Axe as self defense

Ontario has a significant black bear population, and yet fatal attacks are quite rare when you consider the number of people working in the bush and canoe tripping. My understanding is that fatal attacks are committed by large, lone male bears who for some unclear reason develop a particularly predatory instinct. I have my doubts as to whether any axe would provide an adequate defence in such a case.
 
cyc79 said:
I know a guy that was in a firefighting camp (fighting forest fires). A black bear came to the camp and repeatedly kept harassing one of the female firefighters (her time of the month maybe?). Since firearms aren't allowed in these camps, he ended up having to kill it with a pulaski.
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Did he use the axe portion or the adze? DM
 
An oldie:


The National Park Rangers are advising hikers to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise hikers to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and have little odor. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain crushed bells and smell like pepper.
 
I was working at an advanced exploration project in Labrador a few years ago and one of the drillers killed a black bear with an axe. It came right into the drill while he was working and cornered him. What I heard after the fact was that he had fed the bear one if his old sandwiches the day before... so I guess the bear was just looking for more free food.

A colleague (geologist) was working in Timmins back in the 90's when his field assistant was killed by a black bear. He may have been too had he not scared it away by hitting it in the head with his grub-hoe.

The last bear I killed was extremely aggressive, it came into camp in the middle of the night, tore the side of one of the canvas wall tents open while one of the guys was sleeping and chomped down on his pillow and foamie, it pulled the blanket right off of him while he was sleeping and dragged it out of the tent. He was pretty shaken up, his tent-mate fired a bear banger off inside the tent which scared it away. There was no food in the tent. It came back two more times that night before I dispatched it with the 12Ga.
 
Woodcamo Nut said:
I grew up with a guy who his father hit a bear with a double bit axe and the axe bounced back off the bear and hit his father in the head, it must of been a dull axe.
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Your friends father hit the bear in one of the the worst place he could, a bear skull its the thoughtest part of the animal.

I think the best bladed weapon to fight those type of animal is a spear. But if I have to choose in this scenario, I would choose a big spearpoint fast knife.
 
Ugaldie said:
Your friends father hit the bear in one of the the worst place he could, a bear skull its the toughest part of the animal.
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But that happens to be where the fuse panel and main breaker are located, and exactly where you want to be in order to turn off the engine and lights.
 
Long gun, hand gun, walking staff (spear), long gun as a club, pepper spray, THEN a long knife. Of course, by the time he gets past my buddy who is using all of that, my ass will be up the tree!!! ;)
 
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Hi David,many moons ago a man bear hunting near westside road ( forest road 90 ) outside Cloudcroft shot a bear. He thought it was a clean kill and leaned his rifle against a tree.Pulled out his knife to gut it just before it got up and attacked him.He got one stab in before the bear mauled him to death.
 
RustyHammer said:
Long gun, hand gun, walking staff (spear), long gun as a club, pepper spray, THEN a long knife. Of course, by the time he gets past my buddy who is using all of that, my ass will be up the tree!!! ;)
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A slow friend now that's the way to go. :D
 
I enjoy trekking in southern British Columbia where I have come across many bears in my travels. For me, the best defense is to just relax and show no fear. Been awaken in the middle of the night by a bear barking in my ear is an awesome adrenaline experience. I now carry a fbmle for backup.
 
So far the most effective tool mentioned in this thread would be the road flare, I imagine. Bright, smelly, fire- the archenemy of all things Mother Nature. Although I guess its all bark/no bite.

Opinel 6 at the ready, then (you know, the good carbon version).
 
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RustyHammer said:
Long gun, hand gun, walking staff (spear), long gun as a club, pepper spray, THEN a long knife. Of course, by the time he gets past my buddy who is using all of that, my ass will be up the tree!!! ;)
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Nice to see some humour injected in all this. Unfortunate part is black bears and big cats are good climbers. Salmon Fisheries Commission field worker I met years ago in B.C. had been mauled by a black bear that had fished him out the tree he'd climbed in to get away. His answer after recovering from that was bear spray.
 
I know a guy who knew a guy who told him he once saw a bear attack and kill an axe.
 
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Last year I talked with the State's bear trapper. He told me the most common reason for a bear attack and the cause of the last 5 attacks in the State. Each time it was a hiker out with an unleashed dog. The dog goes molesting the bear. The bear turns and attacks. The dog runs like hell back to his owner and drops a pissed off bear in your lap.

I often hike in bear country with an unleashed dog. A dog needs some off leash time - a chance to be a dog. But I carry a large side arm when I do this. I should probably get some bear spray as a first option. I'd hate to kill a bear unnecessarily.
 
pjackst said:
So far the most effective tool mentioned in this thread would be the road flare, I imagine. Bright, smelly, fire- nature's natural enemy. Although I guess its all bark/no bite.
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Now, let me get this straight: Hang on bear, I've not got it lit yet. Ok, now throw it and run. Look back, bear is gone--- but forest is now on fire. As we're in drought most of the time. DM
 
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