Anyone have news or info on Black Bear attacking a civilian today on Fort Lewis? I know that some of the guys who are out doing training are being brought back in. I was told cops are looking for Bear. 

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/military/2011/08/11/bear-scratches-army-employee-at-lewis-mcchord/ 

Thanks, I am happy that it isn't as bad as I was told. That always seems to be the case lol. 

At the risk of having everyone choke me, shouldn't people know better than to go in the woods at this time of year? 

I was going to ask why the hell they keep relocating them on post and on a range at that... Take them off post to like the wild life place or something... They are like cats and will keep finding there way back to there home.. 

Your right but I know I would be that person who would have gone not even thinking about it. lol. I am from Texas and haven't learned the area here yet. Luckly I do know how to handle bear situation from rock climbing as a teen but like I side your right, either way. 

Well they keep knocking down trees and they're running out of places to go. They keep chasing them up the same block of woods. really? They need a forest not a block. 

I'm from TX too but have been here a while, maybe in the beginning I woulda known I guess. But now I don't even take the kids to the park w/o looking over at the woods every couple of minutes. 

*wouldn't have known. Sorry! 

Yeah hubby is out doing STX training and because of the bear they are being sent home soon. 

Not sure what they do about the bear once caught but I hope they don't kill it. They do need their own place. I am sure with all the construction and noise it is hard not to move inwards towards Housing. I am glad the man is ok too. 

Black bears are so prolific and OVER populated. They are NOT endangered, far from it..so "knocking down trees" is clearly not curbing their ability to thrive and reproduce. Shoot it, feed it too the homeless.. no waste and the bear dies a painless instant death..one WAY better than the cow gets who becomes the ground beef in your hamburger helper. Good stewardship of wildlife INCLUDES humane harvesting of a population that is over grown or else GUESS WHAT HAPPENS?..the bears get killed because they hurt a human..or WORSE they are hit by disease and famine...the KINDEST thing to do for them is to keep the population in check..I know if I was a bear I would rather take a bullet than die slowly of starvation or disease.. plus then the meat isn't wasted....this is how native americans approached wildlife and it worked for hundreds of years.. 

they said in the article near on post housing, but not which housing area 

Why kill it? They were here first. We are the ones taking over their land. What makes us better or more deserving than them? Aren't we humans just as overpopulated if not more? And we KNOW better, we have birth control. I guess we can agree to disagree on this one! 

They were here first? I am pretty sure we evolved on planet Earth over the last several thousands of years with the rest of the mammals on this planet. We did n't just get beamed down from outer space and start building skyscrapers..... What makes THEM more deserving? we are organic beings just the same and whether or not humans are overpopulated, well, if we were considered a food source to them, pretty dang sure they would eat us! they just happen to luckily for us prefer berries and fish! lmao!! what makes land belong to a human or a bear?? what make the sky belong to a falcon or an Eagle?? it's called the food chain..that's what, I don't feel guilty for being on the top of it and neither does the Eagle or any other animal. Do people only belong in cities and suburbs? and why kill the cow you eat for that matter? they live a way worse life and suffer a way worse death than hunting a wild animal( and are WAY less healthy to eat!)... So why kill it? so it doesn't starve to death or get killed by a game warden for hurting a human and then thrown away..that's a total waste and that WILL happen to a bear that gets caught and relocated over and over..it's not a get out of jail free card, after so many times they shoot it.

And we DO know better, we know that any population that has grown to0 big is vunerable to death, famine disease etc..all the MORE reason to ease the population, not less! we can reason and conclude that they can't control the population on their own..no brainer . That is why the number of hunting tags go up and down from year to year, species to species, area to area...

If you love wildlife, and I do...I know that the right way is to humanely keep populations in check..if you would rather see wild life die slowly of starvation or disease or get shot and thrown away so you can have your "bear watch" and eat farmed meat where animals are crowded in stalls, filthy, in their own feces, stepped on and trampled to death, can't even spread their own wings that to me is truly cruel. 

I will have to agree with BrendaE on this one. And she pretty much said it ALL....heheee...lol 

At the risk of having everyone choke me, shouldn't people know better than to go in the woods at this time of year?

Agree! They may LOOK cute and fuzzy but this is their home too!

No they arent endangered but killing them just because they are annoying is also inhumane! Washington has THE MOST national rainforests, there are a lot of other ways to make them go away rather than killing them. Been here my entire life and have NEVER had a problem with them or any other animal (except the dang mole living in my front yard!) Happy to have a dog to scare that bass.turd. away soon!

Keep garbage put away, pets inside, clutter hidden where it belongs and they will stay out of your yard ;)

btw- if you mess with a wild animal- course they are going to defend themselves, im sure there is a tad more to the 'story of the attack' then whats been said.. Im sure it was provoked in some way or another... 

They were here first? I am pretty sure we evolved on planet Earth over the last several thousands of years with the rest of the mammals on this planet.


Im sure that meant that "were the ones taking their homes away, so no kidding they are going to try and protect themselves"

Yah us humans may have 'been here first' so to speak but THEY have survived in THEIR woods FIRST...

Yes? 

