spectr17
07-18-2003, 11:07 PM
Fishing in Bear Country
July 18, 2003
By CHRIS BATIN, Fairbanks News Miner
I watched a large brown bear approach my brother Bill, who was standing in mid-stream with only a fishing rod in his hand.
The eight-footer was walking toward us in midstream. Suddenly, the bear began lunging through the current, shooting up geyser-like walls of water. The bear was hungry: His head was down, his mouth was open, and he had that look in his eyes that he was going to eat something in the next few seconds.
The bear continued to lunge wildly toward us. Fifty yards. Thirty yards.
"Steady, steady," I said to Bill as the bear suddenly veered left to pursue one of the hundreds of king salmon that were scattered across a rocky shallow. Having a bear run full bore at us was an experience that, depending on your religious orientation, would have sent most people to either a church or a bar.
"Watching it pretty closely, weren't you? " I asked Bill, noticing his adrenaline-induced, wide-eyed look.
"I didn't see you look the other way," he bounced back, "You didn't trust him any more than I did." My younger brother was right. You never trust brown bears, but this doesn't mean you can't enjoy watching them fish for king salmon. For me, fishing with bears is one of the highlights of living in Alaska.
I've fished with Alaska bears for nearly three decades. While there have been some close calls, I attribute my safekeeping as well as the bears', to a basic foundation of knowledge for fishing in bear country.
While brown bears in Alaska are only one-fourth of the state population of all bear species, they make up 3 1/2 times more attacks. Bear researchers claim that the average brown bear is 18 times more dangerous than the average polar bear and 21 times more dangerous than the average black bear. They say your chances of engaging a bear is roughly one in a million. Yet despite the odds, anglers should always carrying a deterrent in bear country.
The effectiveness of firearms versus no firearms as a bear deterrent is a topic that is debated in fishing camps each year. Carry a firearm if it makes you feel comfortable. But realize your responsibilities. You should know when to use deadly force, how to use and shoot a firearm under pressure, and the legal requirements of your actions. Most people don't possess these skills or knowledge, and for them, pepper spray is the best option.
Tom Smith, a bear research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, is a supporter of pepper spray because of its success in deterring curious/aggressive bear encounters.
"What I can say with some surety is that the possession of a firearm in no way assures the bearer's safety while fishing in bear country," Smith says. "Anglers and hunters with rifles have been attacked, as well as people with and without pepper spray.
"Pepper spray is a very good bear deterrent, even though research shows it's not 100 percent effective under all conditions. Unfortunately, most people don't get the opportunity to use the spray when they need it because they have it stashed away in their backpacks.
"Pepper spray gives people an option not to run," Smith explains. "People find it very difficult to stand their ground at an approaching bear. The reddish-orange mist and auditory hiss of an approaching cloud of pepper spray often has bears turning and running before it reaches them.
"Even if after a person has pepper-sprayed a bear and it attacks, do not lie down, but rather, turn your back to the bear and let it knock you down, if that is indeed what it is going to do.
"If you are knocked down by a brown bear, then assume the defensive position of face down, hands interlaced over neck to protect it, legs spread so as to keep you face down even if the bear attempts to hook a claw under a hip and flip you face up.
"If you are flipped, use the momentum to roll on over into a face-down position again. Be still. Remember the vast majority of brown bear attacks are defensive and they will nip-bite-swat then move on. If the attack begins to be prolonged--minutes perhaps--it is time to fight back.
"As for black bears, the majority of black bear attacks appear predatory. Always fight back. Do not play dead with a black bear. Convince the bear that you will inflict damage to it if it continues to attack you. It will likely break off the attack and leave. But again, never be caught without a deterrent. So many black bear attacks in Alaska could have been avoided had the person simply had a can of pepper spray or a gun."
Here's what you need to practice. Hold a canister of pepper spray at arm's length ready to deploy if the bear approaches within five yards. Believe in the pepper spray. It will work.
You can now face the bear with much more confidence than if you had nothing. With no deterrent in your hands, you'll be sorely tempted to back away or run.
Standing confidently means something to a bear, just as backing away shows fear. When standing your ground, your posture says to the bear, "I'm neither submissive nor will I be easily taken down. This will cost you if you try anything with me," whereas those who cower and back up are saying, "Bear, you are dominant and are in control of this show."
Here are a few final tips for fishing in bear country:
Hike and fish in groups of two or more, keeping close in poor-visibility areas. Avoid walking bear trails that parallel streams and rivers. If possible, walk in the center or along the edges of the stream, which gives you ample opportunity to see bears in the water and on the banks.
Always make noise when entering a thicket near a salmon stream. If you must walk through brush, make noise. Let the bear know you are there.
Many bear attacks take place with people who have pepper spray tucked away in their backpacks. Have a deterrent in your hand. Pepper spray should be out, in your hand, with the safety cap off. Hold the can in front of you as you walk through the brush.
If you hook a fish and a bear sees it and approaches, cut the line to prevent the fish from splashing and attracting the bear to you.
In the majority of conflicts, bears are essentially (and mostly unwittingly on the person's part), set up and were only defending themselves as they know how. Neutralize the threat, then move on. Bears simply aren't "out to get" anyone. They just don't take well to surprises.
It's obvious to me that people and bears pretty much want the same thing: to be left alone to do their own thing, and not be surprised in the wild. Take responsibility for your actions in bear country, and, like my brother Bill, perhaps you'll enjoy a case of the wide-eye this weekend.
Chris Batin is editor of The Alaska Angler and a contributing writer to Outdoor Life magazine. Contact him at chrisbatin@alaskaangler.com .
