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We're doing something a
little different today.

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For those who may not know, silver Core
Club members have access to a private

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weekly podcast called The Outpost.

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It's super simple to access.

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You log into your account
on the Silver Core website.

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You grab your private podcast link and
you add it to your podcast player From

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there, it downloads automatically each
week as long as your membership is active.

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The outpost was created
as a space for reflection.

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It's where I share lessons from the field,
experiences that linger, and thoughts that

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don't necessarily fit in the public show.

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It's more personal, it's more direct.

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It's sometimes practical, sometimes
philosophical, but it's always

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grounded in real lived experience.

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Today you're going to hear
one of those episodes.

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This one is called Bear With Me.

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Now that spring is here and the weather's
warming up, many of us are turning our

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thoughts to the back country, whether it's
chasing spring bears or turkeys foraging

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fishing, or just camping under the stars.

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With this in mind, I want to talk
about something that keeps a lot

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of people from fully enjoying
the outdoors bears and fear.

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Fear of what might be out there,
fear of what might happen, and how

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that fear, if left unchecked, can
dictate the borders of your life.

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But first, who remembers this
one for Silver Corp Podcast?

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Episode nine.

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Sometimes I tell the
story without any grief.

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Other times a bit more painful.

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I thought the spare was just gonna
walk right by, and I remember

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thinking just step into the bush.

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Typically, you hear of people getting
thrashed by a grizzly and then left alone.

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And it just seemed unrelenting.

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Like he, where was the point
where he is supposed to stop?

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I've got all the horrible thoughts.

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Um, bye to the wife and kids.

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The grating of his teeth on my bone.

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I thought, man, I can't play
dead screaming like this.

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I've gotta get my knife.

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And then I stabbed with all the strength
I had into his neck, I said aloud at that

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point, now you're bleeding too, bear.

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That was Colin Dowler, someone who was
actually attacked by a grizzly bear

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while alone in the remote BC wilderness.

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When I recorded that episode, it
was early in my podcasting journey.

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I flew into Campbell River to
sit down with Colin in his home.

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What I thought would be a fascinating
survival story, quickly turned

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into something much deeper.

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What you didn't hear in that
episode were the long silences,

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the tears, the heaviness of it all.

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At that time, I edited much of that out
thinking I was preserving his dignity.

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What I've come to understand since
is that those pauses were the

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story that trauma and honesty made
a survival all the more profound.

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Colin didn't just want to tell a story.

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He wanted people to learn from it,
and that stuck with me ever since.

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So what did we learn from this?

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Colin was under prepared.

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He had bear spray, but left it at home.

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A cook at a logging camp gave him
some, but he lost it during the hike.

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And when he was attacked by a young
grizzly, likely an adolescent testing

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his boundaries, it could have been a
very different story if that bear had

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taken a face full of spray early on.

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During the attack, Colin remembered
other bear survival stories.

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He tried poking his thumbs
into the bear's eyes.

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That didn't work too well for him.

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It wasn't until he recalled a story from
one of Gary Shelton's books of a person

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who fought a bear off with their knife.

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Colin uses one free arm, grab the
cheap folding buck knife his father

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had gifted him and stuck it in the
bear's neck with all his might.

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What I find interesting here
is when the pressure is on, we

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revert to what we know to be true.

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What we have internalized through
past experience or exposure and

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what Colin knew was true was that
he could fight and he could survive.

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Inputting these key survival thoughts in
our minds now is a surefire way to ensure

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we have them at our avail in the future.

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Now, let's explore a story
that happened to me, which I've

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shared before on the podcast.

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I was up north heading out a
few days early for a moose hunt.

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I had my son with me 10 years old.

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At the time.

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It was a special trip, just
him and I spending time in

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the back country real time.

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No screens, just stories, laughter,
and the kind of bond you only get

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when you're far from cell service.

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We had a converted utility trailer
that we'd sleep in, and when we got to

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a rough little trail, I unloaded the
side by side and gave my son the radio.

