This scared me a good bit

[Duck Butter]

we are talking about killing a protected animal that is not doing you any harm, not a couple of cases where law enforcement got 'overzealous'. You always tend to find the few outliers of everything. There are many incidents of people killing protected animals in Louisiana for no reason at all (many many black bears, several whooping cranes, several bald eagles, etc.)

Find me two incidents of a Louisiana black bear doing bodily harm to an individual. They tear up feeders and stands and camps occasionally but you are going to be hard pressed to find an incident with a Louisiana black bear harming an actual person. The Tensas population is the highest density of black bears per square mile in the continental US yet no one has been hurt despite thousands of hunters year in and year out in the woods there. Every one I have encountered has hauled tail after we saw one another except for this one which was a very old male and I think he was so old he couldn't see. Got 50 yards and saw me and got on out of there. Several encounters with females with cubs and they were even more skittish of humans

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

Find me two incidents of a Louisiana black bear doing bodily harm to an individual.

Perhaps the good citizens of Louisiana are quicker and better shots than the citizens of Florida where black bear attacks on humans have recently increased greatly and are averaging about two per year.

It is easier to believe that Louisiana citizens are better shots than that Louisiana black bears are less of a threat.

I have not had any encounters with bears in LA yet, but I did have a few with bears in CO. They were in garages and yards and frequently very close to children. I wouldn't have blamed a neighbor for a second had he shot a bear that approached his children in the yard while they played on a trampoline.

Bears are large predators. When they fulfill the motive, ability, and opportunity criteria for the use of force, who can blame a reasonable man for using that force. Who wants to be the first LA casualty to a bear?

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

Perhaps the good citizens of Louisiana are quicker and better shots than the citizens of Florida where black bear attacks on humans have recently increased greatly and are averaging about two per year.

It is easier to believe that Louisiana citizens are better shots than that Louisiana black bears are less of a threat.

I have not had any encounters with bears in LA yet, but I did have a few with bears in CO. They were in garages and yards and frequently very close to children. I wouldn't have blamed a neighbor for a second had he shot a bear that approached his children in the yard while they played on a trampoline.

Bears are large predators. When they fulfill the motive, ability, and opportunity criteria for the use of force, who can blame a reasonable man for using that force. Who wants to be the first LA casualty to a bear?

Again - thousands of people go into the woods inthe most densely populated area for bears in the continental US every year and not one scratch from a bear has been reported. You have a better chance of being killed by honeybees or a spider bite or falling out of your tree or getting hit by a 'brush shot' from t-boys 30-30

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

Again - thousands of people go into the woods inthe most densely populated area for bears in the continental US every year and not one scratch from a bear has been reported. You have a better chance of being killed by honeybees or a spider bite or falling out of your tree or getting hit by a 'brush shot' from t-boys 30-30

Yes, and due care is advisable in all those circumstances. I avoided tree stands after my first try feeling that they just were not acceptably safe. I avoid hunting on public land after having a few projectiles whizzing past. I keep a safe distance from t-boy's 30-30. But none of this changes the rules of engagement when dealing with wildlife capable of great bodily harm. We don't even bring rays or sharks into the boat.

We take all due precautions to avoid negative interactions with bears. But if a bear threatens, all those precautions become moot, and it is time to do what most other reasonable citizens would do in that situation if they have thoughtfully provided themselves the means of defense.

Louisiana bears are not fundamentally different from bears in other states. They are large predators capable of great harm to humans. Given enough time and habitat overlap and sufficient bear populations, negative interactions will eventually occur, and I'm rooting for the humans.

[swampman46]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

Again - thousands of people go into the woods inthe most densely populated area for bears in the continental US every year and not one scratch from a bear has been reported. You have a better chance of being killed by honeybees or a spider bite or falling out of your tree or getting hit by a 'brush shot' from t-boys 30-30

Yeah but the laws aren't heavily favoring honeybees, spiders or trees either.