| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| blueberries in alaska |
Posted - Jun 30 2008 : 10:01:49 AM
Gosh, we had a big one here yesterday. A fifteen year old was taken down by a bear ( no one saw it). She was in the middle of a mountain bike race, has had two surgeries since the episode. The fish are sparse this summer, I'm worried the griz are going to be crabby and hungry around here...... this is less than three miles from my house. jo
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/450061.html
there's no place like home....
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| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| HuckleberryWine |
Posted - Aug 10 2008 : 3:10:55 PM
You know, I saw a video of the bear and the moose calf on CNN last night. They cut it and put it back together to make it look like after the attack, they both went on their merry way. I turned to DH in disbelief, "You know that calf got eaten. I think the other moose running off must have been the mother giving up." Yet, they tried to make it out like the bear just changed his mind or was only playing. Come on! No wonder people have all sorts of mistaken ideas about nature if this is what the "news" presents.
I'm all for being wary, being prepared, being respectful, and having an escape plan. When I go into the woods, I'm the intruder and I try to keep that in mind. I use all my senses as if I'm the lowest notch on the food chain, especially when bears could be around (like at all my favorite berry picking spots). I do love watching them...on TV. :) They are fascinating, but I don't need to be where they are if I can help it. Bears are a big reminder to clean up after our trash...I guess some people don't even get a giant message like that one. One bad apple spoils the whole neighborhood's evening strolls. Too bad. |
| blueberries in alaska |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 1:15:39 PM
Lots of bears, bears. Bear tracks at home, large brown bear tracks. They injured some horses, killed a few goats. Ugh, I hate to get nervous about them, but I am this summer........ I took care of someone that was attacked, so when you see it firsthand it makes you a little more wary.
We're carrying a 44 and two cans of bear spray. If one of them gets at all aggressive, we'll do something. A woman woke up to the screams of a moose calf being killed in her yard and watched the bear dismember it. It's different here, nature is kind of under our noses.
Time for berry picking with strawberries (grouse hunting). See you soon! jo
there's no place like home....
http://web.mac.com/thomja
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| Jen |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 4:20:08 PM
That's the conundrum, isn't it? Even us nature lovers have our limits; we want to keep our immediate surroundings safe. Personally, I can't stand poisonous spiders - black widows, brown recluses, etc. I know they have their place in the grand ecological scheme, but I don't want to share my house with them! But, in my case, instead of breaking out a bunch of nasty chemicals to combat them, I've learned to adapt to a more natural scheme...we have black wasps that frequent our porches & these wasps kill spiders. They paralyze them and lay their eggs on them (I may have posted about this before). Last year, we had a bunch of paralyzed black widows on our front porch (YIKES!). Some people freak out about the wasps swarming around & so they kill them, but we live with them happily - and have not yet been stung - in order to naturally rid our house of the more dangerous creepy crawlies!
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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| Elizaray |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 3:55:28 PM
I agree- I think a balance can be reached with predators and humans. However- I don't think I would be too easy with a Mountain Lion around my Baby.
Elizaray |
| Jen |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 12:04:44 PM
I would love to see bears on our property. Neighbors say they've seen them, but we haven't. Still, it's neat knowing one might be around somewhere.
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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| Mountain Girl |
Posted - Jul 24 2008 : 07:21:02 AM
Juanita if only everyone would have your philosphy about bears! Mostly commen sense but the world lacks in that unfortunately. My son's seasonal job is monitoring the grizzly bears at Katmai National Park. To say he loves these critters is an understatement. He gets so mad at some of the higher ups in DC who do things he feels is not in the bears best interest. JoAnn
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Unknown |
| Ladytrapper |
Posted - Jul 24 2008 : 06:11:16 AM
There can be a balance I believe....our species needs to get back in tune.
