Man In Bear Suit Scares Off Black Bear
BY Herschel Smith
3 weeks, 1 day ago
A North Carolina man took a creative and goofy approach to bear deterrence —stepping out of his house in a bear suit to spook away a black bear that had plunked down on his lawn.
It worked for Rodney Clark of Asheville, North Carolina, as evidenced by media interviews and a video making the rounds on news outlets and social media.
However, some Wyomingites said trying that tactic on a grizzly bear would probably get a person mauled, possibly killed — or perhaps even worse — molested by the bear.
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In an interview with “Inside Edition,” he said that the bear costume has proven effective in pushing bears off his property.
He told “Inside Edition” that bears sometimes “stop and pause and look back. They’re not really sure what that is.”
What happened to a Marlin 45-70 lever action rifle? What was this man thinking?
This is an ill-advised strategy, regardless of what kind of bear.
On March 30, 2025 at 8:41 pm, Paul B said:
He did scare it off. Looks like it took some prep. I think I would have used a twelve gauge with#3 buck.
On March 31, 2025 at 10:27 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Was that fellow attempting to win a Darwin Award, i.e., improving the gene pool by removing himself from it? Sure does look like it!
On April 2, 2025 at 7:09 am, X said:
Eh. Even a .45-70 is probably unnecessary. Black bears are almost never dangerous unless one breaks into your dwelling seeking food, or maybe if a sow feels you are a threat to her cubs.
Usually when you encounter a black bear it reacts the same way as a spooked deer — turns tail and runs.