Experts: Do As We Say, Not As We Do.

This is a little off-topic, but relevant.

I live in Idaho now, and since I'm still into getting out into the wilderness to hike, trail run, backpack, etc., I'm getting up to speed on Idaho issues with being in the wilderness.

One of the issues is predators. Like in the East, there are ticks, snakes (more rattlers than back East, where they are very rare), and black bears; but there are also mountain lions, wolves, and grizzly bears.

Grizzly bears are a particular issue in certain parts of the state. Montana is adjacent, and since grizzlies don't know about state lines, they have a habit of crossing back and forth, especially around Yellowstone National Park.

"Angler Killed by Grizzly in First Attack of 2021":

"The first responders transported Mock... to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. Mock passed away Saturday morning in Idaho Falls following a massive stroke."

A very sad incident, the fellow was only 40 years old, with a family. It's relevant because of what he was doing to mitigate his risk:

"According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Mock was carrying bear spray when he was attacked. Although the safety tab was found off, it’s unclear whether he was able to deploy the canister."

Well that's just idiotic. It doesn't take an "expert" to figure out if a can full of fluid is full or empty. If it's full, he didn't deploy it, if it's empty, he did. (It's exceedingly unlikely that he was carrying an empty can of bear spray into grizzly country. We can dismiss that possibility.) 

Given the dishonesty our expert and journalist classes seem prone to, it's safe to assume he used the bear spray and it was ineffective. If he hadn't used it they would have just said so, as there are reasons why he may not have been able to use the bear spray.

So then the experts come in, to see what's going on with this bear: 

"Investigators later found a moose carcass cached within 50 yards of the original attack site, indicating that the bear was defending the food during both incidents."

Well, that's a fine reason to attack a person from a bear's perspective, but not from ours.

The experts, needless to say, didn't rely on bear spray to deter the bear.

"The group attempted to haze the bear away but were unsuccessful. Members of the team were ultimately forced to shoot the bear dead at only 20 yards."

So what is the advice the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks gives after a careful analysis of this incident?

"Carry bear spray. Know how to use it and be prepared to deploy it immediately."

And don't worry, if the bear spray doesn't work, as it didn't in this case, the "experts" will come in with proper tools and dispatch the bear.

Guns aren't the only way to deal with a bear. Pepper spray certainly can be effective.

But it would be nice if our experts would be honest with us about the risks and benefits.

Eckel's Creek Trail:
There's bears up there!

P.S. So after posting this I went camping in the Hell's Canyon area, which is spread across several national forests, national recreation areas, and private land on the border of Idaho and Oregon.

We decided to go for a long trail run, but since there are only black bears in the area, we didn't bother with bear spray or anything else.

Three-quarters of the way through the run, we see a mother black bear with two cubs running down the slope. They were across a steep and rugged ravine, so we stopped to see if we could get a picture of them when they came out of of the copse of trees they had run into. They never did come out, but a very large, light brown bear did appear, running in the opposite direction. Sadly the dash from one copse to the next was too quick to allow for photography!

"That looks like a grizzly...", we said. It was still quite far away, so there was no immediate risk, but we proceeded to high-tail it down the trail back to the car, which was a couple of miles away.

Some of the locals explained to us that there aren't grizzlies in the area, but there are some blond black bears (which do exist) and some bears that might be hybrids of black and grizzly bears (which are rare, but also do exist). Apparently a large blond bear had come down and availed himself of a sprinkler system a couple days prior!

I don't think it was a blond black bear, as it was much bigger than the black bear sow we had seen moments before.

Note to self: The experts may say there are no bears in an area, but the bears don't know where they are supposed to be. 

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Bear spray, like a gun, are both useful tools to deal with the threat of a bear. This isn't an either-or case.

And gun control is rather beside the point here. Norway has strict gun control laws, and has a lot of polar bears, which are even more aggressive than grizzlies.

"The use, trade and import of bear repellent spray and pepper-balls for protection against polar bears in Svalbard is prohibited."

So what are your choices?

"Due to the polar bear threat in Svalbard, anyone travelling outside the settlements must be equipped with appropriate means of frightening and chasing off polar bears. The Governor of Svalbard also recommends having firearms with you."

Pity our "experts" aren't quite so forthright.