MAULED: Lessons Learned from a Grizzly Bear Attack

[Foxi]

this april,in Italy,in Trentino,a female bear was proven to have killed a jogger.
This animal, known as a problem bear, has now been caught. The death sentence has been banned by the courts and many Italians are demonstrating for the survival of the bear. The 26-year-old man and his family are completely indifferent to them.
My takeaway from this:
Townspeople all over the world are equally stupid on such issues.




A mountain farmer in Austria, who feared for his sheep, once said to me:
the only way is the 3 S method
shoot
shovel
silence.
When I said that this was against the law and a serious offence, I only got a pitying look from him and he said
"When the government and the authorities let us down, we need self-help".

 

[pamtnman]

In 2005 I was fortunate to fish for king salmon in Alaska, before the Chinese fishing fleet scooped them all up and ended their spawning run. The day after I caught a 74 pound male that measured over four feet long, I was back in the same area. Then I noticed the guide’s plane was airborne, and wondered why. We were way out in the boondocks and the plane was the only way out. Then a grizzly showed up. At first he retreated from showers of rocks and sticks. Then he did two bluff charges on me. Yes, I had the 44 mag leveled at him, but I would have gotten one shot, maaaaybe two shots, before he was on me. The wind was wrong for the pepper spray, so the gun was all I had. Fortunately he left and gave me time to gather my stuff and my one salmon before charging in from behind me. He was like a bulldozer through the alder jungle. I jumped in the small river and floated downstream to the confluence with the Susitna and just stood out there waiting for the guide to return. Turned out the same bear had driven off my friend and the guide who were downstream of me, and they had no time to find me and warn me. Two other times I’ve had grizzly encounters, one in NW Montana and one in the Idaho panhandle, and all I can say is they are unafraid of anything. And they are willing to try to destroy whatever they don’t like.

 

[Red Leg]

In 2005 I was fortunate to fish for king salmon in Alaska, before the Chinese fishing fleet scooped them all up and ended their spawning run. The day after I caught a 74 pound male that measured over four feet long, I was back in the same area. Then I noticed the guide’s plane was airborne, and wondered why. We were way out in the boondocks and the plane was the only way out. Then a grizzly showed up. At first he retreated from showers of rocks and sticks. Then he did two bluff charges on me. Yes, I had the 44 mag leveled at him, but I would have gotten one shot, maaaaybe two shots, before he was on me. The wind was wrong for the pepper spray, so the gun was all I had. Fortunately he left and gave me time to gather my stuff and my one salmon before charging in from behind me. He was like a bulldozer through the alder jungle. I jumped in the small river and floated downstream to the confluence with the Susitna and just stood out there waiting for the guide to return. Turned out the same bear had driven off my friend and the guide who were downstream of me, and they had no time to find me and warn me. Two other times I’ve had grizzly encounters, one in NW Montana and one in the Idaho panhandle, and all I can say is they are unafraid of anything. And they are willing to try to destroy whatever they don’t like.

They "had no time to warn you" and flew off and left you?!?

 

[Scott CWO]

They "had no time to warn you" and flew off and left you?!?

Grizzlies are notorious for destroying planes in the backcountry. Was probably best to get the plane in the air and loiter for a bit until the bear left and then land again to pick up @pamtnman so that they weren’t all trapped there without a plane. Lots of guides offer daily “fly out” fishing trips from a lodge. They don’t bring much for camping gear or food other than lunches and drinks for a day. These pilots/guides are very worried about the plane. Probably should have had radios to keep in touch, however.

 

[pamtnman]

That’s what I wrote because it is what I was told. Maybe the guide didn’t like me. Maybe my brain surgeon friend is such a wuss that he whined and spooked, and the guide had to evacuate him out before the bear chased him. Maybe the guide believed I could handle myself (he did say this later on), and he did initially take me on as a client because he said I was experienced enough to handle the wild places he was taking us. The guide was definitely not prepared to manage my friend, who is a wonderful person and a no pun intended cutting edge brain surgeon, who is also a bit of an urban weenie who thinks hiking on established trails in national parks makes him a wilderness guy. I was also about a half mile upstream of where the guide and my buddy were fishing, and that distance was a horrible jungle of willows and alders. I’m an adventurous person and always immediately take off for the most distant place to hunt and fish, and they probably did not know where I was. But they did know that to get me, they’d have to get past that bear. Have you fished or hunted along a central Alaska waterway? If not, it’s the most impenetrable and rugged place on earth.

They "had no time to warn you" and flew off and left you?!?

