(meteorobs) Wild Animals: Lions & Tigers & Bears Oh My!

[Meteorites USA]

I would agree with Chris that normally we needn't worry about animal 
attack. However many of us who do observe meteors and hunt for 
meteorites in remote areas and in wilder areas than your neighborhood 
suburb need to remember that you're not in your home, and you need to be 
aware of your surroundings.

I've been an avid camper, outdoorsman, and survivalist since I was a 
teenager. My brother and I practically spent our entire childhood 
growing up in the sub-tropical wilds of Florida. I've moved out west now 
and things are much different here. You still have to watch for snakes 
just like in Florida, but you have the added benefit of watching out for 
mountain lions, bears, and coyotes.

Chris is absolutely right that you needn't /worry/ about attacks, but 
you should be /aware/ that they could occur, and take proper precautions 
to prevent them from happening. It's all about the numbers really. You 
could go out into the wilderness 100 times without incident and be fully 
prepared each time. Then one day you leave on a spur of the moment trip 
and you don't have all your gear or are unprepared. This is when things 
happen.

There are three things you need to prepare for and be ready for just in 
case:

People - Wild people can be a threat to safety and security.
Predators - Normally leave you alone, but be prepared with proper 
protection and prevention.
Poisonous Snakes & Insects - Again be prepared with proper clothing and 
footwear.

There are some things that can make your life much easier and safer in 
the wilderness, and if you are the worrying type, or are safety minded 
enough to prepare then perhaps this short list will be something you can 
use to provide protection for you and your loved ones in the wild.

I've read most of the posts in this thread on this subject and I don't 
remember reading about protecting the children many of us have. Children 
are small and fast moving, and when in mountain lion country it's wise 
to keep them very close by and within sight.

Get a concealed carry permit for your state if you would like to carry a 
firearm. If you don't know how to use one, there are federally mandated 
and sponsored accessible firearms courses and safety courses one can 
take as well. The concealed weapons course is also a relatively 
inexpensive precaution to take and the law requires it if you carry 
concealed at all. It's a felony in most states to carry a concealed 
weapon. Be aware of the law!

If you don't like firearms, or they scare you which is the case with 
many people, there is a non-lethal alternative. I heard stun guns 
mentioned once or twice in this thread, and while they are good they 
don't work at distance!

You must be within arms reach of your attacker whether that be a human 
or an animal. (yes there are stun batons but most people won't carry 
them) I don't know about you, but I would much rather keep would be 
attackers as far away from me and my family as possible. Check your 
state laws as many states have banned stun guns from civilian use.

A Taser can work well up to 15ft away. It doesn't work the same way as a 
stun gun. The Taser sends a high frequency electrical signal that 
actually interrupts the signal from the brain to the muscles and sends 
the whole body into involuntary convulsions and the attacker becomes 
powerless to stop it.

The stun gun works on a high voltage low amperage flow of electrical 
energy only and is more locationally centered in that it makes the 
surrounding muscles spasm. The effects of the stun gun do not last as 
long as the Taser and in my opinion does not offer the same level of 
protection, though it is effective against human attack, I am unaware of 
the effects of a Taser on attacking bears, mountain lions or other 
predators. Stun guns also fall into this unknown effectiveness area too 
when considering their effects on animals. I would imagine they work, 
but I don't want to find out they don't when it's too late.

Forget mace. Mace is a breath freshner for large predators and some 
people. (personal opinion) Mace works but not nearly as well pepper spray.

Pepper Spray (Oleoresin Capsicum or OC Spray: Inflammatory defense 
spray) - Pepper spray is cheap, it comes in a variety of types, and it's 
a very effective deterrent. Pepper spray effects the respiratory 
systems, eyes, nose, throat, and mucous membranes within the nose and 
throat. It causes severe pain, irritation and swelling. The effect on 
the eyes is one thing, as it temporarily blinds the attacker when they 
close their eyes in defense of the spray.It also makes it very hard to 
breathe. If animals can't see or breathe they tend not to like that very 
much.

In addition, animals may also be frightened away by the loud hissing 
sound of the spray canister itself. Many smaller prey animals hiss at 
attackers and predators when threatened and the pepper sprays sound when 
discharged from the canister makes a loud hissing sound. In addition, 
many brand of pepper spray have a bright red dye and creates a large 
stream of material and a cloud of vapor in the air further adding to the 
frightening effect. An illustration of the spray effect is here: 
http://www.udap.com/Bearspecifications.htm

I was in the security and safety business for about 5 years, during that 
time I sold personal protection products and tested ALL of them. Yes 
I've been sprayed in the face with pepper spray, and mace, and been 
zapped with a stun gun. They all hurt! But pepper spray by far works the 
best in my opinion. Animals really don't like it either.

Bear spray (also a form of pepper spray) is another: 
http://www.udap.com/ This guy actually got attacked by a bear, and 
created his own formula of bear spray. Though I'm unfamiliar with it, 
and have never tested it, I would probably buy it since I am familiar 
with the way pepper spray works. I'm not promoting this guys products, 
and I've never tested them, but many others have and it seems like a 
good non-lethal safety product.

He has a very long list of testimonials on his site from people who say 
his product has worked well on many types of animals including moose! A 
little known fact is that moose actually kill more people per year than 
bears!

Bears: http://www.udap.com/testify.htm
Other Animal Stories Including a Moose and Mountain Lion, oh and a 
Tiger: http://www.udap.com/othertestimonials.htm

So to summarize all the choices of protection.

Gun - Works well in most scenarios, however limitations are law and 
personal preference.
Stick - Not discussed but might be somewhat effective.
Stun Gun - Limited effectiveness because of the dangerously limited 
short range capability. Perhaps it would be best as a last resort 
defense weapon.
Taser - Keeps human attackers at a distance. Untested on animals?
Pepper Spray - Effective on both animals and humans alike. Works well in 
many circumstances and scenarios. Cheap and legal in most areas.
Knives - Not discussed. Limited effectiveness because of the dangerously 
limited short range capability.

Hope this helps...

Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA




 Chris Peterson wrote:
> I'm outside at night all the time, in an area with cougars, bears, and 
> coyotes. I've seen all of them. I don't remotely worry about attacks, which 
> are vanishingly rare with any of these. I've never felt it necessary to take 
> any special precautions or to arm myself.
>
> Chris
>
> *****************************************
> Chris L Peterson
> Cloudbait Observatory
> http://www.cloudbait.com
>