Brave hunters

[grendel]

I was watching a documentary on Grizzlys awhile back,moma bear was out with the cubs when papa bear showed up, I guess he was hungry for some thing other than salmon because he grabbed a cub and ripped it apart . male bears generally kill cubs on sight, it is Gods way of controlling the population. when I was in Alaska I went Kayaking in Tongass for a few nights. My buddy who lived up there loaned me a shotgun and told me That if I saw a bear and it did not retreat to shoot it immeadiatley. He was a police officer up there, and knew a little about Grizzlys.
This video depicts a very unusual situation, it is legal to hunt bears, it is neccesary to hunt bears. that sow came out of nowhere. All the warning shots in the world would not have stopped that charge, the hunters were yelling because the human voice is more likely to frighten a bear than a gunshot.
It turned out lousy but the hunters did the right thing. Personally I hope I never have to shoot a bear,the meat is not all that great as far as I am concerned and they are awesome animals. I wonder if I would have the courage to shoot straight if I was charged by A grizzly? It takes balls to stay steady in that situation.
please forgive my spelling somone talked me into about 10 shots of Drambuie tonite, good stuff!

 

[grendel]

Just another thought....Does anyone suppose that a wild animal will ever die an easier death than being shot?

 

[pinelandpaddler]

grendel, why do you feel it is necessary to hunt bears, especially in Alaska?

 

[BEHR655]

grendel, why do you feel it is necessary to hunt bears, especially in Alaska?

If you don't mind, I'll try to answer that. Grendel is nursing a hangover I'm sure.
Animal populations, not just bears, need to be kept in check. If their numbers grow too large they will encroach too much on the human population which is a dangerous situation. Also starvation will occur. Given the choice, I know I would rather be shot to death than starve to death.

I don't expect those that are against hunting to ever come to accept it. Just like I don't expect or hope that hunters will ever stop hunting. I don't hunt and never have. I don't think I could put one between a cute little Bambie's eyes or even a mean ol' bear (unless it was going to eat me). I do however believe it is a necessary thing and thank the "responsible" hunters out there for doing their job.

Steve aka Bear (don't shoot me please)

 

[foofoo]

bears dont hang out together like people. there is no ma-ma, pa-pa, and baby bear living in a cave together gathering nuts. thats just dopey to think that. the fact a sow showed up behind a boar grizzly is odd. males will kill and eat cubs so it can mate again with the sow.what happened on video is not what normally happens in the wild. maybe the sow caught wind of the boar in the area and went into defend mode or maybe the wind and rain masked the fact and the sow had no idea the boar and the hunters were there till she was on top of them and then got raged. to me she looked like she was on a full charge . i dont know what you saw. some people as i do eat bear meat. there numbers need control too. ive seen many shows on discovery about grizzlies killing off extremely high percentages of moose calves and other game. when the salmon dont run they come into the villages and cause havoc. when you get on the bears playing field you become part of the menu also. this hunter originally was stalking them with a bow if you watched and listened . those hunting trips cost like 10,000$ and up and very limited hunting permits. the state decides through its use of biologists to determine how many should be harvested. due to weather conditions i guess he used a gun. and yes all life is sacred. im the first one flipping horseshoe crabs over on the beach or feeding the pigeons.if you think a bit its stupid simple to figure out. for an anti hunter its just weird to think they'll chow down on a steak or set out ant traps and not bat an eye about the death of the animal. just because an animal is all fuzzy and cute gets them a status that they shouldnt be harvested for food? its called conservation and animals are a renewable re-source. just because we live in our little igloos in new jersey i know its hard to think outside the lifestyles of others. look what happened to that poor lady jogger in california. why dont you tell her now grown up kids why hunting mountain lions shouldnt be allowed when there numbers are out of hand. hunters arent about wiping critters off the planet. we have done wonders with conservation efforts and our put our money where our moulths are. just to let you know hunters saved africa. on another subject corzine wants to pump all your tax dollars into saving bears in this state. something like another million from what i herd.hunters will control there numbers for free. the biologists in the state agree hunting is the only viable cost reasonable solution. at least the meat will be in my freezer and cape on my wall than in a dump site because the bear had to be dispatched by an officers handgun. again if you dont have the stomache for the hunting lifestyle thats fine but the way some of you ass-umed stuff on that video is goofy.

 

[Badfish740]

I don't expect those that are against hunting to ever come to accept it. Just like I don't expect or hope that hunters will ever stop hunting.

Well said Steve, now everyone play nice.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Steve,

Animal populations, not just bears, need to be kept in check. If their numbers grow too large they will encroach too much on the human population which is a dangerous situation. Also starvation will occur.

But we're talking about Alaska here! Besides, wherever there is encroachment, I'm sure it the human population doing the encroachment.

 

[foofoo]

Foo; you said.."its unfortunate that nature has programed these animals to kill anything when it gets near its space when they have cubs".

Its unfortunate for who? The Bear? You say that likes its some sort of defect we 'humans' should not have to put up with. Should she have instead yelled across the tundra...."hey, nice shot"!

