Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Even Big Bears are scared of tourists

If in doubt- charge! Did that to a big black that was right in front of my cabin door when I was coming back from a boat check in the evening. I don't do that unarmed anymore.

Pretty funny actually - he bolted about 30 feet, then looked at me like, "What the hell is WRONG with you?"

Too bad someone 200 yards downwind failed to squirt some condiments in the air so they could add it to the list of lives saved with bear spray...

Ever wonder how good bear spray really is?



https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2P5O2BReaR/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

locals are smart, tourists are not. On both sides

It worked great for flushing her partner out of hiding.

Question is, was the Bear serious? Bluff charge?

You never know until you know.

That said if you do nothing at all, the bear has the upper hand IMHO. If you at least try to "scare" the bear you can turn them sometimes.

Bear spray. I don't waste the room and weight. I'd carry more bullets for that weight.

I have my own parameters and they are pretty close IE the bear can get pretty close while I try to disuade them before shooting. The one that ripped my tent fly off this past fall almost managed to get into the tent before a bit of speaking to it got it to stop, but had it made it into the tent instead of just the claws getting through the tent material it would not have been time for spray.
Also had one woofing and popping about 3 feet from the tent, IE Just out side the tent. That one would also have gotten shot if it made it into the tent. Thankfully a bit of speaking to it also convinced it that it wasn't something to risk. Even though both would have gotten some pretty good licks in had they continued and might have outright won the battle even.

The top one was not a serious charge IMHO. Just a y'all get out of here kind of thing. Then again you don't know until you know.

The bear spray one was a curious bear doing nothing but being a bear.

Became friends with a guy up there who made his living guiding...Mt Goats, Sheep, Moose, Bear. He said he had to learn how they react, and to get his education would go amongst them....but with a rifle. He said most times they would turn early....other times you just knew they were more serious about the mission. He said he eventually leaned what he needed and quit pissing with them before he made a mistake. Mentioned that them coming when they knew you were there vs when you surprised them close was two different situations.

Actually the question is inconsequential, the bear was not phased by the spray, yet many people put their faith in it…

I would think that question is directed at the actual bluff charge not the bear standing there. Its gotta be a case by case basis. Spray never hit the other bear that was just being a bear and standing there. On an adrenalin bear I have zero faith.

Heck I even am not 100% faith in my 458 because you have to have time to use it, hit right etc... But I sure have never carried spray and never will. If I need to warn I can fire a shot. Spray is just one more thing to carry. Another mindset to think of. And to have to deal with if you inhale it when you least need to due to wind etc.... I can tell you for a fact that it seems that in bear country the wind is never doing what you need it to and it will change shortly on top of it.

As Rost mentioned, the question was related to the encounter on the water.

He also mentioned other clues that indicated a bluff charge....head position, ear position, how soon they start to angle off. Just going by his experience. Been years since I talked with him, but at that time he had 32 Bear kills that he guided. Some of which he had to help with the ending.

This one didn't look too scared.

When I bow hunt in bear country, I always have this on my back, and that bear in the video below would have been cold stone dead way before he got that close to me.

3" High Shock Federal Express is a great way to stop a bear in it's tracks.

Not that it matters in bear charge...but only two arrows?

Cntrmass: Instead of taking the time to "charge" that Bear I would have climbed that tree!
Oh.... wait there were no trees available.
And I am NOT certain that photographer was a "tourist".
Thankfully he was not kill't, whoever he was.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

screw that if a bear charges me and i hopefully have a gun with which i do 99% of the time i will be shooting to kill the bear hopefully. and as the Federal warden said to me just make sure you spray that bear before i get there , so things will go a heck of a lot easier for both of us. wardens are sick of all this wolf and bear protection crap too.

I'm pretty confident that's Bruin Bay, which is now attracting lots of tourist attention since the NPS hasn't yet turned it into yet another Jellystone Yogi Bear park site. Immediately after some yahoo gets chewed up there after walking up to the bears, the NPS will have to start manning the river mouth to keep stupid people from doing stupid things.

I dunno- early in the vid, at a distance, the bear had its ears down, and that run seemed pretty determined. When it slowed, then the ears went up I knew it had reconsidered - if it was serious to begin with. Which I think early on it was. Also there is the vision factor. And the human voices. A short-range bear might not have that luxury of time to reconsideration that this one did.

Passivity or retreat in that situation on the part of the anglers was a no-go. Period. They done right. Yelling, making themselves bigger, showing aggression was perfect.

I've never believed a "warning shot" has any deterence whatsoever, unless gravel or something sprays the bear. It's just a loud noise. Better to yell and save the bullet for need... you might not have time to chamber another one.

I think where the ears went up is about where I'd have been shooting, maybe a tad sooner. On a black bear doing that there would have been flying lead when it cleared the water.

LOL

I just thought it was funny he yelled in shear terror and chased after it!!!