now here is a good "listen" (scroll down a bit and look for it)   - them bears are gettin hungry!


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That's the type of bear I worry/caution others about.
Imagine what would of happened if the guy hadn't had the Bear Spray and kept his cool.

Unless your prepared to go hand to hand with a bear like this, at the minimum you need some bear spray, preferably the biggest size they make.

In the BWCA I'd pack a magnum handgun as well, especially if traveling solo.

What this tells me too is how smart they are.
After a couple of attempts it learned to fear the spray and backed off when threatened with it.

I'm sure that given enough time and distance it would of figured out that the rapidly depleting bear spray was no longer a threat and went in for the kill.

Big bear against Leatherman, I wouldn't want those odds.

IF I had to use my small fixed blade knife similar in size to your Seal Pup, I'd use the grip that many knife fighters/martial artist favor.

With you thumb on top, you grip knife so blade is pointing down/with edge facing target.
You can slash up/across and stab on the down stroke/backstroke.
Another thing I read about is how to use your "off hand/arm" ?
If say you keep your left arm horizontal, the bear will bite your wrist/forearm. I don't know if you could stand the pain from that and even if you could, he has the leverage on you, plus he's swinging those two big paws.

In the military I was taught that if attacked by a sentry dog, you had to accept being bit but you could use that against the dog which is trained to grab ahold and hang on until called off.

The idea was to offer your forearm ( easier said than done) before the dog can go for the jugular.
You jam your forearm into its jaws to the point it can't get close them and push back into the dog, raising it onto it's back legs.

Then you have two options. If you have a knife, you gut it with your free hand.
The next option is harder but doable.
While the dog has your left arm, you grab its fur at the neck and drive your knee upward into chest area, hopefully breaking ribs and puncturing a lung, either killing it or making it let go.

I doubt you could do that with a bear, much to strong and well muscled.
What you want to do ( again, easier said than done) is keep your off hand perpendicular to the bear and try and secure hold on the bears throat area while stabbing and slashing with knife hand.
Go for eyes/into ears, hopefully into brain which would kill instantly.

If you find yourself going to ground, you don't want the black bear to be on your back, going for a fatal neck bite.
You want to be on your back, with ankles crossed and knees pulled into chest.
The bear will go for entails first. Hopefully this will give you the time to deliver a fatal blow.

OR if your in the US and you can carry a weapon legally, you hit it with the bear spray and if that doesn't work, you pull your pistol and blows it's brains out.

If that offends your wilderness ethics, then go for the first option and hope that works.

Quote:


The idea is to warn/caution so you don't have to accept that unlikely future.
A can of bear spray is cheap insurance along with your wilderness skills and good old beaver stick for the bears that just are looking for a picnic basket meal.

So if I were to buy bear spray...can I get it at an outdoor sporting goods store?  Can I buy it in Fort Francis or Ely?