"Again, to be fair to the hikers, if they followed what seems to be the "conventional wisdom" about NJ black bears, they would have assumed that the bear was harmless and that the other hikers were overreacting. The lesson here is…"
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Bears
Started this discussion. Last reply by Hank Hall Oct 11, 2014. 11 Replies 0 Likes
Given the shocking (and unprecedented) fatal bear attack in Apshawa Preserve, I'm wondering if hikers intend to change their hiking plans (at least for the next few weeks). It does seem the hikers in…Continue
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Nicholas Rinaldi replied to AK's discussion Bears"Here's some new information taken from a nj.com article.
West Milford Police Chief Timothy Storbeck said that two hikers told Patel and his four friends that an aggressive black bear had stalked them for about 10 minutes. The couple…"
Hank Hall replied to AK's discussion Bears"Of course we do. What more is there to know? Wild animals can be dangerous under certain circumstances.
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jerseytrekker replied to AK's discussion Bears"Everybody is making good points on this thread. I hate to see the media blow this bizarre incident out of proportion. Bears and humans are sharing a habitat and that can lead to conflict.
I don't see bears in the Pine Barrens…"
Hank Hall replied to AK's discussion Bears"I think we will see more there eventually as there are bears down there, just not many. Migration through the midsection of the state I think presents the biggest barrier. There are corridors for wildlife to pass through heavily traveled…"
Nicholas Rinaldi replied to AK's discussion Bears"the current population estimates of bears in the state, are between 2,400 & 2,800, which is down from an estimate of 3,200 before the bear hunts resumed in 2010.
That doesn't sound like a lot but this is the actually the estimate for bears…"
Hank Hall replied to AK's discussion Bears"That's not been stated in any report about the attack. This was a bear that was far too comfortable around humans, which is the problem with a large portion of the bear population in New Jersey. Younger, smaller bears like this one…"
jerseytrekker replied to AK's discussion Bears"The most logical explanation for the bear's aggressive pursuit is that someone dropped a granola bar. I have had many close encounters with black bears and never found them to be aggressive at all."
Hank Hall replied to AK's discussion Bears"There's really no reason to change hiking plans either temporarily or permanently. What happened to the hiker at Apshawa could have happened to anyone, so you really either need to make the choice to go into the woods or not.…"
AK replied to AK's discussion Bears"Thanks, Dawn. There just seem to be more bears around this year than usual, so being alert is even more warranted than usual. "
njHiking.com replied to AK's discussion Bears"Hello AK - This was a sad but extremely rare incident. We won't be changing anything and will just be alert and cautious as usual.
As far as I know, bear spray in NJ is limited to 3/4 of an ounce. Not sure if that would be enough to deter, and…"
AK posted a discussionBears
Given the shocking (and unprecedented) fatal bear attack in Apshawa Preserve, I'm wondering if hikers intend to change their hiking plans (at least for the next few weeks). It does seem the hikers in that case made a lot of mistakes, but it's still shocking. Most NJ bears I've seen run away as fast as they can. Also, do most NJ hikers carry bear spray ? I've carried it before in some of the Western Parks with grizzlies, but its large and unwieldy (and I was concerned then about it's going off…See More
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- At 10:15am on September 25, 2014, njHiking.com said…
Hello AK - welcome to the site!
-Dawn
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