BOB, just like the shows i saw that shocked the crap out of me on hippos in the wild. through evolution these type bears are programmed kill any threat within a pretty good distance. weather its from thousands of years of living with protecting cubs from male bears or other threats like wolves it is part of there genetic program today. you know like when a dog makes a circle before laying down for no reason. thats how wolves made a bed in the grass. its still in there make up. black bears dont do this type behavior because they have evolved differently. GET IT? if sow grizzlies were known for bluff charges i know i would think different before pulling the trigger. you who live in new jersey dont understand whats going on out there in alaska by your comments. thats o.k. now maybe youve learned. you dont have to like and i respect that.

 

[bobpbx]

BOB, just like the shows i saw that shocked the crap out of me on hippos in the wild. through evolution these type bears are programmed kill any threat within a pretty good distance. weather its from thousands of years of living with protecting cubs from male bears or other threats like wolves it is part of there genetic program today. you know like when a dog makes a circle before laying down for no reason. thats how wolves made a bed in the grass. its still in there make up. black bears dont do this type behavior because they have evolved differently. GET IT? if sow grizzlies were known for bluff charges i know i would think different before pulling the trigger. you who live in new jersey dont understand whats going on out there in alaska by your comments. thats o.k. now maybe youve learned. you dont have to like and i respect that.

I have been to Alaska and have seen grizzly bears in the wild in Denali Park. They do bluff charge. I would not get close to one to try it out though. Mama didn't raise no fool.

http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/mammals/grizzly/misunderstood_bear.pdf

 

[foofoo]

DENALI is a place where the public goes to see a version of wild alaska. bears may tolerate the people better due to constant exposure. where those hunters were is all wild. those coastal brown bears are another story. i dont think bluff charges are in there vocabulary.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

FYI, foofoo, I don't think that anyone's who's voiced an opinion in this thread is anti-hunting.

 

[Teegate]

"As the animal got closer and closer to going down, an animal sort of loses its thinking -- its ability to rationalize what's in its best interest," Larsen said.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/05/moose.v.helo.ap/index.html


Guy

 

[BEHR655]

Steve,



But we're talking about Alaska here!

I'm sure they were not that far from a populated place. No need to go thousands of mile from civilization to hunt when they only need to go a few miles.

Besides, wherever there is encroachment, I'm sure it the human population doing the encroachment.

I'm sure the deer and the antelope once played where your house now stands. I doubt you have any plans to give it back. Just like wild animals, we move into new areas to sustain ourselves. It's just that we have the advantage due to our superior brain. I have no reason to believe that, if it were bears that had developed the better brain, they would act any different than us.

Steve

 

[pinelandpaddler]

I'm sure the deer and the antelope once played where your house now stands. I doubt you have any plans to give it back.

I'm not arguing that we should just tear down our homes and give it back to the animals that lived there. Alaska is a pretty big place and very few people live there. If people there cannot peacefully co-exist with the bears, than that tells me that the fault is with the humans.

 

[bobpbx]

DENALI is a place where the public goes to see a version of wild alaska. bears may tolerate the people better due to constant exposure. where those hunters were is all wild. those coastal brown bears are another story. i dont think bluff charges are in there vocabulary.

Foofoo, are you CooCoo? Have you ever been to Denali? Do you think it is tame, like, say Disneyland? Are you saying Denali is not wild? Do you realize Mt. McKinley is 70 miles from the front gate?

 

[grendel]

Pinelandpaddler,
If you and someone you cared about were "encroaching" on a black bear's territory by hiking on a trail in the pines and the bear attacked your loved one, say for instance a child how would you respond? Would you just walk away and say that nature had taken its course?

 

[grendel]

Behr655
good answer

 

[pinelandpaddler]

If you and someone you cared about were "encroaching" on a black bear's territory by hiking on a trail in the pines and the bear attacked your loved one, say for instance a child how would you respond? Would you just walk away and say that nature had taken its course?

I would defend myself and my own, of course. Grendel, my issue is not with the fact that the hunters shot the mother in self-defense. My issue is with the hunt altogether.

 

[dragoncjo]

I agree with pinepaddler. I have absolutely no problem with hunting when it is done to control animal populations. I don't know these guys but I can say with 90% certainty that these guys were not hunting because they were starving and needed food to put on their table, or because there intention were to control grizzly bear populations in alaska. I agree once it charges you have to shoot it. But I agree with pinepaddler what is the neccesity to go kill grizzlies in alaska. But I guess if you have the money to do it, it is ok....thats america. Also do grizzlies really not bluff charge? I have been bluff charged for about 20 feet by a black bear with cub. Why would grizzlies be different?

 

[grendel]

grizzlies do bluff charge,there are also 5 empty chambers when playing russian roulette......wana play?
Just for the record I would never go on a bear hunt, unless I lived in an area were they were becoming a problem, and I felt they were a threat.
It is legal in Alaska to hunt bear, and it cost big bucks for an out of state license.The population is actually on the increase and attacks are increasing.When I was up there a few years back at that time there had been like( I don't remember the exact numbers) 10 fatal attacks documented in 100 years. In the last five years there have been something like 7-8.
Interesting fact was that in that same 100 year period there were over 150 fatal dog attacks. People are much more likely to have run ins with dogs.
As more people go into remote areas there will be more attacks, for a state with such a huge tourist industry I can see why they want to keep the bears in check. Is it all about money? You betcha. Does that make it right?..................