Aggressive Bear Class!

We had a somewhat busy weekend with a few campers in here for black powder hunting.  Everybody was really nice, and we enjoyed the company.  This morning Billy and I had the growth experience of getting up early to be at a 8:30 am Safety Class which lasted six hours!  Before we left for the class, Billy walked across the street to use the potty "house" while Maggie and I stayed in the motor home.  Maggie alerted me with an unusual sounding bark that a big black bear was in front of our motor home between us and Billy in the crapper (about 25 yards).  I tried to call him on the cell phone to alert him to be careful when he came out of the potty.  Silly me!  I know our cell phones don't work out here.  Never mind!  Thankfully Billy heard the tone of Maggie's bark and assumed that she was barking at a bear.  When we got to class we discovered that it was a safety class on aggressive bears and the use of pepper spray.  We learned quite a few facts that we did not know.  We knew that a black bear will pop his/her jaws/teeth, bluff with the head, snort and run back and forth and bluff with the feet to warn a person before he/she attacks.  We knew to back away slowly and not to turn our backs on the bear and run.  We also knew to make a lot of noise and wave our arms to intimidate (yeah right!) the bear.  What I didn't know was, just like with dogs, you should not make eye contact with a bear until you are prepared to take the last resort option of using pepper spray, a club, a shoe or whatever is handy!  In a last ditch effort with a Grizzly Bear you should play dead; however Black Bears eat dead animals.  If you are cornered and unprepared you should "fight for your life."  I learned that our 400 hundred pound bear visitor this morning is classified as a "bad" bear because he/she calmly turned her head and looked at Maggie on the dashboard barking to beat the band, and then she/he just lumbered slowly away.  A good bear would have run away or climbed a tree.  Also learned that nursing cubs sort of purr like cats so if we hear a purring while walking around think we should go the opposite direction.  Also learned that cubs playing squeal and make a sound like babies crying.  After extensive instruction on the use of pepper spray we were issued our own can of pepper spray, a holster, and a whistle.  We each had to demonstrate how we back down a bear.  Sorry, no photos, but sticking your tongue out at the bear won't work!  Also, learned that Billy did the correct thing early this morning by driving through the campground and notifying our one camper that we have a curious bear wandering around the park.  Then we were educated that we need to fill out a bear report incident report for each bear that we see, for each bear scat that we see, and for footprints.  Paper work!  But it all makes sense!  I would SO HATE to see one of these beautiful black bears be "put down!"  You may ask...."Why are you there?"  We love it.  We are very "bear aware" because of the bears around our house in Panama City.  They just seem to be more concentrated in this National Forest, and we are responsible for the education and bear safety of our campers.  These Florida Black Bears are truly magnificent animals.  We just need to educate folks on how to "live" with them.

A quick update on my sternum, lack of pain medication and doctor's appointment.  Our new doctor received the XRays and CAT scan and the nurse called and spoke with Billy yesterday.  The nurse said that it looks like they will have to refer me out to an Orthopedic so they gave me an earlier appointment for this coming Friday!  Yikes!  I just want the pain to go away.  Wish I could call Michael Jackson's doctor!  Just kidding!

Thanks for stopping in to visit.   As always "Life Is Good Today".  Nighty night.