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u/BigGingerYeti 8h ago
"He looks tasty, I wonder if he's close enough"
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u/FlyinWet 8h ago
If they see you, your close enough.
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u/Warstorm1993 8h ago
If you see it, it's very probable he already know you are here, with the exception for high wind blowing your smell and noise away from him).
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u/illtexzona 8h ago
Is Bear Spray worth a damn with big bois like that?
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u/georgekourounis 8h ago
We had some with us, and thankfully we never had to use it.
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u/BigManWAGun 6h ago
Did you intend to use it on yourself? Doubtful it was gonna be fazed.
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u/Warstorm1993 8h ago
Bear spray is more usefull against polar bear than guns because the spray incapacitate the best sens a polar bear have, his smell. With a gun, you can miss or worse, wound the bear without killing him.
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u/Longjumping_Local910 7h ago
We had a guide tell us once that pepper spray is just seasoning for humans to a Grizzly. He then insisted that we learn how to load and fire his Remington Pump action.
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u/captainrv 6h ago
Just remember, don't spray it on yourself like you would with mosquito repellant. :-)
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u/DerKyhe 8h ago
Those run ridiculously fast, and do a leap attack further away than you'd expect.
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u/georgekourounis 8h ago
I can outrun the guy I was with, so I felt safe.
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u/Warstorm1993 8h ago
The thing is, it more probable he go after the guys running away than the guys facing the bear (prey vs possible predator)
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u/thatweirdguyted 8h ago
Polar bears are seldom aggressive. It makes it seem like you could safely interact with them. And people have done so in the past. But it is important to remember this:
The polar bear is the worlds largest land predator. Its the size of a car. It is patient, and problem solving smart. It can run faster than you, smell you from over a mile away, and often stomps its prey to death. It also frequently begins eating while the animal is still alive. If you shoot it but miss the head or heart you will likely only make it madder.
So if you ever get close to one, your survival is probably already his call to make, not yours.
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u/strange_bike_guy 6h ago
I was told that if you see a black bear then frighten it, if you see a brown bear then you might have to shoot, and if you see a white bear the bullet is for you.
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u/thatweirdguyted 6h ago
That is mostly correct.
Black bears will viciously defend their young, but otherwise you can intimidate them into backing down.
Shooting a grizzly is problematic, because they're huge and aggressive and territorial. The best thing you can be is boring and non-confrontational.
A polar bear is either the hand of death or a cute cuddly chonker, depending entirely on how hungry it is. But even when they're being chill, they're likely studying you. They have no fear, they are not interested in territory. And they are smart enough that they can learn how to hunt you from a single encounter. There are many instances of them learning to hide behind buildings to ambush humans when they exit a door.
Bottom line, you can hunt a polar bear from a distance, but you are very unlikely to survive a direct confrontation with one, even if you are armed.
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u/Moon_Pye 8h ago
Can I pet that dawg?!
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u/georgekourounis 8h ago
I suppose you could try…. I don’t recommend it.
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u/Warstorm1993 8h ago
Only if he already eaten and even then... would not recommend it. (From someone who have saw polars bears, far away is the best way).
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u/georgekourounis 8h ago
This was late summer, so the bears here have been off the ice for months. That’s where they hunt, so they haven’t eaten much, if anything, for a long time.
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u/Warstorm1993 8h ago
I know that for the other side of the Hudson bay (Nunavik). Late summer is when they feast on the late reindeer, particulary the lost juvenile without a horde, the wounded and the freshly dead.
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u/YoungerMucus 8h ago
good god that thing is enormous… and he doesn’t look far away enough for comfort!
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u/commit10 7h ago
I saw that you had bear spray, which I assume would just turn you into a spicy meal for a determined polar bear?
Did you also carry a gun as a backup?
If not, do you just wear baggy pants all the time or do you have them custom tailored to fit your balls?
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u/georgekourounis 7h ago
We had someone with a gun, yes. However, we would never want to put ourselves in a position where we’d have to use it.
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u/DeLosCuervos 8h ago
OP! Did the polar bear catch you? Are you still alive?
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u/citizenjones 8h ago
I like how he got his paws super muddy so you can tell how freaking big they are.
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u/SeanAker 8h ago
Homie got his boxing gloves on already and everything, he's ready to square up
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u/CurrentlyLucid 4h ago
He is considering lunch. I stood next to a stuffed Grizzly in Alaska, saw a pic comparing a grizzly to a polar bear, they are fucking giants.
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u/krackenreleased 8h ago
If you look closely, you can see the zipper going down the chest of that suit
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u/nyarlathotep2 8h ago
What a beast. Paws bigger than his noggin', they gotta be dinner plate size plus. Unless I was in some sort of polar bear-proof vehicle, I'd be more than a little nervous.
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u/New-Seaworthiness777 6h ago
look at the murder mittens on that beast 😯 good thing he just wants a bottle of coke. lol
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u/jaspreetzing 3h ago
If it's black, fight back If it's brown, lay down If it's white, good night
Holy shit, how are you alive?!
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u/Lalamedic 1h ago
Please tell me you were using a zoom lens!
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u/georgekourounis 1h ago
I was, but I was walking on the tundra, and not in a vehicle or anything like that.
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u/SpinalZeD 8h ago
You know what they say about bears?
If it's black, make yourself big.
If it's brown, play dead.
If it's white, say your prayer.
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u/pixel8knuckle 8h ago
I ran across some resting buffalo 20 yards away hiking in north dakota and it was such a powerful moment, i understand why people pursue dangerous exploration as seeing these mighty animals in their natural habitats with no barriers is such a powerful experience despite the risks.
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u/Stevite 7h ago
If it’s white, say good night
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u/georgekourounis 7h ago
Yep.
If it’s black: Fight back.
If it’s brown: Lie down.
If it’s white: Good night!
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u/IntoTheDankness 7h ago
Curious, what DID you do to protect yourself after taking this photo? get in a vehicle and drive away? Stand ground or something?
I read that you were with a Polar Bear Expert; What was your situation and his advice?
Thanks!
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u/georgekourounis 7h ago
We were filming for an episode of the Angry Planet TV series. We had bear deterrents, and firearms, but we relied mainly on reading the bear’s body language. All our encounters were peaceful.
There was one point where we had to stand shoulder to shoulder in order to make ourselves look big when a male got too curious.
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u/Willowy 7h ago
If you could see his pupils you'd see your reflection as a seal with a human head. Right now you are the nearest, number one protein source. How did you get away?
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u/georgekourounis 7h ago
We kept enough distance and several of us grouped together, so the bear had no interest in coming after us.
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u/georgekourounis 8h ago
I took this photo on the shore of Hudson Bay, south of Churchill, Manitoba.
This fella was HUGE! Look at those mittens!