Park County teen takes action against invading bear

[Bailey Guns]

Outback... I'm not trying to get into a pissing match with you. But come on...I've already acknowledged that black bears (and other animals) can be dangerous and kill, for crying out loud. I, too, would kill a bear to defend myself or a loved one (or pretty much any other person). I even acknowledged that the girl probably didn't do anything wrong, but said I thought her actions were unnecessary. I'm pretty convinced the family's ignorance in how to live in bear country also contributed to the shooting of the bear. It's pretty common up here.

As far as I can tell there were 21 fatal black bear attacks from 2000 to the present in North America (11 in Canada). That's 13.5 years. There have been at least 15 fatal dog attacks in the US alone just this year. Just over 6 months. That really doesn't prove anything other than there are animals we normally associate with, let our kids play with, and so forth that pose a far greater risk than black bears. A little common sense goes a long way in ensuring your safety in black bear country.

And your comment about mowing down a deer rather than maneuvering around it made me chuckle. Maybe you should consider a good driving course. I've been to several emergency vehicle operator courses as a cop and in the military and I've ALWAYS been taught to maneuver (or brake and maneuver) around an object rather than strike it. There's lots of reasons why that's a better and safer option.

ETA a Disclaimer: OK...I should've said "there's lots of reasons why that's usually a better and safer option." Because I know someone's gonna chime in with an anecdotal story to prove me wrong. We all know there's someone who lived next door to a guy that worked with a girl who was the sister of their high school buddy that dated a guy that worked with her at WalMart and overheard a customer talking to their friend that hit the deer rather than maneuver around it because it would've caused the demise of the entire planet.