posted
I'm going on my first black bear hunt this weekend (the montana hunt I had planned for spring fell through, but this is a sure thing. Or at least as sure a thing as it can be). If anyone has any specific requests for field research (specific questions, observations, etc.) they want for their own writing, let me know. I'm going to pack a small notebook with my other gear.
[This message has been edited by J (edited October 22, 2007).]
posted
when hunting in grizley territory, It is best to wear little bells on your toes so the bears know you are coming and can avoid you.
The problem is that brown bears resembled grisleys to the untrained eye. It is better to know ahead of time whether you are in brown bear or grizley territory.
The easiest way to do this is to look at the scat the bears leave behind.
If there are signs of berries and nuts, it is a brown bear. A grisley scat is known for containing little bells.
posted
Despite being from Alaska, I've never known what it is like to kill a bear with my bare hands. Any chance you could try that out and let me know what it's like? Posts: 696 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'll see if I can convince one of the guys in our group to accommodate you. I'd do it myself, but someone has got to take notes . . .
Posts: 683 | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Maybe you can take some notes on exactly what human bones sound like when being crunched on by grizzlies? I don't need it for a book, but I've always wondered. Posts: 1588 | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
J, maybe it would be better if you were to share your notes when you get back. As Father Mulcahy (M*A*S*H--tv version) used to say, "Jocularity, jocularity."
Posts: 8826 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've heard that they are fond of pic-i-nic baskets, so you might want to bait them with those. Watch out for bears in green hats, they are very clever...er cleverer.
Posts: 552 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've never been bear hunting, but I've had several friends do it, as well as my grandfather. (Hunting is quite big in Alaska, of course.)
An employee of my dad's shop went once, first time. I guess it was one of those rare things where a bear wandered into their camp and charged him, so he ended up on the ground (he tripped over a log) and killing it close range with his pistol, emptying all his rounds into it.
Sounded pretty scary.
But to top it off, I guess when it was dead lying on its front, it still had air in the lungs. So just a few minutes after that harrowing experience, they flipped it over to prepare it--and the air released in the form, of a long, low, sighing growl. He said that actually frightened him more than the first part had (probably due to the adrenaline starting to drain or false catharsis or something.)
posted
Bears definitely demand respect. I've heard a lot of stories of people emptying large-caliber weapons into bears without knocking them down. I've heard stories of wounded bears circling back to ambush the hunters. So we're going in a group, we're all experienced hunters and marksmen, and we're all carrying elephant guns with which we've demonstrated proficiency. That doesn't guaruntee safety, but you can't do much better.
Of course, if I end up with my head between a blackie's jaws, my last thoughts may be "Jocularity, jocularity . . ."
posted
A group of experienced marksmen and elephant guns sounds pretty overkill to me, you'll be fine. After all Davy Crockett licked himself a "bar" when he was only three.
Posts: 2195 | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't know if it's overkill in light of their nasty habit of dying slow and attacking while they do it, but it was the only way I could get my wife to let me go. (And if she gets real mad, a group of marksmen with elephant guns might not be enough to keep me safe).
[This message has been edited by J (edited October 24, 2007).]
posted
Because, while "elephant gun" os accepted to classify any extremely powerful large-bore rifle, there aren't really any "bear guns" that aren't also " elephant guns." Marlin Firearms is aiming to change that with the 45-70 guide gun, 450 Marlin, and 444 caliber rifles, which are perfect for bear, useable for deer, and a touch undersized for thick-skinned African game, but right now "elephant gun" is still the more widely accepted term.
[This message has been edited by J (edited October 28, 2007).]
posted
The hunt went well. One of the guys saw one, but couldn't get a good shot. I found a trail with a ton of fresh bear sign, and I followed it up and up and up the mountain right into the middle of some thick, heavy brush. I stopped to rest and heard the unmistakable sound of a bear growl. I got growled at for about 10 minutes, but I couldn't see him, through the brush, just hear him. I was inclined to stalk in the direction of the growling, but decided not to. I never saw the bear. At camp that night, the most experienced bear hunter there told me that the most likely explanation was that the bear was ahead of me on the trail (making the sign I had seen), and that when he got wind of me, he cut off the trail and circled back to flank me once I was in the thick stuff. The growling meant the bear was either stalking me or warning me, and pursuit would have been a potentially lethal mistake.
Here are the observations that I found most potentially useful to adding realism to my own writing:
1) Bears are smart. Smart enough to concieve and set up ambushes. Knowing that as an academic fact is neat. Experiencing it is eerie.
1) Bears move with almost supernatural silence when they want to. That bear got within 10 yards of me and I didn't hear a thing until he started growling.
2) Some bear sign really impresses on you the majesty of the animal you are hunting. Bears scratch up trees to climb, and sometimes to leave messages of their presence, and sometimes just to freshen their claws. The tree marks I saw were 2-3 inches deep, 18 inches long--and 12 feet off the ground. It looked like an ogre had taken a giant cheese grater to the trees. The bear I was following only marked maples and oaks, for some reason.
3) Bear poop is umistakable from both its volume and unique rubbery peanut butter appearance
4) When bears don't care about silence, they bull through the woods knokcing over everything in their path, including small trees. Lots of broken branches /small saplings along a trail edge = bear. Bears like to use human trails.
