Black bears get aggressive along Gunflint Trail
July 2, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Dana Austin didn’t at first think much about the banging on her door last week. Her husband, Tim, had been repairing a screen door earlier in the evening, and the door had been opening and closing. Continue Reading
Anyone ever hear the term Wild animal…..?
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Yea, shoot the bear so the dead bear can communicate to the rest of the bears that humans are on top of the food chain, but only when he are holding a rifle.
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D’oh… Not “he are” but “they are”.
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Black bears were aggresive on the Gunflint when I first went there in 1959.
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#1 killer of fawns are the Black Bear.. These are wild animals that don’t just eat berries.
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Bob I’d like to know where you are getting your info from that the black bear is the #1 killers of fawns. From the what I have been reading..looks like coyotes and wolves are their #1 threat. A black bears main source of nutrition is green vegetation in spring, turning to ants and ant pupae in June, a variety of berries in summer, and nuts (primarily acorns and hazelnuts) in autumn. Black bears are not very effective predators, but they will occasionally catch and eat fawns, moose calves, and beaver.
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What Black Bears Eat
Horsetails & grasses
Berries: chokecherry, huckleberry, & buffaloberry are favorites forbs (broad-leaned plants)
Aquatic plants such as lilies
Elk & Moose calves,
Deer fawns
Ground squirrels & other small rodents
Ants,
Wasps,
Bees (adults & larvae)
Carrion
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20,000 Black bears in MN, if each only ate 1 fawn, count..! Most all bears are in the Northeasterly portion of state….
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There are a lot of bears in the northwest portion also.
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I have seen them around Lake Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge near TRF on more than one occasions. The first time…we stopped along a gravel road so my husband could do his business…and out of the woods came a bear. Last summer a female and three cubs passed in front of us on the road leading into the refuge. That was cool to see.
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There are agressive bear in parts of the BW within the last 2 weeks- signs have been posted at the entry points to the affected lakes.
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Very much so, yes.
We had a bear on Kekekabic a few years ago that came right up to our campsite after we had set up our tents. He paced back and forth near our tents despite our yelling and banging of pots, did not seem to be frightened by us at all.
Until I hit him in the rear with a rock, then he bounded off into the woods. He didn’t come back for 4 days, and then only after we were gone.
Too many people are lackadaisical about the way they handle them, if they can find food at the campsite they will return to the campsite. If they cannot find food at the site, they will be less likely to return.
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Don’t confuse hunger with aggressiveness. Tearing the siding off of a shed to get at food is simply a function of hunger.
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Let’s get this straight. Black bears are acting badly while we pay to give a polar bear a home? Sounds like more white privilege!
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This made me giggle.
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Polar bears like igloos with soft centers best.
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I hope the bears get organized and kill every human they come across, push them out of the woods forever, set up a strong defensive position and draw a line in the sand, daring humans to cross it.
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And that is why you are dead inside.
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I keep hearing about the “food chain” and how that’s the normal way of things…. why then when an animal kills a human it’s considered an unnatural event and that animal needs to be hunted and killed? I don’t want to hear about the bible saying it’s meant to be either.
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You are so correct it hurts. I too wish for more people to die by animal attack.
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Perhaps some would prefer an innocent person die from an aggressive bear, but animals need rules also. We believe we are the superior intellect and should not use violence for our survival but that is contrary to survival of our species. Get real, if you are in wilderness carry your concealed weapon, which is legal thanks to a SCOTUS decision if legal for the state you you carry a valid permit even in Federal Parks. While in Churchill, Manitoba I carried a slug gun with two fire cracker round followed with slugs. Hiking the Gulf of Alaska I carry a 460SW with bear spray. I would carry bear spray in Canada if allowed. Get real you envirowachos you need to encourage safety for we users of wilderness. At least carry bear spray, my prefered solution for dealing with aggressive bears
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Humans superior intellect? LOL
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Johnb, I would never want to take your guns, I’m not anti gun. People need guns to protect themselves from other people.
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Quagmire, I used the word “believe” not “know” so I have my doubts also. Man is no doubt the most dangerous animal because we are not as predictible in our behavior and desire material items we do not need for survival which makes us very dangerous.
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The best protection from bears is to carry a firearm, where permitted in bear country. But still avoid a confrontation, because bears rarely go down with a single shot and can cover some distance while wounded.
A bear will attack a man if they are surprised, feel they are in danger, wish to protect territory, or if they have a cub. The best way to avoid danger is to avoid the bear. But if you cannot avoid them make sure they see you first.
As you walk or travel through bear territory, and if you cannot see more than 50 to 100 feet in front of you, call out every few minutes until you enter a clear area.
The point being to make a lot of noise. In most cases the bear will move off the trail and let you pass. They rarely look for a confrontation.
On an interesting note….A polar bear which mauled a British teenager to death and injured four others was suffering from a severe toothache.
Expert’s believe the elderly bear’s toothache could have been linked to its behavior and eventual attack. A combination of pain and hunger could have caused the bear to become particularly fierce.
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You don’t think that it is because Polar Bears are aggressive in general, and are the only bears known to actually hunt humans as prey?
Maybe the toothache made him cranky, but if he was hungry he would have gone after the kid anyhow.
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You ruined my little story Dorkus. I had a good follow up to close with but now I look like a dolt thanks to you.
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Don’t the Canadians have government dental care too? There should be no excuse for a polar bear with a toothache in Canada. On the other hand, if it was an Alaskan bear maybe it was resentful for having to pay and hadn’t yet found a tourist with money in his wallet.
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I blame the sugar industry for this. Why not? Everyone else does.
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tj, you have given excellent advice for those that are new to bear country. When a black bear is tracking you, it is best to act larger and hold your ground as it maybe looking at you as a potential food source. One thing that is particulary important, never run from any predator because it will trigger its chase instinct, Brown bears generally do not look at us for a quick lunch, so walk away slowly at a 45 degree angle and yield at least 100 yards making human noise in a gentle voice so it knows you are human. Polar bears do consider us food, Because of bear patrols shooting cracker rounds they do have some fear of humans but not much. I took a quick bathroom break last year only to find a sleeping polar bear about 50 feet away. Fortunately it was June when their digestive system shuts down. Hikers in the US should at least carry bear spray. Be safe!!!
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