Wildlife Knife

What to do when confronted by Maine wildlife.?

I have lived in Maine all my life in one of the most rural towns it has. Luckily, the wildest animal I have ever run into was a deer, skunk and numerous reptiles and bugs. This summer, I plan on trekking the way through 4 miles or so of woods from my road to a new road built in the next town. My problem is I have no idea what to do if I happen to run in with a bear or some other form of dangerous animal. I’m a 16 year old teenage girl and my only other company will be my 15 year old brother or my 16 year old friend (whichever chooses to accompany me). I will not take a gun because I’m against them and I would not want to use my hunters knife (i don’t hunt but i do have a hunters knife) on any living creature (or dead for that matter). My problem is what should I do if I meet like a moose or some other dangerous animal?

OK, these answers about bringing a knife to stab a bear are just plain silly from know-nothings. Seriously. The biggest threat you might face isn’t a bear, but a male moose during mating season. But when’s the last time you heard of a charging moose killing a human?

Back to bears. They are terrified of people. If you have done a fair amount of hiking or biking in the woods, chances are you have probably been near a bear. But you didn’t know it because the bear took off long before you came around the corner. This is because bears have an excellent sense of smell — it’s how they find the insect larvae they feed on in the summer before the fruits ripen.

Last June, I encountered a mother black bear and a cub right here in Bangor. Oh no! A mother and cub! How dangerous! FALSE. At least for black bears. (Maine doesn’t have grizzly bears.) It had been raining and the mother didn’t even notice me at first. But she smelled me, turned around, stood on her hind legs to get a better look, and snorted, blew, and chattered for a few seconds. She wasn’t trying to scare me; she was scared OF ME. She ran into the brush and ushered her cub up a tree. I took some photos. The cub climbed down and it and the mother took off.

A little more than two months later, a bear showed up to eat some berries, but when it saw me it ran across a stream and climbed a tree, where it ate nuts. I watched it for 20 minutes and actually had to leave.

Does this mean black bears are harmless? Well, let’s just say they are probably less dangerous than humans. The capability is there, but the probability isn’t. You stand a better chance of being mugged in Bangor than being attacked by a bear in Maine. You’re also more likely to die from a bee sting than be killed by a black bear — anywhere.

If you do encounter a bear, do nothing. Don’t approach it. Don’t run away (black bears can run 30 mph). Don’t climb a tree (black bears are excellent climbers). If, by freak chance, the bear charges, stand your ground. It’s likely to be a “bluff” charge. If you need to protect yourself, yell, blow a whistle, and fight back with your fists. Do not play dead. That doesn’t work with black bears, because when a black bear attacks a human, it does so for food.

Here are some bear photos I have taken: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=17869&l=b03c6&id=502757487

As for other animals, you won’t encounter a moose unless you’re near a bog or swampy area. Porcupines, despite popular belief, can’t throw their quills, so as long as you don’t touch them, you’ll be fine. Like every other wild animal, they don’t want anything to do with you and will waddle away as fast as they can and climb the nearest tree. Coyotes won’t bother you, either. They’re interested in rodents and deer, not humans, for food.

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