This comes up as a spinoff of the shark attack thread.
…would it be possible to survive an encounter with an aggressive bear, in the woods, by circling round a tree until the bear gets tired or confused or disinterested?
I know we can’t outrun a bear. We can’t out-climb a bear.
But could we circle the tree?
I’m thinking the size of the tree would be important. Too small and you become subject to the reach of the bear’s forepaw, or the bear just overwhelming the tree with power; too large (like a Sequoya or Redwood) and you just end up in a circular footrace which you’re going to lose.
Turning radius seems crucial. We would need a tree substantial enough to create separation between you and the bear, but small enough to take advantage of a human’s superior turning (or pivoting / side-stepping) radius.
Or am I wrong?
…would it be possible to survive an encounter with an aggressive bear, in the woods, by circling round a tree until the bear gets tired or confused or disinterested?
I know we can’t outrun a bear. We can’t out-climb a bear.
But could we circle the tree?
I’m thinking the size of the tree would be important. Too small and you become subject to the reach of the bear’s forepaw, or the bear just overwhelming the tree with power; too large (like a Sequoya or Redwood) and you just end up in a circular footrace which you’re going to lose.
Turning radius seems crucial. We would need a tree substantial enough to create separation between you and the bear, but small enough to take advantage of a human’s superior turning (or pivoting / side-stepping) radius.
Or am I wrong?
