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by wallyhs
3901 days ago
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I wish I knew what this bear was thinking: http://www.mtexpress.com/news/environment/bear-grabs-sleepin... "A Boise hunter sustained minor wounds when a black bear grabbed him by the head while he was sleeping in the open along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River last week." "He said that before the men went to sleep on the night of the attack, they had stowed all their food in a box on their raft." "Jon Rachael, state wildlife manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said unprovoked attacks by black bears are rare, and it’s impossible to say what motivated this one. He guessed that either the bear had become conditioned to people by finding food around them or perhaps was just curious, and grabbed Vouch’s head to see what it was." |
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I dunno, put yourself in the bear's place. I think the wildlife manager might be right: the bear was wondering what the heck it was, or maybe even "I wonder if I can eat this". Most humans Mr. or Mrs. Bear encounters are up and moving, probably making noise, maybe even spraying stuff at them (be it bear spray or bullets). This one is just lying there on the ground, presenting a fine opportunity for investigation. Or maybe I'm anthropomophising the bear too much. I'm with you: I do wish I could spend ten seconds inside his little bear brain to see what was motivating him.
One thing I do know is that, despite not giving bear attacks much consideration when I'm out and about, I would never, ever, ever sleep in the open if there might be bears about, especially next to something called the Salmon River. Sure, a tent ain't going to do crap to keep a motivated bear out. But a little "out of sight, out of mind" can go a long way.