Fatal Bear Attack Follow-up

[orygun]

I have never seen a bear of any kind in the wild.

Through the 60's and 70's my family traveled across the US from here to Indiana and back towing a travel trailer, several times venturing into Canada. It was always exciting to see bears digging thru the garbage or the aftermath of a bear chewing up some tent camper's food during the night, but outside of that I hadn't seen one either, until a handful of years ago.
Honestly, I wondered if it was because I was just a poor outdoorsman or maybe, I just stunk, but I'd never seen a bear in about 40 years of hunting.
Then one day I was elk hunting, parked on my butt watching a draw when a bear came thru the bushes. I think I was as surprised as he was. Wow! I actually saw one!
Then a couple of years ago, not all that far from where I saw the first one, I saw another.

I guess I should buy a tag...

 

[bbbass]

Then one day I was elk hunting, parked on my butt watching a draw when a bear came thru the bushes. I think I was as surprised as he was. Wow! I actually saw one!
Then a couple of years ago, not all that far from where I saw the first one, I saw another.

For sure! Every time I saw a bear, I was riding in a rig or a boat. However, my wife and used to backpack and we would hear bears in the same places time after time. I guess that must be the location of their dens. And one of the campgrounds we visit has the same kind of thing... we can hear the bears growl and grumble constantly just up the hill from where our camp trailer is parked. We don't see them tho, they just like to keep us awake!

 

[rick benjamin]

Deer hunting on an Alaskan Island. Was a sparse salmon year and the bears were starving. Haden't seen or heard bear sign. Gene got his deer down and was dressing (un-dressing) it with his Buck 110. Leaned his rifle against a nearby tree, Had just rolled a steaming gut pile out of the carcass. Heard one grunt, the bear charged 25 yards in the time it took to look up and raise his knife hand.

Gene Moe and the Bear
On the shoulder of Giants
Downing the killer Bear
Gene's obituary

 

[41mag]

I was soundly snoozing in my trusty Alaskan camper mid-November one season after a delightful few-inch-fuffy snow fall, at the biggest East Lake/Paulina camp grounds. There were only a couple other hard-wall campers, and a large party with multiple tents in a sort of compound. Out in the middle of the parking lot was a big 'bear proof' dumpster. I was warned by the ranger that bears had been spotted over the past week & I should be aware.

It did get below freezing that night & what awoke me was some metallic clattering, soft 'oofing' periodically, & sounds of frustrated mammalian effort. Then silence. Then more of same. At 75 yards in the moonlight, I could clearly see a very large 'black bear' trying to sneak a snack.

The tent city was about 100 yards away, with no indication of activity.
In the morning I was brewing coffee meaning to talk to the folks. They were packing up early & pulled out before I was out of the camper.

 

[Mikej]

Bear stories! Cool.

I must of been about 13 and Dad And I were in Yellowstone. We had a '64 Econoline Van and Dad had taken the bed out of a sofa bed and modified it to go across the wheel wells in back. Back then I guess there weren't all the cautions/signs not to leave food out. Our camp was ransacked by a bear. Ate everything, even the can of Crisco. We saw a tent a few sites over that was torn up. No one hurt as I remember.

7-8 years ago, fishing Siltcoos lake and saw what we thought was a dog splashing at the lakes edge. Nope, bear. A couple/three years after that we saw two dead bears, hit by cars, by the side of 101 near Siltcoos. 1-2 years after that fishing Tahkenitch Lake and wanted to find a place to beach the boat so we could get out and look around. I found a spot and got out of the boat and found a trail. It was like a tunnel kind of. You had to bend over to walk it. It gave me the creeps because it had to be a bear trail to the waters edge. I boogied back to the boat and pushed of. After I started the motor I noticed crap all over the floor of the boat! I stepped in it! And it was smeared all over the floor. I cleaned it up by moving everything from the back forward. Trimmed the motor up and ran with the bow high, bilge pump on, and getting buckets of water to rinse the floor while scrubbing with the scrub brush we carry. That bear shat isn't so water soluble!

 

[Ura-Ki]

I have been around bears my entire life, I'm blessed, or cursed I guess, depends on how you look at it! One thing I can say, bears are like people, each is an individual with its own temperament and attitude and it can change in a second. Some bears are cranky and some are fun loving and playful, but never trust a bear! I have hunted some of the biggest bears on this green earth, they are an awesome predator, incredibly powerful, quick as lightning, fast as any animal in North America, and when you are in their world, you must play by their rules!
I have a 6 or 7 year old Grizz that lives on and around my ranch, he is mostly uninterested in me and what ever I'm doing, he has learned that the house and fenced areas are off limits, and that as long as he stays on his side of the fence, all is good! It's a fun thing to have him around, and he keeps the fly fishermen off my place! He is a pretty calm bear, he dosnt get riled up easy and dosnt go into a rage when up set. I have always given him a very wide birth, and if I need to be in the same area he is in, I'm well armed and ready, though I hope to never need, I will if no choice is available!
All this is to say, bears are a very special kind of predator, completly unpredictable and especially dangerous because of that! But they are also the ultimate apex predator, fully equipped to hunt and kill, and if you do not have the utmost respect and fear of them, it's not going to end well, ether the bear kills you or you have to kill the bear! There is no "bear repellent" or anti bear gear or equipment, ultimatly the one thing that can stop a determined bear is a large and powerful firearm and the skill and willingness to use it!

