Bear Encounter in Putnam County, NY

[ELMER J. FUDD]

From foxnews.com  New York Man Escapes Injury In Bear Encounter  Updated: Wednesday, 25 Aug 2010, 8:35 AM EDT

Published : Wednesday, 25 Aug 2010, 5:40 AM EDT

  BY LUKE FUNK

    MYFOXNY.COM - A man escaped injury with a bear encounter in his Putnam County yard.

A 37-year-old man lives on Hemlock Trail Court in Lake Carmel.  He reportedly got between two bear cubs and their mother.

Lake Carmel Fire Chief James Hauth said an ambulance was called to the man's home after the confrontation but he declined medical attention.

The bears are still on the loose.  Despite the large bear population in the New York suburbs, attacks on humans are rare.

In an infamous case from 2002 a black bear plucked a five-month old girl from a stroller in Fallsburg, N.Y. After a chase by the parents, the bear released the girl from its jaws, but she died of her injuries.

In 2007, people shot video and took photos of a huge bear that wandered through Putnam neighborhoods.

There are an estimated 6,000-7,000 bears in New York.  The Department of Environmental Conservation says that black bears may be found in all areas of upstate New York. They are found in forests mixed with open areas and wetlands. They are also found in farmland and are sometimes attracted to cornfields where they may cause great damage.

An average adult male weighs about 300 pounds while females average about 170 pounds. The largest bear reported from New York weighed approximately 750 pounds.

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/new_york_state/new-york-bear-attack-20100825-lgf

[burmjohn]

I think these types of "encounters" happen all the time, where no one was injured.  They are just not reported.  I did not realize bears were in that area though.

[Geno C]

wow thats right near where i hunt... my dad has seen bear tracks up there in the snow b4.

yeah, id think black bear are making a good population for themselves and its prob safe to say they can be found in just about every county in NY....

[Doc]

These kinds of dangerous encounters with wildlife seem to be happening on a more regular basis these days. We seem to have more recent cougar attacks out west with an occasional fatality. There was the 15 year old girl up in Canada that was killed by some coyotes, bear incidents now, occasional deer attacks. It all seems to be increasing quite a bit as time goes on. Is the outdoors gradually becoming a dangerous place, or is it just that now with the internet, we are simply hearing about more of them?

Doc

[burmjohn]

I think its a combination of a bunch of things.  Bears are clearly spreading there territory, so that's one situation.  There is less and less land and more development, so there is another.  And then there is the internet

[JGaruti3]

Don't forget about barracuda attacks on young girls fishing

http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/2010/07/barracuda-jumps-boat-chomps-koral-wiras-arm

[ELMER J. FUDD]

It's not too far from one of my spots either. It's very close to Ninham Mountain M.U.A.

[Paulie]

My sister live in Stormville (not to far from Ninham) and had a black bear across the street from her just last week. First time they saw that.

I live in Pawling and we have a few that frequent my neighborhood. Last year my neighbor saw it twice, once in his back yard playing with a garbage bag. The second time the bear was in his garage...

I had only seen some tracks (yet to see the bear in person)...the sucker walked between my garage door and car on x-mas eve.....

I think that we are hearing more of the encounter for multiple reasons. 1. The internet. 2. Surbaban sprawl 3. bears are spreading their territory

[burmjohn]

Check this one out (not NY) but happened Sunday night.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2010/08/25/bear_hidden_in_dumpster_slashes_nh_man/?camp=misc:on:share:article

[HounderEmily]

As someone who chases black bears with hounds during "training" season here in NY, they are really not that aggressive to humans unless you do something pretty stupid--like hang on to your food when they show an interest in it. 

 I intentionally put my hounds on a bear trail, and they chase the bear until it climbs a tree and try to hold the bear there until I get to them.  When I do get there, which can take awhile--I'm not that young and have bad knees, I tie the hounds back and the bear typically jumps out over our heads and takes off. NY does not allow us to carry firearms while we do this.  I try to take someone younger and more athletic with me, but sometimes do this alone with me dogs. Sometimes the bear will not climb and turns on the hounds, but that doesn't happen all that often. When it does, we try to pull the hounds away to safety.  The bear rarely bothers the humans, although we don't take chances either.  We love our hounds, but they are brave and will take some injury without lasting harm.

The only time that I was ever charged by a bear myself, I was picking berries and a very young cub came up to me out of curiosity.  Mom charged me--I thought--but really just rushed past me and whisked the cub away from me.  She actually brushed against me in the process, but did not bother with me at all.  Of course I was scared out of my wits and flung the bucket of berries all over the place and got out of there pronto. 

Most problems with bear are caused by food.  I never carry any food when chasing bears.  Some of my buddies carry energy bars or the like, but only something they can quickly fling away, and in a pocket or some other place they can get to quickly--not in a zippered backpack. 

People who leave trash accessible, have bird feeders or cat or dog food outside, or leave toddlers with crackers confined in their strollers in the yard, are apt to have unpleasantly close encounters with bears. Same with hikers who don't hang their provisions out of reach--keep a sandwich in your tent and fall asleep before finishing it, and the bears will find you. 

[Doc]

I try to take someone younger and more athletic with me, but sometimes do this alone with me dogs. 

No-no-no-no-no! That's all wrong. I've heard it many times. The right way to do that is to take somebody along that is clearly more gimped up and slower than yourself. That way, you don't have to out-run the bear. All you have to do is out-run the other guy.  ;D

Doc