Phoenix wrote on Nov 4^th, 2011 at 10:55am:


On islands in general:
X8 Batch. We stopped there for lunch once and we were all disheartened by the garbage strewn about. We picked it up and before we left I did one last pass to be sure no one forgot anything. Written in stones by the fireplace was the word "BEAR" in all caps.

1NZ Rawn. Ummm that's actually marked wrong and there are two campsites on that island. Anyway, found a shredded green pack and a mess of FD wrappers strolling that island one day. Years later I shouted a bear out of my nearby camp only to hear shouting from the island a few hours later.

Pickerel. One evening I spotted a bear swimming from the mainland above Wetasi (34H). You'd think he'd take the shortest route but noooo. He was headed for 1ES, which I don't believe is a campsite either but it's close to a nice one you couldn't miss. It was dusk and I lost sight of him in the island's dark reflection. It was time to head back to camp anyway.

Pickerel. Lookout or the one to the east I've seen ripped up rotten logs and dug up anthills that surprised me. Saw a frog in the middle of nowhere on Pickerel one day too FWIW.

To answer your question though, my buddy found me on Sturgeon near ZL. Those campsites don't look right to me either. I think there is another campsite to the west but (with a brass "in memory of" plaque) I was only there for the one night so....

I was a bit shaken plus I had a gas bottle with holes in it but I'm 99% sure I headed west to the mainland. I've paddled between the island and mainland to the north and it was a lot farther than that. Seems dumb looking at the map now but I'm almost certain I paddled west and not north. It was a ways. I repacked stuff and looked for baseball size rocks ... stuffed small branches in the holes ... duct tape was still useless all before I greeted him at his takeout.

I ended up repacking at a site in Diversity Bay. I originally planned a day to explore that area but I ended up on Twin that night. He wouldn't leave me alone so a felt a little more distance was called for. It kind-of felt personal after a while.

FWIW - the first rock I threw at him was larger than a softball and as it rolled up to him he jumped up a tree to avoid it.

YMMAV.

Wonder what the Pigami Creek fire will do to  bear concentrations in the BWCA area just north and east of the fire this spring? Will the fire have pushed a bunch of underfed/emotionally disturbed/wounded animals into that pocket of unburned forest? If everything dove into the water to escape the fire and then emerged to a landscape devoid of vegitation and many running obsticals,how will that effect the preditor/herbrivor thing this winter? Must have been a number of roasts laying/floating around for the scavingers. What came back for this stuff/...birds? 100,000 acres is a pretty large expanse ...

I never go anywhere without the legal means to protect myself from 4 or 2 legged danger.
I think Bear Spray at the minimum is a prudent idea IF push comes to shove.
Where legal, I'd bring Bear Spray and a firearm.
A 12 gauge pump shotgun with a pistol grip handle, loaded with a mix of slugs/buckshot will come in at around 6lbs.
I could find a way to pare down other gear to fit that in especially if I was in Brown Bear country.
While the odds of getting attacked by a wild animal may be the same as getting hit and killed by lightning, IMHO opinion there is one big difference people don't take into account
A fatal lightning strike, your dead before you hit the ground.
Bears will often maul you viciously and if you play dead as they recommend with Grizzly, they'll sometimes bury you in a shallow grave and comeback later to feed on you.
Whether they eat you now or later, dying by fang and claw isn't going to be a pain-free death, unless your " lucky" enough to die with the first bite or blow.
I think the old adage about expecting the best, being prepared for the worst fits here too.
In areas that don't legally allow firearms, I'd consider one of those light weight backpacking bear fences for around the tent at night.
Seems like many attacks happen around then and involve campers being dragged from their tents/sleeping bags.
Common sense and all the precautions mentioned are great but sometimes ***t happens.
When/if it does I'd like to have more than a big stick or pile of rocks, not that theres anything the matter with that

Quote:


An unloaded gun is just a really expensive CLUB
Worse case scenario. You awaken one night to a bear tearing into your tent and grabbing you in your sleeping bag intent on dragging you into the woods for a late night snack
Now that pile of rocks isn't going to do much good then, or that 5' club.
I keep my Bear Spray standing tall in my camp shoe near my side. Yes, the Bear Spray in a confined area is going to get me too, but I figure I have at least a small chance to hold my breath and close my eyes before unleashing it point blank into Yogi's face/eyes.
Better yet, I grab my LOADED pistol grip shotgun and put a slug into his brain pan/chest area. A magnum pistol with the right ammo would be even better at point blank range.
Next best after Gun, where legal or Bear Spray, is sinking my camp knife into it's eye socket or ear canal and hopefully into it's brain.
Not a pretty scenario but the getting eaten alive is a far worse one.
This year they had a couple of fatal bear attacks in the paper close to each other.
I didn't recall reading/hearing about whether or not they had Bear Spray or a firearm? I don't think they had either.
I always wonder what they must been thinking when they knew they were going to be attacked, probably killed?
Do you think they thought it was part of the risk/reward of going into the wilderness and so be it, or did they wish they had some Bear Spray or a firearm and at least a fighting chance.
I'll go with the Spray and Gun

Any one carry a bear banger?  Are they leangle to carry and can you cross the border with one?