We had plenty of black bears in the UP yet, as a child, my cousins and I camped in the woods often, and without a single thought of a bear. I think it's fair to say that most of the time if you encounter a bear, the bear will leave you alone but, of course, it only takes one that either feels that it needs to defend itself or its territory, or decides to look at you as a meal. You're far more likely to be killed by a moose in Maine, though.
The only report I doubt is the one that mentioned an Alaska guide using a 9 mm. I have never known a bear guide to rely on a 9 mm. My sons all use .44 magnums when near bears but none have ever had to shoot one. A shotgun may be the best weapon to use, but it is awkward and will be leaning against a tree 10 yards or more away when you need it. Also, a black bear and a grizzly are different animals to kill.
I think it is allowed to put out corn near a blind, one farmer would come over after harvest to get corn to do just that. My Farmer I worked for would give him two drums of corn but I ran the foreign car shop so I didn't do anything other than working on cars. So this guy come s driving in to get his corn and he wanted me to load it for him, the guy was as old as I was and plenty strong enough to load it himself. I told him he would have to load it himself because we had no way to pick it up and get it into his truck. He didn't like it but I cold have cared less what he liked, I didn't really like the idea of baiting deer anyway. I don't know how he loaded it but the next day when I opened it was gone so I guess he brought some help. There is some serious dumb all around this area. The farmer I worked for had a partner one season and the partner had a young son. The kid had a nice Ford diesel truck and he would hitch it to the tractor and drag it behind him going from one plot to another. This was way over on the other side of the island or false river as it is called. So he's moving the tractor to another spot and he had his truck hooked up but he had the engine idling running the air conditioner and somehow the truck got loose and ran off into a deep water filled ditch. The engine sucked in the water of course and bent a rod that looked like a horse shoe. I repaired the engine as a favor for the guy I was working for and not the kid but I liked the kid's father and didn't mind helping him. If I remember one connecting rod cost like 50 dollars for that diesel engine. So I got it repaired and the kid came to pick it up and the next day he came back and started cussing me saying his air conditioner didn't work. I told him to get his ass out of the shop and don't come back. His father and his uncle weren't real proud of the dummy and they knew I did nothing to his air conditioner other than refill the system. It probably had a damaged condenser from running into that ditch. I didn't care if he burned up from spontaneous combustion after the respect the little twit showed. He never came back again and a good thing. Kids today living in this area are not the same as they were 60 years ago and most are spoiled rotten, driving new trucks and spending the family treasure chest. Now his father was a nice guy and 3 of us were installing a new rotor drum into his combine. I got my right hand a little to far into the mouth and one of the blades chomped down on my thumb, it was not spinning fast but only moving very slowly while we were trying to get it adjusted. I went to the emergency room and had just a couple stitches and all was well, more of a bruise than a serious cut but I am glad it wasn't spinning any real rpm or I would be missing a right hand thumb. The guy paid the ER bill and was grateful for the help that's the kind of person he was. I thought it was strange that his youngest son was such a twit, he must have learned everything at school. It was later I was doing some welding for the guy and I put on my gloves I kept hanging on a nail and was welding away. Next day my middle arm on my right arm had a huge bump on the top of the fore arm. I could turn the arm over or upside down and squeeze it and it was like pouring water out. I went to that farmers doctor and she gave me some antibiotic salve that was a freebie sample by a pharmaceutical. I put that on the bump and it cleared up in two days. I never had any pain or discomfort just that huge bump with all that water building up. I knew it had to be a spider bite and it was probably in my welding glove. I learned to always check those gloves after that.
Bear kills Arizona man in 'exceedingly rare' attack near Prescott AZ A 66-year-old Arizona man was killed by a bear around 8 a.m. today (June 16) as he sat on his property having a cup of coffee. His neighbors--hearing his screams--unsuccessfully tried to stop it. The black bear had pulled the man about 75 yards away from his property and was in the process of consuming him when a neighbor shot and ultimately killed the bear. Authorities said initial examination of the surroundings did not show any obvious attractants...the immediate location and the surrounding residencies looked pretty tidy. The attack seemed to be predatory in nature, and to all outward appearances the bear looked healthy. Authorities are doing a necropsy.
