Montana man loses fist fight with grizzly...

[Cavedweller]

...and lower jaw.

Veteran has jaw torn off by grizzly bear he tried to stop with bare hands

Rudy Noorlander, 61, remains in a critical but stable condition in a hospital after he was attacked by the huge bear inside the Custer Gallatin National Forest, just outside Big Sky, last Friday.

nypost.com

Read More

 

[Knobgoblin]

That's one tough ol boy right there.

 

[awags_86]

There's a reason we nearly wiped them out as we settled the west

 

[Cavedweller]

There's a reason we nearly wiped them out as we settled the west

And no good reason why the psycho-freak environazis want to bring them back.

 

[Kruel J]

Balls of steel.

 

[Cavedweller]

Balls of steel.

Well, he's Navy, so goes without saying.

 

[Howard1955]

I wonder if they were able to find his jaw and reattach it - or if it would up in the bear's belly.

 

[clanhanson]

And no good reason why the psycho-freak environazis want to bring them back.

It's not like they're an important part of the ecosystem or anything...

But hey, perhaps this guy forgot the old saying "If it's brown, lie down." Instead he went with "Give it a punch, you're lunch"

 

[clanhanson]

There's a reason we nearly wiped them out as we settled the west

We almost got rid of those pesky, useless bison too. Drats

 

[Xaevian]

"And to top it all off, [the bear] gave him as what Rudy describes as the most disgusting French kiss of his life before biting down and tearing off his lower jaw."

"This is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you, old human"

 

[Xaevian]

It's not like they're an important part of the ecosystem or anything...

But hey, perhaps this guy forgot the old saying "If it's brown, lie down." Instead he went with "Give it a punch, you're lunch"

We finally found the root cause of climate change《TM》

 

[Cavedweller]

It's not like they're an important part of the ecosystem or anything...

The ecosystem managed to get along just fine without them for a hundred years or so.

Seriously, tho, there are other predators that fill that niche, so maybe not so important after all.

 

[clanhanson]

The ecosystem managed to get along just fine without them for a hundred years or so.

Seriously, tho, there are other predators that fill that niche, so maybe not so important after all.

None that are as effective at spreading seeds throughout a forest, have you seen grizzly scat? It's pretty impressive.. looks like my freshman dorm after Taco Tuesday only with huckleberries!

In all seriousness, they're important and areas where they were eradicated (ND, for example) suffered and still suffer ill effects. Yes they're scary, and yes some people are killed. I camp, hunt, and hike in grizzly territory almost weekly and am happy to know that they're out there helping the forests we love and want to keep. The day I had to scramble up a tree after finding a grizzly munching on my moose was a bit frightening, but they're just doing their thing.

 

[msgriff]

Although not attributed to killing a human, the stories of Old Reelfoot in Southern Oregon were legendary. It took the locals 20 years to finally kill him. One of the last great grizzlies in Oregon, it was claimed to be 1892 pounds (probably an exaggeration). This link has a number of stories about the bear told by various people over the years, if anyone was interested:
The Life and Death and Afterlife of Reelfoot

 

[Cavedweller]

In all seriousness, they're important and areas where they were eradicated (ND, for example) suffered and still suffer ill effects.

What would those ill effects be?

 

[trekkerpaul]

This guy sounds like one tough dude. Never gave up and kept fighting.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Well at least he kept a stiff upper lip.

 

[Stomper]

Well at least he kept a stiff upper lip.

I bet he ripped off his own lower jaw and BEAT the sheit outta that ol' grizzly bahr with it!

 

[clanhanson]

What would those ill effects be?

Biodiversity decreases and bubblegumstorm ensues, snowball effect yada yada. They're a keystone species and protected for good reason. If you don't want to be torn apart by one, avoid their habitat or learn to be bear aware and don't go sneaking around and startling them. Hunters have the highest risk of being torn asunder.

I worry more about predatory black bears... they're the only bear that will actively hunt humans if desperate enough. I've seen the red eyes of a black bear through the mesh of my tent at 3 a.m. and it is truly a terrifying experience. Fortunately he was only interested in my nasty socks sitting outside the door under the rain fly. A firm "hey bear" and he scampered away but not before knocking my makeshift clothesline to the ground.

 

[Stomper]

Biodiversity decreases and bubblegumstorm ensues, snowball effect yada yada. They're a keystone species and protected for good reason. If you don't want to be torn apart by one, avoid their habitat or learn to be bear aware and don't go sneaking around and startling them. Hunters have the highest risk of being torn asunder.

I worry more about predatory black bears... they're the only bear that will actively hunt humans if desperate enough. I've seen the red eyes of a black bear through the mesh of my tent at 3 a.m. and it is truly a terrifying experience. Fortunately he was only interested in my nasty socks sitting outside the door under the rain fly. A firm "hey bear" and he scampered away but not before knocking my makeshift clothesline to the ground.

You just got lucky that THAT bear doesn't eat junk food or you'd have been biodiverse bear skat.