“It’s the only animal that will hunt you back!”  The quote is from Kelton Hatch, a onetime spokesman for Idaho Fish and Game.  He grew up in bear country.  One morning a few years ago, Kelton was a guest on my program.  I was curious about arguments over hunting grizzly bears and asked if he was familiar with the large animals.  Grizzly bears are clearly dangerous.  Big paws, big claws and big teeth, don’t you know?

They’re also very fast.  Massive and yet in an open field can reach speeds of 30 miles per hour.  They’re territorial and don’t mind taking a bite from someone who crosses them.  And they’re easily crossed.

Massive and yet in an open field can reach speeds of 30 miles per hour.

A biker discovered this Memorial Day near Big Sky, Montana.  And he lived to share the story.  According to the Billings Gazette, the fellow is in critical but stable condition.  He hiked to a roadway after being grabbed by the bear and has some nasty cuts on his back and face.  A passing motorist gave the guy a lift.

When my daughter and niece were small, I used to take them to an amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario.  They would feed marshmallows to the big bears housed at the park.  The animals looked like giant stuffed animals as we tossed the treats over a ledge but you could see the size of the paws and realize you wanted no part of an angry bear.

During one visit, my mother suddenly herded the girls away.  I looked out over the enclosed “pasture” and saw two bears attempting to procreate.  Which they appear to do as frequently as they eat and, we should note for our own good, much more often than the furry creatures attack people.

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