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Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (revised edition) [Paperback]

Stephen Herrero
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 1, 2002
Revised, updated, and with a new introduction by the author.

Frequently Bought Together

Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (revised edition) + Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters (Mountaineers Outdoor Basics) + Don't Get Eaten: The Dangers of Animals That Charge and Attack
Price for all three: $29.28

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[R] equired reading." --Rocky Mountain News


"Well-written...essential for the casual park visitor as well as the wilderness backpacker." --Booklist

From the Inside Flap

What causes bear attacks? When should you play dead and when should you fight an attacking bear? What do we know about black and grizzly bears and how can this knowledge be used to avoid bear attacks? And, more generally, what is the bear's future?

Bear Attacks is a thorough and unflinching landmark study of the attacks made on men and women by the great grizzly and the occasionally deadly black bear. This is a book for everyone who hikes, camps, or visits bear country – and for anyone who wants to know more about these sometimes fearsome but always fascinating wild creatures.

From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Lyons Press; First edition (May 1, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 158574557X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1585745579
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars What to expect when you're expecting to be mauled September 4, 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the single greatest academic look at bear attacks. Herrero is so exhaustive in his efforts to describe every type of bear attack that after a while you wonder how you can possibly survive a night outside. It seems that in every situation, no matter what you do to avoid a mauling there is a story where it leads to a mauling. But his complete look at all types of maulings comes to two conclusions. First there are basic strategies that work in almost all situations and second, bears are unpredictable so there is no magic answer for all situations.

The book does have a lot of graphic bear attack stories, but this is not a typical "bear attack" book. In the end this book is an academic book full of scientific analysis and statistics. Between attack stories, it can be dry, scientific reading. But if you want to know everything you can about you won't do better than this book
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The "Go-To" Book for Advice on Bear Safety October 8, 2010
Format:Paperback
I visited Yellowstone National Park this summer, and on the way in we stopped by the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, where I picked up this book as well as Mark of the Grizzly, by Scott McMillion. I read them back to back during our trip, and so will compare them in my reviews.

Dr. Stephen Herrero is Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. He is recognized throughout the world as a leading authority on bear ecology, behavior, and attacks.

This book is the definitive "go-to" text for practical advice about keeping yourself safe in bear country. It has the most detailed, the most up-to-date, the most well-documented, and the most information, period, of any book available. If you do any hiking or camping in bear country, you need this book - and you need to not just read it, but to buy a copy for your permanent collection so that you can refresh your memory before each trip.

A great deal of research has been done on bears in the past several decades, and much of the accepted wisdom that we grew up with turns out to be dead (and I use the word deliberately) wrong. For example:
- Play dead - the worst thing you can do if the attack is a predatory one. Does sometimes work in defensive attacks, though.
- Climb a tree if it's a grizzly - Grizzlies can and do climb trees; plus which they also have a very high reach. Some people have indeed escaped grizzly attacks in this way, but others have been pulled out of trees by grizzlies from as high as 32 feet up!
- Black bears never prey on humans, only grizzlies do - It's actually just the opposite. Although black bears are far more easily intimidated by humans who fight back, blacks are also far more likely to prey on us.
... Read more ›
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Bear Book Hall of Famer August 29, 2004
Format:Paperback
This is it!! The authoritative piece of literature on avoiding bear attacks. An absolute must for anyone who travels or works in bear country, especially grizzly bear country. I have over 350 books and publications on bears and refer to this book when friends want advice on their next hike in bear country. I learned how really useless "bear bells" are in bear country and that in itself might have saved me from many "ugly" encounters of suprising a grizzly bear on the trail. Sometimes it is only one small bit of advice that "saves" you from so many problems in life and this book is full of great advice.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A wake up call October 1, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I've worked with the (volunter) Nat'l Park Service for three years with the bear division in Sequioa Nat'l Park Califonia,I came face to face with many of bears, I thought I knew almost everything about bears.People thought I was nuts getting so close to them.This BOOK openned my eyes (I guess I was nuts)it scared me,made me realize how close to death I was a number of times. The next time I went back to the park I was alot more educated and aware, I recommened this book to any body and everybody, backpackers, weekend family campers, hunters any one who enjoys the great outdoors. Billy Bear.......
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars informative scientific review November 19, 2000
Format:Paperback
This is a great book. I love to hike in bear country and feel much more prepared now that I have read it. Herrero presents his data in both a scientific and honest way careful not to overstate what we do or don't know about bears. He is clearly the world's authority on bear behavior as he has been on site after nearly every bear attack in north america in the past 30 years. He describes in detail (often gorry but necessarily so) what happened in each account and provides a critique of what the injured did or did not do correctly in the given situation. Clearly anyone who reads this book will be better prepared to enter bear country with both respect for bears and how to avoid confrontation. I highly recommend this book.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I found this book to be the most informative guide to bears I have read. Anyone who spends time in bear country should read, and be familiar with, the information in this book. Some readers may be uncomfortable with the descriptions of the bear attacks, but they supplement the author's points and provide graphic illustration of the potential damage a bear can inflict. The author's analysis of the factors contributing to the bear attacks will help the reader understand bears and their behavior and what types of situations should be avoided. The recommendations on what to do if you encounter a bear are based on analysis of all the reliable reports since 1900. The author thoroughly researched the subject over a number of years. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who spends time outdoors in bear country. The natural history descriptions and the section on bear signs are excellent.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Resource for Those Hiking in Bear Country
I read the 1985 version of this book which I stumbled across in a used book store last month. I'm interested in reading a more current version to see what new discoveries have been... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Tania A. Ruiz
3.0 out of 5 stars Bear sections are enjoyable. Could use more about bears.
The thing about bear attacks is that there is no cause and effect leading to a neatly wrapped conclusion as to why they occur and how they can be prevented. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Floyd Evenwrite
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential wilderness reading
For a book that seems to be the most well regarded, practical, 250-page look at bear-human interactions for the person that is living in or visiting bear territory, this book is... Read more
Published on November 11, 2010 by Matthew Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars Bears
Very informative. A must read for anyone hiking or backpacking in either grizzly or black bear country. Tells about specific grizzly and black bear behavior. Read more
Published on October 9, 2010 by Douglas
4.0 out of 5 stars A must if you're going to be in bear country, or just curious...
YES! This book contains a quote from the 19th century which is quite possibly the best thing I've ever read:

"Hence the peculiar charm of a fight with a grizzly! Read more
Published on September 26, 2010 by Jeff Schneider
4.0 out of 5 stars VERY GOOD but needs an update!
Yes, there are some brilliant and very educational chapters in the book. But, there are also some strange statements in the book. Read more
Published on August 25, 2010 by JOJO DANCER
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it again after twenty years
When I first read this book I knew next to nothing about bears. This book scared the scat out of me. Read more
Published on May 13, 2009 by Linda Jo Hunter
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
The best book on bears. Anyone going into bear country has to read this, it's that good!!
Published on June 12, 2008 by John Alberti
5.0 out of 5 stars The best bear book. Period.
After encountering several grizzlies in backcountry Alaska, I've spent a lot of time researching bears. Read more
Published on June 12, 2008 by Kelly A. Rawson
5.0 out of 5 stars Pay attention to this if bears are mauling your garbage bins
Every detail you could ever want to know about bears is in this book. The whole thing was fascinating and much of it scared the bejeebers out of me, which probably isn't fair... Read more
Published on May 15, 2008 by M. Gaggiotti
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