 

[Camelfilter]

I've seen a bunch of bear (Black & Brown). Black while backpacking, Brown while visiting Yellowstone & up in Canada.

As to this story, sad as it is, the bear were just doing what bear do-odd behavior as it was.

No sense really, IMO, playing Monday morning quarterback. Guide lost his life, so if the incident can teach others a thing or two, great.

Outdoorsy things have all kinds of risks. Outdoorsy things around large predators sprinkle in some more risk. Outdoorsy things and hunting/harvesting around large predators ad in further risk.

As to OSHA involvement? Yah, um, sorry not so much of a fan. Not one bit. Not at all. No sir.

What's next further down the road should "they" write all rules and regs for hunting? Only hunt/harvest as an expedition using those African type safari vehicles? Nope. Minimum hunting group size limitations with pack trains & such (4 clients, 2 guides, and 2 camp porters etc)? Yah, um, nope.

My take away from this: an arm out of reach, is just that. That's all, nothing more, nothing less. It happens. Try not to let it.

 

[slimmer13]

When I was a kid, I woke a sleeping bear and it injured me badly, but I managed to cut off its claw. An old Indian friend said that since we spilled each others blood, we share a part of each other.

I figure that one day, I will meet that bear in combat with nothing but a knife.

 

[Brutus57]

Situational awareness: Lack there of. Sad but likely preventable.

Mistake after mistake after mistake leading to fatal mistake.

This exact scenario should have been discussed prior to the hunt with guide and Client on the same dad-blasted page.

Brutus out

 

[titsonritz]

But he had 15 rounds...

 

[wp4]

$207k raised for the guide?!

I'm sorry but they made every mistake possible.
They ignored the safety protocols and they paid the price. Who goes into grizzly country and doesn't carry bear spray and a sidearm?!
Each!

And to not have one person looking out and the other doing the work is stupid.

That guy from florida shouldn't have been in the woods with no knowledge of firearms.

City folks don't belong in the woods.

Not for the guide, but for his family that now has to live without his financial support due to his complacency/ stupidity/ whatever else it may be called.

Pretty nice of folks I think, but I sure hope he had some life insurance of his own to care for them, like any good man should have. I sure don't want my wife to have to think about how to pay for life as the 2nd or 3rd thing she must do after getting news of my death if that day ever comes...

 

[tac]

When I was a kid, I woke a sleeping bear and it injured me badly, but I managed to cut off its claw. An old Indian friend said that since we spilled each others blood, we share a part of each other.

I figure that one day, I will meet that bear in combat with nothing but a knife.

Time to move to North Wales.

 

[osprey]

My condolences to the family. Unfortunately it sounds like the guide made some judgement errors for which he paid the ultimate price. It is easy to get complacent as attacks are still very unlikely. I both hunt in grizz country and also carry a G20 on my pack belt. Usually when we kill an animal we use the buddy system and have a minimum of 2 at kill site when dealing with it. Last year due to remoteness of my elk kill no help was coming until the next day. I removed the Glock and holster off pack belt and put it on my hunting pants waist belt after making sure a round was chambered. I also propped my fully loaded rifle across my pack within arms reach. I did the no gut butcher method and had my head on a swivel the whole time. It was a nerve racking several hours and was relieved when I was finished and packing the first load out. We have never seen one of the bruins in the flesh, only tracks, but we talk about it every year and try and remind each other not to get complacent. Better to be overly cautious than the alternatives.

 

[Idaho44]

Having been a full time resident and worker bee in the backcountry, including griz country I have seen bears upclose (less than ten feet) and at a distance. I like bears but I would never trust one. There are lots of them in the Greater Yellowstone Region but few are seen because of the dump removals. Most of the towns in the Greater Yellowstone region do practice bear feeding mitigation and the USFS does have rules in place for outfitters and backcountry users. The problem is the Volume of Humans in these places and their attitudes. Disney like, complacency, or ignorance and the macho man. If you don't hear the bear or see it coming you have a problem! There are lots of incidents where bear spray worked and didn't work, the same for guns. The best protection is your brain. And yes I did travel and work alone and per agency regs we were not permitted to carry a weapon. However.....

 

[ponyblanket]

Goofball in New Mexico?
NOT A GOOFBALL!!
Guy kept his cool and he survived the bear attack by repeatedly shooting his 10mm Glock.

Hornady hollow-points, which he used, maybe not the best choice for bear.
They can clog, fail to mushroom and behave as solids; this could be OK when more penetration is helpful.
Sure, the Hornadys can mushroom nicely, especially if you are hunting Gelatin Blocks.

The .44 Magnum and its relatives are strong hitters, but shot placement is always a winner.

