Quote Originally Posted by welshwizard View Post
My wife was an elementary school teacher in Revelstoke B.C. Apparently it was not unusual to find bears going through your trash cans looking for something to eat. Somehow she survived putting the trash out for a few years without carrying a gun.
Us crazy Americans will jump at the slightest opportunity to carry our guns... , bears are a great excuse, especially for carrying a BIG gun!

In reality of course you're right, bears rarely attack and are quite happy to be left alone. In Colorado Springs one night years ago, I heard something trampling through the gravel driveway. My large, but useless dog pretended not to hear a thing, so I went out alone and shone a flashlight at a fairly young black bear who was commencing to examine our garbage. I swear he had a guilty and scared look on his face, and immediately tried to make his escape over the fence. Unfortunately, he couldn't get over, so the only way out was past me. When I saw him beginning to consider that option in his tiny little brain, I slowly and deliberately stepped back into the house and locked the door. Then, silly city-slicker that I was, I called 911, who were singularly unimpressed and told me to just leave the poor bear alone, and to not try and take any pictures... Anyway, the bear just ambled on off to more interesting garbage cans!

There are two situations I can think of where it's a real good idea to keep an eye out for bears and have the means to fight them off if needed. One is while hunting - I've heard of several attacks on hunters field-dressing their kill. No, the bear is not angry that his friend Bambi has been shot by the wicked human - he just wants the biggest piece for himself. And maybe, for dessert, some of the human as well... ;-)

Another typical "attack" is on campers who haven't taken every precaution to keep their food a bit away from the tent, preferably hung where Yogi can't reach it. If the big 'ol bear decides to examine a tent for food opportunities, and you're in the way... oh well!