Bicyclist collides with a bear!

American black bears are omnivores. Google it. Attacks on humans are rare but they absolutely do happen. People have died. Google it. Feeding bears in the Smoky Mountains and many other places can put you in jail. Google it.

TT
Yep. Black bears being harmless is a weird popular misconception (partly thanks to Winnie the Pooh). ;)

That being said, I'd rather encounter a black bear cycling than a moose.

A startled moose can kill you, and it's often from moose-on-vehicle collisions.

MANY years ago, my sister's ex-boyfriend had his neck broken when he was riding and a moose jumped out of the brush. Luckily he survived, and was back to 100%, but it took months.
 
I have ridden that road before and I have seen a bear at the side of the road munching away at something. I just kept going and he ignored me.

I feel like I have to go ride there again, take a picture and post in the thread of pictures of where we've ridden.
 
I have ridden that road before and I have seen a bear at the side of the road munching away at something. I just kept going and he ignored me.

I feel like I have to go ride there again, take a picture and post in the thread of pictures of where we've ridden.
They’re commonplace there,so I avoid the excellent Seymour trail during pre-and-post-hibernation.
 
Is sasquatch mating season still going on up there in Canada?

Remember the trailside sign found by @Prairie Dog earlier this year:
IMG_20230321_1145180 (1).jpg

Bears could be the least of your worries.
 
Is sasquatch mating season still going on up there in Canada?
I hesitate to say for sure due to all of the out-of-control wildfires. Lots of critters heading for safer ground. Back in 2018, authorities closed Sasquatch Provincial Park in BC for the same reason. ;)

 
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Occasional feral pigs
These are called boars where I live :) Boars live now in the outskirts of urban areas of Poland. Imagine my surprise on my night ride over a popular road in the county capital city; when I was about to leave the road for a bike path in the meadow, I could notice a gray animal of the size of a big dog under a bush. As the beast squealed at me, I realized it was a boar, and screamed out of fear! You can imagine how fast I started spinning my cranks to get myself in a safer area!

Because, as a children song taught us:
"Who meets a boar in the forest
Quickly finds a safety on a high tree branch!"
:D

Honestly, I would be afraid to get in a collision with a deer or a roe-deer on a ride in our large National Park nearby, and we have many beasts living there! I could see those animals crossing my path at high speed often! (The moose is the symbol of the Kampinos National Park. I could spot a moose only once from my car; the beast was stopped by a roadside fence and got in panic -- it was a scary view!)

1684827867697.png

Warning signs (the first one is to protect the reptiles) in the KPN. The warning signs related to the moose happen there frequently, too. But the cows? :D
 
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These are called boars where I live :) Boars live now in the outskirts of urban areas of Poland. Imagine my surprise on my night ride over a popular road in the county capital city; when I was about to leave the road for a bike path in the meadow, I could notice a gray animal of the size of a big dog under a bush. As the beast squealed at me, I realized it was a boar, and screamed out of fear! You can imagine how fast I started spinning my cranks to get myself in a safer area!

Because, as a children song taught us:
"Who meets a boar in the forest
Quickly finds a safety on a high tree branch!"
:D

Honestly, I would be afraid to get in a collision with a deer or a roe-deer on a ride in our large National Park nearby, and we have many beasts living there! I could see those animals crossing my path at high speed often! (The moose is the symbol of the Kampinos National Park. I could spot a moose only once from my car; the beast was stopped by a roadside fence and got in panic -- it was a scary view!)

View attachment 154238
Warning signs (the first one is to protect the reptiles) in the KPN. The warning signs related to the moose happen there frequently, too. But the cows? :D
Are the boars radioactive?
 
They’re commonplace there,so I avoid the excellent Seymour trail during pre-and-post-hibernation.
I rode that last year.
Went up to the dam on the main road/path, and found my way to the "Spur 4" road to get back.
That Spur 4 gave me a creepy feeling of being alone in bear country.
I wasted very little time heading back. Gorgeous ride but I won't do it again without bear spray and an air horn methinks.
 
I rode that last year.
Went up to the dam on the main road/path, and found my way to the "Spur 4" road to get back.
That Spur 4 gave me a creepy feeling of being alone in bear country.
I wasted very little time heading back. Gorgeous ride but I won't do it again without bear spray and an air horn methinks.
So it goes.Bears I’ve seen in that area are generally foraging for blackberries,minding their own business.Still,probably not Gentle Ben types If confronted.This river valley would be primo turf for overnight stays were it not for our furry friends.
 
Probably not. You would not like to be pierced through by boar's fangs (if I've used the proper English term) though! Boars are heavy and fast.

View attachment 154239
If bears are closely related to pigs as I perhaps falsely remember, and Male pigs and bears are both boars, and females sows, do bears have tusks? or fangs?
We can all agree they are fearsome weapons…yet statistically and personally Bambi does the damage…
 
If bears are closely related to pigs as I perhaps falsely remember, and Male pigs and bears are both boars, and females sows, do bears have tusks? or fangs?
We can all agree they are fearsome weapons…yet statistically and personally Bambi does the damage…
The favourite phrase of the former Forum member David Berry of Australia was:
-- Those murderous cows!
:D
 
If you're a trail rider, sooner or later, you'll encounter wildlife. Black bear are quite common in some of my "haunts".

This 18 month old thread on the subject has some interesting posts.


Post #74 relates my most notable bear encounter. No attack or injury but scary none the less!

I now carry a satellite locator/communicator for a possible situation like this where there is no cell service.
 
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