Rating: 
Summary: Sensationalistic Exploitation of Fear About Bears?
Review: Is Shelton's book really accurate? Most of of the 14 reviews of this book I've read on the Amazon webpage say so.But what is accuracy? Half-truth or whole? Sheldon innundates readers with stories of attacks. And maybe his reports are accurate. If so, great. But again: half-truth or whole? Imagine going back in time several decades to innundate Henry Ford and his colleagues with accurate accounts and graphic photos of future automobile accidents killing more people than most wars. Would the prospect of inventing devices that would kill or maul millions of people have kept old Henry and the other money barons too horrified to pursue development of the automobile? If that were the only "half" of the truth you knew about cars, would you voluntarily ride in one? Half-truths can make you paranoid; whole-truths might make you wise. Which would you choose?
The first auto accident I was in (as a passanger) scared me so badly that a year passed before I would ride in any car I wasn't driving. Yet, even then I didn't quit driving; and I eventually came to trust other people at the wheel--as nearly everyone does. Which of us has let the risk of an accident scare us into staying off the road? Now note that Herrero's recent statistical findings confirm that people in bear country are at more risk from autos than from bears. Furthermore, most attacks, even by grizzlies, are "defensive" (Herrero's paper presented at the 2001 International Bear Conference).
Some of Sheldon's ideas have merit; but he exaggerates not only the danger from bears, but also the value of guns for keeping you safe. The average "grizzly" bear hunter on Alaska's Kodiak Island, shooting from a bench rest with a large-bore high-powered rifle, while the bear is still at least a hundred feet away, is likely to need at least 4 shots to kill the bear. A non-expert marksman, using a smaller calibre weapon, shooting in surprise at close range, has little chance of killing a bear, or even seriously disabling it, before the bear can attack. Shooting can turn what would have been a minor mauling into a lethal attack.
Although there are situations where aggression towards a bear reduces risk, there are even more situations where it increases risk. Personally, I've never been attacked despite spending much of my adult life living in bear country (just this past summer, I discovered a grizzly looking in my window a few times). I've also spent thousands of hours at close range with both black and grizzly bears studying their communication and aggression. My own experience is that a key to minimizing risk is undertanding a bear's motivation, mood and intentions, in part through reading its body language and controlling your own body language properly -- a subject which I address at length in a forthcoming book.
Like a few other people who have been willing to invest enough time and effort, I have won the trust of numerous bears sufficiently to minimize danger. For example, some grizzly sows trust me so much that they nurse their cubs close to me or leave their cubs nearby when they wander off feeding. You too could do this -- with proper training and in the right situations. But DON'T TRY IT ON YOUR OWN. If you want to see the truth firsthand, join me in the field. Contact me through katmaibears.com or 1/800-532-8338 or (eventually) through our new website: gobearviewing.com.
Stephen F. Stringham, Director * Bear Communication & Aggression Research Program
* International Bear Viewing Association
Rating: 
Summary: A disgruntled backwoods philosopher
Review: James Gary Shelton is a cross between Rush Limbaugh and David Duke. Limbaugh rants about liberals; Shelton goes wild on environmentalists and biologists. David Duke isn't a racist; he just wants to clear up a few misunderstandings about non-Caucasians. Shelton respects bears; he just thinks people need to kill a lot more bears--for the good of the bears.
The Deadly Truth is long on dubious opinions, and short on credible facts. Mr. Shelton, writing from the outback of British Columbia, states that he's worked in the construction industry, as a field engineer for Crown Zellarbach Logging, and as a hunting guide. How unfortunate he didn't stick with those endeavors rather than self-publishing this nasty diatribe. When Shelton isn't bashing "radical" environmental groups run by "extremists," he pillories wildlife biologists. Shelton disagrees with biologists on most significant issues, but he doesn't bother to debate biologists on the facts pertaining to the issues. Instead, Shelton attempts to discredit biologists by arguing that their facts and statistics and degrees are irrelevant. "Many of our modern bear biologists were educated in the anti-capitalist university atmosphere of the 1970s and 1980s. Some came out of school with a burning desire to save bears at all cost and have abandoned good science for the pseudo-science of preservationist biology."
I'm sure dozens of biologists now lament their decision to earn a Ph.D. from an accredited university when they could have joined Shelton for a 1 hour class on "Bears and Good Science" at the Zellarbach Logging Institute of Higher Education.
