Safety in the Woods

[+rowenaz]

Well, I can't get a gun, because everyone around here knows that my husband would use on me 123! Hhhmmmm, maybe I shouldn't go geocaching with him into the deep woods....

 

I heard recently at a geo caching event that with bears,

"Brown Lie Down,

Black Fight Back"

 

But I can do the windmill thing, and I am an awfully large lady!

I hope the bear doesn't fall in love...

 

Now here's the question - if the gun noise would scare a bear off, would one of those air horns do it too?

Or just piss him off?

 

No moose around here - and only two kinds of poisonous snakes, which I am NOT going to worry about....

[+Insane Kangaroo]

Well, I can't get a gun, because everyone around here knows that my husband would use on me 123! Hhhmmmm, maybe I shouldn't go geocaching with him into the deep woods....

 

I heard recently at a geo caching event that with bears,

"Brown Lie Down,

Black Fight Back"

 

But I can do the windmill thing, and I am an awfully large lady!

I hope the bear doesn't fall in love...

 

Now here's the question - if the gun noise would scare a bear off, would one of those air horns do it too?

Or just piss him off?

 

No moose around here - and only two kinds of poisonous snakes, which I am NOT going to worry about....

 

Air horns are extremely effective against brown bear. I'll try to explain... Brown bear will charge at you, but they're trying to make you go away. They'll suddenly stop within 5-10 ft of charging you then turn back to what they were doing. If you keep doing it, they'll do the exact same thing. I don't recommend doing it multiple times just for the fun of it. If they do charge you, do not run, they're faking it unless you're really close to something of theirs.

 

My friend was telling me a brown bear story about his family member, they were taping, and the man didn't understand "grab the horn!!!!" which the guy who was holding the camera was yelling. A brown bear started literally charging at them, it was not a defensive charge. They did ind the air horn... very quickly after they realized it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Scared the brown bear away, nobody was mauled... just scarred s***less.

 

I still recommend carrying a gun where its legal to carry. I'm sure gear shops have small horns for backpackers and such, especially if there is a higher frequency of bears in the area.

 

Why do I recommend carrying a gun? You never know if someone was antagonizing the bear, whether accidentally or purposely.

[+Insane Kangaroo]

 

"Brown Lie Down,

Black Fight Back"

 

Now here's the question - if the gun noise would scare a bear off, would one of those air horns do it too?

Or just piss him off?

 

I've heard about people being told to lie down with brown bear. The theory is they won't see you as a threat anymore and leave. This won't be the case if the salmon season is over and they're hungry. What to do is not attack a brown bear, but make LOTS of noise and yell like a mad man.

 

http://www.nps.gov/archive/bela/html/morebear.htm#encounters

 

"Identify Yourself - Let the bear know you are human. Talk to the bear in a normal voice. Wave your arms. Help the bear recognize you. If a bear cannot tell what you are, it may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening. You may try to back away slowly diagonally, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground.

 

Don't Run - You can't outrun a bear. They have been clocked at speeds up to 35 mph, and like dogs, they will chase fleeing animals. Bears often make bluff charges, sometimes to within 10 feet of their adversary, without making contact. Continue waving your arms and talking to the bear. If the bear gets too close, raise your voice and be more aggressive. Bang pots and pans. Use noisemakers. Never imitate bear sounds or make a high-pitched squeal.

 

Surrender - If a brown bear actually touches you, fall to the ground and play dead. Lie flat on your stomach, or curl up in a ball with your hands behind your neck. Typically a brown bear will break off its attack once it feels the threat has been eliminated. Remain motionless for as long as possible. If you move, a brown bear may return and renew its attack and you must again play dead. If you are attacked by a black bear, fight back vigorously."

 

I don't think I'll ever try to "surrender", I'd rather shoot the bear than take a chance. Identify yourself is what I'm referring to when screaming like a mad man, I don't know why they say to use a normal voice, the waving the arm thing is definitely correct.

 

EDIT: After reading the page further, I've come in contact with some very incorrect information

 

"Firearms should never be used as an alternative to common-sense approaches to bear encounters. If you are inexperienced with a firearm in emergency situations, you are more likely to be injured by a gun than a bear. It is illegal to carry firearms in some of Alaska's national parks, so check before you go."

 

To be honest, a .22 can kill a black bear, and a decent cal can kill a brown bear. It all depends where you place that bullet! Any untrained person would be more likely to get injured by a gun, its just common sense. A person can land a brown bear easy if they're calm, break the tunnel vision, and shoot the bear in the fkin' head. Also, it is illegal to carry a firearm in ANY national park. Most of the parks around me from Homer to Anchorage are STATE parks, which allow the carry of firearms.

