Comments on: Bear attack near Yellowstone https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/30/bear-attack-near-yellowstone/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:18:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/30/bear-attack-near-yellowstone/#comment-36974 bowser Fri, 08 Jul 2016 02:48:53 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58477#comment-36974 I had a similar incident, two drunk guys on ATVs, poaching. I had a similar incident, two drunk guys on ATVs, poaching.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/30/bear-attack-near-yellowstone/#comment-36931 ER Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:34:30 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58477#comment-36931 Druggies, bootleggers and smugglers operate in the bush, but even they generally leave you alone if they don't feel you are a threat to their business. But it is becoming a place for pure human predators, too. There is a new kind of villain, those who feel contempt for the stranger, either because "he isn't one of our kind and has no business being here", or because he has valuables, or women, which they desire and feel they are entitled to because they belong there, and foreigners do not. I understand robbery, murder and rape is starting to become a real problem on the Appalachian trail. As a young man, I did a lot of boat camping in small keys and islands along the Florida Gulf Coast, and although I never had any problems myself, I heard stories...When you are out there, you are truly alone. There is often no one around to hear you, or even gunfire. A boatload of teenagers is probably harmless, but you know you don't stand a chance if they're not. The professional watermen, crab trappers, scallop and oyster boats and mullet skiffs, that work those waters are always armed. Druggies, bootleggers and smugglers operate in the bush, but even they generally leave you alone if they don’t feel you are a threat to their business. But it is becoming a place for pure human predators, too.

There is a new kind of villain, those who feel contempt for the stranger, either because “he isn’t one of our kind and has no business being here”, or because he has valuables, or women, which they desire and feel they are entitled to because they belong there, and foreigners do not. I understand robbery, murder and rape is starting to become a real problem on the Appalachian trail.

As a young man, I did a lot of boat camping in small keys and islands along the Florida Gulf Coast, and although I never had any problems myself, I heard stories…When you are out there, you are truly alone. There is often no one around to hear you, or even gunfire. A boatload of teenagers is probably harmless, but you know you don’t stand a chance if they’re not. The professional watermen, crab trappers, scallop and oyster boats and mullet skiffs, that work those waters are always armed.

]]> By: SDG https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/30/bear-attack-near-yellowstone/#comment-36929 SDG Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:56:28 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58477#comment-36929 We saw Two female black bears in the park both with cubs in tow. Beautiful animals, which we watched from within our car. Usually if you make plenty of noise so they don't get surprised and don't act like prey if you find yourself too close, you should be fine. This Grizzly attack though...she had 3 cubs with her and they were clearly hunting humans. Luckily they caught her and she will be euthanized. An article I found said they won't be releasing the cubs into the wild for fear they learned a little too well from Mom. They didn't say what they would be doing with them though. Last year I was scouting out an alpine lake as a possible destination to take some first time backpackers. It was a quick daytrip along a trail I'd never been on before and all I had was a daypack with water, snacks, and a cellphone. I was by myself, so was moving pretty quiet and quick. I came upon the lake and surprised 2 guys in a ATV. We had a bit of a weird standoff. I got the sense that they were a bit upset to see me show up out of the blue. I politely asked about the lake, told them I was going to scout the other side of the lake for a bit. Then turned and went the other way onto a trail they would have had a hard time following. I felt real danger from these guys, though I don't know why. I meet a lot of people in the woods without incident or feelings of danger. I hunkered down and waited for them to leave before hiking out. I don't carry, but after that incident its made me think about it more. We saw Two female black bears in the park both with cubs in tow. Beautiful animals, which we watched from within our car.

Usually if you make plenty of noise so they don’t get surprised and don’t act like prey if you find yourself too close, you should be fine. This Grizzly attack though…she had 3 cubs with her and they were clearly hunting humans. Luckily they caught her and she will be euthanized. An article I found said they won’t be releasing the cubs into the wild for fear they learned a little too well from Mom. They didn’t say what they would be doing with them though.

Last year I was scouting out an alpine lake as a possible destination to take some first time backpackers. It was a quick daytrip along a trail I’d never been on before and all I had was a daypack with water, snacks, and a cellphone. I was by myself, so was moving pretty quiet and quick. I came upon the lake and surprised 2 guys in a ATV. We had a bit of a weird standoff. I got the sense that they were a bit upset to see me show up out of the blue. I politely asked about the lake, told them I was going to scout the other side of the lake for a bit. Then turned and went the other way onto a trail they would have had a hard time following. I felt real danger from these guys, though I don’t know why. I meet a lot of people in the woods without incident or feelings of danger. I hunkered down and waited for them to leave before hiking out. I don’t carry, but after that incident its made me think about it more.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/30/bear-attack-near-yellowstone/#comment-36928 ER Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:31:18 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58477#comment-36928 No doubt you heard about that on the news; about a young child being killed by an alligator in a lake in the theme park itself. Floridians are occasionally victims of two major predators, sharks and alligators, and the salt water crocodile (a potentially dangerous creature) is making a comeback from extinction. We have mammalian predators, too, bears and panthers, but they have learned the hard way that humans are dangerous and they tend to avoid us. Coyotes are becoming more common, and a lot bolder. I suspect that they will become a problem soon enough. I haven't actually collected statistics on this, but I'd be willing to bet more people are attacked by pit bulls in our cities than they are by wild animals in the bush. And of course, the most dangerous predator in the wild is not animal at all, it is human. I don't go much into the wilderness any more, but when I did, I always went armed. No doubt you heard about that on the news; about a young child being killed by an alligator in a lake in the theme park itself. Floridians are occasionally victims of two major predators, sharks and alligators, and the salt water crocodile (a potentially dangerous creature) is making a comeback from extinction. We have mammalian predators, too, bears and panthers, but they have learned the hard way that humans are dangerous and they tend to avoid us. Coyotes are becoming more common, and a lot bolder. I suspect that they will become a problem soon enough.

I haven’t actually collected statistics on this, but I’d be willing to bet more people are attacked by pit bulls in our cities than they are by wild animals in the bush. And of course, the most dangerous predator in the wild is not animal at all, it is human. I don’t go much into the wilderness any more, but when I did, I always went armed.

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