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I asked him to scout ahead and
find a flat spot that I could pull

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the trailer in without having to
reverse a rig down a narrow trail.

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He took off on his own 10 years old,
but already confident in the woods.

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A few minutes later, he radios back.

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Dad, I found a spot.

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It's perfect.

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I trust him.

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And sure enough, he was right.

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Great spot.

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We got the trailer parked just
as the sun was going down.

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I hadn't even fully unpacked
just enough to get set up

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before the light disappeared.

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He parked the side by side about 20 yards
from the trailer and we crawled inside.

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The kind of dark fell that's so complete.

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It presses up against the windows.

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No stars, no moon, just black.

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He's sitting beside me, chattering
away about comics and video games,

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things that occupy a 10-year-old mind
and I'm making us a little dinner.

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Then we hear it.

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Click, click, click sharp,
deliberate against a trailer window.

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And before I even consciously process
what I'm doing, I realize I'm holding

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my Mossberg five 90 and loading slugs.

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My son pauses mid-sentence.

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Dad, what are you doing?

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I think we've got something outside.

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Son.

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Just stay calm then.

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Bang, bang.

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The side by side.

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We hear it getting torn apart.

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Seats ripped out.

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Plastic snapping the back
hatch torn off like paper.

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At this point I know we've
got a bear, a big one.

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I hand my son a can of bear spray.

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You know how to use this?

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Yeah, I think so.

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Alright, let's go through it.

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I showed him how to remove the safety cap.

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We practiced once.

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He nearly sprayed it in the
trailer, caught him just in time.

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I said, only use this.

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If something is actually coming in
the trailer, you stay right here.

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And I might get loud.

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I put him in the back
corner and gave him a job.

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Hold the spray.

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Don't move unless I say.

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I threw on my headlamp, but
the batteries were dying.

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The beam was weak.

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Just enough to illuminate the
front side of the shotgun, not

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enough to see what was out there.

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I cracked the door.

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I peeked out.

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I checked, left, checked, right, quiet.

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Then I see it.

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Two glowing saucers
staring back in me eyes.

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Either this bear was standing on
top of the side by side or was up

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on his hind legs, leaning over it.

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I shouted.

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Nothing shouted again, louder.

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Still nothing.

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I didn't want to shoot.

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I didn't want to hit the vehicle
or worse wound a bear and have

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a disappear into the dark.

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So I stepped out.

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I walked forward, shouted one more
time, and this time it flinched.

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I could finally make it
out, a large black bear.

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It turned slowly and
walked off into the trees.

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I exhaled a big breath.

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We're good.

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In the morning, I walked the site.

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The side by side was shredded.

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The tent in the back of my pickup
had been pulled out and torn open.

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Huge paw prints circled the trailer,
and just beyond the tree line.

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I saw it a moose hide,
a gut pile, a game pole.

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Someone had field dressed to moose and
left the remains right beside where

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my son and I had unknowingly parked.

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That bear wasn't looking for trouble.

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It was guarding its food, and we
had accidentally set up camp right

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in the middle of its kitchen.

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Now, looking back on that night,
there were a few key takeaways.

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Things I think are worth sharing
so that others don't have to learn

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them the hard way, like I did.

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First, make sure everyone in
your group knows how to use the

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safety gear before it's needed.

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I handed my son bear spray in the
heat of the moment and thankfully we

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had time to do a quick run through,
but ideally that should have been

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done earlier in calm conditions, so
there's no hesitation when it matters.

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Second double check your equipment.

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My headland batteries were dying.

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The light was barely enough to see
past the front side of my shotgun.

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Since then, I've mounted a dedicated
surefire light on the shotgun,

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specifically for bear defense redundancy
in the backcountry is your friend.

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Do a full site survey before
setting up camp in daylight.

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I would've seen the gut pile,
the moose hide the game pole.

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I would've known right away that we were
smack in the middle of a bear's larder.

