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Posted by JoeF (Member # 228) on July 12, 2006, 08:42 AM:
 
Saw a show on Animal Planet this AM that I found nothing short of amazing.

People at some bear “institute” in Montana are using Karelian bear dogs, beanbag rounds, and rubber bullets to teach the bears “boundaries”. The program consists of these people responding to a report of a nuiscense bear with a pack of yapping dogs in tow. They then let the dogs yap, yell at the bear, and then fire at them with the bean bags. The bears were real impressed; they sat and watched until they accidentally hit one with a beanbag – after 4 shots. The dogs were never unleashed to worry the bears any.

They did not report any actual successes – they “hoped” that after the bears entered the hills for hibernation they would not return to the settled areas the following year. The only claim to success that they made was, to me, an extremely dangerous situation. They taught a sow with cubs that a garbage can was off-limits, only to have her stay in the same area and start secretly feeding on road kill. They used the one example of the bear taking advantage of a road-killed deer to "prove" that the bear had changed its’ ways and learned its’ boundaries. What if there is no road kill next week, or next spring? And no yapping dogs?

Looked to me like all they taught the bears are that gunfire does not always hurt and boundaries exist only if there is a line of yapping dogs and humans to serve as some sort of demarcation.

Reminded me of an old joke, most of which I have forgotten, that gave the advice of wearing a necklace of tiny jingle bells to avoid attack in black or grizzly country. The punch line asked how you could distinguish between black or grizzly crap. The response was that grizzly crap was the one with all the jingle bells.

The institutes program is called “Partners in Life”. Sounds extremely dangerous to me, I think they should change the program name to include the words “and Death”.
 
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on July 12, 2006, 09:12 AM:
 
Did you hear about the guy that was being chased by the grizzly. Just before the bear caught up to him the guy fell to his knees and begged God to make the bear a Christian.

Just as the bear reached the man, he too fell to his knees and said out loud "Lord, thank you for this food I am about to eat!" [Big Grin]
 
Posted by rooster32 (Member # 61) on July 12, 2006, 12:00 PM:
 
I am heading into the Wind Rivers for a 5 day back country fly fishing trip starting this Friday. Came across that group when searching on info on the Winds
Wind River Bear Institue
Glad the bears up there have been educated for us [Eek!]

Have bear spray and .445 supermag just in case. Figure if I can't slow down one of my fishing buddies with the bear spray, I can always shoot him for the bear to nibble on as I make my escape!
 
Posted by JoeF (Member # 228) on July 12, 2006, 01:38 PM:
 
Loco, that's loco!

Roost - that was another part of the joke that I forgot, the grizz crap smelled like pepper.

5 days of flyfishing sounds real good right now.
 
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on July 12, 2006, 02:01 PM:
 
Have fun Rooster!!! [Smile]
 




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