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

[bunker dunker]

what ever you say.i'll sticki to the 10 gauge,not much question after that.

[Eskimo]

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!"

They were five college guys. I used to do a lot of camping and hiking with my friends when I was that age.

The statistical probability of encountering a bear that has made the decision to kill and eat a person is very low, but any bear is physically capable of killing a person in seconds.

Bears are intelligent and very capable predators when they find something they can catch. Here is a video of a bear killing a moose calf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JVkaMqD5mI


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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

Originally Posted by gwl2oneida

Unfortunately no one was allowed to carry a legal firearm. A few warning shots would have more than likely been a life saver. Shame on nj lawmakers. As a ny resident I don't consider hiking this time of year without my glock.

Gwl,

Couldn't agree with you more. For bureaucrats to prevent people from protecting themselves is insane. I'm sure there's other matters to consider but why not allow people who hike to carry a firearm to protect themselves. The right to bear arms is an issue which will be argued forever but in the case of someone hiking in the wilderness there really is no other way to avoid what happened in this tragic situation other than to have some type of firearm to scare the bear away. Does it guarantee everyone would carry a firearm, certainly not, but is it an option which could save someone's life absolutely. It would also help preserve the balance between nature and society which is a delicate balance but one we can't ignore and think the only answer is to kill everything that moves. These animals are absolutely beautiful but they are wild and need to be respected and given their distance. As I said we are infringing on their land and there's less and less land every year they can survive in due to our own populations issues. If the right to carry a firearm addresses the right to protect one's self in the event anyone finds themselves in the same situation these five gentlemen in West Milford did, why would legislators not pass that law. It's something which should be revisited.

Dakota

Originally Posted by bunker dunker

were are the tree huggers now!!!!! I want one of them to go to that poor guys family and explain how cute and lovable bears are.

I'm sure this post will prompt a reply but it needs to be said. You're post make absolutely no sense. It's tragic that someone lost their life but that doesn't mean the bear population should go unprotected and it should be open season hunting them. Anytime someone strays into the wild they need to be aware of the surroundings and realize they are somewhere as previously someone said where they're not the apex predator. It's the same thing that happened with sharks when jaws was releases and the world was immediately brain washed into thinking the only good shark is a dead shark. The world population of sharks has plummeted ever since and it's nothing short of brutal what has happened to every shark species on the planet. Society has over developed every parcel of land and pushed these and all animals to the brink. We go into their territory and then blame them for when an accident like this happens yet it's fine to kill thousands of them a year. If opinions like yours were the edict of the day, there wouldn't be a bear, deer or any animal left in the woods or a shark in the ocean. Accidents happen when people go into the wilderness and as tragic as it is it's part of the balance which exists in this world. That doesn't warrant in my opinion the extermination of a species. Some hunters like fisherman are conservation minded but many want to kill anything and everything that moves. That's not the answer but that's the behavior posts like yours will provoke.

Like I said it's tragic someone lost their life and it's tragic the bear also had to be put down but it had to be. It's what happens when a civilized society keeps pushing the boundaries with wilderness to the point where one day you won't have to worry about bear attacks because there won't be any bears left to attack with opinions and attitudes like yours.

My condolences to the family who lost a child.

Dakota