Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Man vs. bear; bear wins

 

From to today's Centre Daily Times - just one more reason why you should go walk the mall instead of hunting.

Bear attacks hunter in tree

Man injured after falling 15 feet during encounter


October 20, 2010 7:13am EDT
SPRING MILLS — An archery hunter was attacked by a black bear Monday night as he sat perched in a tree stand in Gregg Township, a Game Commission official confirmed Tuesday.  The hunter, who wasn’t identified, was flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, but is expected to recover, said Rick Macklem, a Game Commission law enforcement supervisor.

The severity of his injuries weren’t known, but the head, neck, face and arm trauma was mostly the result of a 15-foot fall from his tree stand, which happened when he lost his balance during the struggle with the bear, Macklem said.

An officer was able to talk to the man Tuesday at the hospital and put to rest some rumors that were swirling around the Internet.  The hunter told the officer that it was around 6:30 p.m. that he noticed a mother bear and four cubs approach the tree where he was sitting, in a wooded area off of Upper Georges Valley Road.
One cub climbed the tree, and the hunter shooed it away.

“The cub turns around and got off of the tree.” Macklem said. “At some point the (mother) for whatever reason ... protective instincts come into play, she thought something was happening to one of her cubs. She went to the tree ... climbed the tree, bit him or swatted him. The hunter was able to situate himself, sort of away from the bear and was able to kick at the bear. By doing that, the bear went back down the tree.”
The hunter lost his balance and fell onto a rocky area. He threw rocks at the bears, frightening them away so he leave the area. He was able to call 911 and walk out of the woods, Macklem said.

“When he fell out of the tree, supposedly nothing happened,” Macklem said. “The bear did not bite him or swat at him on the ground.”

Reports that he fell on top of the bear, or was hanging from the tree by his foot, were not true, Macklem said.
Black bears are, by nature, shy creatures that tend to avoid people, and attacks by the bears are rare. There are no known records of a free-ranging Pennsylvania black bear killing a human, and there have been fewer than 25 reported injuries resulting from black bear encounters during the past 10 years in the state, according to information from the Game Commission. Pennsylvania’s bear population is estimated at 17,000.
Macklem said there was nothing to indicate this was an overly aggressive bear.

In the event of a bear attack, the Game Commission says the person being attacked should fight back while trying to leave the area. As apparently happened Monday night, bears have been driven away with rocks, sticks, binoculars, car keys, or even bare hands, according to information distributed by the Game Commission.

This week is the beginning of muzzleloader season, which overlaps with archery season for deer. The bear archery season in Pennsylvania is in mid-November and is followed by the traditional rifle season.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

This one gives the Dairy Princess a run for her money


From today's Centre Daily Times.  There's now a beauty queen title for pretty much every young woman in Central Pennsylvania.

Bellefonte girl takes home title of Miss Flaming Foliage

 A very excited Chelsea Bowes, of Bellefonte, was crowned Miss Flaming Foliage at the 62nd annual Flaming Foliage Festival at the Bucktail Area High School in Renovo on Oct. 10.
 
The Bellefonte Area High School senior, who was crowned Miss Bellefonte in her junior year, has family roots in the Renovo area. Her greatgrandfather, Lester Geise, lived in Renovo until his death two years ago. And her great-grandmother until recently lived in South Renovo, where Chelsea’s grandfather, Jim Bowes, grew up. Jim Bowes brought Chelsea’s father, Ken Bowes, to the festival every year when he was a child, and Chelsea has also attended since she was a child.
“I always wanted to be there and be a princess like all those girls,” she said.

The 31 contestants had submitted applications listing their academic information, accomplishments and community service. In a two-hour interview, poise, character and personality were judged.

All the girls competing for Miss Flaming Foliage stayed with host families for the weekend and Bowes spoke enthusiastically about her host couple, Wendy and Vitto Janerella from North Bend. Bellefonte senior Brad Grieb accompanied Bowes on her walk through the pageant walkway to her crowning.

In my interview with Bowes, I asked her, “Was it all that you expected?”

“Oh it was even more thrilling!” she said, her eyes shining. She said she likes to think her greatgrandfather was watching her from heaven.

Bowes is a busy young woman who is a cheerleader for football, basketball and wrestling. She is a vice president of her class, vice president of Key Club, a member of National Honor Society, and sings in both school and church choirs. I met her at the Bellefonte Waffle Shop where she works.  Her twin sister, Ashley, a member of the state championship softball team, plans to attend Lock Haven University, and her older sister Amanda attends Penn State.

Bowes plans to study nursing at Lock Haven University in Clearfield. She dressed as a nurse for Halloween one year and that started her thinking; now she says she just wants to help people.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Lovely camo ware for your family

These from my friend Dana Mitra, who spotted this nice camo lingerie and kids' clothes at the Way Fruit Farm Fall Festival this weekend.




Sunday, October 17, 2010

Another risk of gambling


From today's Centre Daily Times:

Man Reportedly Streaks After Losing Bet

A 19-year-old man was taken to the hospital and cited for underage drinking after State College police witnessed him running naked down West Highland Avenue at 3:22am Saturday.  A Breathalyzer test revealed a .24 blood-alcohol level.  The man said he had lost a bet on Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.

The obvious question is, What would he have received if he had won the bet?