 

[PerH]

this april,in Italy,in Trentino,a female bear was proven to have killed a jogger.
This animal, known as a problem bear, has now been caught. The death sentence has been banned by the courts and many Italians are demonstrating for the survival of the bear. The 26-year-old man and his family are completely indifferent to them.
My takeaway from this:
Townspeople all over the world are equally stupid on such issues.


View attachment 530524View attachment 530526

A mountain farmer in Austria, who feared for his sheep, once said to me:
the only way is the 3 S method
shoot
shovel
silence.
When I said that this was against the law and a serious offence, I only got a pitying look from him and he said
"When the government and the authorities let us down, we need self-help".

I saw the same on a Fb group also, some arazis all ok with it " too many peopl3 ,too few animals " etc all other stuff also mixed in there.

 

[Foxi]

That’s what I wrote because it is what I was told. Maybe the guide didn’t like me. Maybe my brain surgeon friend is such a wuss that he whined and spooked, and the guide had to evacuate him out before the bear chased him. Maybe the guide believed I could handle myself (he did say this later on), and he did initially take me on as a client because he said I was experienced enough to handle the wild places he was taking us. The guide was definitely not prepared to manage my friend, who is a wonderful person and a no pun intended cutting edge brain surgeon, who is also a bit of an urban weenie who thinks hiking on established trails in national parks makes him a wilderness guy. I was also about a half mile upstream of where the guide and my buddy were fishing, and that distance was a horrible jungle of willows and alders. I’m an adventurous person and always immediately take off for the most distant place to hunt and fish, and they probably did not know where I was. But they did know that to get me, they’d have to get past that bear. Have you fished or hunted along a central Alaska waterway? If not, it’s the most impenetrable and rugged place on earth.

what a story,what an experience.It really gives me the creeps.
I don't know Alaska, but some provinces of Canada and their impenetrable (and mosquito-infested) riparian forests along the rivers.
But, if you'll pardon my saying so, I wouldn't know which of the two types I would have punched in the face first when I saw them again

 

[Scott CWO]

what a story,what an experience.It really gives me the creeps.
I don't know Alaska, but some provinces of Canada and their impenetrable (and mosquito-infested) riparian forests along the rivers.
But, if you'll pardon my saying so, I wouldn't know which of the two types I would have punched in the face first when I saw them again

Why? @pamtnman left them and went downriver 1/2 mile on his own. The pilot picked him up after the pilot got away from the bear. Pilot came back. I doubt the pilot went far.

 

[1dirthawker]

Why? @pamtnman left them and went downriver 1/2 mile on his own. The pilot picked him up after the pilot got away from the bear. Pilot came back. I doubt the pilot went far.

agreed. this is likely EXACTLY what happened. their transport was at risk, so the pilot moved it. was not much he could do for @pamtnman at the time. that is why it is SO CRITICAL in the alaska back country to have your own weapon, or method for self defense from 2 or 4 legged predators.

 

[Vinootz]

Poor guy. Lucky he survived.

 

[Foxi]

Why? @pamtnman left them and went downriver 1/2 mile on his own. The pilot picked him up after the pilot got away from the bear. Pilot came back. I doubt the pilot went far.

Hmm , did I translate that wrong?
If so, then I'm sorry.
But to me it reads as if the two of them wanted to save their own skins first.

 

[flying sailor]

yeah, not a fan of the Grizz either. My outfitter in Nebraska told me that some places out west the bears no longer wait for the shot( knowing they get a gut pile) but sometimes track the hunters. Wanted to go west for a blackie, but sometimes they share the same territory, so, since they are protected I dont care to explain or let something chew my arms off. So blackies out west are off the list.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Poor guy. Lucky he survived.

In many ways Jeremy was very fortunate to survive the multiple attacks.

Jeremy set up a website.

https://www.grizzlydude.ca

 

[BRICKBURN]

yeah, not a fan of the Grizz either. My outfitter in Nebraska told me that some places out west the bears no longer wait for the shot( knowing they get a gut pile) but sometimes track the hunters. Wanted to go west for a blackie, but sometimes they share the same territory, so, since they are protected I dont care to explain or let something chew my arms off. So blackies out west are off the list.

It's amazing what we accept as normal when we hunt here in western Canada.
Since I don't encounter venomous snakes here, those places with those critters make me nervous.

 

[TMac]

If the law allows...

If it doesn’t, I‘d be carrying a short barreled 12ga stuffed with stout slugs. Are those allowed?