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A quick walk around might've
saved us a whole lot of stress.

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Keep a clean camp and stow attractants,
even though this wasn't our kill.

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The lesson still holds odors.

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Draw wildlife, food wrappers
anything with a strong smell.

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It all matters.

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Always consider bear defense tools
as part of your immediate access kit.

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I had my shotgun ready and that
was the right tool for the moment.

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But I was aware of the legal and ethical
responsibilities around discharging it.

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Be trained, be confident, and
understand your local laws.

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Bear spray is still your first
line of defense in many scenarios.

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And finally, talk through the
what ifs with the people you're

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with, whether it's a partner.

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Your kid or a friend.

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It's a huge advantage to have a
basic emergency plan in place.

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Even a 32nd chat around if this
happens, here's what we'll do

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can make a huge difference.

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I want to be clear.

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These stories aren't told to scare you.

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They're told to prepare you.

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We live in British Columbia.

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It's wild, it's beautiful, and yes, we've
got a lot of bears, but even here, the

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odds of a bear attack are extremely low.

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That said, the odds do increase in certain
conditions spring and fall, especially

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when bears are hungry, territorial,
or feeding hard before hibernation.

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And if you end up where a bear is
already feeding or protecting a food

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source, things can escalate quickly.

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That's why I share stories like
Collins and my own, not to make people

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nervous, but to shine a light on what
can happen and how simple awareness

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and preparation can keep you safe.

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Fear is a signal.

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It's your mind saying pay attention,
but it doesn't always mean run.

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Often what we call fear is just the
absence of knowledge and knowledge.

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Like fresh batteries in the
headlamp cuts through the dark.

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So don't let fear shrink your world.

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Reframe it.

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Let it become curiosity.

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Let it become respect.

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And sometimes I'll even remind myself
fear and excitement physiologically.

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They feel almost identical.

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The heart rate, the alertness,
the buzz in your chest.

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So I ask myself, am I
afraid or am I excited?

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That question reframes everything.

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If you're heading out this spring for
bear hunting, camping, foraging, or

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just getting off the grid, here's a
few practical tips to keep in mind.

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Keep a clean camp.

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Smells linger.

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It matters.

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Store food properly and
away from where you sleep.

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Carry bear spray and know how to
use it, not just that you have

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it, but that it's accessible and
everybody in your group has practiced.

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Have a defense tool ready, but
know your legal responsibilities

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if you ever need to use it.

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Know the signs of bear activity.

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Fresh scat tracks, claw marks,
overturn logs, and dug up earth.

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Deactivated logging
roads are bear highways.

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Walk them to spot bears or avoid them
if you're not looking to south Facing

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slopes warm faster and grow better.

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Forage bears, love them.

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Work.

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The wind bears sense
of smell is legendary.

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Hunters know to state of the high ground
in the morning to work the antibiotic

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winds as a ground heats up and low in
the evening To take advantage of the

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atic winds, your scent travels with the
temperature glass cut blocks and berry

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patches at first light and last light.

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If you're hunting.

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Talk to the locals, guides, trappers,
foresters, and landowners often know

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exactly what's been moving through and
above all, respect the animal, whether

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you're hunting it or hoping to avoid it.

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And if you want to take it even further,
silver Core Club members get free

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access to our online bear safety course.

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It's the same one used by industry
and government across Canada and was

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created to be practical, not preachy.

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It's there for you 24 7 on your schedule.

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Now, here's where you come in.

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If you've got a bear story, whether it
was intense, hilarious, or somewhere

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in between, I'd love to hear it.

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Shoot me an email at podcast@silvercore.ca
or tag us on Instagram or Facebook.

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Share your tips.

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Your lessons learned, your
experiences in Bear Country.

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This club isn't just about
learning, it's about sharing.

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And just like what happened to
Colin, your story might be what helps

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someone else take the next step.

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With more confidence and less fear.

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Until next time, stay sharp, stay
safe, and I'll see you out there.