11 Year Old Boy Killed by Bear

[W]

I used to sell bear-sized canister of pepper spray. I never actually tried to use it on a bear, so I can't attest to it's efficacy, but the manufacturer claimed to turn back bears as far as 50 meters away, even with a headwind of 20-30 MPH. Although, in this case I doubt it would have helped since the kid probably never saw the bear coming.

When I was younger I had a neighbor who was attacked by a bear while she was sleeping in her tent trailer. The thing ripped through the canvas wall, and grabbed her by the head. Her grandfather who was on the other end of the trailer heard what was happening, ran outside, and hit the damn thing over the snout with a big 5 D-cell Maglite. After a few hits the bear took off.

Bo brings bear spray along when we are hiking after we ran face to face with a mountain lion. I have yet to see a bear though!

Y'know... I've thought about carrying bear spray for that very purpose (especially since I usually hike solo), but part of me was afraid that I would just look paranoid. I do usually hike with a bear bell (although if there are other hikers around, I'll put it in the pouch so as not to annoy fellow hikers, usually who are making enough noise to scare off wildlife anyway).

After all the bear stories of the past few weeks, I'm starting to rethink that bear spray/paranoid dork theory though. My thought is that a live paranoid dork beats a dead hero any day of the week! Even minus the bear stories, there are still cats up in them thar hills.

[MY T PIMP]

My brother and his friend were confronted with a bear at their tent in the middle of the night in the Uintahs. They had to eat a whole weekends worth of food in ten minutes. To get rid of it. The bear kept pressing his nose against the tent and running his paw down it. My brother luckily brought a .22 pistol along and shot some warning shots that eventually scared the bear off.

[gonzo]

I used to sell bear-sized canister of pepper spray. I never actually tried to use it on a bear, so I can't attest to it's efficacy, but the manufacturer claimed to turn back bears as far as 50 meters away, even with a headwind of 20-30 MPH. Although, in this case I doubt it would have helped since the kid probably never saw the bear coming.

When I was younger I had a neighbor who was attacked by a bear while she was sleeping in her tent trailer. The thing ripped through the canvas wall, and grabbed her by the head. Her grandfather who was on the other end of the trailer heard what was happening, ran outside, and hit the damn thing over the snout with a big 5 D-cell Maglite. After a few hits the bear took off.

Bo brings bear spray along when we are hiking after we ran face to face with a mountain lion. I have yet to see a bear though!

Y'know... I've thought about carrying bear spray for that very purpose (especially since I usually hike solo), but part of me was afraid that I would just look paranoid. I do usually hike with a bear bell (although if there are other hikers around, I'll put it in the pouch so as not to annoy fellow hikers, usually who are making enough noise to scare off wildlife anyway).

After all the bear stories of the past few weeks, I'm starting to rethink that bear spray/paranoid dork theory though. My thought is that a live paranoid dork beats a dead hero any day of the week! Even minus the bear stories, there are still cats up in them thar hills.

If you do decide to pick up bear spray be sure to get a pepper spray (capsicum-based) and not mace. Capsicum-based sprays cause an actual physical reaction which causes the eyes to swell shut and sting, the sinuses to open, and airways to constrict.

On the other hand, mace only produces a pain reaction. So, individuals (or bears, or moose, or mountain lions) who have a high tolerance for pain will not be affected. This is why police started carrying pepper spray instead of mace. Drug users, particularly people high on PCP, have a very high tolerance for pain, and will not be deterred by mace.

One other thing to keep in mind when buying pepper spray is the aerosol propellant has a shelf life of about 2 years. So, be sure to replace your pepper spray at least that often, and give it a test spray (down wind!) every couple of months to ensure that it's working.

[tanya]

I used to sell bear-sized canister of pepper spray. I never actually tried to use it on a bear, so I can't attest to it's efficacy, but the manufacturer claimed to turn back bears as far as 50 meters away, even with a headwind of 20-30 MPH. Although, in this case I doubt it would have helped since the kid probably never saw the bear coming.

