Here's the story. https://www.foxnews.com/great-outdoors/brown-bear-photobombs-fishermen-alaska-wildlife-photographer They're just lucky the bear was in a good mood.
I have been in a similar situation. It was not that much fun and I felt seriously undergunned with a 1911 in 45ACP. I was able to move down river and circle around to find a new fishing spot. I left that gravel bar to the bear and her cubs. Less than two weeks later a fisherman in the same spot on the Kenai River was attacked by, most likely, the same bear. He emptied his Browning Hi-Power into it and killed her. I never take fishing in bear territory lightly and never go unarmed.
Bears everywhere up there. This was a bear viewing trip my wife and I took this summer. 48 brown bears within eyesight at once. It was truly amazing. These photos are with an iPhone.
With all this bear spotting experience, can any of you answer the eternal question? Do they really sh!t in the woods?
Well I was in a rather large field but considering they had us wearing knee high waders due to all the scat we would be stepping in I can pretty definitively give you a big affirmative on that.
I remember watching one of those wild alaska vids or something like that, dude just always kept a can of bear pepper spray on him. Even showed one unhappily coming up to him with cubs nearby. He shot one spray and away she went. It was kind of amazing how calm the guy was, like it was just an every day occurrence. I actually wonder if a can of the spray isn't a better deterrent. Teaches the bears to fear humans and stay away vs just being shot. Purely me "just wondering" as I never have any intention of being in bear country. Small black bears in the eastern US notwithstanding.
Family in Big Sky MT tell me that the black bears that come into town have become immune to bear spray, or at least they have learned to deal with it and they don't just turn and run like they used to. It must be from the constant exposure to it. So it depends on if it's a frequent flyer bear or not. Out there they are just giant rats breaking into everything to steal food, but get out of town and you run into the big boys.