I happened up in engineer bluff which over in clarkdale housing close to mann ave. All I know is there where alot of cops there all day pretty much! I didn't know what had happened till I asked my friends hubby whose an mp talk about scarey we walk up there all the time! 

Why in the world would someone go into the woods around Discovery/hillside or really anywhere near a housing area? We all know it is mating season and our "wooded" areas are SMALL which means the more likely you are to encounter a bear, that was dumb. Is Miller Hill the hill off of Hillside that is gated? 

Hehe Kathryn, thats true! No wonder why my other half seen a bear while shooting. Guess the bear was roaring. CREEPY glad I opted out on that trip, Ida probably gotten myself eaten! LOL! :) 

It was engineer bluff PT is conducted there on a regular basis..my husbands WHOLE unit just had a "fun" run there (in costume oy vey) last week..It is a very busy, frequented running trail. the man was walking his dog, the dog was ahead, dog came running back, bear in pursuit of dog, man got a swipe with a paw and was treated and released...dog was picked up by someone later..this is near clarkdale housing... not miller hill and it's not mating season..I just walked all of miller hill from one side to the other on Sunday..so many mosquitoes won't be going back...and again I will ask should people never leave their backyards? this is an army base, not a wildlife refuge...the attack wasn't a big deal fortunately he was after the dog..and this bear was the third bear removed..and the miller hill bear...well, exactly what I was saying happens~ it was KILLED...such a waste! this is why I hope people don't feed them and don't leave out trash that is a death sentence for them and overpopulation is a near death sentence for them too

And oh, Miller hill is not gated it is covered in running trails and Map land nav trails and cooridinate signs for training.

It's not a unicorn or endangered species if it was I would feel very strongly about protecting it and in fact as a hunter I DO feel very strongly about protecting and maintaining a healthy thriving bear population..and that includes hunting them and shooting them! yay! oh and eating them.

OH and who said anything about killing them just because they are annoying? I don't adovocate waste or sport killing or any wasteful killing...but?? getting a swipe with a bear claw? um a LITTLE more than annoying, bear in the playground DURING SCHOOL? a WEEE more than annoying..it's dangerous for them and us...and keeping their number in check means that the general bear population is A) more healthy B)less Aggressive(because the competition for food isn't as fierce) and C) less likely to have to go into suburbs in search of food or end up getting killed by the game warden or hit by a car etc etc etc 

Well they aren't hibernating and our woods are not very dense and are all marked with warning signs. The hill I am talking about IS gated, so it must not be Miller Hill, we looked tongiht when we drove by and there is no sign saying a name so it must just be called no no hill or something, I don't know. I am super glad to hear that this guy is okay, but IMO he should not have been there! 

They are trying right now to eat as much as they can possibly manage to put on fat for the winter. The berries are VERY late because of the cold weather so there is less food AND because there are simply TOO MANY BEARS, RECORD numbers...so they are particularly aggressive and territorial..they don't see you as food, BUT they MAY see you as competition for food and space so, just like they would another bear, they will sometimes attack because they don't want you near their food source etc... But the ARMY MAKES soldiers run there..you can just say, Sorry, 1sgt, but um I don't feel like participating in this mandatory battalion run cause I heard there was bear up there... and I don't believe that people should be forced to stay in there homes, that to me in more unnatural..I get it at Yellow Stone, I get at Mt. Rainier but this is the case where it is better for them and us to not be so close to where pt is conducted and housing. I mean do you expect people to spend their entire lives only on the paved sidewalk? 

Miller hill is the hill that is inbetween hillside drive and pendelton right in discovery..it has ONE gate at the paved entrance by blaine, that is because NO Pov's are allowed up there with the exception of workers/official vehicles, there is a water tower up there and the trails run all through it..and the other side of it is by the E7-E8 part of Discovery (where Judy lived) and Pt is also conducted regularly as well as training...and bear burger are good, you guys don't know what you're missing ;)


And god YES I know WAAAAY too much about black bears, hubs and family have been hunting them since they were in grade school and Father in law was in charge of research and catch,tag and release for Oregon state university and the Oregon state Forest service....he has written and recorded more bears stats than any other researcher in the Oregon and Washington (because he was the best at catching and tagging them!) 

are people allowed up there? If they are dependents? Just wondering because a neighbor guy used to take the neighborhood kids up their and they played with their air soft guns. 

Mp's told a friend you have to be over 18 to go up there (her kids were up there picking berries and they got sent home)

Currently with so many bears out I wouldn't say it's a good Idea and I don't know if you can play with airsofts or not? Although if you have bear spray or a bear horn you should be fine~ if you are going to go in the woods, just be prepared....there is like a mini swamp up there and the mosquitoes are out of control!! lol like we got ate alive! but there is wild huckle berries up there! but you'll have to fight the bear for them 

Yes you can walk up there in engineer bluff unless its locked, or they are training up there and its posted otherwise.We walk it all the time and have never had a problem tons of trails and such a good workout! 

Miller hill trails are a great work out too! and it's so much more energizing when you are out doors..I personally haven't been to the trails on engineer bluff... husbands unit runs it often 

but too many mosquitoes SO many!!