Posts
209
Joined
3/24/2015
Location
Kennewick, WA
US
Edited Date/Time
8/10/2015 4:53pm
So I'm going camping to priest lake, ID soon. There aren't many bears in the lower part, but I've heard that they are higher. I went last year and haven't seen a single bear, not even it's poop. To be honest, I'm scared of bear attack! I did research, I have bear spray and a small pocket knife. I read that you should play dead until the bear stops acting defensively, then fight all you can. Some people say fight back, some say play dead. I will use bear spray as first resort. I wish I had a gun. Would a loud whistle be good to let the bears know I'm around? Or would that just "SURPRISE" them? Can't wait to go biking there!
I have heard that what you do in a bear attack depends on the species of bear, but I imagine the Park Rangers will know best what bears are there, and how to deal with them.
Looking up the stats, there's been zero fatal bear attacks in Idaho. Actually, you have a better chance of being killed by lightning than by a bear, as there's only been 61 fatalities since 1900 IN ALL OF NORTH AMERICA. In other words, I wouldn't worry about it beyond being cautious and carrying your spray.
I've had a brown bear try to push its head through my tent once while I was sleeping. Its head was INCHES above mine and I could feel it breathing and sniffing through the thin tent wall. It eventually moved on but I still didn't sleep the rest of the night.
And, just to put a little bit of fear back in you, watch this... Happy trails!
Post a reply to: Biking+bears!!