Grizzly bear attacks hunter

[Partikle]

Another good example of why users should be forced to sign in before posting. Any other forum I am a member of, I have to sign in first!

While on the bear topic, saw this on the news the other night.

Web Posted Oct 8 2004 07:54 AM MDT

Hunter recovering after grizzly attack
Calgary - A 53-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a mother bear that appeared to be protecting her cubs.

Fran Nykoluk was elk hunting with her husband north of Blairmore when they became separated while looking for an animal they shot.

She stumbled across a bear and her two cubs, and was mauled by the mother. She suffered head, chest and leg injuries, but managed to walk to the trailhead, where her husband Rick found her.

She was airlifted to Foothills Hospital, where she's in serious condition.

Steve Herrero, a grizzly expert at the University of Calgary, says it's more likely for a hunter to surprise a bear because they're trying to be quiet, and that the majority of bear attacks outside of national parks involve hunters.

"In addition to that, small groups of human beings are more likely to be injured than larger groups," he said.

A bear response team, bear dogs and Fish and Wildlife officers are in the Isolation Creek area and have closed roads and trails to make sure no one wanders in.

[Woody Williams]

Another good example of why users should be forced to sign in before posting. Any other forum I am a member of, I have to sign in first!..........

I agree.. The Animal Rights Freaks (ARFs) like to search out hunting groups and start trolling..

[Vince (not logged in)]

Bear/cat attacks are much more common than we are being lead to believe.
I can't believe anyone would minimize the impact on society!!!!

Pipeline workers, forest workers, joggers, mothers and hunters in the Western half of Canada and the Northern US are all too familiar with this phenomena of being stalked and killed for food.

I invite anyone who wants to learn some truth about the magnitude of this problem to read a NON-FICTION book on this topic.
Bear Attacks: The Deadly Truth by James Gary Shelton.

[chris4570]

This is a risk anyone of us takes anytime we go out into bear country or puma country or swim in the ocean where sharks live. Heck you could be killed while walking through the woods by having a tree fall on you. Very remote chance indeed, but you just never know. Sure it is unfortunate. I can't even imagine the terror this fellow went through. It's scary! And the pain and scars he must carry with him for the rest of his life must be horrible.

But there is risk in everything we do. Walk down the stairs- fall and break your neck. Take a shower-slip and crack your head. You can either live life in a bubble or you can live life to the fullest and take the risks that are along the way. If I had a choice between a road that was paved with gold or one that was full of ups and downs I would take the later. That's what makes life interesting and something to cherish.

[Woody Williams]

Sure a risk is there anytime we go out in the bush or woods anywhere.

We might not come back.

In grizzly country there is a possibility that one might do a number on us. That would be the risk we would be willing to take in order to hunt in HIS backyard.

That was not my beef with "guest". My beef with him was his "so what attitude" as if a human life is on the same level with an animal. It isn't.

Only an ARF would think so...and don't have a whole lot of use for ARFs

[Newbi]

We are much more in peril from the predators on our city streets than we are from the predators in our woods.

[chris4570]

However, a post like this, I hope will also create some discussion of what to do to avoid attack, protective measures that might help in the event of attack, etc.

My feeling on this are: If you are hunting in bear country, regardless of the firearm you are using(shotgun or handgun probably being the best choices for self defence), carry a stout fixed blade knife in a sheath on your belt and pepper spray. If you are lucky you may get one shot at a charging bear. With a long-gun it will be useless if you are knocked to the ground, if it hasn't been knocked out of your hands. Unfortunately in Canada we do not have the option of carrying a handgun. So, in my opinion, that makes the knife/pepper spray the best articles to have with you. The knife is my personal favourite, as it can be unsheathed with either hand and used with either hand, which leaves one hand to help shield yourself from attack. The pepper spray is also good and can be used close in, but I believe the larger bear canisters have a pin or safety that must be removed prior to discharge, which might require two hands(this may not be possible).

One very good book is called "Bear Attacks. Their Causes and Avoidance", written by Stephan Herraro, a very well known bear expert. In this comprehensive book he gives many reasons why bears do what they do and the best ways to avoid such circumstances. It also has some very numbing stories of people who have been attacked. Education is the best defence when it comes to bears.

[GREY OWL]

There's that bear topic again!! That's one area I will never go to again. If some of you might remember, this spring I was in a heated embattlement about my views on killing Polar bears.

