• MasimatutuOP
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    8 months ago

    Side note: In Sweden, the general advice for bears is “play dead”, but maybe Canadian bears are different?

    • oʍʇǝuoǝnu@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      Depends on the bear. Black bears are cowards and you can generally just make noise or act big to scare them. Brown or grizzlies you’ll want to play dead and pray then don’t try to eat you. Polar bears, good luck, better have one of those boxes really close by.

      The rule on black bears can go out the window if they are worried about their young, super hungry, or young and inexperienced with humans.

      Someone with better knowledge can correct me but that’s what I was taught when I was a kid.

      • Zink@programming.dev
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        8 months ago

        Let me see if I remember this correctly…

        If it is black, fight back

        If it is brown, lie down

        If it is white, good night

      • ikidd@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I’ve had over a dozen black bear encounters, and two grizzly. The blacks I’ve just made a lot of noise and looked like more trouble than it’s worth.

        The first grizzly I just froze and he lost interest or couldn’t see me (I was downwind) and the second I had my nephew get behind me and keep me between us as he crept away. The bear watched and then went back to grubbing a log, so I slowly moved directly away from him.

        I’m still alive so I must be doing something right, besides the part where I don’t backpack where the bears are.

    • 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝕿𝖚𝖓𝖆@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I believe in North America, the same advice is generally true, except for black bears, which are pretty stupid and easily scared away. The Humane Society advises you in the case of a black bear sighting to make yourself appear larger and more aggressive than the bear, and the bear will almost always run away. If the bear does attack, you can’t play dead. You have to fight back.

      There are plenty of news stories about black bears being warded off by small dogs. They’re not much of a threat.

    • ikidd@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      You’ve never picked up a pissed off Canada, I gather. I have, it’s distressingly difficult to finish them off by wringing their necks, not to mention them trying to kill you as you do it.

      • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Don’t just squeeze. Use it’s body like a club.

        Grab the fucker by the neck and use him against his friends. Fuckin hate Canada geese.

        • ikidd@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          They’re pretty heavy to go flailing around, especially when they’re flapping their wings trying to hit you. They’re big. But so tasty.

          • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            7-14lbs isn’t that heavy but I’ll admit with it trying to fight back it’d take a bit of effort but I have no doubt the average human could produce enough force to swing it hard enough to at least break it’s neck.

            Might not be flailing it around but it should still be enough for one good whack

  • uphillbothways@kbin.social
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    8 months ago

    Rattlesnakes can only strike half their body length, just fyi. For big ol’ 6 foot monsters, that’s 3 feet. And, the ones on the western side of North America just want to be left alone. From what I’ve seen, you’d have to be practically trying to get bit by them, like obliviously step on one with earbuds blasting. Seems like even a little awareness is plenty to keep you from ever having to fear.
    Have heard Eastern rattlesnakes are more aggressive, but don’t have any experience with them.

    • kautau@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Yeah unlike the black mamba, where nature turned the words “fuck you” into a creature

    • fuzz_aldrin@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I live in the southeast and work with snakes on the side (volunteer work and relocating them). Eastern Diamondbacks are a very defensive but nothing to worry about. Pygmy Rattlesnakes are the same way. Timber Rattlesnakes are the odd ball. They’re placid to a fault. Overall, the same rules apply as with all North American snakes. Keep your distance, leave it alone, and you have nothing to worry about.