AHicks
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- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
That would make it pretty easy if you could rely on that moss.moss is on the north side
What Precautions do You Take When Riding in Remote Locations?
- Thread starter 6zfshdb
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Mr. Coffee
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- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
There are typically 1-2 fatal bear attacks and around twenty nonfatal bear attacks per year in North America. The vast majority of them will be in Alaska, the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Your odds of being killed by a bear if you are not in those areas is zero. Your odds of being attacked by a bear if you are not in those areas is very slightly more than zero but for all practical purposes negligible. Bear Spray doesn't benefit you at all in Oregon, Maine, New York, or Florida and is a waste of your money.
Having said all of that, if you look at collections of studies of bear attacks (Herrero's excellent Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance is the best reference) most bear attacks are on solitary people, sometimes with two people, and almost never with three or more people present. So if you are concerned about bears ride with a couple of friends. That certainly provides more protection than any gadgetry could provide.
Your odds of being killed by a bear if you are not in those areas is zero. Your odds of being attacked by a bear if you are not in those areas is very slightly more than zero but for all practical purposes negligible. Bear Spray doesn't benefit you at all in Oregon, Maine, New York, or Florida and is a waste of your money.
Having said all of that, if you look at collections of studies of bear attacks (Herrero's excellent Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance is the best reference) most bear attacks are on solitary people, sometimes with two people, and almost never with three or more people present. So if you are concerned about bears ride with a couple of friends. That certainly provides more protection than any gadgetry could provide.
john peck
Well-Known Member
Not necessarily
john peck
Well-Known Member
Worse than useless if you spray into the wind.
vincent
Well-Known Member
i wish someone would buy garmin - like google - and line them out
they have some good products and some terrible software
but overall i like the inreach and think it works well
knew a guy recently that had a diabetic episode hiking out by the grand canyon, he was several miles from his car and had to use his inreach to get help, they sent a helicopter out to get him
worked for him and he was very glad he had it
nothing is infallible but right now i havent seen anything better..
they have some good products and some terrible software
but overall i like the inreach and think it works well
knew a guy recently that had a diabetic episode hiking out by the grand canyon, he was several miles from his car and had to use his inreach to get help, they sent a helicopter out to get him
worked for him and he was very glad he had it
nothing is infallible but right now i havent seen anything better..
6zfshdb
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- Northeast Pennsylvania
Based on the Inreach information provided in this thread so far, I'm going to try the Garmin Montana 750i. It may not work 100% of the time but it will certainly improve the odds of survival, for myself and anyone else I encounter, in an emergency.
Thanks everyone for your input.
AHicks
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- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
Is there a point you'd like to make?
chunk
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That what it sounds like to me.
chunk
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- USA
Where I ride a lot, we have black bears and fortunately they seem terrified of humans and usually are gone as soon as they become aware of my presence, but the one predator I keep a wary eye out for is the mountain lions that are more plentiful than most realize. Beautiful animals, and although I don't think humans are on their menu, attacks on people do happen. Since they like to attack from ambush I keep an extra watchful eye when riding fire roads with high overhangs. Last summer I came across one taking a rest in the shade of a tree, right in the road i was riding. We looked at each other for what seemed like about 5 minutes, but in reality it was probably much less time. Anyway, thankfully the lion got up and sauntered back into the wilderness. Bear spray would have been handy. I felt very inadequate with just a bicycle and a mobile phone between me and snagglepuss.
Our resident bear attack expert is correct that bear attack resulting in fatality is very rare (his statement that the chance of fatal attack is "zero" outside of higher risk areas is incorrect - there was a fatal bear attack as far east as New Jersey several years ago as well as others including attacks with fatal and non-fatal outcomes). He also doesn't take into account potentially injurious or fatal attacks that have been aborted by bear spray use. My point is that, although bear spray has definite limitations that no one denies, it is at least an effective deterrent when face to face with a threat. "Gadgetry" that can stop a charging grizzly can also be an effective deterrent for other mammals, human and other.