The guest should maybe apologize, because it did sound like he or she didn't care about human life, (until it hits close to home). What the guest should of said was..... if you hunt, fish, camp, whatever in bear country events like this may happen, be prepared, and even then you may still get attacked.

Presently, we have a mother bear and two cubs lurking around our property and camper, (black bear). I seen them several times, damn near bowling over one of the cubs with my 4x4 truck. I love to see them but just not in my face!!!! I'm afraid by next spring there could very well be a mother bear hanging from the meat pole. I'd of shot her this fall, but she did have cubs.

My other option is to live trap them and transport them far away. For now I'll just let things be.



Grey Owl

[Brampton Mike]

As far as the "Guest" is concerned I do have serious reservations about people who people who put human lives on a par with animals.

READ, man! Men are a part of nature, and like any other beeing they can be attacked by predators. Bad luck, nothing more, nothing less. We share this planet with many creatures, some of them are predators and do what we do: Kill others!
That's the truth, better learn to live whith it instead of attacking others.

So, I'm off now. There are too many cowards and whining kids in this forum. That makes me sick.

This A$$HOLE is another reason why everyone should be made to register before they can do any posting on this fabulous forum!!!!!! It's JERKS like him that ruin great forums like this...I say we cover him in honey & tie him t a tree in grizzly country afterall...so what if a grizzly gets one more man!!!!!!!!!! Brampton Mike

[Partikle]

When a bear attacks …
Martin O'Malley and Bob Sudeyko
CBC News Online, June 2001

The first thing to know about bears is they are unpredictable. There is no sure way to survive a bear attack, whether it's a grizzly or a black bear, though the lighter-coloured, humped grizzly is bigger and more aggressive.

In bear territory, the best protection is a gun. Bears often will bluff a charge, stopping abruptly or veering off, but if the threat is real it's best to shoot to kill. Don't go for the head, go for the heart. If the bear is broadside, aim for the shoulder. If the bear's coming straight at you with its head low to the ground, aim for the back of the neck between the shoulders. Keep firing until the bear's dead because a wounded bear is very dangerous.

If you don't have a gun, there are two things to do, depending on the bear.

If it's a grizzly, play dead.

If it's a black bear, fight back.

Do not play dead if it's a black bear, or a grizzly that regards you as prey.

Do not try to outswim a bear.

Recommended positions for playing dead:

Lie on your side, curled into a ball, legs drawn tightly to your chest, hands clasped behind your neck.
Lie flat on the ground, face down, hands clasped behind your neck.
Remain in these positions even if the bear drags you.

Recommended ways to fight back with a black bear or a grizzly that regards you as prey:

Act aggressively.
Defend yourself with whatever is available – a baseball bat, rake, tent pole, axe …
Try to appear dominant.
Shout, jump up and down, wave your arms, hold up your jacket or backpack to make yourself look bigger.

Most bears avoid people. Old or wounded bears can be desperate, either in pain or starving. Bears used to the proximity of people, those that show no fear of humans, can be especially dangerous. Female bears with cubs aggressively defend their young.

Bears try to scare intruders by huffing, panting, hissing, growling and jaw-popping. They will stare at you with their heads lowered and ears laid back. They will slap their feet on the ground.

Bears standing on their hind legs swinging their heads from side to side are trying to pick up scents to determine who you are. Bears do not charge on their hind legs.

A hunting bear shows no fear and does not bother with displays. It approaches its prey at a fast walk, or follows or circles the prey.

What to do when you encounter a bear:
http://www.nwtwildlife.rwed.gov.nt.ca/P ... attodo.htm
Safety in Bear Country:
http://usscouts.org/safety/safe_bea.html

[Ontario Bow Hunter]

Sorry to put this post to the top again but I have a question,..... are all of these attacks recent? If they are, is that normal for this time of year. I always thought the sring time when bears start getting mobile is the most dangerous time of the year for attacks,... not the fall time.

Wonder what specialist attribute all these attacks to,... awareness, carelessness, stupidity - like feeding bears!

[Digger]

Most of the killings attributed to bears have been linked to grizzly bears. According to the North American Bear Center , around 80 people this century across North America have been killed by grizzlies. Note that although they are known to attack people, it is not a large number of attacks. From 1900 through 1985, an average of less than 1 in 2.2 million visitors to North American national parks sustained injuries from grizzly bear attacks .

Digger