My friend looked up while fishing in AK, big brown in full charge towards him. He’s knee deep fishing. Dropped his pole, swung the 12ga around and stopped him with one shot at about 10’. Zero idea why that bear went after him. Like mentioned above, no report, Bear got pushed into the river. Had he not had that gun slung on his shoulder he’d almost certainly been mauled and likely killed.

 

[pamtnman]

Why? @pamtnman left them and went downriver 1/2 mile on his own. The pilot picked him up after the pilot got away from the bear. Pilot came back. I doubt the pilot went far.

The pilot took Dan on a scenic air tour of the mountains. I think they got pretty close to Denali and turned around. I think that’s why my friend Dan went with me in the first place. We are still close friends, but that trip just about broke us

 

[flying sailor]

If it doesn’t, I‘d be carrying a short barreled 12ga stuffed with stout slugs. Are those allowed?

My friend looked up while fishing in AK, big brown in full charge towards him. He’s knee deep fishing. Dropped his pole, swung the 12ga around and stopped him with one shot at about 10’. Zero idea why that bear went after him. Like mentioned above, no report, Bear got pushed into the river. Had he not had that gun slung on his shoulder he’d almost certainly been mauled and likely killed.

YIKES!

 

[fourfive8]

One thing to count on is they are hard to predict. Most browns fishing on rivers know full well you’re there but pay little attention and won’t even make eye contact most of the time. One secret is to not get inside their defense perimeter as a surprise or by accident and try to make sure they don’t mistake you for a rival bear. I’ve had them swim right by me at arms length while crossing a river. I just talk in a normal voice and hope they don’t “mentally” snap and get aggressive. Little you could do anyway when up to your armpits in water. . When I can see them ahead of time I make sure they know I’m there by talking and give them a lot of space. Last year had a younger boar on open tundra make a semicircle to get a sniff and make sure I wasn’t caribou veal or a lone cub or something. I absolutely couldn’t figure what he was thinking. After some yelling and arm waving he reversed course and wandered back into some thicker scrub. He may have never seen a person and was simply was trying to figure out what I was.??? I usually carry either a short barreled shotgun or large industrial sized bear spray canister. Goes without saying to avoid at great distance sows with cubs. If there is such a thing, the easiest to figure are the younger weaners especially if in a pair. Those are the ones that huff and puff, crow hop a couple times toward you then stand up for a smell and look. Usually the least dangerous of all encounters. But unfortunately commonly misunderstood by clueless sourdough wannabes- ending in some kind of DLP cluster flop.

 

[BRICKBURN]

If it doesn’t, I‘d be carrying a short barreled 12ga stuffed with stout slugs. Are those allowed?
.........

You can have shotguns. Certainly in hunting season.
Jeremy had a rifle with him. Absolutely zero time to use it.

 

[Red Leg]

That’s what I wrote because it is what I was told. Maybe the guide didn’t like me. Maybe my brain surgeon friend is such a wuss that he whined and spooked, and the guide had to evacuate him out before the bear chased him. Maybe the guide believed I could handle myself (he did say this later on), and he did initially take me on as a client because he said I was experienced enough to handle the wild places he was taking us. The guide was definitely not prepared to manage my friend, who is a wonderful person and a no pun intended cutting edge brain surgeon, who is also a bit of an urban weenie who thinks hiking on established trails in national parks makes him a wilderness guy. I was also about a half mile upstream of where the guide and my buddy were fishing, and that distance was a horrible jungle of willows and alders. I’m an adventurous person and always immediately take off for the most distant place to hunt and fish, and they probably did not know where I was. But they did know that to get me, they’d have to get past that bear. Have you fished or hunted along a central Alaska waterway? If not, it’s the most impenetrable and rugged place on earth.

I have no issue whatsoever with your actions and commend you on your survival.

I have enormous issues with the actions of the guide/pilot. If his plan for an aggressive brown was to grab the nearest client and leave the area immediately and hope the other guy figures it out, then he needs to think through a better emergency action plan. While I haven't fished for salmon in AK, I have done a lot of black bear hunting in BC where grizzly encounters are very common. It is beyond my comprehension he would allow his clients to separate like that without simple radios - I don't care if one of his clients stepped out of a James Fenimore Cooper novel. Following up a bear, recovering one, or even on a long stalk, we always have communications. An angry bear is just one of a dozen of things that can happen.

Let's say saving the plane was in his mind more important than looking after his other client. With a couple of $30 dollar Motorolas he could have at least warned the separated client and told him what was transpiring.

Glad he came back.