Why the attack...? Schasler says several things contributed to it, including particularly harsh weather last winter, which has affected fish populations, as well as the amount of berries and other forage available to the bears. The main thing, though, was the hunter's decision to leave his kill in the field. "You just don't do that on Kodiak Island," says Schasler. "You have to take your animal in right away when you shoot it." What about reports that bears on Kodiak have been conditioned to think of gun shots as "dinner bells" calling them to hunters' game kills. "There may be some truth to those reports, but the most important thing here was the hunter's decision to leave his kill on the ground. There are a lot of bears on Kodiak Island, and they are attracted to the smell of blood. They will come investigate a kill if they catch wind of it. When they do, it can make for a very dangerous situation."
The second development on Kodiak revolves around the aforementioned harsh winter. Seems it produced one of the worst winter deer kills Kodiak has seen in many years. At press time officials at Kodiak National........(continued)
