SA 24JUN11 AK Food Chain

Inspired by actual events! Sorta...

I was sitting at my guard post on the Hastings Fire north of Fairbanks AK when I was running both a mosquito coil and a Therma Cell to keep the mosquitoes off at about 11pm/midnight or so (so the date might be a bit off...). Needless to say, some of them mosquitoes still kept on coming at me! The idea crossed my mind that not only are bears on top of humans here in Alaska, but the mosquito has got to be on top of it all... Insert some cartoon exaggeration, and POW, giant mosquito that is on top of everything in the food chain!

In theory, the bear spray works as a deterrent (though US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and other agencies shoot at least one grizzly after bear spray fails just about every year or so... They usually give it about three sprays before resorting to the 12 ga.). Bear bells... well, we tell the tourists they work... That and we joke about dinner bells and seasoning... Especially after stupid Californians or Alabamians balk at the $50 price tag on a 16 oz. can of bear spray...

...after all, $14.19 worth of Brenneke Black Magic 3" magnum 12 ga. slugs are what everyone around here considers 100% effective lead based bear spray! If you run into the mosquito pictured here, make sure you have some 00 Buck handy...