Protection knife against wild animals.

SaintlyBrees said:
It is what they teach you. When we first moved up here 13 years ago, we saw fit to take some wilderness classes as the wilderness here is quite different from S. La where we are originally from. The classes, the handouts, the discussions by people who live with this possibility is indeed to play dead. The very vast majority of attacks come from bears who feel threatened for whatever reason. It is almost never because they want to eat you (again, grizzlies and polars are different). Playing dead removes the threat and the bear leaves. That is the concept involved here.

And with that, I'll leave folks to fight off bears with their knives. :)
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Every black bear I have encountered ran off like a squirrel. If they're making physical contact with my person it isn't to snuggle IMO. I for one would fight a black bear Connecticut chimpanzee attack style. lol! Down and dirty do or die. Guns, knives and biting. Heck if I thought it would help I would use a Pokémon card to summon Pikachu. What I am not going to do is play dead with a black bear.

Here is an interesting story my uncle told me. Some time ago people were instructed to toss their pack at a bear if confronted then back off. After a few years the bears learned to mug hikers for their packs. I can't verify this so take it with a grain of salt.

On a side note Lyme infested ticks and bad weather scare me more than bears by a WIDE margin.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
There are reports of predatory male black bears hunting humans.

Interesting that Grizz and Polar bears share some psychology. I read a case of a cross between the two, and the analysis mentioned that Polar bears split off from the Grizzlies relatively recently.
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I saw something on Discovery about a person who shot a Grizz/Polar bear hybrid and got fined for hunting Grizz rather than Polar. He fought it and genetic testing proved it wasn't either rather a combo deal if I recall the TV show correctly.
 
killgar said:
That's the internet for ya. Sometimes it might take a few posts, or pages, for people to realize that they actually agree.:)
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Yep. Dont get me wrong i usually carry a Mukti or a Golok with me in the field and will use it if i have to but its like option 8 against a mad attacking bear behind:

1: A Tank
2: A LAW
3. a LMG
4. A rifle from a distance away
5. A shotgun
6. my tamed Attack Chupacabra
7. my Ruger Blackhawk
8. Whatever knife i happen to be carrying

I mean dont get me wrong the Mukti is a massive dang scary knife but i dont want to have to be that close to an angry bear.
 
killgar said:
And for those who like to promote the almighty power of the gun, I hope you realize that shooting a bear is no guarantee of stopping the bear. What's your "plan B" if you shoot the bear, and it keeps on coming, closes the distance, and hits you full force causing you to drop your gun?
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Pull the trigger again. And again. And again.

If a bear charged me, I'd only stop shooting when the gun was empty - whether the bear died first or not.

If 5-10 bullets don't kill the bear, then it was your time to go. But, really, unless your aim is god-awful or something, emptying a gun into a bear will stop it. Something that size just doesn't survive that much damage.

Can it still hurt you before it dies? Maybe. But you won't get eaten by a bear with half a dozen holes in it.
 
Yeah. For that purpose I would want to carry a machete, preferably Kukri, something with heft to it
 
Just tell them to leave you alone as you are monitoring this thread for feedbacks.

Real world aside, i would use a hinalung-type of blade that can be mounted for leverage.
 
I never know if these topics are for real or not. Someone sees a black bear, and therefore needs a weapon for bear defense???

In the entire written history of New Mexico, exactly one person has been killed by a bear.
I believe the number for Virginia is 0. That's zero. It never happens.

I'm more concerned about the dripping faucet than the bears in the alley, at midnight when I'm taking out the trash.
 
Bring someone you don't really like, and a small knife...
If a bear attack you, stab the other guy in the leg and run...
LOL....

On a serious note, bearspray and something that makes a really loud noise would be the best option I think...
Specially since you can't carry a firearm..
 
If you were silly enough to leave the bear spray and firearm behind and you're far afield, take your humble SAK, find a stout piece of wood, preferably a little taller than you, and whittle yourself a nice sharp spear. Better than a knife against most predators, two legged or four.
 
halbschaf said:
HI killgar,
which knife do you carry?
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I don't go camping or hiking anymore (no time), but when I did I carried an old Marine Corps Ka-Bar. It did everything I needed it to do. Fortunately I never needed to put it, or myself, to the test against local mountain lions.
 
jamaljahda said:
For the trail I am going to have to agree even though this is not what you asked but reality is reality for trails and camping carry some good bear spray, its lighter and more effective up close and personal. However if you must go the knife route something that will penetrate deep is what you need, not a SOG field pup or seal pup elite. A inch blade is not going to cut it against an attacking bear you want something along the lines of a Becker BK9, Esee Junglas, 18" HI Khukuri,or some other 7 plus inch blade. Bears have fur muscle and fat that you have to get through to get to the vitals and the reason I discourage this route for defense against bears is the weight of these knives. If you are not used to carrying a large knife then you will most likely leave it home, in camp or in the car and it won't be available when and if you needed it. Get some bear spray and a ruger sp101 in .357 and you should be good to go.
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Hi jamaljahda, would you say the bk9 and the esee are pointed enough? And is it an assumption or are you really shure that 7 inches are long enough to reach the vitals? Then I would think a blade of 8 to 9 inches.seems to be a good solution. An answer is important for me, so thanks in advance.
 
I remember seeing a documentary years ago, he gif of the guy slapping the bear on the nose actually is of him. This guy had a nice cabin out in the woods, he fed all sorts of animals, but he was constantly feeding black bears. They all ended up coming to his house and just roaming around eating and hanging out in large groups. He said its been going on for years without any trouble, they coexist with his dogs. When the one that was coming up to him I believe trying to get his food from him he slapped it on the nose and the thing backed away much like a dog would.

I believe the only problem that occurred from this was he bears were becoming reliant on him for food and there was worry that he may be domesticating them to the point they would have trouble finding there own food. But like I said large numbers of them would hang out around his home with his dogs and him without problems, so they weren't a threat to him physically.

I've heard of guys killing mountain lions with buck knives. I think most animals will be deterred by bear spray, warning shots from a gun, etc. A lot of animals are pretty scared of people, which is why we have to hunt or lure them in. Bobcats for instance are easily scared by threats. A grizzly vs. you with a knife? I think the grizzly wins everytime. I'd stick to bear spray for most animals. Plus on hikes and such, you have no reason to be killing animals as you pass through their land unless you are hunting them. When it comes to keeping them away from your home when they have decided its part of their hunting ground? You may have to kill it, but you can always trap it and relocate it or hopefully scare it away by firing some warning shots and maybe tracking it deeper and doing the same, if they believe there is a tougher predator in that area they may very well stay away from you.
 
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