 

I quote from the link below,

http://www.hss.state.ak.us/dph/ipems/occup...ocs/98ak006.htm

 

* Ensure that workers receive training prior to starting field work to recognize bear den habitat and react appropriately to animal encounters; additional training should be provided as needed to supplement techniques and knowledge;

* Schedule daily flights over work areas to assess site conditions before sending crews into the field;

* Consider having a person with wilderness training and experience on each crew to evaluate habitat for potential den sites and assist crewmembers in field safety issues;

* Consider providing animal deterrents such as pepper spray or air horns and training in their proper use and storage to all personnel that perform duties in remote areas.

Edited June 18, 2008 by Insane Kangaroo

[pirate_dani]

well, this is a very interesting topic. Im ignoring the bit about guns. In the UK, gun control is very strict, and hand guns are illegal. Heck, I dont even think I could get my hands on pepper spray over here.

 

I had a recent scare when caching by myself at dusk. Was walking fown a canal tow path, and although I was in the center of a town, I was fenced in with a half mile walk either way along to tow path, a fence on one side and the canal on the other. Couldnt even swim across to the other side. The bank was collapsing and completely over grown. Anyway, I approached a lock, but didnt notice a group of chavs fishing. One of the scariest things I have ever done was to continue walking past them while they watched me. Sheesh, even thinking about it now makes me shiver. They actually all stopped talking and watched mewalk past. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and tried to walk past as nochanantly as possible. Fortunatly, my mobile and car keys were in my pocket. Managed to get 112 dialed out and ready to ring and get a firm grip on the longest and sharpest key I could find.

 

I know it was a completely stupid thing to do. I would never have normally walked down there at 9pm, so why I thought it was a good idea to do it then I will never know.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the tips. Its been really quite uesful. Thankyou

[+Insane Kangaroo]

well, this is a very interesting topic. Im ignoring the bit about guns. In the UK, gun control is very strict, and hand guns are illegal. Heck, I dont even think I could get my hands on pepper spray over here.

 

I had a recent scare when caching by myself at dusk. Was walking fown a canal tow path, and although I was in the center of a town, I was fenced in with a half mile walk either way along to tow path, a fence on one side and the canal on the other. Couldnt even swim across to the other side. The bank was collapsing and completely over grown. Anyway, I approached a lock, but didnt notice a group of chavs fishing. One of the scariest things I have ever done was to continue walking past them while they watched me. Sheesh, even thinking about it now makes me shiver. They actually all stopped talking and watched mewalk past. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and tried to walk past as nochanantly as possible. Fortunatly, my mobile and car keys were in my pocket. Managed to get 112 dialed out and ready to ring and get a firm grip on the longest and sharpest key I could find.

 

I know it was a completely stupid thing to do. I would never have normally walked down there at 9pm, so why I thought it was a good idea to do it then I will never know.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the tips. Its been really quite uesful. Thankyou

 

You shouldn't fear chavs, they're only a low form of life after all and are easily tricked with shiny things. XD

 

Yeah well, that is sad about the UK and firearms, even though there is still a rise in gun crime, and a higher rise in knife crime. They'll ban all knives next since used properly they're more deadly. Looking at history, guns defeated the sword from a range, but in reality knifes/swords are more dangerous than guns. I'm going to laugh at whatever the nutters of the house do next.

 

My preference is close combat over guns, even though I'm a very intense gun person. Are you allowed to have kubatons or pocket sticks?

[+mousekakat]

After walking in the woods for an hour last night I have only one thing to say...

 

WAYMARK THE STUPID CARD!! :)

[+Rattlebars]

After walking in the woods for an hour last night I have only one thing to say...

 

WAYMARK THE STUPID CARD!!

 

You betcha! Marking your parking is very important. ( VISIT LINK )

[+Knight2000]

My wife and I carry concealed, legally of course.

 

It comes down to this. If something bad happens to your spouse or children that you could have possibly prevented by carrying a firearm, could you live with yourself?

 

We always tell our kids "better safe than sorry".

 

Obviously this is not a free license to act recklessly. You still need caution regarding everything. You can never be too safe. Carrying is hopefully only a last resort. Don't take chances with the lives of those that you love.

 

Depending on where you live and how you cache this is a big deal. After being in a few secluded areas caching we decided that carrying would be a prudent choice. After the training that we went through it only confirmed that it was. There is too much crazy stuff happening in the world.

 

No matter what you do, be aware. Have pepper spray, whistle, baton, stick, etc. You are more likely to be a victim if you are blissfully unaware of what trouble is potentially around the bend.

[+briansnat]

I was just reading on our local geocaching site about "fake caches" being set up by people to lure women geocachers to the site, now it may be urban legend/rumore (not sure of the term) but what the local folks recommended was making sure that other people logged finding the cache and if there was a high number of people who could not find the cache or you could not find additional info on who posted the cache then it is best to avoid for safety reasons because you could be walking into a trap.

 

This certainly sounds like nonsense to me. Think about it. You're an evil doer out to attack a female. You get your fake cache posted, then sit there for possibly days while you wait for a victim to come by. Certainly not the most efficient method for bad guys to find victims.

 

I think if this was happening we would have gotten wind of it in these forums.