Bearanoia! The Grisly Statistics Regarding Grizzlies!!!

[CarbineCaleb]

I am always amused by the people who say they would never enter the woods without a big firearm, because they are afraid of bears and lions . Here are some stats from the B.C. Stats Bureau (full report linked at bottom) to back up my intution. Note the biggest killer - the horse! Bees are also right up there! It would seem that the thing people fear the most is the thing that is the scariest, not the thing that is the most dangerous. So, from a rational perspective, the proper question to ask is, what's the most effective gun and load to carry for horse/bees?

- British Columbia stretches from the Pacific to the Rocky Mountains, and from the US Border to the Yukon.

- It's home to 1/2 of Canada's grizzlies, and 1/4 of its' black bears.


Animal Caused Fatalities, By Animal
British Columbia, 29 year period from 1969 to 1997
------------------------------------------------
Bear: 19
Cougar: 5
Moose: 19
Deer: 5
Orca: 1
Bee/Wasp: 16
Snake: 2
Horse: 47
Mule: 2
Cow/Steer: 6
Bull: 5
Dog: 4
Unspecified: 2
-------------
Total: 133

See the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency for full report:
http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/stats/quarte...98/#fatalities

[dZ]

Horses don't eat yer spleen

i HATE when that happens

[CarbineCaleb]

True, true, but bees will make your throat swell up until you suffocate, a much longer and more agonizing death!

I think the best thing to bring for bees is a 10 gauge SxS, cylinder bore, with 3.5 inch shells, and #9 beeshot, err, birdshot. Then maybe a tactical bee bandoliero loaded with shotshells, to give plenty of ammo for followup shots, and to let them bees know you mean business!

[Twycross]

The problem with statistics like these are that they are general, while nasty situations are specific. The risk of being killed in a car accident is far greater than the risk of being killed by a shark, but when you are out floating in deep water 'cause your boat sank, you tend not to be particularly worried about being crunched by an SUV. When I am out in the woods, I am in danger from bears, cougars, rattlesnakes, etc. Not orcas or horses. Even if the horses are statistically more dangerous. Therefore, I prepare for bears. When I am around horses, I exercise due precautions for them. Same with other dangers.

[Handy]

But how many deaths were caused by white supremist militias?


I doubt the horse deaths were the result of open pic'n'ic baskets, and were probably falls from domesticated horses.

I would also bet that none of the bear deaths were from falls from domesticated bears.

[Twycross]

I would also bet that none of the bear deaths were from falls from domesticated bears.

LOL!

[dZ]

but they might of been falls from bear backriding

[jonathon]

Pissed off bear or pissed off moose..

that really is a hard choice..

For the horseback bit, I believe it. A wrong fall and your dead. I've been on several trail rides, and fallen off probably at least 5 times. I've never been bucked off a horse, but I've been on a big draft horse when she started buckin' and it was all I could do to hold on...a fall their would have been fatal, trampled by horse.

[Sir William]

I have been dumped by a horse too. I have been the blue plate special for a cat, she lost. The one thing that I have fear of is spiders. I have been bitten anough to respect their space. Waking up to flourescent lights and plastic tubing running into you is not a pleasant experience. A I&D procedure is no fun either.

[spacemanspiff]

bears only want your picnic basket. jsut hand it over and you won't get hurt.

[Limeyfellow]

Deer attacks during rutting season concern me far more than any bear attack. There is at least a dozen deer on my land and you occasionally see them early morning all together just as it gets to twilight (shame I didn't have my digital camera on me at the time).

Much more people die from being gored where they got surprised.

[Shorthair]

Actually, I think it is mosquitos that kill through transmission of infectious diseases more humans per year than all others combined.
Course, its not as sexy as gettin' yer spleen chewed on.

[jonathon]

If the bear asks for your picnic basket, its Spiffy

HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET KILLED BY A FRICKEN WHALE?

[Capt. Charlie]

Horses huh? Well after 40 years of being a horseman, I've been kicked, bit, thrown, stepped on, rolled on, scrunched against stall walls, and you'll note that I'm still here . Even had one Belgium mare grab me by the belt, pick me up off the ground, and toss me about 5 feet like a basketball (she did that a lot with the goats too; no wonder they wouldn't get within a hundred yards of her ). Anyhow, if they're #1, I have to wonder if the man eating mares of Diomedes aren't alive and well .

[Limeyfellow]

Alot of people are killed every year by killer whales. They want to pet them usually or go swimming with them and wonder why it then makes them a ragtoy.

Yes germ carrying Mosquitos kill about 2.5 million people a year. More than any other animal put together. They seem to all want to bite me whenever I walk outside.

[stevelyn]

Thank you carbinecaleb for expanding my vocabulary enough to describe the majority of our local residents.

[CarbineCaleb]

From the full report, linked in my first post, here is more detail on the deaths due to horsey homicide. Roughly 2/3 were from falls, and 1/5 from kicks...

Deaths resulting from human interaction with horses comprised the largest group of animal caused fatalities in both the wild and domesticated groupings. From 1969 to 1997, there were a total of 47 events involving horses with the preponderance of victims being male (30 deaths).

