03-01-2023, 06:03 PM
btfc wrote:
“ dangerous adjective
1. involving possible injury, pain, harm, or loss : characterized by danger
a dangerous job
2. able or likely to inflict injury or harm
a dangerous man “
Pretty much any bear, within close proximity, is by definition, dangerous.
“ Black bears have killed 60 people in 123 years “
Yes, and how many people have been seriously injured in that period?
I’ve been in close proximity to many, many, bears, both black and grizzly, and it is foolish to not treat either as presenting a potential danger.
That black bear that you were close to in Alaska might not have been aggressive or threatening, but it was certainly dangerous.
Well frick, a screwdriver is "dangerous", and actually, I have a hard time thinking of anything that isn't. The bottom line is I wouldn't spend a whole lot of time worrying about the dangers of black bears. I'd worry more about the ladder you're climbing up, and about a million other things.
I used sloppy language. EVERYTHING can be dangerous. It's up to the individual to assess risk and try not to be an idiot.
Fwiw, I've spent loads of time in the backcountry too. I've never spent one moment worrying about black bears. Well, except for what we do with food, if that's considered worrying. If I'm in grizzly country, I never don't think about it, because they are enormously more dangerous. Same with moose, tbh. I wouldn't get anywhere near one.