Mr. Herrero writes a well-documented and educational book, showing the novice as well as advanced back-country adventurer the dos and don'ts of co-existing in bear country. It will frighten and teach you. Oh yes, I did indeed see a black bear, at a distance, up there as well...and I'm still here to write about it. I highly recommend this great book!


Interesting and Educational!   November 18, 1999
 14 out of 17 found this review helpful

Having a fondness for the God's nature, I find myself in it when possible. I have never encountered a bear in the wild yet. But when I do, this book will have me prepared. Why? Because this book will educate you in bear behavior and give you the tips to avoid or survive an attack. And it will scare the pants off you!

I also recommend seeing the documentary film Bear Attacks (1997). I just saw it on the Discovery Channel. It also was very interesting and it reinforces the reality of the book.


Easy to read and informative   June 19, 1999
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

As a novice who hopes to backpack through bear country someday, I found this book to be a good introduction to bears and their habits. The author writes with reverence and respect about these magnificent animals, but he includes common-sense information which could very well be a lifesaver someday. The photos were helpful as well, and the book proved to be a quick read, interesting and useful.


Invaluable information about a fascinating animal   June 17, 1999
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is a great book. I have read it several times since I spend a fair amount of time hunting and hiking in the remote areas of B.C. I do not hunt bears, yet I feel the need to understand them as much as I can so that I might be able to avoid difficult and dangerous encounters with them. Indeed, I have had reason to put into practice some of the strategies in the book. I have found the practical applications in this book to have been very helpful as I have de-fused a couple of potentially dangerous incidents. Before making any trip into the wilds where bears might roam, I pull out this book to review and refresh. I believe the things I have gleaned from it have saved me from injury and possibly even from death.

This is an interesting book which is relatively easy to read, but is not simplistic or insulting in its presentation. Herrero is to be commended for a very informative, comprehensive, yet understandable product. The accounts of the attacks are not sensationalized nor are they over-dramatized. Herrero does not exploit the victims nor their tragic injuries for the purpose of creating excessive fear or to generate some kind of false hysteria in the reader. This is not "Jaws" for bears. It is a scientific account blended with real-life stories of successful and unsuccessful encounters with a beautiful, powerful, unpredictable, and very dangerous animal.

Whenever I am wandering bear country, whether armed with a rifle or not, I realize that the bear is the king of the forest, not me. I commend Herrero for writing a book which is so valuable, informative, and practical.


A wake up call   October 2, 1998
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

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.......