On Thu, 3 Jun 2004 15:04:48 +0300, "Osmo Jauhiainen"
wrote:


Practice tree climbing and always go out with someone you can outrun.

Tree climbing does not work here, because the bear is good in tree climbing
also.
The second advice is better!

OsmoJ

Only very young grizzlies can climb. However, there are also black
bears (smaller, but generally do more harm) and they can climb.

Legend has it that if you climb a tree to get away from a bear, the
black bear will climb after and get you, the grizz will look the
situation over and knock down the tree and get you. Probably a bit
more likely than the run faster legend. In either case, if someone
starts running, they can trigger the chase reflex. Since both kinds
of bears can outrun any human, well... So if I'm with you and we spot
a bear and you run, I'm going to stand still and look like a tree
until the bear is dining happily and then I'll sneak off a different
way and report the sordid story.

On the other hand, I've read about a guy who climbed a tree to get
away from a black. It kept trying to drag him down by the foot and he
kept kicking it in the nose. Eventually it got tired of that fun,
hung around a while to see if he'd come down and then took off. He
then climbed down and limped off for some medical help. I have never
heard of a grizz knocking down a tree to get at a potential victim.
Not saying one couldn't give a relatively small tree a good shaking,
though, and if it's a solo event, how would we know what exactly went
wrong?


--

rbc:vixen,Minnow Goddess,Willow Watcher,and all that sort of thing.
Often taunted by trout.
Only a fool would refuse to believe in luck. Only a damn fool would rely on it.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli