Kodiak Bear Thoughts, part II

[hap]

A month or so ago there was a thread about bear safety and spray, which I give/gave a big thumbs down. I just returned from being forced to fish Kodiak Island again for three full weeks. It was perhaps the best Indian Summer in Kodiak history as days were clear, cold and beautiful... And the bears were everywhere!

I guesss I interfaced with at least 50-60 Kodiak bears during the 3 weeks. One day we bumped into 7. A number of times bears showed up while we were fishing and we simply left, particularly if we knew that bear from prior visits.

Late in the summer the bears start feeling the effects of a rotting fish diet (they always eat rotten fish in preference to fresh) and when it gets bad enough they climb the mountain to eat bear grass and berries. They then cycle up for grass and berries and down for fish when the gut feels better. They often repeat this for weeks.

In late September we fished a small stream close to Kodiak airport, the Buskin River, and were interrupted by a bear I recognized as timid from prior trips. I hazed the bear by not moving and maintaining eye contact while talking to him. Realizing I was backlit and probably looking smaller I moved around the bear to get in direct sun as the bear moved across the river. He did not hesitate to leave when I did not flinch and kept staring at his eyes. He could not maintain eye contact.

However, as he waded down the far shore he stopped to eat grass several times... An obvious sign I had chosen poorly and this was a bear to be left alone. I backed off and the bear climbed the far bank and made a little nest to nap in, about 50 yards below the pool we were fishing. It was perfect. As others came to fish I casually mentioned the napping bear and pointed it out and everyone left!

Hundreds of monster silver salmon hung in the pool and the fishing was exceptional! I took each small handful of fish to the van to prevent the bear from chasing us off them later.

A friend fishing with me asked later why I did not have my revolver in-hand while staring down the bear. I explained that would have required a trip to the van because I was not carrying it...

Another day on the same hole a different bear came down the river and we vacated immediately, with good haste. About a 9' boar, he had no inclination to be intimidated by by a fat guy in rubber pants... In previous encounters he had shown no hesitation to stare back when meeting. Besides, he was simply so big he intimidated me.

My point is simple, despite the windiness... Most bears are not an issue and if you spend some time around them there is little need for concern. But those bears at the top of the pecking order know it and should not be toyed with.
art in rubber pants

[hap]

I am a bit surprised no one has additional comment or insight on bears...
art

[J Castwell]

Well, ok. I really don't know squat about the things but enjoy your reports about them. I knew Fred Bare and he shot one of them and that impressed me quite a bit. Mostly I know if I find piles of 'stuff' with little bells in it,,, make sure I can outrun my buddy.

[jjtroutbum]

Good report!! First time that I saw it.

Was the lack of the gun just an oversight or possible overconfidence?

JJ

[JohnScott]

Art -

My reaction when I first read your post was that the situation you find yourself in with bears is very atypical. I've only seen a few bears, some black bears and a few grizzlies, and the circumstances were nothing like you describe.

The way you can manage the situation, based on familiarity with given bears, is not something that would work most of the places I might run into them, and it might literally be "running into" them at very close range in tight quarters. I suspect most of the folks down in the lower 48 who get out in the backcountry are more likely to have that kind of encounter than the kind you describe.

Maybe that is why I differ with you on carrying bear spray. Not thinking in terms of having plenty of opportunity to manage the situation makes having other options and some measure of defense more important.

I do think noise and bear awareness are the first and best defenses. Just carrying bear spray is a great way to up the awareness factor. For that reason alone, I would encourage anyone going into bear country, black or grizzly, to carry it "at the ready."

John

[hap]

Good report!! First time that I saw it.

Was the lack of the gun just an oversight or possible overconfidence?

JJ

JJ
I guess it is possible to call it overconfidence, but knowing what to look for in a bear to decide whether to hang around or leave immediately maintains perspective...

More often than not I go without a gun of any kind. This year there were far more bears than usual on the Kodiak road system and they were a bit more aggressive than usual, so I carried a gun quite a bit this year.

Last year I had an issue with a woman carrying a shotgun that had no business doing so. She carried it "hot" and had no concept of not pointing it at people. We had words...
art

[hap]

John
Individual bears act quite differently and they probably act much the same way in other places as they do here. I have "met" bears in many states and many circumstances and find they are pretty much the same based on what they have available to eat.

My experience with bear spray is what keeps me from carrying it, not the bear situations I find myself in. I have seen it deployed twice and neither use made the problem go away and firearms were required in both. Further, there are many stories of folks misusing the spray and incapacitating themselves. The more "at the ready" the spray is the more inclined folks are to accidently discharge it.

A story often repeated which I cannot verify in any way involves a cannister release inside a very small plane cockpit...

Then there is the old joke about the tourist asking if bear spray actually kept the bears away because it really burned when applied...
art

[ggh]

I don't know beans about bears except there is no question where I belong on the food chain. Wasn't there a bear guru/expert a year or so ago who had essentially lived with hundreds of bears phtographing them, knew all about what to do and not do, etc., and he and his girl friend were eaten by one of the Gentle Bens?

[alra195]

I certainly would have to put myself in the camp of not having much information of real relevance to add to this post. Yet I feel complete to ask - "if you don't have a back up plan when dealing with bears isn't your first mistake likely to be your last?"

I certainly understand that having some savvy and being able to "read" an animal is as much art as science (maybe more). I consider myself a pretty fair judge of dogs and horses. Thank god, neither have tried to eat me, or at least not much of me, yet. I've make a couple of judgment errors on both and end up with more wear and tear than I wanted. Bears are something I'd like to work real hard at minimizing my "mistakes" with!

A friend of mine went fishing in Alaska this summer. He brought back some great photo's. I was most impressed by the ones of the "guide" with the 870 slung over his back. Looked to me like the best plan I could think of for fishing in "bear county".

Watch your back out there and stay safe.

[joe cool]

Ive only ever encountered one wild bear, and that was while hunting in western PA. It was so large we initially thought it was 2 bears laying side by side until it got up and mosied on down the hillside about 30-40 yards away.

As far as carrying some form of protection in bear country, I think it just makes sense to carry it. The weight of a revolver or a can of bearspray isn't going to be enough to limit mobility, so why not take it just in case. If there's anything Ive learned about wild animals and nature in general, its that no matter how much you know, you'll always be surprised. If that surprise happens to be a large bear acting differently than I expected I'd rather be prepared.