Of these deaths, 35 (74%) were the result of work or recreational use of these animals. The following list inventories the types of fatal injuries sustained in these incidents:
Head injuries - 20 (57%)
Internal injuries - 8 (23%)
Fractures - 2 (6%)
Other - 1 (3%)
Unspecified - 4 (11%)

The vast majority of this group of horse related fatal injuries were sustained in falls from horses; there were 25 such incidents in the 35 cases examined. The next most numerous accidents involved being kicked by horses; there were 7 of these accidents detailed in the documents examined. The remaining 3 fatalities involved a variety of circumstances including being run over by a vehicle that collided with a horse ridden by the victim; drowning while riding a horse in or near water; and being crushed between a team of work horses and a stationary object. Unfortunately, there was no mention made in any of these records as to whether the victims were wearing protective headgear or vests at the time of the accidents, thus it is not statistically possible to extrapolate a relationship between lack of proper safety attire and fatal injuries. Suffice to say that these figures indicate activities involving horses are not without significant risk and should be undertaken with due caution. The remaining 12 horse-related fatalities (26%) were the result of MVAs caused by vehicles hitting horses that were loose on the road or highway.

[Capt. Charlie]

Huh. Interesting. That could explain why all but a very few states have passed laws making stable owners immune from liability. There is some risk working around horses, but just like guns, safety is mostly a matter of common sense. It also helps to learn a horse's body language, which is a lot more complex and rich than most people imagine. Horses almost always give warning when they're pissed off. Thrown riders are frequently hurt because of overconfidence, lied about their experience and ability, and consequently got "too much horse". That's what happened with Christopher Reeves. I never cease to be amazed how gentle horses are with people, even when they hurt someone. If you've ever seen two horses in a genuine fight (not just fooling around, which they do often), it is an awesome and frightening sight, and I guarantee, once you see that, your respect for them will go up about 20 notches.

[utaherrn]

Last year on the Antelope hunt in the Snake Valley area of Utah (western Utah near the Nevada border, south of I-80) there were hundreds of wild mustangs out there. What an amazing experience. Now back to topic (sort of)...

Now I need to get a gun for Orca attacks, and Bee swarm attacks, never can be too prepared. They make buckshot for deer, and birdshot for birds, do they make dogshot or whaleshot?

Also, when an "unspecified" attacks, how do you prepare for that? They're sneaky bastiges!

[CarbineCaleb]

Capt: Yep, I have only ridden a horse twice, when I was dating a girl whose Dad had a farm. They gave me the horse they were nervous about, and no lessons. He was a big male, and quite independent... riding him felt a little like driving a car where the accelerator sticks (if you've had that)... he was okay at a walk... but every time I tried to open 'er up a little, he wanted to go flat out, and didn't respond to drawing the reins until I really pulled back very firmly. Was unnerving, actually - that is one powerful animal, and sitting up there high, flying along, and feeling like it was a bit of an arguement over who was really in control of the ride. I could definitely see how a fall from up there on one of those at full speed would be fatal, real easily, or a solid power kick to head or torso - ouchie.

[Capt. Charlie]

To stay OT for only a moment more, it's a shame, Cal, that you're only experience had to be a bad one. Once you know how, have experience and self-confidence, AND have a GOOD horse, the experience of man and such a powerful and fast animal becoming one is like no other. It's not "horse obeys rider". It's total teamwork. It is a feeling of freedom and flight without wings, and at least to me, is exhilarating beyond all measure.

[AttackTurtle]

If the bear asks for your picnic basket, its Spiffy
HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET KILLED BY A FRICKEN WHALE?

Whales Kill

[CarbineCaleb]

Capt: I can believe that, and am definitely not trying to cause horsienoia. Just thought about it when you mentioned how strong horses are ;-). I still tried it a second time, and I was given him again, and the experience was the same. When I mentioned the horse's behavior to my girlfriend, she said "Yeah, nobody likes to ride him" .... I thought, thanks for telling me!

[CarbineCaleb]

Beyond the main conclusion one can draw, which is that lions and tigers and bears don't eat many people, there was some interesting detail on who was attacked, when they did age and sex-wise breakdowns....

The victim of an animal-caused death was 2.5 times more likely to be male.

With the exception of infants less than one year of age and age 80-84 seniors, animals were involved in the death of individuals of all other ages.

The highest rates and numbers occurred among people age 15 to 24.

Bears
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Unlike cougars, where all deaths involved children, bears killed people of all ages - the youngest was 5 years of age and the oldest was 77. Of the 19 deaths, only 2 were children, 2 more were in their teens, and all others were adults. Not surprisingly, because men are more likely to be working or participating in recreational activities in the wilderness, they were the overwhelming majority of deaths (16 of 19).
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Cougars
In the past twenty-nine years there have been a total of 5 deaths resulting from encounters with cougars. There was a noticeable similarity in these events in that they all involved children (the one adult fatality began as an attack on a child and the victim attempted to intervene). Provincial wildlife management experts note that this is the common pattern in cougar attacks, and speculate that a child's small size, voice pitch and rapid, sudden movements may mimic the triggers that attract cougars to their animal prey.
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[Handy]

Interestingly, not a single wolf death.