I am skeptical here about the story, or the bears in Maine are slow. What do Forum members think?

http://wgntv.com/2017/07/08/ma...ning-in-maine-woods/

Bear vs. Human. Not even close.

Black bears are lightning quick. Running from a bear in Northern Minnesota only makes them chase you faster.

But, those bears unaccustomed to humans will run away from you every time. The problem is you never know what is in the bears mind, how humanized they have become, how hungry they are, if they have young ones, or are in mating season.

Remember, you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your companions.

Either that or maybe arm yourself in the North Woods.

Also around here, we respect the bear, but run from the Moose. More people die from Moose trampling than bear attacks around here. Just FYI.

H&K-Guy

Only if they are hibernating.

Poor judgment by the media to advertise this "story"

I'm sure in his mind, at that moment, he thought they were only 20 yards away. My bet is more like 50-60 yards...And he probably would have still cut it close if he had to run 20 yards to the cabin.

He may have been running downhill.

Lucky, darn lucky. Glad he is all right.

Also, the distances named in the article weren't measured so I suspect due to fear that the 20 yds to the screened in porch was substantially less and the distance to the charging bears was more than 20 yards. Either that or the bears weren't too serious about eating a skinny Kenyan.

Amazing what adrenaline can do.
After a very quick google...
Black bear running speed 25 to 30 MPH
Fastest man ever clocked. Just under 28 MPH. (Usain Bolt.)

Man had half way to house head start over the bear.
Only 20 yards to the house... 60 feet.

The bear would have to run double the speed of the man to catch him.

The man was a professional runner... from Kenya.

I think it entirely possible.

Me, I'd be lunch for the bear.

I knew someone would apply mathematics to this problem. It is not my strong suit by any means.

Why don't the stupid wildlife folks ever suggest what I'd do? Shoot the damn bear. Not once, but as many times as I could. None of these stories ever mention how fast a bear can run when full of lead. Stand tall. Hold your jacket up so you look bigger. Or blast away. The big magnums are 6 shot guns. So that's what Beary gets. I'm too old to fight, too fat to run.

I thought this would be about some guy kicking his wife in the knee.

Them scrawny little Kenyans can run like the wind.

You would be surprised what you can do with motivation, especially if motivation wants you for dinner.

quote:

Man had half way to house head start over the bear.
Only 20 yards to the house... 60 feet.

The bear would have to run double the speed of the man to catch him.
The man was a professional runner... from Kenya.
I think it entirely possible.

Ya... entirely possible.
The short distance and the head start are the key.

I have read that a black bear back home out ran the Police vehicle and was clocked at better than 35 MPH.

Sows can be bad even if they don't have cubs.

I have always wondered why someone doesn't make a barking dog grenade. A recording of a barking dog with a 5 watt miniature speaker and powered by lithium batteries. Carry a couple of these in your pocket and when encountering a bear, activate, throw one towards the bear and/or drop one on the ground.

He had a slower friend with him

When I was in my late 20s, a black bear chased me, my brother, and a friend out of a small patch of woods at Sioux Narrows Provincial Park in Canada. We had a bit of a head start towards the truck, and she was in thick woods while we were already on the trail.

Although I could run a 6 minute mile in high school, those days were long gone. Nonetheless, I'm certain we all three smashed our personal 100 yard dash records that day.

quote:

Originally posted by zdog16:
He may have been running downhill.

True. Bears are not great downhill pacers. And the math is right.

My horses have usually clued me into a bear before I'm aware of it. For me there are few things as intimidating as a grizzly on the run towards you. I swear you can see shoulder muscle through all the fur.

I've related my dad's joke here before that a bear would have a tough time catching him as it'd be knee deep in shit.

Yeah, if the bear is 80 yards away & disinterested, I could 'outrun' him too.

With a matched start, nobody is outrunning a bear.