Bear Mauling Denali Highway
Bear attack reported at Mile 68 of the Denali Highway.
Forum Discussion
naturist wrote:
I don't know if it's true, but I have been told that dogs attract bears. The bears see them as possible lunch.
No,no it's alligators that dogs attract. lizzie- I wonder if the bear had the proper permit!
- Great photo Sue T
- Sue - you've never been threatened by a bear because you shoot it with a camera, not a gun.
Love your photos! SteveAE wrote:
Leave them alone and, more than likely, they will leave you alone. They are beautiful creatures. Enjoy their presence and take joy in knowing that there are still wild places left for them to live.
I photograph bears and have never been threatened by one. http://yukonsights.ca/Bears.html
Even spent a few moments with a rare Glacier Bear (a white Black Bear) in Yukon
- Maybe just me but I found the meat to be tougher and definitely had less, like no fat, compared to a fall bear. They are much easier to hunt, stand out on the snow, than in the fall. But I don't hunt any more, just judging from bears taken by buddies. I've seen some spring hides that were pretty thin in places too. Probably dependent on the shape of the bear when it hibernated. Some are very mal nourished when the come out.
fishhogg wrote:
It is actually the best time to hunt bear. They have not ate all winter, meat is prime as well as the hide.
^^^^This is correct.^^^^ The man was and hunting 68 miles in on the highway which is still snowed in which means he probably accessed the area on snowmachine. Not an easy hunt by any means, and the fella was 77 years old!
For those who have not driven the Denali Highway, there are many pullouts and gravel pits with free camping all along the highway, but you will not see a bear-proof trash can in any of these (you haul it in, you haul it out camping). There may be bear cans in the forest service campground on the western end of the highway but I've never stayed there.tonymull wrote:
It is actually the best time to hunt bear. They have not ate all winter, meat is prime as well as the hide.toedtoes wrote:
Update
Apparently the man and his companion were hunting bear when he got mauled by the bear...
Spring bear hunts....many reasons they are a poor choice. Especially in the far north.- I am probably going to catch flack for this, but here goes:
So you are wake up from a deep slumber by ugly, smelly, and noisy creatures in your home. You try to run, you try to hide, but they keep coming after you. So what option do you have but to protect yourself with your bare paws? Then, after one of the ugly creatures kills you, the first thing out of the local news is that a viscous homeowner mauled a poor defenseless creature.
Stories like this one, just serve to sensualize the "attack" and add to the misperception that bears are out "hunting people"....which couldn't be further from the truth. So while I hate to see a creature in pain, I don't feel sorry for the hunter. Poor bear.
Leave them alone and, more than likely, they will leave you alone. They are beautiful creatures. Enjoy their presence and take joy in knowing that there are still wild places left for them to live. (I am not a rabid environmentalist either)
Regarding hanging food, forget it unless the tree is quite high and even then, I have seen bears batting at food bags in trees many times. Use electric fences, bear barrels or other IGBC (International Grizzly Bear Council) approved containers.
Remember, when you see me up there this summer, hitchhiking either before or after a trip in the bush, please consider giving me a lift. I really am not a monster.....though if it is after the backcountry trip, I am likely to be pretty darn hungry so hide the little dog :)
OK, may the sticks and stones fly.
