Charged by a bear!

So I've lived in north west Montana for about a year and one week exactly, and I've done quite a bit of hiking and stuff throughout that time. Last night it was about 8:30 in the evening, and I was walking along this short trail (couple hundred yards) to this gorge where a river is funneled into a real narrow spot and there are huge rock cliffs on each side. It was late enough that it was starting to get kind of dark and the forest is pretty dense right there. As I'm walking down this trail, to my left something big comes crashing through the woods towards me. I started clapping my hands and shouting and it stopped. I listened for a second and heard an exhale sound like "PHFFFF" and then a few more large foot steps. I jumped up and down and waved my arms and shouted some more, and it ran away in the other direction. That was the end of my hike and I headed back to my jeep pretty quickly.

That spot is a good place to see moose, so it may have been a moose that charged me. But I think it was probably a bear, I couldn't see because the woods were thick and the sun was going down. I'm guessing that since it was so easy to get it to run off, it was probably just a lone bear and not a momma with a baby or two. If it was a momma chances are she would have mauled me and left me in a bloody pulp. So what I think happened is that I was being too quiet on the trail and it didn't realize I was there until I was really close. That was probably about the most excitement I've had in a while, it was a huge adrenaline rush knowing that I was just charged by a big animal and lived to tell about it.

Wow! How scary is that?! Makes for a great story though that you can probably tell the rest of your life! From what I hear you did exactly what you were supposed to do in that situation. That goes against all my instincts though, lol!

I am glad you made it back safe, we probably would have had no idea what happened to you.

I would have just disappeared is all though. I'm not 100% sure it was a bear, it could have been a moose or even an elk maybe. What ever it was was pretty big and could have trampled me easily. I normally carry bear spray but haven't at all this winter since there usually isn't a need for it when bears are in hibernation, they're awake now so its time remember to take it with me from now on.

Well... You have ought to make some photos

I didn't have my camera with me, and I didn't see what it was that charged me any way. I'm guessing it was probably a bear but it could have been a moose or an elk too because they are pretty big.

I always chuckle at the thought of someone jumping up and down flailing their arms around while yelling to scare things off. It's just a funny mental image.

It might be funny, but it works! What I was always taught in the scouts is to make yourself as big as possible, so jump around and wave your arms and be loud. The idea is to be more imposing than the bear, almost to be more dominate and hold your ground. If the bear doesn't fall for your act, I think I remember the statistics as being that you will be bitten once and swiped twice. So if the bear does maul you, if you can get small and curl up in a ball in the fetal position (like in that one movie), chances are you'll live but you'll be in pretty bad shape. So the strategy is to be bigger than the bear, then play dead if that doesn't work.

I need to get me a backpack with a spring loaded frill that pops out like the poison spitting lizards in Jurassic Park and makes me look really big, it needs to have all sorts of crazy colors on it too.

When I'm not using it to go hiking in the woods I can take it with me to Grateful Dead gigs and trip everyone out.

That would probably do the trick.....

A lot of people keep whistles on a necklace too, that way they have something loud to ward off predators and something with them for signaling in case they get into trouble and are injured or something and can't shout out for one reason or another.

What about bringing an air horn? I think that would do the trick. Seems to scare alot of these people too:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24DFiLfzjfE

An airhorn would probably do the trick too, but just knowing me I'd blow it just for fun and it would run out and I'd have to buy a new one.

How about Running away ?

They normally say to just hold your ground and don't run away until it is your last option. Black bears are especially playful so if you run they will chase you, even if when they charged you they were only bluffing and didn't intend to actually maul you. Black bears can climb trees too so that wouldn't be a very good escape.

I'm not too worried about a bear climbing up a tree after me for two reasons.

1) I'm going to start kicking it in the face as soon as it gets close enough to me.

2) It's going to have a tough time getting to me in the first place when I realize there's a bear climbing up the tree after me and it starts raining urine when I piss myself.

* Different Story but same Fear *

Recently, our neighborhood complained we need to hire new security guards and MYR $ 30-40 required from each household.

*** cut the long story short

Well, if there were going to be many thieves and robbers near our house, I am just going to run -- if I was walking nearby doing exercise. Never had I really been able to think about Fighting back ( Like Facing a Bear ). Now, I think if I should do otherwise after hearing from this thread.

. . . But Humans with intentional harm are ' much ' more dangerous than all kind of animals. Humans can be the most evil animal ? . . .