The Deadly Truth does not include references, a bibliography, notes, or quotes from other sources. It's just page after page of Shelton's unsubstantiated opinions. There's no humor in The Deadly Truth. No joy. No passion for bears, just a passionate belief we need to kill more bears. The truculent Mr. Shelton attempts to bolster his credibility with constant references to his "research" and "studies," but he's not talking about peer-reviewed work published in the Journal of Wildlife Management. He's referring to casual conversations he's had with hunters, loggers, and disenfranchised rural residents. Evidently, Shelton believes this is good science. Here's the truth: Shelton's opinions and theories should be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read For Anyone Spending Time In Bear Country
Review: Shelton describes bear behaviors and how attacks relate to these behaviors. Many common held misconceptions are dispelled. These include "playing dead" and that black bears are not dangerous. I wish that I had read this book before spending two-weeks in Alaska this year. Shelton's understanding of bear behavior will help to save human lives! I spend considerable time outdoors in the western U.S. and Canada. This book changed my bear avoidance and defence strategy for the better.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For Anyone Spending Time In Bear Country
Review: Shelton describes bear behaviors and how attacks relate to these behaviors. Many common held misconceptions are dispelled. These include "playing dead" and that black bears are not dangerous. I wish that I had read this book before spending two-weeks in Alaska this year. Shelton's understanding of bear behavior will help to save human lives! I spend considerable time outdoors in the western U.S. and Canada. This book changed my bear avoidance and defence strategy for the better.
Rating:
Summary: Good Information, Hidden Agenda
Review: There are some good points and bad points to James Shelton's "Bear Attacks". There is some excellent information presented on attacks themselves and on what to do if you find yourself in that situation. There are a few problems I have with this book. First, Shelton is just as biased as the so called "preservationist" groups he demeans. It is clear he was raised in the thought that everything in the world belongs to mankind and that we should be able to take something if it benefits us. His attitude towards bears, while showing respect, paints them as some sort of lesser being that we need to control. Second, some of his ideas on why attacks are happening seem to be skewed by this. While I do not agree that all attacks are all people's fault, Shelton makes it seem like we should blame bears for the way they live and naturally are. He insists that attacks are not people's fault but then presents information about how the bear was food conditioned by people, even if they are not the ones who were attacked. If you are looking for a definitive book on bear attacks, look for one by an actual biologist who does not have a hidden agenda.
Rating:
Summary: Good Information, Hidden Agenda
Review: There are some good points and bad points to James Shelton's "Bear Attacks". There is some excellent information presented on attacks themselves and on what to do if you find yourself in that situation. There are a few problems I have with this book. First, Shelton is just as biased as the so called "preservationist" groups he demeans. It is clear he was raised in the thought that everything in the world belongs to mankind and that we should be able to take something if it benefits us. His attitude towards bears, while showing respect, paints them as some sort of lesser being that we need to control. Second, some of his ideas on why attacks are happening seem to be skewed by this. While I do not agree that all attacks are all people's fault, Shelton makes it seem like we should blame bears for the way they live and naturally are. He insists that attacks are not people's fault but then presents information about how the bear was food conditioned by people, even if they are not the ones who were attacked. If you are looking for a definitive book on bear attacks, look for one by an actual biologist who does not have a hidden agenda.
Rating:
Summary: Good Information, Hidden Agenda
Review: There are some good points and bad points to James Shelton's "Bear Attacks". There is some excellent information presented on attacks themselves and on what to do if you find yourself in that situation. There are a few problems I have with this book. First, Shelton is just as biased as the so called "preservationist" groups he demeans. It is clear he was raised in the thought that everything in the world belongs to mankind and that we should be able to take something if it benefits us. His attitude towards bears, while showing respect, paints them as some sort of lesser being that we need to control. Second, some of his ideas on why attacks are happening seem to be skewed by this. While I do not agree that all attacks are all people's fault, Shelton makes it seem like we should blame bears for the way they live and naturally are. He insists that attacks are not people's fault but then presents information about how the bear was food conditioned by people, even if they are not the ones who were attacked. If you are looking for a definitive book on bear attacks, look for one by an actual biologist who does not have a hidden agenda.
Rating:
Summary: Sleazy knock-off of Stephen Herrero's classic Bear Attacks
Review: There's no question Shelton has a lot of experience with bears, and his provocative thoughts on bear/human relations make this book well worth reading . . . nevertheless, I'm skeptical about the accuracy of some bear tales he reports: p.121-122, a hunter startles a female girzzly with three cubs "70 feet away." According to the hunter, the "sow rose upright onto her hind legs . . .all four bears ran uphill straight towards me . . . the she-bear, still on her hind legs, passed the cubs in the process . . . until she was three feet away." When pigs fly. Cubs on all fours would run at least 20 mph. A mature female on her hind legs couldn't cover 4 miles a year. This kind of nonsense and drivel hurts Shelton's credibility.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth Hurts!
Review: This author doesn't pull any punches. He's dead serious about saving lives (bears as well as people). If you live or work where there are bears, you NEED to read this book! The chapter "Dangerous Beliefs" is especially eye-opening. People believe what they read in newspapers and textbooks because they're looking for expert advice. They don't always get it in those places. The new world expert on bears (in my humble opinion) is James Gary Shelton. Buy it! Read it! You'll think twice before going into the woods again without some kind of protection.
Rating:
Summary: An Informative and Honest, truth about bear encounters.
Review: This book is a must read if you have even the slightest interest in bears and bear attacks. I live in Colorado, and although the chances of myself encountering a bear are a lot less likly than those mentioned in the book, its still possible. With this book I have learned a lot of usefull information that cannot be ignored when in bear country. Thanks Mr. Shelton.
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