Request
a
Speaking Engagement
Tammy
is available for presentations nation wide
Learn
More>>!
|
| 
Bear Aware
Preparing for encounters
An evening visiting with family was suddenly interrupted by my daughter, Brittany and nephew, Dave when they came bursting through the door laughing….”VERY funny! We knew it was you! How did you get back here so fast?” Confused glances bounced across the room. “What are you talking about?” I finally asked. “We were walking the trail behind the house and heard you walking adjacent to us just out of sight all the way up to the house. How did you beat us here? You made us so scared that we finally ran!” Brittany said. “ It wasn’t us. We never left the house….” I replied.
Both adventurers looked at each other with dropped jaw and blank looks. Additionally they were hunters and knew the sound of a heavy animal in the brush. Retracing their steps the following morning confirmed the real intruders identity. Running just off the trail they traveled was a set of fresh black bear tracks.
Two days later the barking of my border collies, Popper and Sage, interrupted my afternoon. Thinking they had some defenseless squirrel treed in the backyard and were making WAY too much of it, I made my way through the kitchen to the patio doors and started to unlock the latch. Jerking the door open I started yelling the dogs names but stopped abruptly when I saw what they were barking at.
Twenty yards from my door sat a 400+ pound black bear! At his feet my dogs snapped furiously to deter him from getting closer the home they protected. Casually, he tossed his head side to side just out of reach of my dogs showing no fear. Only after telling my dogs to back off did he finally decide to ramble off into the woods.
Black bears are typically a shy animal but when left virtually unhunted as the past years in Wisconsin, they quickly become fearless of humans. Some people mistakenly say that is because we have invaded their territory. In reality, bear are opportunists and given the opportunity to snatch a meal be it sunflower seeds from a bird feeder, unsecured garbage in a can or bowl of dog food, they will.
I remember when we lived in Phillips, Wisconsin a lady reported that a black bear tore into her garage, proceeded to open a freezer and ate half a wedding cake. One week later he returned to eat the other half! When bear are not uncomfortable in the presence of humans, they look at our foodstuffs as an easy target. Period.
Wisconsin learned last year something many of us who wander the woods frequently knew for a long time…there are way more bear than any numbers have told us over the years. A bear count done last year by Wisconsin DNR found there was nearly three times as many bear in the state as originally thought.
This fact coupled with it taking up to 8 years to draw a black bear permit in Wisconsin and you have a perfect recipe for bear encounters. But when faced with a bear encounter as previously described what do we do? We are not allowed to shoot the bear in any manner. So what recourse do we have?
The thought occurred to me that there are plenty of people in Wisconsin who camp, hike , hunt and live in areas where black bear encounters will happen.
I know how to shoot if it comes down to a life and death stand off but what about the person who is living alone or prefers to camp and hike alone and does not even own a gun? I think I have found the perfect solution…pepper spray.
I researched bear sprays when my Dad reported that his neighbor had a Pit Bull that had bit someone already and had growled at him in his own garage.
Feeling defenseless, not wanting to shoot the dog, he felt the pepper spray would be his best defense. It would double as an intruder deterrent of the human kind. What a great idea!
Counter Assault Bear Spray had caught my eye at a trade show and with some research I quickly discovered it was the best on the market spraying from 30-32 feet for 7.2 to 9.2 seconds depending on the size of the can. This is longer in spray distance and duration than any other spray available. It has a four-year shelf life and will not freeze.
Since human pepper spray does little more to a bear than agitate it, it makes perfect sense to have a product that can cover more than one base when it comes to human security against any type of predator. The long shelf life means to me that I can have it around to deter unwanted bear or human predators at home as well as in the field as I hunt or just take a stroll on my own land. During that same four years I will also take it with me out west as it is well equipped to handle grizzly encounters as well.
I would encourage any outdoor enthusiast to have a can or two of this pepper spray on hand for personal security at home and in the outdoors. If you ever have to use it for any reason, you’ll be glad you took the time to be prepared.
Counter Assault Bear Deterrent can be ordered by your local sporting goods store or purchased for around $50 at www.counterassault.com Call toll free at 1-800-695-3394 or write them at Counter Assault 120 Industrial Court Kalispell, Mt 59901. |
|
|
|
Need
Weather Forecasts?
|
|
|
|
