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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Reentries
Posted By: Robert N Pruden In Response To: Re: Reentries (Brian Nystrom)
Date: Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 10:34 p.m.
: Obviously, it's your decision, that that sounds like some seriously wishful
: thinking to me. About all your likely to do with a knife is piss-off the
: bear.The blade is long enough to penetrate the heart. If we're both pissed off then the trophy goes to the one who loses.
: If they're really a problem, you need a shotgun or a rifle. Since
: your only concern is bears on land, why do you feel the need to carry the
: knife on your PFD? Wouldn't it be safer and more convenient to keep it
: stored in the boat and carry it only when you land? Then again, if you're
: going to do that, a firearm is a much better option.Guns fail, too! I prefer to keep my options open.
: That may sound great on paper, but it's not gonna' happen that way and I
: suspect you know that. I would find carrying such a large knife to be more
: of a liability than an asset. If it makes you more likely to stand and
: fight with a bear, rather than getting small and protecting yourself, it
: probably DECREASES your chances of surviving a bear attack dramatically.I disagree. There are two sides to the story and the one I tend to relate better to is to fight. I've read plenty of stories about bear attacks up here where two people were hunting, one was attacked and the other fought off the bear with sticks and stones. I tend to remain clm in difficult situations, I'd like to be calm and carry a big stick and knife if I can. My solo cross-Canada trip does not take me through Disneyland, it takes me through land where bears reign free and people tread carefully around them. Careful treading done, people still die from bear attacks. If I get killed by a bear, that bear will hurt when it's over. I'm pretty adamant about this subject, especially having been through this discussion before. My line of defense while up north doing my solo trip will be this: bangers first, then gun, then knife. Needless to say, I won't have time to do all three do I have to decide quickly. This arguement is purely hypothetical since the odds of meeting a bear that wants me for dinner is kinda low until I get into polar bear country. The size of teh knife doesn't bother me one iota, it weighs a few ounces, doesn't get in my way because I keep it outta the way most of the time. You are right, I don't have to carry it on my pfd under normal circumstances and I don't. I keep it in the cockpit in my storage compartment when I think I will be in bear country. Bears can swim and run across rivers at very fast speeds. I watched a black sprint across the Jasper to Edmonton highway at top speed, something like 40-km/hr. It hit the Athabasca River on the south side of the highway at maximum speed and kept up that speed until it was on the other side. They move quickly, polar bears faster. I'll keep my options open.
Robert N Pruden
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