Ex-Marine kills bear with log

[LadyTevar]

Black bears are not that big, really. I'm not surprised a good-sized chunk of wood killed it.

Still, the kid was stupid to throw something at it, and damn lucky his father managed to hit it like that.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

300 pounds is a pretty small bear. I doubt that same thrown log would do more to a larger bear than send it into a homicidal frenzy.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Two comments come to mind. First, killing a bear with one blow like that with only wood is pretty impressive.

It's impressive, but the fact that it's "only wood" doesn't mean much. Are you saying that if he threw a large rock at the bear, it would have made a big difference?

Stone's harder than wood. Or he could have thrown, say, something metal.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Let me know when he does this with a polar bear and not an oversized teddy. A hearse should be on standby.

Stone's harder than wood. Or he could have thrown, say, something metal.

A good piece of wood is more than enough to crush skulls, which is why you don't see stone or metal clubs all that often. Any animal getting twatted upside the head with the end of a log coming head on is going to have a bad day.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Once upon a time, it was considered the duty of Babylonian, Assyrian, Elamite, and other near-eastern nobility, to hunt Lions--because they were a massive threat to the livelihood of the peasantry, going after livestock. They did this not with bows, but with spears with bronze tips, while on chariots.

They were successful enough that they hunted Lions to extinction in the area.

[Lord of the Abyss]

A good piece of wood is more than enough to crush skulls, which is why you don't see stone or metal clubs all that often.

What do you think a mace is ? There have been all sorts of club-type weapons made of metal; the hilt is usually wood, but the striking portion is qutie often metal since it's stronger and harder. As for stone, a purely stone club would be prone to shattering, and a stone weapon would be harder to attach to the end of a stick than a metal one.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Metal is heavier and harder to work with, hence wood is more than adequate and anyone dismissing wood simply because it's shaped pieces of dead tree needs to feel what being hit by a police truncheon is like (not the telescoping ones they now use).

[Lord of the Abyss]

Metal is heavier and harder to work with, hence wood is more than adequate and anyone dismissing wood simply because it's shaped pieces of dead tree needs to feel what being hit by a police truncheon is like (not the telescoping ones they now use).

But the main reason they used something like wood was because they were trying NOT to kill, therefore they used clubs of less lethal wood, instead of, say, steel bars.

[Zixinus]

"Now, that little Billy, is how you defend yourself againts a bear."

"That's what I call a marine."

[Sriad]

When camping, parents must be withing three feet of their children at all times.

I think that this is not a misrepresentation of your "argument." I would agree that "Do not throw shit at fucking huge animals because they will kill you" is a vital lesson to instill in children at an early age, but at that very moment his options were limited.