: UDAP Pepper Power
Find Bear spray in Alaska. Bear Spray orders for Alaska. You may find bear spray by visiting one of these retailers.
www.udap.com
Yes cougar attacks are also statistically rare but if I was faced down by one I'd prefer to have my bear spray rather than nothing other than the usual posturing defenses.
Mountain biker was mauled to death by cougar who dragged him into its den
A MOUNTAIN biker who was mauled to death by a starving cougar before being dragged to the beast’s den has been identified. SJ Brooks, 32, was killed on Saturday morning during a bike ride wit…
www.thesun.co.uk
Oregon hiker killed in Mount Hood cougar attack suffered broken neck, puncture wounds
Diana Bober's body was discovered about 300 feet off the Hunchback Trail in the Mount Hood National Forest and down a steep incline, records released this week show.
www.oregonlive.com
Like I said previously, believe who you want and do what you want. As for me, when hiking and biking in remote areas (usually alone as opposed to being with "three or more people present") I'm going to have bear spray where I can reach it quickly in the very unlikely event that it is needed. Maybe some of the posters on this thread should contact the NPS and school them on the folly of their vain recommendation to carry and be prepared to deploy "gadgetry".
Man at Harborview after bear attack near Lake Wenatchee
LAKE WENATCHEE — A Bellevue man who was walking his dogs near his vacation home at Lake Wenatchee was mauled by a black bear Friday night.
I was hiking and camping in the Lake Wenatchee area a week after the above attack. A bear was within 20 feet of my camp site, I was happy to have bear spray although I didn't need to use it. I'm pretty sure if you asked the fellow in the news article above he would have liked to have bear spray with him when he had a definite need to use it. He was very badly mauled and deformed, I think the story was that he lost an eye among other serious injuries.
DaveMatthews
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Eneloop are the best!
john peck
Well-Known Member
not really
john peck
Well-Known Member
Two prospectors were camped in the open on Alaskan tundra when one peeked out of the tentMan at Harborview after bear attack near Lake Wenatchee
LAKE WENATCHEE — A Bellevue man who was walking his dogs near his vacation home at Lake Wenatchee was mauled by a black bear Friday night.www.wenatcheeworld.com
I was hiking and camping in the Lake Wenatchee area a week after the above attack. A bear was within 20 feet of my camp site, I was happy to have bear spray although I didn't need to use it. I'm pretty sure if you asked the fellow in the news article above he would have liked to have bear spray with him when he had a definite need to use it. He was very badly mauled and deformed, I think the story was that he lost an eye among other serious injuries.
to spy a barren ground grizzly coming toward the tent. ¨Griz coming¨, one said as he hastily
put on his shoes. The other said, ¨ You can´t out run a grizzly!´ ¨No¨, replied the first,
¨but, I can out run you!¨
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Besides insect spray Sawyer makes a fabric (tent/clothing/shoe) treatment permethrin spray that both kills and repels insects including ticks. It is very effective and maintains effectiveness through several washings. It is toxic to cats though so keep that in mind if you have cats.
www.nytimes.com
For larger applications like tent I buy permethrin in higher concentration from Amazon and dilute it with water before spraying.
In the War Against Ticks, This Spray Is My Secret Weapon
Permethrin is like the wall around the castle: It’s always there offering protection and doesn’t need much maintenance.
www.nytimes.com
For larger applications like tent I buy permethrin in higher concentration from Amazon and dilute it with water before spraying.
Prairie Dog
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- Red Deer
We came across a large grizzly during a road ride this past summer on the Bow Valley Parkway. Fortunately, he appeared more interested in feeding on the tall grass along the side of the road. For the past couple of years, this mountain corridor is closed to vehicular traffic up to the Castle Mtn Junction throughout the entire summer season. Let it be known that I didn’t stop and take pic but pulled this image from video footage.
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