Quote:
Originally Posted by Duck Butter
Let's try and keep this to Louisiana black bears, no sense going to the grizzlies which are more aggressive. Try to keep it in state. You will not find an attack in Louisiana, just a bunch of corn feeders overturned.
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LDWF sees the possibility of black bear attacks as sufficiently reasonable that they have seen fit to publish guidance:
Even those hunters that follow all of the proper precautions can
occasionally encounter a bear while hunting. Although bears are
generally shy and for the most part try to avoid humans, hunting
places humans in close proximity to bears. When a surprise encounter
occurs, the best course of action is to detour around where the bear is
feeding or resting. Go back the way you came and access your
intended destination from another direction. If you unintentionally
encounter a bear at close range, raise your hands above your head to
appear larger than you are. Speak in a normal voice to allow the bear
to identify you as human. Back away until it is safe to turn and WALK
(DO NOT RUN) away. Bears have poor vision, but have a keen sense
of smell. They will sometimes stand on their hind legs when faced
with something they can't identify. They are trying to catch your scent
to determine what they are encountering. If an attack occurs, DO NOT
PLAY DEAD. That is a technique used for grizzly bears. Fight back
with anything available. Black bear attacks have often times been
stopped when the person fought back violently.
"Fight back with anything available" certainly includes use of arms, if one has has the foresight to be prepared.
Are you saying that the odds of a black bear attack are so remote that LDWF was wasting taxpayer money by publishing guidance?
Why would they educate hunters not to run, if there was not a real chance of running triggering an attack? Why tell hunters not to play dead if there was not a real chance of playing dead triggering an attack?