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Night of the Grizzlies
MarkBoknecht
Posts: 1,614 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
I recently watched a documentary on PBS about Grizzly Bear attacks in Glacier National Park, Montana in 1967. Tragically, two women were killed and the boyfriend of one of the victims severely mauled.
Speculation about the cause included campsites set up too close to the Bears' walking trail and two makeshift dump sites, injuries to the Bears making them more agitated, and the Bears emaciated condition due to hot weather and lower berry production.
My nagging question is if your going into bear country, why was no one armed? Not even a sidearm.
Comments
Pretty sure guns are prohibited in national parks.
Bears do come to the campsites in Yellowstone. It is legal carry firearms in the national parks. You do not need a permit to carry a firearm in a national park, but you must be in compliance with the gun laws of the state in which the national park is located. I had 2 handguns unloaded and locked plus clips of ammo in my trunk going through Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore. There was no hassle per I disclosed them to the officials at the gate before going in. They never checked. 😎
I thought about that as well, but the documentary MarkBoknecht mentioned took place i n1967 so the laws might have been different then. I just cannot imagine going into the wild to hike or camp unarmed myself, and it seems like a civil rights violation to prohibit individuals from doing so on public, undeveloped land when their lives might really be put into jeopardy with no other help available. Allowing unloaded and locked firearms to be transported within or through our National Parks is useless.
In Canada folks hike in Banff National Park where no firearms are allowed. There are Grizzlies in the area. People carry bear spray. I’ve heard everything from it’s effective most of the time to it might stop an attack and might not!
My Canadian friends told me that it usually works if used properly. But really, how do you ensure an attacking grizzly is going to attack from downwind? Ask nicely!!!? Also, what if it just pisses the bear off?
As Ron White once said, you just have to hope the bear only wants to "mate" with you at that point, then grin and "bear" it .😮
🤣😂🤣 I’d forgotten about that one! Classic!
Thanks for your input everyone. Makes sense the National Parks don't want people bringing in weapons, or at least in 1967 when they had never had a fatal attack. And that being the case, I would have slept in the Park's chalet. Certainly not in a tent.
There's a story about bears, pepper spray and wearing bells. The ranger explains that black bear poop is dark gray and fairly small, the brown bear poop is very dark brown, while grizzly bear poop smells like pepper and has bells in it. Could be true…
Used to do a lot of wilderness hiking/camping. Several days at a time type stuff. Never carried a gun (weight matters and a gun that would kill a bear is heavy) or bear spray. Used to hang a couple of cans with some small rocks from my pack to make some noise while I walked. Also say (loudly) "Hey bear…Hey bear" in areas where visibility wasn't real good. They avoid you if they know you're there. Extra careful in the spring when cubs are young. Also don't want to cook or have food too close to where you sleep. Saw a bear on rare occasions but never had a problem. These were black bears not grizzly but think precautions are similar. Camping near a place where people dump food is a very bad idea. All this said, if a lot of people used this area for camping, the bears had probably lost their fear of humans. Not sure there's a lot to be done in that case except don't go there.