When I was younger I had a neighbor who was attacked by a bear while she was sleeping in her tent trailer. The thing ripped through the canvas wall, and grabbed her by the head. Her grandfather who was on the other end of the trailer heard what was happening, ran outside, and hit the damn thing over the snout with a big 5 D-cell Maglite. After a few hits the bear took off.

Bo brings bear spray along when we are hiking after we ran face to face with a mountain lion. I have yet to see a bear though!

Y'know... I've thought about carrying bear spray for that very purpose (especially since I usually hike solo), but part of me was afraid that I would just look paranoid. I do usually hike with a bear bell (although if there are other hikers around, I'll put it in the pouch so as not to annoy fellow hikers, usually who are making enough noise to scare off wildlife anyway).

After all the bear stories of the past few weeks, I'm starting to rethink that bear spray/paranoid dork theory though. My thought is that a live paranoid dork beats a dead hero any day of the week! Even minus the bear stories, there are still cats up in them thar hills.

Well you just stick that little can in the side of your pack and you feel safe and no one every knows.....

That is .. .unless your hiking partner broadcasts it all over the internet.

[Sombeech]

What should we do to protect ourselves?

Outrun the slowest person in your group.

[Mtnman1830]

In case anyone is considering doing some camping this spring or summer,
please note the following public service announcement:

In Alaska,
tourists are warned to wear tiny bells on their clothing when hiking in
bear country. The bells warn away MOST bears. Tourists are also
cautioned to watch the ground on the trail, paying particular attention
to bear droppings to be alert for the presence of Grizzly Bears. One
can tell a Grizzly dropping because it has tiny bells in it.

[asdf]

I have heard bells are pretty much pointless and you are better off clapping and singing as you hike.

But do the bells really work, or work the way we think they do, a federal bear researcher asks. Though he emphasizes that it's too soon to draw any broad or definitive conclusions, Tom Smith of the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center has tested a group of brown bears that seemed to pay bells no mind at all.

LINK

[Heather]

Such a sad, tragic story! :(

[JP]

Apparently, they like 11-yr-old boys better...

I thought that was Michael Jackson

Dont forget there were Grizzlies here in utah until 1920's.

And they didn't like the climate there anymore?

[sparker1]

It's tragic that a family doing things together have something like this happen. Probably the step-father's idea, he will have trouble living with this outcome.

[Tucker]

..

[price1869]

In case anyone is considering doing some camping this spring or summer,
please note the following public service announcement:

In Alaska,
tourists are warned to wear tiny bells on their clothing when hiking in
bear country. The bells warn away MOST bears. Tourists are also
cautioned to watch the ground on the trail, paying particular attention
to bear droppings to be alert for the presence of Grizzly Bears. One
can tell a Grizzly dropping because it has tiny bells in it.

It also smells like pepper.

[Scott P]

...

[derstuka]

I think the outdoors are too dangerous....we should all remain indoors and play gin rummy. I mean look at all the dangers we face!

IMO, I think a bell is a good idea if traveling alone. I use one when I ride or hike alone in secluded areas, to give a cougar (or whatnot) a little advance warning that I am coming, rather than happen up on him, startling him to pounce on me. Kinda hard for me to clap and carry and tune singing while making a grinder climb up a mtn. If I was hiking in grizzly country, I would be packing, as I would have a better chance with a gun than my two fists. Either that, or I would just bring a DVD copy of "The Grizzly Man, with Timothy Treadwall" and all of his great advice and antics would for sure keep me alive! That man is a genius!

Maybe watching "The Grizzly Man" should be mandatory for all backcountry activities?

[Randi]

What a tragic thing to happen. I can't imagine how the parents and siblings felt! It reminds me of a story I heard about two women ~ camping in Alaska I think (separate tents). One woman awoke to the other screaming and being tor apart after she was drug off into the woods. Kinda like a "Blair Witch Bear" incident. How horrible!!!

Anyway, some form of protection against wildlife might make sense, but the chances of having to use it are almost nil. I've got to agree with whoever said "you're more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a bear". Even if you spend year after year in bear country.
It's just not a common occurrence.

