10 Sep 2019, 7:40 am
Persephone29 wrote:
Even though I am rarely seen in public, I have an obsession with survival skills. So, I figured I'd share the things I learn here. They are in no particular order. Just where ever I open my book...
Today's lesson is Polar Bear safety ( I live in the Southern US, so the chances of me meeting up with a Polar Bear are slim ).
Adults stand 8-10 feet tall. Adult males weigh 500-1000 lbs, adult females 400-600 lbs. They are carnivores. They eat ringed seals, young walrus, maybe me. They are silent plodders, fierce fighters with variable personalities. When agitated they hiss, growl, yawn and if they are very upset, they foam at the mouth!
They use their white coats ( I've heard the hairs on their coats are actually clear, but they reflect the white of the surrounding terrain ) as camouflage. It will even cover it's black nose up with it's paw. It moves with stealth, between blocks of ice, travels into the wind so it's prey doesn't realize it's being stalked. Once it's within 30 feet of it's prey, it bounds forward and seizes the front of the body.
Polar Bear Attack: Polar Bears are great, stealthy hunters according to my book. But, all I ever see on the Discovery channel are epic fails. One thing's for sure, they are patient. The most dangerous are the young that have just left their mothers, approx. 2 1/2 years old. They aren't very efficient hunters yet and they are always hungry.
The [b]most[b] important chance for survival is seeing the bear before it sees you. If it sees you first, it will go into stealth mode and be on top of you before you even have time to grab for your weapon. A single unarmed human has a marginal chance of survival. Always carry bear spray and a firearm, if possible. The Inuit usually have dogs near their dwellings to sound an alarm.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode.
Today's lesson is Polar Bear safety ( I live in the Southern US, so the chances of me meeting up with a Polar Bear are slim ).
Adults stand 8-10 feet tall. Adult males weigh 500-1000 lbs, adult females 400-600 lbs. They are carnivores. They eat ringed seals, young walrus, maybe me. They are silent plodders, fierce fighters with variable personalities. When agitated they hiss, growl, yawn and if they are very upset, they foam at the mouth!
They use their white coats ( I've heard the hairs on their coats are actually clear, but they reflect the white of the surrounding terrain ) as camouflage. It will even cover it's black nose up with it's paw. It moves with stealth, between blocks of ice, travels into the wind so it's prey doesn't realize it's being stalked. Once it's within 30 feet of it's prey, it bounds forward and seizes the front of the body.
Polar Bear Attack: Polar Bears are great, stealthy hunters according to my book. But, all I ever see on the Discovery channel are epic fails. One thing's for sure, they are patient. The most dangerous are the young that have just left their mothers, approx. 2 1/2 years old. They aren't very efficient hunters yet and they are always hungry.
The [b]most[b] important chance for survival is seeing the bear before it sees you. If it sees you first, it will go into stealth mode and be on top of you before you even have time to grab for your weapon. A single unarmed human has a marginal chance of survival. Always carry bear spray and a firearm, if possible. The Inuit usually have dogs near their dwellings to sound an alarm.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode.
https://youtu.be/YbsnGVWmI1M
10 Sep 2019, 7:42 am
Persephone29 wrote:
Ha Ha! 
You guys are great!
Today's installment is QUICKSAND!
How to survive if you find yourself in quicksand:
Quicksand is gravel, sand and silt that is saturated with water. A sign that it's quicksand is that the water oozes upwards. This water keeps the sand and muck in suspension, there may also be a thin crust on the surface. It looks like it can support weight, but it can't.
If you find yourself in quicksand do not struggle.
* trying to lift one foot makes the other foot sink deeper, because all of your weight is now all on the one foot. Don't do that either...
* try dropping to your hands and knees and crawling slowly towards a side. By doing this, you are attempting to distribute your weight over a wider surface area.
* if the mire is too soft and you feel you are making no progress and still sinking, lie flat on your stomach and move only one body part at a time. Try to float out of the quicksand using snake like movements.
Stay tuned!
You guys are great!Today's installment is QUICKSAND!
How to survive if you find yourself in quicksand:
Quicksand is gravel, sand and silt that is saturated with water. A sign that it's quicksand is that the water oozes upwards. This water keeps the sand and muck in suspension, there may also be a thin crust on the surface. It looks like it can support weight, but it can't.
If you find yourself in quicksand do not struggle.
* trying to lift one foot makes the other foot sink deeper, because all of your weight is now all on the one foot. Don't do that either...
* try dropping to your hands and knees and crawling slowly towards a side. By doing this, you are attempting to distribute your weight over a wider surface area.
* if the mire is too soft and you feel you are making no progress and still sinking, lie flat on your stomach and move only one body part at a time. Try to float out of the quicksand using snake like movements.
Stay tuned!
I got caught in quicksand once. At the beach. It was very low tide. And it was very scary. My dad told me to crawl out on my hands and knees. Which worked. My pants were soaking wet and full of sand. A very uncomfortable walk back to the car.
That beach now has warning signs about quicksand at low tide due to burrowing ghost shrimp.
10 Sep 2019, 7:43 am
10 Sep 2019, 7:54 am
I’m a Wolf. I won’t lay down for any bear 
10 Sep 2019, 8:53 am
10 Sep 2019, 10:15 am
10 Sep 2019, 11:34 am
Wolfram87 wrote:
SaveFerris wrote:
I read this advice the other day about bears
Quote:
if it's brown lay down, if it's black fight back, if it's white goodnight.."
I'm pretty sure that's some bogus advice. Brown bears aren't above eating things that are already dead.
Also:
I didn't say it was sound advice
That's you innit , admit it Wolfram , you are a bear worrier
10 Sep 2019, 3:00 pm
23 Sep 2019, 11:31 am
lostonearth35
Veteran
Joined: 5 Jan 2010
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 11,882
Location: Lost on Earth, waddya think?
23 Sep 2019, 11:39 am
Baby polar bears are adorable. They're just like living teddy bears.
30 Sep 2019, 12:01 pm
lostonearth35
Veteran
Joined: 5 Jan 2010
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 11,882
Location: Lost on Earth, waddya think?
13 Oct 2019, 4:24 pm
I heard that if you encounter a polar bear, just give him a bottle of Coca-Cola and you'll be just fine.
I still remember the first ad for Coke I saw that had CGI polar bears in it. It showed them all drinking bottles of Coke while sitting and watching the Northern Lights. And then my brother said, "Ha! They're getting drunk." I told him, " No, they're drinking Coke." My brother said, "Okay then, they're all getting stoned."
I don't care for Coca-Cola, but I liked those ads with the polar bears. Brothers are so annoying. 
13 Oct 2019, 7:04 pm
13 Oct 2019, 7:14 pm
13 Oct 2019, 8:27 pm
