Rose in BC Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I live in bear country and we frequently see black bears, in fact, regularly have them in our yard. In recent years grizzly bears have moved into the valley (they've always been in the region, just never in town). Well today we had the pleasure (pleasure because I was in my car and not on foot) of watching a grizzly grazing in the bush off the side of the road. As we passed a cyclist was riding going in the direction of the bear, on the same side of the road. We were unable to warn the guy who was only less than 100 ft away from it when we saw him. He would have passed the bear who was only a couple of feet off the road. Yikes. I wonder how he felt after driving past a brown bear . . . I know how I would have felt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Grizzly?! :001_huh: Good Grief! You probably don't own small dogs or cats and if you do, they probably spend the night in the house. We have the usual variety of small black bears but grizzlies are a different story all together. I am not sure that I would venture outside after dark. Ds already jokes that one day we'll see a bear with one of our T-Shirts because I hang everything on a clothes line in the summer and it is frequently left out overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 Both would get me in trouble with a grizzly. The small one thinks she's a big dog and would probably try and go after the bear and the giant one (a Bernese Mountain dog) is a big chicken and would probably jump into my arms. :001_smile: Yes grizzlies are a whole different story and they do unnerve me much more than a black bear. It's interesting because the place we saw the bear today is along a route my friend and I regularly run. I e-mailed her tonight and said our route would not include that area for awhile. At least until the berries are out in full supply and the river is full of fish . . . that might make us look less appetizing! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Yikes! The year before we moved here a grizzly was shot a few hundred feet from my house. I used to always get spooked out in the woods behind our house (except in deep winter). I haven't heard of any grizzlies in town here. (Hope they stay away, too!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Aaack! But how cool to see, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Grazing on what? :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2read Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I would have to move immediately if I saw a grizzly by my house. I would never feel safe again. You are obviously more in control of your emotions than I am :001_unsure: I hope that's your last siting in a long while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 I would have to move immediately if I saw a grizzly by my house. I would never feel safe again. You are obviously more in control of your emotions than I am :001_unsure: I hope that's your last siting in a long while. Our town is fairly young . . . aprox. 55 yrs old. In all those years there have only been two altercations with humans. Both times it was a black bear and both times there were extenuating circumstances (i.e. mother with cubs). Neither resulted in death. So the reality is if you use common sense you're not likely to get in trouble with bears. I will admit that grizzlies in town is relatively new . . . only the last few years. They do unnerve me much more than a black bear but moving to avoid them isn't an option. People are good about identifying where the bears are hanging out and so we avoid riding our bikes or running in those areas. I posted in another post that my kids and I did an safety course last month with the local search and rescue group. They told us that deer in rut kill more people than bears do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in the Kootenays Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 The number of people injured in car accidents involving deer is no doubt way higher than people injured by bears. I remember the first time I saw a grizzly grazing - it didn't register until I was several miles down the road. There was something about that bear that was just different from the norm. I consider myself fortunate. I'm glad I wasn't on a bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 That really is an experience. We saw a grizzly from our back door once. He was tearing up an ant hill. Knowing they're out there and actually seeing them are such different experiences. Knowing there are grizzlies out there doesn't bother me much though. And the black bear that had the gall to carry off four of our sheep last summer just makes me mad. But the wolves...they really creep me out. It's funny how different things creep out different people. Some people who handle snakes go through the roof if they see a spider and vice versa. I wonder what causes all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 The number of people injured in car accidents involving deer is no doubt way higher than people injured by bears. Good point, Heather. That puts it into perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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