I guess I'd choose the girly-man route and remember, you don't have to be fast enough to outrun the bear, just your friend.

Black bears (not sure about the rest - we only have black bears here.) have shorter front legs and longer rear legs. They do have difficulty running downhill because of that. Not a myth. If you are being threatened by a black bear and your only choice is to run, run downhill.

Truthfully though, bear attacks on humans are extremely rare. There is a wild animal where I live which is far more dangerous than bears. Believe it or not: Wild Boar.

i'd actually find a big tree and climb it if i could since only bear cubs can climb trees. if there's no trees, i would probably whip out my 9mm and shoot it in the head.

Originally Posted by Toyuzu

Black bears (not sure about the rest - we only have black bears here.) have shorter front legs and longer rear legs. They do have difficulty running downhill because of that. Not a myth. If you are being threatened by a black bear and your only choice is to run, run downhill.

Truthfully though, bear attacks on humans are extremely rare. There is a wild animal where I live which is far more dangerous than bears. Believe it or not: Wild Boar.

You based that assumption about black bears on what?


Let's see, the Oregon Dept. of Fishand Wildlife says:
"Black bears are very agile, can run in burts up to 35 mph and can run up or down hills quickly and easily."
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/.../Bear_alt.html

The Official Website of Yellowstone National Park says "Stories that bears cannot swim or run downhill are also incorrect. Although they may appear to be lumbering slowpokes, they can swim the fast, cold waters of the Yellowstone River and sprint at up to 35 miles an hour for short distances!
http://www.nps.gov/yell/nature/anima...izzlyback.html

The Jasper National Parks of Canada site says "Running may trigger a pursuit and bears can run as fast as a racehorse, both uphill and downhill."
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/...natcul15_e.asp

But you still think it's a myth? And they blame the bears.

I guess I would run downhil at 36 mph minimum, or if that didn't work I'd guess I would have to ......






Grin and Bear it!!!


Groan!

Originally Posted by DTop

You based that assumption about black bears on what?

Watching them myself. I have to admit, I've never raced one downhill myself, but I've always been fascinated by them and their prevalence where I live has afforded me plenty of opportunities to watch them. There is no question they run much better uphill than they do downhill. You'd probably have to be in pretty decent shape to outrun one even downhill though. I think it's just a matter of that being the best chance for survival.

Depends, if I was armed, I'd try my best to defend against the attack, I might be bear food, but you can't live forever.

. If I was unarmed, I promise you right now that you would hear me scream no matter where on te earth you live .

i hate it how people have come up with ways to try to get away from the bear without huring it. my fav has been play dead. some of these animal rights people place animal lives above human ones. i never go camping or into the wilderness without doing some recon. if i see that there are bear warnings, im gonna take my rifle with me. if i see a bear within 50 or so yards of me, facing me, im gonna shoot it.

if a bear travels at 35 mph, that means it would go 50 yards in about 5-6 seconds. its 2.9 seconds at a constant 35mph so i estimated 2 or 3 seconds to accelerate to 35mph. how fast can you get an accurate round off?

Originally Posted by >*CrAzY*<

Nope, I was defintately told mine by my mom... who like knows everything.

Sorry DTop, with my experiences over this summer, I'm still running downhill. BUt you are right, bears can still run quite well for their build.

Maybe if you run downhill dropping picnic baskets as you go.

This little chap came around for dinner[img][/img][url]