5) It's easy to get lost in the woods unless you know what you're doing. Even once you know what you're doing, it's still easy to get lost in the mountains. What is passable going up might not be coming down, and once you get forced one or two ridges off your original course, it's tough to find your way back. We left flagging tape every 50 feet for 4 miles on the way up the mountain. We were forced to detour on the way back, and never found the tape again. I had taken a bearing on my compass when we set out, so we were able to find camp again by following the reverse bearing until we got close enough to recognize things. But if we didn't have a compass, or if I hadn't taken an initial bearing, or if we hadn't followed our intial bearing more or less straight--it could have been rough.
[This message has been edited by J (edited October 28, 2007).]
posted
While I'm not a hunter, I'd like to add something to your hunting list. Only a fool goes out into the wilderness without being fully prepared to bivouac overnight. Regardless of the time of year, you should be prepared for the worst possible conditions. Carrying the tools to start a fire, potable water, food, and enough clothing to stay warm and dry is essential. The people who die are usually the people who think they are just going for a stroll, and get lost, and discover they are ill-equipped to survive overnight... or over several nights. I live in Oregon, and we lose knuckleheads every year (especially during hunting season) because they went out into the forest and never found their way back.
The wisdom of carrying a compass is evident in J's last post. The other thing one must do is realize animals are animals, and will behave in animal-like ways. One should study up on them before venturing forth into the wilderness.
My cousin's husband is an Alaska Bush pilot, and he had the opportunity once to fly Timothy Treadwell, the fellow who lived with wild bears and was eventually eaten by one. Mike said that it was inevitable that Treadwell was going to be killed by a bear, and none of the bush pilots were a bit surprised... because Treadwell lost sight of the fact that bears are animals that behave according to their own nature. (The movie "Grizzly Man" details his life, and death.)
Nature is nature... in all its wondrous glory. The wilderness is scenic, immense, and dangerous to those who venture there unprepared.
It is eerie to encounter an alien intelligence. It is frightening when you realise -- not just an intellectual assent, but a genuine realisation -- that they don't follow the same rules as people.
Thanks for the insights and I'm glad you're still in one piece.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited October 28, 2007).]
Frank was excited about his new rifle, and decided to try bear hunting. He spotted a small brown bear and shot it. There was then a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to see a big black bear.
The black bear said, "That was my cousin, and you have got two choices. Either I maul you to death or we have sex." After considering it briefly, Frank decided to accede to the latter alternative.
Even though he felt sore for two weeks, Frank soon recovered and vowed revenge. He headed out on another trip where he found the black bear and shot it.
There was another tap on his shoulder. This time a huge grizzly bear stood right next to him. The grizzly said, "That was a huge mistake, Frank. That was my cousin and you have got two choices. Either I maul you to death or we have rough sex."
Again, Frank thought it was better to cooperate.
Although he survived, it would take several months before Frank finally recovered. Outraged he headed back to the woods and he managed to track down the grizzly and shot it.
He felt sweet revenge, but then there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find a giant polar bear standing there. The polar bear said, "Admit it Frank, you don't come here for the hunting, do you?"
posted
It's not about whether the joke is funny or not. It's about keeping in mind we have visitors to this website who are under the age of 18, and the joke is inappropriate in a mixed-age setting. Keep it clean, people.
Posts: 2026 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Although I found the joke funny, I didn't find it explicit. I guess we all have different sensibilities.
Posts: 2995 | Registered: Oct 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Worse jokes circulate the schools. That was pretty tame compared to some.
Besides, chances are, if someone on here read through enough of this thread to get to that joke, they were adults anyway. AND, isn't there a post in here about a pedophile?
Yes, you have to be 18 and older to participate. But since this isn't a password-protected site, anyone of any age can read posts, and we have a significant number of middle-school and high school age kids who do.
From the "Before you join rules" we all agreed to follow:
quote:Also, while this is a workshop for writers age 18 and older, it is open to readers of all ages. For that reason, if you want feedback on something that is potentially offensive or PG-13 or worse, please indicate that in the post and don't put such material in the 13 lines.
Kathleen shouldn't have to be the only ogre who reminds people when they stray a little too close to the "potentially offensive" line. Members have a responsibility to gently remind each other to keep those boundaries in mind, especially when the requirement of "Be 18+ to join" is misinterpreted by some to mean "Everyone reading this forum is an adult."
My 2 cents.
[This message has been edited by Elan (edited November 01, 2007).]
posted
Elan, if it worries you why not do what WBriggs use to do and email an alert to Kathleen saying: 'I'm worried about this post' and let her decide?
Remember the intro:
quote:Please email Kathleen Dalton Woodbury if you have any questions or concerns.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited November 02, 2007).]
posted
There are lots of websites that aren't password protected, ones with far worse content. Any parent allowing kids to surf the web without parental controls is acting irresponsibly. Such programs check pages for content and will ban pages containing key words.
Even if this site was password protected it wouldn't stop kids accessing it, unless you had some age verification system operating.
Bear in mind the site is for Sci-fi, fantasy, and horror genres it is bound to contain elements of violence and sex, as most stories involve aspects of these.
[This message has been edited by skadder (edited November 02, 2007).]
Printer-friendly view of this topic
Darned English.