I don't know why a bear would attack a person unless it was caught off guard and fearful or aggravated, it's maladjusted ~ due to the introduction of people & people food into it's world (like the bears in Yosemite), it's sick, or it just plain smelled food. A bears sense of smell is keener than a dogs. Kind of like our sense of touch...so if that boy did have a food scent on him....well....that would explain it.


Funny bear story now: My b/f and I were camping in the woods with our three young kids in a "known" bear area. The kids were asleep in the family tent, and him and I were just chillin, reading our books next to the fire.

All of a sudden I hear this sound so I kinda jump and look around...he's like "what?", I'm like "I thought I heard something!". Hmmmm...we settle back down and start to reading again.

All of a sudden, he bolts outta his chair ~ it goes flying, and he runs away screaming "%$*#! A BEAR!!! GET THE KIDS!" I turn around and see this HUGE bear about 15 feet away just staring at me. I'm thinking "how in the heck can I get the kids? And what would I do with em?

I just stood there looking at the bear. Kinda surprised but not really afraid. The bear wasn't being aggressive. We both just stood there looking at each other and then he walked away.

My guy was sitting in the truck!

How's that for protection!!!

~Randi

[Shan]

I feel horrible for the family. The dad heard his kid scream and thought it was an abductor.

We bring a gun with us when we're backpacking or in bear country. My FIL mailed it out do us, so I guess we have it if we need it. Otherwise we hang all food and toiletries for the night. I don't go as far as wearing separate clothes for cooking and sleeping (though it is suggested), but I do change clothes if any food spilled on me. We wear bells and talk as we round any blind corners while hiking. Try to stay together and not get one person too far behind/ahead.

Even with that, I am always paranoid in bear country. I never sleep, every noise keeps me up. I still backpack and enjoy it thought!

Once we were in the Wind Rivers with a bunch of friends and they were going to leave all their half eaten dutch ovens just lying on the ground! Like 30 feet from my tent! I had to complain 10 fold to ask them to hang that stuff. The top of Green River Lakes is grizz habitat.

[donny h]

Hi all, I'm back.

It's a shame about the kid, it's hard to tell with the available info if there was some way it could have been prevented, sometimes, stuff happens.

That being said, I am a big fan of bear spray and I carry it often.

I have seen plenty of bears, and have never felt threatened, but there are other critters that have menaced me that I would have sprayed if I had spray at the time:

raccoons
a cow (don't laugh, that cow was a serious bitch)
geese (deadly serious here, geese are a-holes, I've been bit a few times)
crows (trying to eat my wiper blades, over and over)
wild dogs (more than once)
humans (some people just suck)

Bear spray. It's not just for bears.

I don't even know what affect it would have on a goose.

P.S. People shouldn't carry guns unless that are a decent shots, and have the mindset to use them. The best thing about using spray on people is that if a bad guy takes it from you, the worst he can do is spray you with it. The same can't be said of firearms.

[sparker1]

Driving to Alaska meant going through Canaduh, so no firearms. I brought along a flare gun, which wouldn't hurt a grizz but might scare him off. At least it might alert someone where to look for my remains.

[tallsteve]

Sad, sad, deal. I parked in that campground's parking lot Sat. morning to start my mtn. bike ride. I'm in that area 3-4 times a week riding the back trails and have never seen a bear or even seen signs of bear. I have seen mtn. lion and bobcat tracks and scat but never any bear.

[brettyb]

Very, very sad. The stats in the Trib kept things in perspective. At least 17 human deaths at the hand of black bears in the past 20 years in ALL of North America. And somewhere around 100 in the past century. So, after the fact criticism of the DWR/Forest Service etc. for closing the whole area is really unwarranted, as the risk was really not that great.

None of this is much comfort for the family, I realize. They were simply extremely unlucky it sounds like. And despite the extremely low odds of such attacks, I doubt I'll be sleeping too well during my next nights in a tent in bear country...