• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Bear Mauling and other Bear Stories

scott43

So much better than a pro
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
13,550
Location
Great White North
You know you may be in trouble when....you leave for a bike ride and when you get back there is a fresh steaming pile of bear scat the size of your arm in front of your driveway..... No bear seen as of yet..... :geek:
 

gruppe_a

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2016
Posts
3
Interesting news story I read in a local rag at Chair 5 in Girdwood, AK a couple weeks back: "Near Haines, a woman was injured when a bear attacked her from inside a pit toilet after she sat down."
 

bbbradley

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Mar 8, 2020
Posts
782
Location
East Coast
My most recent (last spring) bear experience was when hiking solo up the backside of Mittersill (AKA Cannon) and heard a scratching noise ahead of me. I look up to see 3 cubs scurry up a tree, while mama bear sat at the base of the tree. I'm ~2 miles in from the parking lot, hadn't seen a single person since I parked, and was pretty sure this was how I was going to die. I extracted my hiking poles from my backpack for some semblance of defense and turned tail back.

About 100 yards down slope while my heart rate is still somewhere near 300bpm, off to the side of the trail I see what I guess was the daddy bear. Holy Frack...a family of 5 bears and me.

Luckily they were black bears and not interested in me. I later learned black bears are far less aggressive than brown bears, but the mama/daddy bear card always reshuffles the deck. I was telling a friend this story, he told this little memory jogger:
Black - fight back
Brown - lay down
White - goodnight
 

DanoT

RVer-Skier
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
4,788
Location
Sun Peaks B.C. in winter, Victoria B.C. in summer
The Guardian: Man who endured weeklong attacks by grizzly bear rescued after SOS spotted.
The Alaska grizzly attack is possibly a made up story, although the guy did have injuries (but not bear mauling injuries) and needed rescuing.
The following article may be difficult to read but other the key points are:
-A cooler attached to the guys ATV contained bacon and hamburger meat but was untouched by the bear.
-Soft dirt (from recent rain) had no bear tracks around the cabin or shed.
-damage to the ATV was not consistent with the type of damage that one would expect to see from a bear encounter; same with the door ripped off the shed as the door handle appears to have been pounded on with a hammer.
 

VickieH

Contrarian
Skier
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,928
Location
Denver area
That Tahoe tourist is suing for $15K in compensation. That sounds like medical expenses. Their insurance may be requiring them to sue.

Bounce houses were popular at kids' parties in my area. Until a kid got hurt. Kid's parents had to sue the homeowner where the bounce house was located before their health insurance would cover the medical expenses. That may be the right thing to do, but it makes the injured party look like a jerk.
 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
Moderator
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
18,095
Location
75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
That Tahoe tourist is suing for $15K in compensation. That sounds like medical expenses. Their insurance may be requiring them to sue.
The article did also mention unspecified punitive damages, but yes, it could be insurance driven in part. The medical expenses are for a torn achilles and back issues (both requiring surgery) suffered fleeing from the bear.

The claim is that the HOA or dumpster owner were negligent by not maintaining the dumpster bear locks properly, which would have prevented the bear from being there. IANAL and have no idea what the responsibilities are of dumpster owners in bear country and whether that's a valid claim. It seems like it may be to me.
 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
May 2, 2017
Posts
4,328
My most recent (last spring) bear experience was when hiking solo up the backside of Mittersill (AKA Cannon) and heard a scratching noise ahead of me. I look up to see 3 cubs scurry up a tree, while mama bear sat at the base of the tree. I'm ~2 miles in from the parking lot, hadn't seen a single person since I parked, and was pretty sure this was how I was going to die. I extracted my hiking poles from my backpack for some semblance of defense and turned tail back.

About 100 yards down slope while my heart rate is still somewhere near 300bpm, off to the side of the trail I see what I guess was the daddy bear. Holy Frack...a family of 5 bears and me.

Luckily they were black bears and not interested in me. I later learned black bears are far less aggressive than brown bears, but the mama/daddy bear card always reshuffles the deck. I was telling a friend this story, he told this little memory jogger:
Black - fight back
Brown - lay down
White - goodnight

When we are out in the mountains, I remind my family to stay calm and slowly back away, then yell and fight if necessary. There arent many bad black bear stories in the northeast
 

DanoT

RVer-Skier
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
4,788
Location
Sun Peaks B.C. in winter, Victoria B.C. in summer
Now, tell honey-bunny we're cool...

The only thing those people have going for them is the likelihood that because they are in a national park, they are not the first dumb unknowingly reckless tourists that the bear has encountered. So, the bear has a better grasp as to how to behave under the circumstances than the tourists.
 

Daniel

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Jun 27, 2017
Posts
529
Location
Cottonwood Heights, Utah

socalgal

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,565
I hadn't seen this video before, but WOW! Skier + young bear. It's 7 minutes of a bear on a ski run.
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
7,617
Location
Great White North (Eastern side currently)
They let you bring your bear onto the slopes in Romania? ogwink

I saw a bear up close last Saturday, He had pretty much destroyed what looked like some homeless person's base camp, not too far from the Carmichael Areana in Sudbury. Poor guy (or gal) made the mistake of having a cooler, that no doubt served as an attraction.
 
Last edited:

Eric267

Gettin after it
Skier
Joined
Dec 10, 2017
Posts
898
Location
Kings Beach
Busted in the act!! Pouches of baby food was the culprit. Not too much damage but ripped the car seat right off the seatbelt.
BC8C3E25-D866-4BE1-BF17-3A869F2B0EAD.jpeg
 

Jerez

Skiing the powder
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 25, 2015
Posts
2,993
Location
New Mexico
Good video about being prepared
That was sobering. We keep our bear spray clipped to our hip or belt. Not now! it will be in my hand when deep in the back country especially this time of year. Or maybe on the front porch too. This guy came to visit the neighbors a few days ago...

Bear at the neighbors.png
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
Skier
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Posts
4,804
Location
Whitefish, MT
Yes, when my daughter was knocked down, she was able to get up again while the bear was mauling my husband. She kept trying to reach the spray on her belt which was covered by a light wind breaker. She didn't want to take her eye off the bear so couldn't grab it. Fortunately, my husband forced his way back up and nailed the bear good directly in her face. I carry the spray in my hand now. People just don't realize how fast everything is happening.
 

tch

What do I know; I'm just some guy on the internet.
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,541
Location
New England
^^^ Yow!
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top