Mt. Carr, NH Oct 8, 2011 - Bearly made it out alive / no joke

[John in NH]

Billski-- thanks for sharing your story. I have a feeling though most people haven't had a bad wildlife encounter in the northeast, there a lot of untold close calls out there.

you can train all you want, but you never know how you are going to react.

That is very true, I can imagine having a roaring bear that close is a reality that changes everything. Recalling book theory might not be that reassuring.
Glad you made it out safely!

 

[Bob Kittredge]

I believe I've read that you should avoid eye contact.

Have you ever seen a cat who finds that he has intruded on another cat's territory and is being confronted by said cat? The intruder isn't really looking for a fight, but he knows if he starts to run, he'll be chased. So he starts ever so casually edging away, keeping a careful eye on the home cat in case he attacks. Home cat doesn't really want to fight either, he just wants the intruder gone. It all comes down to a quintessential case of "pussyfooting".


And have I ever told you about the time I was attacked by a spruce grouse?

 

[--M.]

Thank you for posting! Having survived it, you're now in possession of one of life's great experiences! I can't say I'd wanna sign up for it (sounds kinda scary), but I'd sure love to have it in my memory, what a learning experience!

I'm also glad to hear that you'll try to process it all and keep getting back out there, that's great.

Lastly, "stealth hiking" may be seriously flawed, but that's how I hike. I like moving silently through an area, recognizing it's not mine, just visiting, and listening for what goes on there. It wouldn't help with bears (snakes, Zool, whatever), but it's how I like to hike, and I don't think I'll change (ask again if I meet a bear). I met a beautiful mama moose that way, and we each appreciated it while scaring each other to death! She ran..., thataway.

Thanks again!

 

[billski]

Remember that having seen a bear in the past will have very little effect on the probability of seeing one in the future (unless you insist on hanging around the old encounter site).
Doug

Doug, I'll have to spar slightly with you on that one. True, if all other variables were held constant, the probability remains constant. However the other variable is how many miles you walk. Since I hike a lot, my odds are far lower than Joe Beer Couch Potato. The other issue that pumps up the probability is that I enjoy remote areas, not in the books and avoided by most. I suppose bears do too, to get away from the noisy trials. So I've pumped up my probabilities much higher than your average touron. (Sorry, I had to say it.)

 

[DougPaul]

Remember that having seen a bear in the past will have very little effect on the probability of seeing one in the future (unless you insist on hanging around the old encounter site). But I'll bet that you will be better prepared if it does happen...

Doug, I'll have to spar slightly with you on that one. True, if all other variables were held constant, the probability remains constant. However the other variable is how many miles you walk. Since I hike a lot, my odds are far lower than Joe Beer Couch Potato. The other issue that pumps up the probability is that I enjoy remote areas, not in the books and avoided by most. I suppose bears do too, to get away from the noisy trials. So I've pumped up my probabilities much higher than your average touron. (Sorry, I had to say it.)

Bill, you may have misread my post.

My statement was that your having encountered a bear will probably have very little effect on you encountering a bear in the future.

No tourons were implicated in my statement...

Doug

 

[billski]

Bill, you may have misread my post.

My statement was that your having encountered a bear will probably have very little effect on you encountering a bear in the future.

No tourons were implicated in my statement...

Doug

Sorry Doug. It looked like you were making a generalized case, since the personal pronoun was missing. Ah, the beauty of typed correspondence.
Thanks for your thoughts nonetheless!