Alaska Man Monday: Bears and Owls

We’re finally getting our house painted. It hasn’t been painted for, probably, 20 years or more, and the paint was in bad shape. Bear in mind that paint isn’t just decorative; it protects the building’s wood from rain, frost, snow and sun. We had the garage and machine shed painted last year, and the house and office this year. The job got delayed because a lot of the facing boards and some siding needed replacement, but it’s coming along now.

I plan on spending the rest of my life in this house, so we’re taking good care of it.

Now, then: Wolverine Bowl trail isn’t that far from our one big (well, medium-sized) city, Anchorage, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t big, toothy critters nearby, as one woman trail-running discovered to her misfortune.

A woman was hospitalized after being attacked by a brown bear on the Wolverine Bowl trail Thursday, according to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.

Fish and Game said the woman was trail-running alone when she encountered the bear near the Prospect Heights trailhead. She was carrying bear spray and was able to deploy it during the attack before escaping.

The woman was taken to an Anchorage hospital for treatment. Biologists interviewed her, went to the site of the attack to look for the bear or any other signs of bear activity and collected samples. The bear couldn’t be found.

Warning signs were posted at the trailhead by Fish and Game. The department advised that anyone who sees a brown bear in Anchorage, or any wild animal behaving aggressively, is being asked to report it using the reporting tool on the ADF&G website.

Fortunately, it looks like she’s going to be OK. The bear, too, since it couldn’t be found. If the bear is smart, and most of them aren’t stupid, it’s legging it for greener pastures. These kinds of encounters don't generally end well for the bear, as the common wisdom is that any bear who attacks a human has to be killed.

Alaska Man score: 2.5 bear scats. Full points for nobody being seriously hurt; no points for the unfortunate fact that it happened at all.

Read More: Alaska Man Monday: Bears, Bad Guys, and Baby Birds

Speaking of bears, check this out:

Bear-proofing a dumpster is no easy task. The cute little bears that live down in the Lower 48 are tough enough, and are easily capable of breaking into a car or truck. Most of the state facilities, like the highway rest areas and the state parks, have dumpsters built from heavy steel plate, with a latch that a big meaty old bear paw can’t get into. And yet, from time to time, one bear figures it out.

Now, an Alaskan grizzly or brown (actually the same species) now, that’s a whole different cup of tea. These things are big, bad, and strong, and they can smell a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich for a couple of miles downwind. They’re no joke – but apparently, neither is this dumpster.

It’s nice, also, to see people always looking for a better mousetrap – or a better dumpster.

Alaska man score: A full five bear scats, and a tightly sealed dumpster to boot.

Read More: Alaska Man Monday: Instructive Otters and a JBER Bear Attack

Now, let’s talk about owls.

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