July 18, 2003
By CHRIS BATIN, Fairbanks News Miner
I watched a large brown bear approach my brother Bill, who was standing in mid-stream with only a fishing rod in his hand.
The eight-footer was walking toward us in midstream. Suddenly, the bear began lunging through the current, shooting up geyser-like walls of water. The bear was hungry: His head was down, his mouth was open, and he had that look in his eyes that he was going to eat something in the next few seconds.
The bear continued to lunge wildly toward us. Fifty yards. Thirty yards.
"Steady, steady," I said to Bill as the bear suddenly veered left to pursue one of the hundreds of king salmon that were scattered across a rocky shallow. Having a bear run full bore at us was an experience that, depending on your religious orientation, would have sent most people to either a church or a bar.
"Watching it pretty closely, weren't you? " I asked Bill, noticing his adrenaline-induced, wide-eyed look.
"I didn't see you look the other way," he bounced back, "You didn't trust him any more than I did." My younger brother was right. You never trust brown bears, but this doesn't mean you can't enjoy watching them fish for king salmon. For me, fishing with bears is one of the highlights of living in Alaska.
I've fished with Alaska bears for nearly three decades. While there have been some close calls, I attribute my safekeeping as well as the bears', to a basic foundation of knowledge for fishing in bear country.
While brown bears in Alaska are only one-fourth of the state population of all bear species, they make up 3 1/2 times more attacks. Bear researchers claim that the average brown bear is 18 times more dangerous than the average polar bear and 21 times more dangerous than the average black bear. They say your chances of engaging a bear is roughly one in a million. Yet despite the odds, anglers should always carrying a deterrent in bear country.
The effectiveness of firearms versus no firearms as a bear deterrent is a topic that is debated in fishing camps each year. Carry a firearm if it makes you feel comfortable. But realize your responsibilities. You should know when to use deadly force, how to use and shoot a firearm under pressure, and the legal requirements of your actions. Most people don't possess these skills or knowledge, and for them, pepper spray is the best option.
Tom Smith, a bear research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, is a supporter of pepper spray because of its success in deterring curious/aggressive bear encounters.
"What I can say with some surety is that the possession of a firearm in no way assures the bearer's safety while fishing in bear country," Smith says. "Anglers and hunters with rifles have been attacked, as well as people with and without pepper spray.
"Pepper spray is a very good bear deterrent, even though research shows it's not 100 percent effective under all conditions. Unfortunately, most people don't get the opportunity to use the spray when they need it because they have it stashed away in their backpacks.
"Pepper spray gives people an option not to run," Smith explains. "People find it very difficult to stand their ground at an approaching bear. The reddish-orange mist and auditory hiss of an approaching cloud of pepper spray often has bears turning and running before it reaches them.
"Even if after a person has pepper-sprayed a bear and it attacks, do not lie down, but rather, turn your back to the bear and let it knock you down, if that is indeed what it is going to do.
"If you are knocked down by a brown bear, then assume the defensive position of face down, hands interlaced over neck to protect it, legs spread so as to keep you face down even if the bear attempts to hook a claw under a hip and flip you face up.
"If you are flipped, use the momentum to roll on over into a face-down position again. Be still. Remember the vast majority of brown bear attacks are defensive and they will nip-bite-swat then move on. If the attack begins to be prolonged--minutes perhaps--it is time to fight back.
"As for black bears, the majority of black bear attacks appear predatory. Always fight back. Do not play dead with a black bear. Convince the bear that you will inflict damage to it if it continues to attack you. It will likely break off the attack and leave. But again, never be caught without a deterrent. So many black bear attacks in Alaska could have been avoided had the person simply had a can of pepper spray or a gun."
Here's what you need to practice. Hold a canister of pepper spray at arm's length ready to deploy if the bear approaches within five yards. Believe in the pepper spray. It will work.
You can now face the bear with much more confidence than if you had nothing. With no deterrent in your hands, you'll be sorely tempted to back away or run.
Standing confidently means something to a bear, just as backing away shows fear. When standing your ground, your posture says to the bear, "I'm neither submissive nor will I be easily taken down. This will cost you if you try anything with me," whereas those who cower and back up are saying, "Bear, you are dominant and are in control of this show."
Here are a few final tips for fishing in bear country:
Hike and fish in groups of two or more, keeping close in poor-visibility areas. Avoid walking bear trails that parallel streams and rivers. If possible, walk in the center or along the edges of the stream, which gives you ample opportunity to see bears in the water and on the banks.
Always make noise when entering a thicket near a salmon stream. If you must walk through brush, make noise. Let the bear know you are there.
Many bear attacks take place with people who have pepper spray tucked away in their backpacks. Have a deterrent in your hand. Pepper spray should be out, in your hand, with the safety cap off. Hold the can in front of you as you walk through the brush.
If you hook a fish and a bear sees it and approaches, cut the line to prevent the fish from splashing and attracting the bear to you.
In the majority of conflicts, bears are essentially (and mostly unwittingly on the person's part), set up and were only defending themselves as they know how. Neutralize the threat, then move on. Bears simply aren't "out to get" anyone. They just don't take well to surprises.
It's obvious to me that people and bears pretty much want the same thing: to be left alone to do their own thing, and not be surprised in the wild. Take responsibility for your actions in bear country, and, like my brother Bill, perhaps you'll enjoy a case of the wide-eye this weekend.
Chris Batin is editor of The Alaska Angler and a contributing writer to Outdoor Life magazine. Contact him at chrisbatin@alaskaangler.com .