Grizzly bear kills man near Yellowstone....

[BoldHighlander]

No, for real. I was looking at getting a bear fur sporran, don't think the ones at the STM have silver cantles, to go with a Bear Tartan kilt. I was trying to design a cantle with a Bear paw and pine forest motif, and I had located bear and bear paw buttons for a black evening wear jacket I had been planning to retailor to an argyle cut. And I have a small silver bear paw pin that I was going to attach to a silver disk for a cap badge, or kilt pin.

Craigie use to have bear sporrans, with the paw & claws as the flap. Looking at their website I don't see bear listed anymore. They also use to have a skunk sporran with a bear paw flap. That was striking & very different.

A bear sporran with silver cantle would look very nice Ted

[BoldHighlander]

From the headline it sounds like the man who was killed was tranqualized by the researchers. Pretty stupid thing to do in bear country.

I can see where the headline could give that impression, but I also don't think we should make light of someone's death.

[Lallans]

Attacks on humans seem to be more or less expected grizzly behaviour, but it seems strange in a tranquilized bear. It must have been resentful of the darting experience and looking for payback, or fearful of a repeat experience. Black bears are far less likely to attack but are somewhat more worrisome because they live in great numbers around human settlements, here in Canada and parts of the USA. Playing dead is almost the only (unarmed) defense against grizzlies but when hapless tenderfoots try that with black bears, the bear sees a good thing and proceeds to chow down. The best tactic with them is to act threateningly and if it comes to it fight back like a maniac- they have been driven off by 10 year old girls. I wouldn't care to live in an area with a mixed population of grizzlies and black bears: you could doom yourself in the time necessary to check the critter's anatomy.

On the sporran issue, it has to be said that one bear could make perhaps dozens of sporrans whereas small animals like mink etc are one life per. Bear fur, the humane choice!

[BoldHighlander]

Attacks on humans seem to be more or less expected grizzly behaviour, but it seems strange in a tranquilized bear. It must have been resentful of the darting experience and looking for payback, or fearful of a repeat experience.

Yeah, there was some thought that this might've been an unusually aggressive griz'. I also wonder if the victim, not knowing it was nearby startled a frightened & rather confused bear coming out of his stupor, who then attacked(?)

Black bears are far less likely to attack but are somewhat more worrisome because they live in great numbers around human settlements, here in Canada and parts of the USA. Playing dead is almost the only (unarmed) defense against grizzlies but when hapless tenderfoots try that with black bears, the bear sees a good thing and proceeds to chow down. The best tactic with them is to act threateningly and if it comes to it fight back like a maniac- they have been driven off by 10 year old girls. I wouldn't care to live in an area with a mixed population of grizzlies and black bears: you could doom yourself in the time necessary to check the critter's anatomy.

You summed it up nicely. Every bear expert I've heard or talked to has pretty much said the same thing. They say in the case of being attacked by a black bear to fight like hell. The only problem, as you noted, is where there is a mixed population is that you might only have seconds to figure out which breed your dealing with...

On the sporran issue, it has to be said that one bear could make perhaps dozens of sporrans whereas small animals like mink etc are one life per. Bear fur, the humane choice!

...and with the meat you can make a ton of great jerky too!

[Bugbear]

Ah, this discussion has brought memories of yore... The fifty page discussion we had of using bear grease in one's hair and face paint in that ancient traditional hair style thread I started soon after I first joined the forum.

Those were the good old days.

[BoldHighlander]

Ah, this discussion has brought memories of yore... The fifty page discussion we had of using bear grease in one's hair and face paint in that ancient traditional hair style thread I started soon after I first joined the forum.

I remember that discussion Ted!

Those were the good old days.

Indeed they were my friend...indeed they were

[Bugbear]

I remember Krokus, too...

[BoldHighlander]

I remember Krokus, too...

[Lallans]

Was the recommended face paint in Mel Gibson blue?

[wildrover]

Was the recommended face paint in Mel Gibson blue?

Probably not, it seems like the world is getting short on blue-blooded bears these days