re: How to properly scare off a charging brown bear.

Good stuff lol. Interestingly, I am friends with the guy who filmed this’ daughter. He has been running bear viewing tours in Katmai, Lake Clark National Park for over 30 years. His operation is based out of Homer, AK. Nice fella. She told me this happens to him about once a season and he learned a long time ago to react that way. None of these guides bring guns, only bear spray and there’s almost never any reason to use it. All the flight viewing companies specifically forbid the bringing of personal firearms actually. Which I can understand. But it’s true, these bears are all fat and happy. Been crushing the salmon run at Brooks Falls all summer. Get over there in moose season in late September and they get a lil more ornery. Good stuff.

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The urge to turn and run would be damn hard to overcome.

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I was up before sunrise camping out in the Serengeti. It was my and my tent-mate’s time for cooking duty, so we got up early and were walking outside of the tents. We heard a lion growling (presumably at us) and rustling brush/crunching leaves, and it took every bit of my energy to remain calm and not start running. We walked calmly to the enclosed cooking area without turning around to see it, and then once we knew we were safe, the adrenaline dumped. Definitely my most memorable “oh shite” experience. In hindsight, it was probably more of a warning grumble like a “stay away from my babies” thing. If she wanted to attack us, we wouldn’t have heard her. but I say “she” because on safari that morning we rolled past a bunch of her cubs chowing down on a fresh wildebeest, and she was visibly nonplussed to see our land cruiser. She made the exact same noise we had heard as we rolled by. We looked at each other and were like

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None of these guides bring guns, only bear spray and there’s almost never any reason to use it.

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Bears that are fishing are very ornery but rarely deadly. With larger game that changes

They'll attack you over a deer or moose carcass, but the fish are so plentiful that they are less in survival mode.

Had a similar experience in Montana with a grizzly. It didn’t full out charge at us but it did head in our direction trying to figure out what we were. Finally it stopped about 25 yards away. We were yelling and waving our arms the entire time. Terrible experience, would not recommend

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Yeah frick that. If a guide doesn't bring a gun it likely has as much to do with his clientele being very liberal and against it then anything else.

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I was aware of one company that forbade hiking/photography guides from carrying firearms while leading hikes on Chichagof or Admiralty Islands.

That changed when one of their guides was attacked on Chichagof.

Theres a professor at the local college that leads wilderness excursions. He was attacked three years ago, and still leads these trips for his wilderness classes. I hope he learned a lesson.

That works great….until it doesn’t.

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Shooting a grizzly is a big deal,

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Yeah because it’s most likely going to aggravate it unless you are a crack shot under intense pressure within seconds.

Pistol, Bear Spray or Both? Clay Newcomb learns bear defense. Presented by Taurus

Watched a lot of YouTube videos of bear attacks & one thing that jumped out was that most of the bears, after their initial "bite" attempt, go for the head. And few survive when the attack gets to that body part.

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Watched a lot of YouTube videos of bear attacks & one thing that jumped out was that most of the bears, after their initial "bite" attempt, go for the head. And few survive when the attack gets to that body part.

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These two guys got jumped near Hoonah, Ak a few years ago.
LINK

Nice details about the attack, how quickly it happens, what it feels like. These guys are uber experienced. They hunt the old fashioned way.