On the front page of the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-grizzly29apr29,0,751987.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Damn.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-grizzly29apr29,0,751987.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Damn.
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Incredible bear attack story
- Thread starter erdvark
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should have had a gun.
I don't think it would have helped. He was surprised and had no time to react. Even after getting free he was still in bad shape. His daughter tried to use the bear spray but she also did not have time to think clearly. Its a shame however they couldn't at least carry a gun, whether it would have helped or not.
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Doubtful that any handgun they were likely to carry would have done more than piss off a grizzly.
What I was thinking was that it was too bad they didn't have bear bells (because apparently they surprised a momma with cubs, which is what brought on the attack) and, having survived the attack, it's too bad they didn't have whistles since I can't imagine yelling "help" endlessly while bleeding to death on the side of a trail.
But, really, at the end of the day, a bear attack is one of the things you risk when you go into the wild. At that, it's a pretty small risk. I wonder if we're all supposed to be terrified of going into the wild now? I mean, why doesn't the LA Time have a horror article EVERY SINGLE DAY about the people mangled and killed in car wrecks on LA's freeways?
Life is a risky thing. You ain't gonna get out of it alive. Enjoy yourself while you can.
</soapbox>
What I was thinking was that it was too bad they didn't have bear bells (because apparently they surprised a momma with cubs, which is what brought on the attack) and, having survived the attack, it's too bad they didn't have whistles since I can't imagine yelling "help" endlessly while bleeding to death on the side of a trail.
But, really, at the end of the day, a bear attack is one of the things you risk when you go into the wild. At that, it's a pretty small risk. I wonder if we're all supposed to be terrified of going into the wild now? I mean, why doesn't the LA Time have a horror article EVERY SINGLE DAY about the people mangled and killed in car wrecks on LA's freeways?
Life is a risky thing. You ain't gonna get out of it alive. Enjoy yourself while you can.
</soapbox>
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He was sitting in the bushes calling for his daughter to jump down to him. Then the bear jumps down. could have been sitting in the bushes aiming at the bear.
Not if the bear was on top of ledge where he couldn't aim at it. It says he fell/rolled off cliff into the bush. Imagine trying to get out of a bush and then have a steady aim at a bear. Highly unlikely in my opinion.
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Definitely need to think ahead.
Like always having a little bell, a whistle, and carrying pepper spray.
And knowing how to tell sign when in bear country.
Like the difference between black bear scat and brownie scat.
Black bear scat is dark in color globular and has the presence of seeds and Berry's in it.
Brownie scat is lighter in color smells like pepper spray and has the presence of bells and whistles.
Like always having a little bell, a whistle, and carrying pepper spray.
And knowing how to tell sign when in bear country.
Like the difference between black bear scat and brownie scat.
Black bear scat is dark in color globular and has the presence of seeds and Berry's in it.
Brownie scat is lighter in color smells like pepper spray and has the presence of bells and whistles.
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I once heard a guide say that carrying a pistol into bear country is a good idea: it allows you to put yourself out of your misery. About the only good it will do against a charging bear is trip it."Doubtful that any handgun they were likely to carry would have done more than piss off a grizzly."
- Ask that question to the Alaskans on this forum...see what they think about that statement.
A pistol is better than nothing, but if you want to stop a charging bear you will need a shotgun.
IIRC, the article mentions one of the rangers showing up with a shotgun.
My family has a lot of years hunting bears up there (Alaska). When shooting bears, there are two important lessons:
1- when you shoot a bear, keep shooting it ESPECIALLY if it is already down.
2- if you have to go after a wounded bear, carry a shotgun.
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Too bad that Grizzlyman jackass didn't read your post before he went into Kenai for the 13th summer.
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All kidding aside for a moment....I heard of this one Alaskan who used to carry a .44 Mag with him, got charged by a Brownie, got off five rounds before the bear finally dropped a couple of feet away. He allegedly stated that he was "saving the last round for himself." Now he never goes anywhere in the bush without a .338 Win Mag.