Boo Boo: "I don't think Mister Ranger Sir's gonna like this, Yogi." Evil Yogi: "Pass the salt, Boo." One comment under that article was from a guy who said he only carries revolvers in the woods because a semi-automatic won't cycle properly if it's pressed against the side of a bear when you pull the trigger...and you ain't gonna be in a position to clear a jam or an FTF.
This is from my local NBC affiliate website. This video of a bear with mange was taken "somewhere in Central Virginia." It's about as bad a case as you'll see.
From yesterday's Daily Mail Grizzly bear attack in Yellow National Park leaves woman dead A woman was killed in Montana after encountering a grizzly bear on a trail located west of Yellowstone National Park Her body was discovered on a trail near West Yellowstone, a town situated in the Custer Gallatin National Forest, adjacent to Yellowstone National Park Investigators found grizzly bear tracks at the scene leading them to believe the the woman's death resulted from an encounter with the bear Apparently that area is popular with hikers.
Tahoe's infamous 500-pound bear ‘Hank the Tank’ captured, linked to at least 21 home break-ins https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/500-pound-bear-hank-the-tank-captured-tahoe-18280828.php A 500-pound black bear, nicknamed "Hank the Tank" who was responsible for at least 21 home break-ins, was captured by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Lake Tahoe's infamous 500-pound black bear — nicknamed “Hank the Tank” for her massive size — was finally captured on Friday morning, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The bear had been linked to at least 21 home break-ins in the South Lake Tahoe area, causing extensive property damage as far back as early 2022. The bear’s three male cubs — which had accompanied Hank on recent home break-ins — were also caught. Hank was well-known to Tahoe area residents, but also the Internet at large — the bear’s immense girth and robust rap sheet made it an almost overnight internet celebrity, with some calling for Hank’s inclusion on the California state flag. Less funny was the havoc it wrecked on the Tahoe area: Hank the Tank had become so troublesome that South Lake Tahoe Police had to ask the public to stop calling with complaints about the bear. According to a CDFW release, the bear — which shed a satellite tracking collar last May — had DNA traces discovered at 21 home invasions between February 2022 and May 2023, but the CDFW said it was also "suspected in additional break-ins and property damage." While “bear 64f,” as it’s known, is tied to a tremendous amount of damage, CDFW noted it’s “one of multiple bears identified by the public last year as ‘Hank the Tank’ based on visual observations.” There could still be more “Hank the Tanks” out there. Many of this particular bear's break-ins came during the winter, proof that California bears are hibernating less — a direct consequence of human-related activity. “In Tahoe, food availability, climate change and living within close proximity to humans are all factors playing a role in the Tahoe bear’s diminishing hibernation,” wrote former SFGATE Tahoe contributing editor Julie Brown in 2022. The bear will be transferred to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado once it passes a veterinarian exam. The CDFW rarely approves relocations for problem animals but is making an exception given the high interest and extraordinary circumstances concerning Hank’s case.
I found some statistics on the internet you might find interesting mosquito deaths in the US. 2022 US Case Count: 1,035 human cases; 79 deaths -------------- There are an average of 11 bear attacks in the United States every year, with around half of those being fatal. As urban areas grow and wild regions shrink, the chances of bear encounters become much more likely.May 8, 2023 -------------' How many Americans are killed by snakes each year? Annually, 7000 to 8000 Americans Are Bitten by Snakes (CDC) From those, there are between 5-10 reported fatal snake bites per year.Feb 25, 2023 ----------------- How many shark deaths a year in the US? On average, there are 16 shark attacks per year in the United States, with one fatality every two years. According to the ISAF, the US states in which the most attacks have occurred are Florida, Hawaii, California, Texas and the Carolinas, though attacks have occurred in almost every coastal state.
The edge is taken off a little bit with them being black bears and not brown bears. But other than that, she may be one "Gee, what's cooking?" moment away from her own Timothy Treadwell moment. She's not feeding them, so she's not technically habituating them to humans in violation of some law. And they do live in a adjacent state park, so it's not the suburbs. But if they came near my home like that, I would chase them off for their own good. Or at the very least, they could hang out in my yard (since they have no concept of property lines), but I would not interact with them. But let them come into a house??? She's gonna get them shot.
Oh, I like having bears on my land but I don't leave my doors open to them, talk soothingly to them, or try to train them like pets.
I find it strange That the bears haven't done more damage to her property or or broken into her house for food.