Leaving garbage out is a no-no and if you have bears her because of it, our game wardens will tell you as suchs. We raise pigs for winter meat and one year we had a curious young black bear male (200lbs) exploring outside and inside the pen. Though the pigs squeals mercilessly about the intrusion, the bear was only interested in their feed, not them. They are opportunistic eaters and those squealin' piggies were not an easy meal. LOL By law, unless in hunting season, we cant touch them unless in a human life or death situation. So.... we learned to live with them, They were here first, we moved into thier living room so to speak.
My kids know to come inside at "bear" hour, we watch and photograph them from the bedroom windows. We leave no garbage around, so they make no mess. Our dogs are used to them and no only make a few disgruntled barks and then just watch as well. They are amazing creatures to watch, but they are wild and we give em lots of room!
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran
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| Jen |
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 1:00:18 PM
Makes you wonder how there could ever be true balance between our species and the rest of nature.
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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| blueberries in alaska |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 10:11:29 AM
The count of dead bears is 17 now in the bowl. Ugh, people are so "ase*n*ne about bears here. Letters to the editor abound regarding killing all the bears, etc. We're in the camp of everyone should move out that can't live with bears. Of course there's all the people who leave all their garbage out for them.
there's no place like home....
http://web.mac.com/thomja
http://homepage.mac.com/thomja/PhotoAlbum22.html |
| Elizaray |
Posted - Jul 10 2008 : 11:30:37 AM
I agree! You wouldn't catch me doing any sort of race through bear country- especially not in a lean year! Moving away at high rates of speed just yells "I'm Dinner!" to predators! That's why you hear of so many Mountain Lion attacks on joggers! And if the predator is hungry enough, bells aren't going to be much of a help, I don't think. It's kind of like putting the Hope Diamond on display behind a lock that you can by pass using the credit-card trick. It might keep the honest, honest, but the determined won't be slowed down much at all.
I hope the girl is doing better!
Elizaray |
| Ladytrapper |
Posted - Jul 10 2008 : 10:01:59 AM
I have no experience with the grizzly as we have only the black bear here. They demand respect no matter the species ! Be careful "out there" ladies ;-S
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran
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| blueberries in alaska |
Posted - Jun 30 2008 : 3:00:17 PM
I agree, the bear activity has been pretty high lately, I want chickens but have been hesitant, even with hotwire it's an attractant here. People are so foolish, we don't use bells at all, we're so noisy talking and the dogs goofing off. It seems only tourists have the bells on and they're REALLY nervous.
Bike racing in bear territory just seems foolish to me.
there's no place like home....
http://web.mac.com/thomja
http://homepage.mac.com/thomja/PhotoAlbum22.html |
| Jen |
Posted - Jun 30 2008 : 1:05:15 PM
Yeah, I just don't understand the impulse to speed through the woods - on foot or wheels - in the midst of large predators. What a shame for the girl and her family, but a shame for the bear(s) also.
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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| Mountain Girl |
Posted - Jun 30 2008 : 12:48:49 PM
Speaking of using bells to make bears aware of your presence. My husband's friend who he backpacks with is deathly afraid of bears so I went to REI and was going to buy him bear bells (kinda for a joke gift) I couldn't find them so I asked an employee. On the way to the bear bell section he said to me Do you know the difference between black bear scat and grizzley bear scat? I said no. He said grizzley bear scat has bear bells in it : ) JoAnn
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Unknown |
| blueberries in alaska |
Posted - Jun 30 2008 : 12:00:17 PM
I am sure they will destroy this bear. It's just an unfortunate story of activity without caution this time of year. She had bells on, but it was a wrong place, wrong time scenario.
there's no place like home....
http://web.mac.com/thomja
http://homepage.mac.com/thomja/PhotoAlbum22.html |
| Mountain Girl |
Posted - Jun 30 2008 : 11:50:12 AM
I read about the bear attack. Don't they think it is the same bear that attacked the runners a couple of weeks ago? I suppose capture and relocation is the future of this bear and it's cubs. JoAnn
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Unknown |
