Bulletin for AK Bear injuries and deaths

[Ray]

You like math? Then enjoy the data in this bulletin published today by the AK Dept of Epidemiology.

http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/rr2019_02.pdf

TL;DR = bears injure quite a few of people, but don't kill many of them.

 

[Finch]

Interesting. I would have thought there would have been more than 68 attacks between 2000-2017. Wonder why the amount of attacks per year almost tripled in 2016?

 

[street]

Nice study thanks for sharing

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Interesting. I would have thought there would have been more than 68 attacks between 2000-2017. Wonder why the amount of attacks per year almost tripled in 2016?

#notbearpresident

 

[Midwest.Bushlore]

Interesting. Not very many attacks per year but the frequency is rising. And AK doesn't have a huge human population.

 

[Akshphntr]

The danger of bear attacks is way understated. Bear attacks are frequent and sometimes not reported. Bear deaths are much more rare. One summer i tallied over 20 bear attacks in ak. I dont go anywhere in the woods without a rifle.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Important to reiterate, the report identifies a bear attack as one resulting in physical injury. I'm sure there are plenty of additional encounters, threats and outright attacks which don't end in injury. Just no way to know about or collect data on those kind of things.

I always think about how reports (like this one) focus on statistics and the odds of being injured. Sort of like shark attacks....we all know the odds are very much against it happening. We also know the odds are a bit less favorable when there is fresh blood in the water, or at a kill site.

 

[VernAK]

As Kevin states, this is only injuries recorded by an agency. There are many instances of serious bear encounters that are repelled by firearms, bear spray, dogs or folks escaped by getting into their cabin or vehicle. Most are never reported. Even many of those resulting in the bears demise are never reported.

 

[Beendare]

As Kevin states, this is only injuries recorded by an agency. There are many instances of serious bear encounters that are repelled by firearms, bear spray, dogs or folks escaped by getting into their cabin or vehicle. Most are never reported. Even many of those resulting in the bears demise are never reported.

Exactly.

Its the same under reported incidents of bad guy V good guy using a firearm to defend themselves that goes way under reported. Some of these "Studies" on defense by firearm only take into account the incidents where its investigated by the police.....where in reality there are millions of cases where the good guy producing a firearm repelled an attack. Link;

Re Bears; Do you think this incident with Fred Eichler was counted by the authorities? Not that they should have but it just illustrates the point made by guys above that studies don't always tell the whole story.

 

[Ray]

Wonder why the amount of attacks per year almost tripled in 2016?

That summer has been written about by local folks. However, I can't find one to post up. Medred probably has a blog about it. Half that blog is probably his recounting for the 4000th time his own bear shooting event.

Hard fall with a crappy berry crop in places. Odd warm winter. Early spring with bears up and awake before moose calves are dropping. And a lot of people doing a lot of stuff in the woods where bears are found.