EXCERPT:
"Anchorage is unique among mid-sized American cities. The municipality's 285,000 residents share space with at least 65 brown bears and about 250 black bears. The sprawling municipality is surrounded by wild country. Anchorage is next to Chugach State Park, a half-million acre park that wildlife officials have described as a "bear factory."" Read the story here.
It seems the good citizens demand that "something must be done."
That's never a good sign..
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It's most important to remember that Anchorage has been here for less than a century, and the wildlife was here long before modern "civilisation." The bears didn't just materialize in Anchorage, last summer. Prior to this squeaky-clean, antiseptic society, those moving here did so with the awareness that there are bears here (along with all the other four-footed critters) and they'll do what bears do ... forage for food, and take advantage of opportunity.
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Back in Missouri, it was common for the gentry to move from St. Louis out to the rural, neighboring counties. They would find lots of open land near large farming operations, and put up a million-dollar home that was out of keeping with the surrounding area.
Then their complaints began: the dirt road is too dusty (duh!), the dairy herd makes too much noise, and/or the pigs stink. (Yes, the farm was there first. )
The idiocy got so bad that Missouri had to pass a law entitled "The Right to Farm Act." It specifically stated that farming has the right to exist regardless of the encroachment of other uses. Those people wanted to move away from the metropolitan areas, but expected the countryside to be just like the city (except less crowded).
Gee, sorry.
Maybe Alaska needs to enact some similar legislation regarding the wildlife that continues to live here. This is their world, and it's not their fault some people are walking around in Condition White, never expecting the real world to bite 'em on the backside.
The real world has all sorts of critters with teeth and claws - and, as I've noted before - here in Alaska, unarmed humans are NOT at the top of the food chain.
Deal with it, or it will deal with you. (Update: "deal with it" means "shoot the offending animal, or shut up. Either way, don't do anything stupid.")
17 comments:
I reckon as long as a human has a big bore rifle, knows how to use it, and don't run out of ammo that human will be at the top of the food chain.
But in any event I have no use for those who move to a semi-wilderness area then complain about the wilderness.
I quite agree. There are far too many people who have moved here (reasons unknown) from Portland or Seattle, apparently expecting the same park-like setting. Then they have the nerve to complain when they're treed by a bear while in the park.
Nurtz. They should go back where they came from; they'd be happier there.
In the meantime, I carry large-bore pistol to discourage Yogi if he seems interesting in coming our way.
Nice blog and I agree. But unfortunatly we have a HUGE population of moose wandering around as well. I just saw a carcus the other day of a baby moose(I guess the famles are dropping finally) some bear had gotten to before it actually stood up.
If we had a archery hunt would that help? They limited permit for moose on the backside of hillside was a complete waste of time via the BoG and F&W in my opinion, and shoukd have had at least 20 to 30 permits issued out.
Moose and Bear are a problem, but the actual problem are the stupid people who don't think before they leap. I have lived here since I was a child and you always see some dumb person trying to pet a moose.. or "something".
I carry a .40 cal, not for protection but more so the moose or bear hear the bang and stop. Hasn't let me down yet.
UpinAK - thanks for stopping by. You're right, of course: the bears are here because there are some 1,200 moose here. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet for the bears.
Yes, people tend to be stupid about wild animals - again, looking for the park-like scenario they've imagined in their minds - and taking foolish chances.
I carry a .45 for the same reason as you, and with the same results.
As for your other question about an archery hunt: I'm all for it. It would solve the imagined "problem" of a firearm hunt on the hillside, and take out quite a few more of the moose.
Like Guy said, I reckon I'm the top of the food chain. As long as I don't take stupid chances, and folks don't object if I level any animal threats, I guess we're good. :-D
J.R., you wanna make the threats assume ambient temperature? It's fine by me. About three years back, two separate hikers each shot & killed moose that didn't respond properly to the usual "make a lot of noise and back away slowly" technique.
One of them had been kicked & stomped by a moose a few years earlier, but this time his .44 mag leveled ye olde playing field.
A couple of the local "animals are people, too" crowd tried to make some noise, but got shouted down by the right-thinking folks who've been here longer.
I reckon Anchorage is still good to go, in that regard. The PETA crowd came up here in 2006, and left fairly quietly, without any protests. Many folks here still live off the land.
Howdy Rev. and thanks for the add. I will add you as soon as this comment is done.
You are correct, not many understand moose or bear and think they are cute and fuzzy little "snow white" forest friends. You won't catch me without a gun up near Bear Valley, Far North BiCentenial Park or Arctic Valley (and of course outlying areas like Eklutna) as I was almost stomped last year, twice, but moose who were young and didn't know that I wasn't going to hurt their babies. Learned my lesson and have come to the conclussion that the moose and bear in Anchorage are becoming more a hinderence then neat to watch.
I still have one mam moose come by my house, but she isn't as bad as she first was when she dropped.
Do you and a few of your "friends" mind wanting to start a Petition for the Board of Game next year to open up a Military (arctic valley) and Far North BiCentenial Archery hunt only? I am game to get signitures for a petition if others are up for it.
Up, I think the petition idea is a great one. I'd be happy to help you publicize it through our blogs. All you'd have to do is provide a way for people to find & sign it.
By the way, that's a bad pun you used: "I am game..." Heh.
Yeah, that tired thing is setting in. Insomnia is a pain!
Let me see what I can do on a petition I will talk to some of the Archery shops around town and see if they wouldn't mind letting me put a list in their shops.
I have no idea on how to start one online... it would be interesting.
The meese pictures on your blog are really neat, Rev. At the same time, I don't think I'd hesitate too long to drop the hammer on something the size of a volkswagon that was coming at me.
Up: I think posting your petition at local archery shops is a great idea! Talk to the folks at Sportsmans Warehouse, too.
J.R.: thanks. You're right - the first time you come face-to-face with one of these 1400 pound, seven foot tall critters, you'd better have something besides trail mix in your hands.
Meese?
J.R. Moose is used for plural as well as singular.
Sorry.. that is probably the only word that bugs me.
I used to hike about three miles from the four wheel drive trail to a creek on the military land back of the Airbase. The creek was loaded with greyling but also had its share of bears...mostly blacks but I saw the sign of griz several times. I always carried my .44mag revolver and my 7mm mag rifle...just in case. And I also made plenty of noise. More than once I know that a griz was close by because I could smell it...and more than once have I seen the scat in the trail so fresh it was still smoking.
One piece of advise to those new to the bush....don't go hiking in alone!
upinak, thank you for mentioning that. We all have our pet peeves, I guess. Let me tell you a few of mine. One of these is the semi-modern habit of placing random apostrophes in words for NO DARN REASON. Let's say I wanted to express the plural of COW. I would then say COWS. If I wanted to express that the cow owned something, I would write COW'S. If there more than one cow and they all owned something, I would then write COWS'. My sentence would in no way look anything like: "If you think it inhumane for me to kill a animal, with one shot and put it down fast, what do you think of Cow’s whom are on certain farms around the United States, that use a nail driven thru their skull or a air gun that punctures the skull and pulverizes the brain?"
While on the subject of pet peeves, let me mention another of mine: unintelligible run-on sentences. I'm glad we had this talk.
KTHANXBY!
John
Alrighty, then! I think we've beaten this one to death, boys and girls.
Besides, everyone knows that the word meeses is the plural of mouse, to wit: "I hate meeses to pieces!"
;-)
Rev. Some people can't get the subtle hint.
No worries, I am not hunting with this guy ;)
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