And a gun nearby, but not in hand, is a talking point.
I gather that not holding any make of gun, caliber and load, helps get you killed by an angry bear.

 

[wp4]

Goofball in New Mexico?
NOT A GOOFBALL!!
Guy kept his cool and he survived the bear attack by repeatedly shooting his 10mm Glock.

Hornady hollow-points, which he used, maybe not the best choice for bear.
They can clog, fail to mushroom and behave as solids; this could be OK when more penetration is helpful.
Sure, the Hornadys can mushroom nicely, especially if you are hunting Gelatin Blocks.

The .44 Magnum and its relatives are strong hitters, but shot placement is always a winner.

And a gun nearby, but not in hand, is a talking point.
I gather that not holding any make of gun, caliber and load, helps get you killed by an angry bear.

I agree to disagree. IMHO he was a goofball.

Exercising his bear dogs and they get onto a bear (whooda thunk?) and his (I believe primary/ only) choice of arm is a human SD bullet/ load, with a partially loaded magazine. And he's a hunting guide as well so no excuses about not knowing about these things.

Many many examples out there of hollow points mushrooming and sticking in the fat on bears doing nothing lethal. Yes they could clog and act similar to a HCFN bullet but who wants to bet their life on that? Not me...

And his first decision when coming upon a bear fighting with his dogs was to pull out his phone and film it.

Goofball is almost too polite a term IMO.

But your right he kept his cool once attacked, and even fixed a malfunction and kept on fighting. Kudos there.

I use a Glock 40 10mm with hard cast loads, I'm not griping about 10mm.

 

[10mm]

When I was a kid, I woke a sleeping bear and it injured me badly, but I managed to cut off its claw. An old Indian friend said that since we spilled each others blood, we share a part of each other.

I figure that one day, I will meet that bear in combat with nothing but a knife.

Deer Season 2013 Public land family spot killed with Grandpa's Winchester 54 very large and old neighbor boar Black Bear that I had danced with years before on the same trail when we were both much younger. It was before shooting light by a few minutes and figured, being younger, that there were no Knifing hours and a good blood trail would be easy to follow up. So the '06 went behind my back crosswise and I out's with my skinnin' knife and hunker into the old wrestler's crouch. He is on a stump near eye level. (mine) Jumps down, we spin and around up side front to back everything but upside down pretty fkn dark still under the thick pine trees helluva steep hill...seems like 5 minutes but probably less than one later I back up hill few feet more and said, thought, felt, prayed You can go-I won't hurt you. Raised hands wide okay you can go I'm not going to hurt you. Snuffed twice slow and turned head away (his) so I sheathed the Old Timer and realized that I was a lot smarter than I was 5 minutes ago.

Never had a millisecond to try for the gun we went round time after time different directions, uphill, downhill, sidehill he got behind me every single time in as many ways as I could spin, run jump duck sideways until I knew he didn't want to hurt me. But I didn't try and stick him either, or never would anything ever. Within feet at all times but only brushed against each other more accidental than anything. Nothing could have made me believe a bear could move that fast and I had already seen a few running from less than a hundred yards away, walking and climbing much closer than that.

I shot the same bear years later in deer season and regret not asking him to dance first. I will never take another one unless I'm starving. Not the same as a deer or elk.
Overall sad experience. Didn't think at the time that he may have just wanted to dance up the hill again, even though it was within a hundred yards of the first dance.

Hiking in Alaska up to some lakes idiot kid with SS Redhawk long barrel Remington 240 gr.
Grizzly bearded Alaskan is smiling on the way down hill from the lakes. Stops, says
"Carryin' a forty four against bear?"
-"yup"
"You better file the sight down on that piece"
-"So I don't worry about holster hangup?"
Smiling more "So it don't hurt as bad when the bear shoves it up your @%&"
- "hmuph"
Still Smiling Alaskan > " Remington 870 short barrel 1 oz Slug /00 Buck alternating . "
-"hmmmm"
>" Right at his mouth with the slugs and go for his eyes with the shot. The idea is to break up their mouth or blind them so you can roll away and stay alive "
Kid-" Yes, sir. Thanks and take it easy. "
Old guy > " I try to " and this guy's beard had some old scars underneath. Big scars.



But Today I trust .460 S & W Long Barrel Galco Grizzly chest rig rhino stoppers .

And Know If I ever really need it, I probably wouldn't know the difference, between killing a bear or him getting me, by the time I was sure we were no longer dancing.

​

 

[No_Regerts]

This is why God invented the 12 gauge shotgun and extended magazine tubes.

 

[PDXbiker]

Who goes into grizzly country and doesn't carry bear spray and a sidearm?!

Even people experienced living in remote areas get complacent. This recent tragic example out of northern Canada.

Mother and her baby killed by grizzly bear at a remote Canadian cabin | Daily Mail Online

 

[jbett98]

Speaking of Grizzlies, there is a famous mountain mans rifle up for sale at Rock Island Auctions and he was attributed to being the prime reason for the demise of Grizzlies in Northern California.
He killed a lot of bears with a black powder weapon.