Reading the telus news site, a 41 yr old man in Banff was chased and attacked on his mountain bike yesterday. 2 other cyclists found him, went and got a warden and RCMP, the bear had to be shot on site as it refused to leave the victim. He is expected to recover, but had to have surgery on his arm. The bear weighed 63 kgs, which would be around 140 lbs. Shows it does not take a large bear to take a person down. As it was a black bear it most likley was a predatory attack, not defensive, and had chased the cyclist for some distance. Interesting.

Lions often chase peole on bicycles. It seems the flight triggers the chase. Sometimes they get the people and at other times the man is able to flee and the lion is left with the bicycle.

VBR,

Ted Gorsline

Ted could it be they are just hungry and were are just meat.

Dear P dog shooter,

From the newspaper reports so far I am sure it was just hungry and went after the guy for meat.

But there are many variables that decide whether a bear attacks or runs the main one being the size of the bear relative to the size of the human.

Attitude is another important variable.

In this case it was a little bear. The late Ralph Bice from Kearney Ontario killed a troublesome bear of this size with a baseball bat. The bear did not even get hold of Ralph.

I am sure the fact that the cyclist sped past the bear on his bicycle, likely not even knowing the bear was there, encouraged the bear to think the man was fleeing.

That is what happens with lions and with black bears and moose. If the moose fights the bear backs off. If the moose runs the bear attacks.


VBR,


Ted Gorsline

Speaking of Moose, I heard a story years ago in Salt Lake City about a Moose chasing a guy up one of the nearby canyons when the man sped by on his motor scooter (a tote-gote)! The guy ditched the scooter while it was still running and ran off. The moose responded by kicking the hell out of the scooter until it stalled. Seeing the threat as dead, the moose sauntered into the woods.

Best,

John

There's this add in some of the magazines for a snub-nosed Ruger something revolver, in 454 Casull or, 480 Ruger. A guy is shown fishing, carrying this nifty shooter on his hip. This country is so right for that type of firearm... will never happen I reckon.

Frans (back from the woods; Grizz & Frans 3 : bears 0)

quote:

Originally posted by Frans Diepstraten:


Frans (back from the woods; Grizz & Frans 3 : bears 0)

Any photos?

Jetboater, I live in Whitecourt too.

Do you hang out on CanadianGunnutz? If not it is a great site.

Hello;
This on's mine. Just your basic average 5 footer, but I had to take an oath before I left home, to shoot only a colored bear and we surprised the shit out of each other, on a pipeline cut. The hide will only be in the freezer for another day. I'm assuming that's better than having it lie in the garage. The antler in the background is a bit unusual in that it is a really deep chocolate brown, the first one i've seen.
Frans has his own bear story, so I'll let him post his own picture. After all, one should never mess with somone elses Hunting story.

quote:

Originally posted by Frans Diepstraten:
There's this add in some of the magazines for a snub-nosed Ruger something revolver, in 454 Casull or, 480 Ruger. A guy is shown fishing, carrying this nifty shooter on his hip. This country is so right for that type of firearm... will never happen I reckon

Too bad things have changed so much since the early 70's. In 1972, I took a member of the Edmonton RCMP on a grouse hunt with me in the area just west of Whitecourt across the river.
He has since retired, so I guess his name being told won't harm him now...it was Const. John Dickinson, the former "Admonchuck" ballistics lab guy.

Anyway, John told me to be sure to bring my S&W 1950 Target, in .44 Spcl. I asked him if was trying to entrap me? He said "Don't act like a damned American. This isn't a game of whether you are technically guilty of a violation, or technically innocent. Just keep it concealed, don't wave it around in the campground, and everything will be fine. We'd hell of a lot rather you carry concealed anytime you are out hunting or fishing, than have to look for your body after you unexpectedly run onto an obnoxious Blackie with just a fishing rod or shovel, or whatever, at hand."

He went on to explain that if I acted like a damned fool breaking bottles in the campground with a rock, I'd get cited...it wasn't the firearm that mattered, it was the behavior.

So, for the next 12 years, I always carried concealed when in the bush, and although many members of the Force knew about it, there was never a problem.

That was when Canada was a truly great country, not just a retirement home for the U.N Politicaly Correct Thought Police....where they all seem to become M.P.s

N.B.: I think Alberta and Saskatchewan, and both Territories still mostly have their heads screwed on straight. Have to wonder about the rest of the provinces and the twits in Ottawa though.....

Guess this will start a firestorm, but it IS the way I feel. Best wishes to all you fellow Canadians Who still believe in self discipline rather than the Nanny State.