Yea, more people killed in the lower 48 by black bears than almost anything else, partly cause there are so many, partly cause people thing they are "cute" & "cuddly" so the fools try to get close to them & get eaten. it used to be this sort of thing kept the shallow end of the gene pool pretty empty, see what "progress" brings? LOL.
SR.
Well, I watched Discovery Chanel's show " Feeding Frenzy " about the bears and some African lions.
Some guys plopped themselves in a very strong Lexan cube and placed some yummy treats outside to film what happens, sort of like the land version of a shark cage.
They later placed some human dummies outside the cube with them in it and filmed that too.
They wanted to see if harsh language would dissuade the bears from eating their "dummy" chained down friends.
No dice, the bears grabbed said dummy and took it into the bush and ripped it apart until they realized that plastic was not very tasty.
It was interesting to see how they fed though.
They like to pounce up and down on their food to crack the ribcage and can they run fast from a standing start.
So it seems playing possum would not be a good idea.
From what I gathered most "tourists" or joggers usually stumbled upon a mother bear and her cubs and they got caught in between.
And the others, well hunger would place us on the menu.
Quite eye opening for a city slicker like me in Southern Ontario.
I'd definatly want a 12 guage and as backup perhaps a loyal dog that could buy me some time/warning if I'd be venturing anywhere in the back country.
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