A .44 mag is starting to get into the realm of a "reasonable bear pistol."
We had a Kodiak Brown Bear walk through our camp one night. It stopped about 20 yards from camp and had a stare-down with us (luckily, our fish was in a cooler out in the middle of the river!).
One guy shot a .357 over its head to scare it away.
The bear sat down.
We then shot a .44 mag over its head, and that was enough to scare the bear off.
You hear stories of "miracle stops" all the time . . . I remember a story of a kid with a spear. A polar bear was charging him, so he stuck the spear in the ground, and dove out of the way. That stopped the bear.
I've even heard stories of people dropping charging bears with .40's.
It would be a cold day, however, before I relied on anything less than a shotgun to stop a charging bear.
But, the real lesson to learn is that if you aren't looking for bear, MAKE LOTS OF NOISE!
Not spooking a bear is the best way to stop a charge.
This was a small 400 lb bear, not one of those 1500 lb ones you see pictures of with paws the size of cinderblocks. Any handgun that could stop a human likely would have stopped this bear. Hell, a solid right hand to its nose may have made it think twice about what it was doing and run away.
Bulgron has it right. There are some risks that simply cannot be reasonably prepared for.
If one is really anticipating a bear encounter, a 12ga with slugs is what is truly called for. But really, most of us could go on the rest of our lives without ever having such an encounter. Most folks can take the acceptable risk, reasonably forgo the arsenal, and live to tell the tale.
If one is really anticipating a bear encounter, a 12ga with slugs is what is truly called for. But really, most of us could go on the rest of our lives without ever having such an encounter. Most folks can take the acceptable risk, reasonably forgo the arsenal, and live to tell the tale.
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That is exactly what those two Rangers used on that Grizzily that killed Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend. They emptied both 870s into the charging Grizzily, with one shot going in under one of his eyes.
Those guys, along with the two Troopers who came in behind them, had some balls - They had poor visibility because ot the thick brush, plus it was dusk, and raining: And two bear kills in front of them.
Before they got the bodies out that night, they had to kill a second Grizzily.
And, IMHO, Treadwell was an idiot.
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My father worked as a mechanic in a Bristol Bay cannery in the early 1950's. He tells a story of a youg guy who manned a fish trap in the river and was cooking fish for dinner in the little shack at the trap. A Kodiak broke the door down and the kid shot of full clip from a Colt Woodsman .22 auto into the bear's head. My dad and some of the other cannery workers heard the shooting and arrived to find the kid with the bear at his feet, still repeatedly pulling the trigger. Evidently he got a round or two through an eye socket and that dropped the bear. I imagine he need a change of underwear too-- I would!
My dad has a bunch of bear claws from his cannery work-- they are huge. They would get a rogue bear in or around the cannery a couple times each season and they kept heavy caliber rifles close at hand.
I agree that bells might have helped the poor people in the article. I wouldn't expect a handgun to stop a big bear, but I can't imagine not trying! I remember reading years ago that some of the Alaska parks allow shotguns with inspections on both ends of the trip and take a report if the weapon was used-- don't quote me on that. It would be one way to protect against attacks.
Ultimately, as more people use the parks and wilderness areas, there will be more encounters. Education and using bells and spray should help.
My dad has a bunch of bear claws from his cannery work-- they are huge. They would get a rogue bear in or around the cannery a couple times each season and they kept heavy caliber rifles close at hand.
I agree that bells might have helped the poor people in the article. I wouldn't expect a handgun to stop a big bear, but I can't imagine not trying! I remember reading years ago that some of the Alaska parks allow shotguns with inspections on both ends of the trip and take a report if the weapon was used-- don't quote me on that. It would be one way to protect against attacks.
Ultimately, as more people use the parks and wilderness areas, there will be more encounters. Education and using bells and spray should help.