of brown bears apparently, while there's a worldwide surplus of dumb people. I'd prefer to lose a few idiots every now and then and improve the gene pool rather than lose the bears.

Miles1 wrote:

Bryant wrote:Thats why I'm glad that the only wild grizzly left in California is the one on our state flag. California once had a considerable population of brown bears, however they were systematically annihilated in the late 1800's. Once can only wonder why.

We still have plenty of black bears, but they're far less dangerous.

I would say it's better to have the grizzlies. There's worldwide shortage of brown bears apparently, while there's a worldwide surplus of dumb people. I'd prefer to lose a few idiots every now and then and improve the gene pool rather than lose the bears.

Eh, Grizzlies are nasty, aggressive critters. I don't think one has to be a complete idiot to become dinner for one, hence hikers in Grizzly country usually carry these:



Very few people even bother carrying bear mace in the Sierra Nevada due to the smaller size and lower level of aggression typical of the Black Bears that still roam the Sierra.

Bryant wrote:

Very few people even bother carrying bear mace in the Sierra Nevada due to the smaller size and lower level of aggression typical of the Black Bears that still roam the Sierra.

Pepper spray eh?

Many Alaskan guides warn against pepper spray vs Grizzlies. They say it works on the black and many browns, but for the coastal Grizzlies (the big bastards), it only makes them madder.

I never go to Alaska without a magnum caliber to carry. I have yet to be forced to shoot a bear.

Even though I am a big believer in conservation and the protection of native animal ranges, I am glad brown bears disappeared from my neck of the woods a few thousand years ago.

Bryant wrote:Thats why I'm glad that the only wild grizzly left in California is the one on our state flag. California once had a considerable population of brown bears, however they were systematically annihilated in the late 1800's. Once can only wonder why.

We still have plenty of black bears, but they're far less dangerous.

Yeah, but your state seems overpopulated by dumbasses. Don't get me wrong, I know and respect most Californians, but there are so many misguided fools here.

This past weekend the Humpbacks were feeding close to shore in Avila, just up the coast from me. The news was showing video of people out there watching. A few were on those big surfboard things that you paddle while standing(don't know the name of them) and had positioned themselves in the middle of the feeding whales. I know these guys think they were dancing with the whales to the rythm of the wind and surf, but some of the footage showed some of the whales attempting to breech, yet being "confined" by the spectators. I'm pretty sure those idiots in the water with the whales would have been shocked and surprised if and when one of those animals got tired of being confined by "ants" and breeched anyway, resulting in the death of one or two of those idiots.

That brings me to the part of the story that I loath. Why do we kill bears that attack humans??? We continue with the myth that once they taste human flesh, they become maneaters. No, they don't. They, like all other predators, take easy meals and an unarmed human is as easy as it gets. Especially if the dumb human is the one doing the stalking for the damn predator. I mean, get within 50 yards of any predator and you just made his job super easy. They may take you just on principle alone (easy meals and the caloric intake they provide, in the wild, are never turned down).