This is horrible - 22 yr old killed by bear in West Milford

Originally Posted by buzzbaiter

Bears are not hunters, they are scavengers. This whole story sounds off to me. What five guys you know go for hikes together??? Pretty sure none of you call up your buddies on wednesday and say "hey, lets go hiking this weekend. I'll make sandwiches!"

I got chased about 8-9 years ago in Allamuchy State Park. That bear was on me before I knew it covering a good 300-400 feet in a few seconds. I climbed up a small hill, turned around and it was right there. I threw my pole, yelled/clapped and it stopped and turned away. I climbed up to the road, crossed thru traffic and ran down the shoulder. I then turned around and saw the bear with its paws on the guardrail watching me. That was not fun. Most times they simply turn away or I clap and they run away. This occasion was unusual but left its impact on me as I'm always a bit nervous while out fishing. Being someone who likes to hike miles and miles, I'm often far from safety. My best defense is whistle I carry.

BB,

That would probably cause me to end my wilderness adventures but it's a situation anyone, fisherman, hiker's, people just pulling over at a rest stop, could and probably have encountered. I'm not sure what I would have done but thank God you survived the experience to talk about it! A whistle is a good idea. Not sure there is any spray, like pepper spray, made for outdoor encounters with wildlife but it's something worth looking into. Correct me if I'm wrong but Allamuchy State Park is right near the Free Trade Zone off Rte 80 correct? If it's the place I believe it is, it's a pretty popular trail and usually has a fair amount of people but like I said we are encroaching into the bear's world and it's a world which gets smaller and smaller every year. I don't mean to come across as being insensitive to the family of the man who was killed or anyone for that matter but to simply make a blanket statement to kill bears or wildlife in general is not the answer. I have a boat and do a significant amount of fishing throughout the summer off the Jersey coast. If you ever saw long liners pulling in their 30 miles of line, hauling one large shark after another into the boat, cutting their fins off and discarding the remainder of the fish overboard still alive to suffer until it dies, it would bring a tear to anyone's eye and if it didn't you simply don't have a soul. As the world gets smaller we need to collectively address how these blurred lines are going to be better managed and wiping out one species after another isn't the answer.

Dakota