If you shoot a bear 4 times, make sure it's dead!

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Cacique500

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http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/25/bear.attack.ap/index.html

Bear shot by hunter bites back, dies
Hunter: Two bear bites, one to bone, leave him 'a little sore'

Friday, November 25, 2005; Posted: 9:07 p.m. EST (02:07 GMT)

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A black bear bit and clawed a hunter who had just shot it four times in what game authorities said appeared to be a first for the state.

Samuel H. Beauchamp, 47, said he was approaching the downed 320-pound bear in Rothrock State Forest in central Pennsylvania on Monday, the first day of bear-hunting season, when it came after him.

Beauchamp, of nearby Newville, had just shot the bear with a .444-caliber rifle and was within 15 feet of it. He turned to run, but the bear put a claw around his hip and bit him twice, once in each thigh, before dying.

"The bear wasn't attacking 100 percent. I mean really, it was dead on its feet when it came up. If it would have been 100 percent I wouldn't have been standing there," Beauchamp said Friday.

Other hunters heard a growl and came to Beauchamp's aid.

"It was shock at first. It's like he came alive, like 'boom.' I guess he growled, like the other people heard. That motivated me to turn around and start running away," he said.

Game commission bear biologist Mark Ternent said the attack was the first case known to state officials in which a bear had attacked a hunter who had just shot it and was attempting to recover it.

Beauchamp was released from the hospital after about two hours of treatment. One bite went down to the bone.

"I didn't feel any pain after it happened," he said Friday. "I'm a little sore now."
 
Well, the guy made it. Just bearly, but he made it.
Can you imagine Smegal's response to such an attack?:
"Owwww....that 'ursus' usssss...."
Biker;)
 
Are those the actual bear facts or is someone trying to get by with a bearly believable story?
Oh well ,we must bear with such postings.:D :rolleyes:
 
I wonder if he was using the 240 gr. load for the .444 Marlin, or a heavier bullet? Betcha it was the 240 load. Great for deer, not so great for a fat 320 lb. Pennsylvania bear.
 
Don' know if Hornady still makes the bullet, as I gave up on the .444 back in the 70's, but at one time they had a 265 grain bullet for the .444. I agree with Starter52, that a 240 grain bullet, originally designed for the .44 mag, is not the best choice for other than deer.

Also, bear in mind that it's not so much how many times you hit it, but where you hit it. Spunds like a story of poor shot placement.
 
Keep shootin', till it stops movin'...

Forrest Gump Voice.. ( "Something Bit Meeee..." )
Where'd you get bit boy? ( "Directly in the buttocks...." ) :D

- Clint, and that's all I gotta say about that... :neener:
 
Bear Lost I Won

This is a message that I replied to a So Called Hunter who thought he knew everything about me on a military.com forum just because he read a AP press release. I like to surf as much as the next guy. I've read forums from little purple haired old ladies with tennis shoes to bunnyhuggers saying everything from horray for the bear, I should be killed for killing a majestic animal, to being called name imaginable in the book. Now I go to Pro Hunting forums and get, not enough gun, blame the indian not the arrow, shot it in the head (that would make a nice trophy), can't shoot straight, can't a guy get a physical break.
All I can say is yes I had the right gun, I can shoot straight, It's a dang gone Rush during a PA Bear Drive and after the bear died at my feet all I could say to myself Thank God, MAN I FEEL ALIVE.
This is what I e-mailed to guy on military.com who called me a moron. I replied to him in 5 parts as he ASSumed 5 points he asserted towards me.

To e5l (the poster who called me a moron)
First off, if you believe everything that comes across the AP Wire I'd watch who you call a MORON.

1. I seriously doubt if you ever shot a fricking bear in the wild and if you did it was 25ft. up a tree stand over a barrel of Dunkin Donuts. For your info I had been hunting for 35 years and its not the first bear that I had been involved with, in a (for the politically correct) Harvest. I had been bear driving (If you don't know what that means, look it up) for the last 9 years. The first time I hit a bear was with a 270 win. Remington Corelokt ammo , it hit the bear square in the shoulder, the bear ran for 40 yards did a cartwheel landed on his back kicking all fours got back and ran off luckily to the next header who finished him off with a 12 gauge sabot. When we skinned that bear, the Remington Corelokt had completely came apart not entering the vital area. Hence the Marlin Outfitter 444marlin Hornaday 265 grain Nosler Partition.
2. If you had ever been involved in a bear drive you would know that the woods that are driven usually consists of pine thickets so thick that you rarely can see 2 to 6 feet in front of yourself and the headers usually have the luxury of a clearing 15 feet to 40 yards to shoot a bear busting cover at 30+ mph (No S***). At the time of my now infamous bear hunt, I was afforded 40 yards as a header, the first shot knocked the bear off his feet when first broke cover, he got back up running past the header line the second shot hit the bear in the rear flank as he ran straight away, I doubt did any harm being it took me 2 hrs. to carve the 4 inches of fat off his backside when butchering him. 3rd shot was made following at the bear 50 yards distant thru a oak thicket (IF YOU EVER FOLLOWED A BEAR WITH A BAD SHOT IN HIM YOU SHOULD JOIN THE OLYMPICS CAUSE HE'D BE IN THE NEXT COUNTY IN 2 MINUTES FLAT) in the boiler room knocking the down for the count, so I thought. Finally the 4th shot was taken at more like 30 foot rather then 15 as the rags would say. The only mistake I did was to not shoot the bear in the shoulders rather then behind the shoulder. And I was not going let the ol'boy lay there and suffer if it took 2 minutes or would take 30 minutes for him to die. I guess I've been so used to the old rule, a shot to shoulders ruins alot of good meat.
3. I guess if I was the bear I'd jump up also and take a chunk of the son of guns a** who shot me too.
4.Believe me I'm not a rookie at this, I guesstimate that our Bear hunting gang had taken around 25 bears over the last 9 years, in which ain't too bad considering on the average only 2,000 bears are checked in each year in pennsylvania and there is over 1 million licensed hunters in the state.
5. (This he accused me of being a City Slicker) Bottom line is I live 10 miles from the nearest gas pump and a 1/4 tank of gas in my GMC from the nearest Walmart. The only thing I was worried about when I got bitten was if I could still make it to my sons Eagle Project (I've been a Scoutmaster for the last 5 years) on friday and sat.. And if I'd make it for the first day of buck season on top of Blacklog Mountain (a 50 minute walk straight up the maintain at our 3,700 acre hunting club lease) today with two sons. Guess what our troop got a lot of his Eagle Trail Project was completed and my youngest twelve year old son shot his first whitetail on top of Blacklog with a perfect one shot kill today. I don't what the big deal is about, a few scars on the legs and alot ribbing from my buddys. Life wouldn't be any fun without a few adventures. And as for you e5l I can't help it if you enjoy calling other hunters names without knowing the rest of the story then you just should " be taking showers with other bunny huggers in wee hours of the morning" . Next time call me attributes to my face so I can defend myself.
 
Now THAT was a fun post. As an aside, I don't hunt bear 'cause I don't care for the meat and I don't kill a thing unless it's trying to kill me or I wanna eat it, pretty much. Glad to hear you're alright.
Biker
 
As I have just started hunting in Black bear territory on occaision, I will bear in mind to let the bear bleed out for a long time before going over to give it a victory bear hug.
 
I'm going to skip the puns and actually get back on topic, so bear with me.

D'oh!

Seems like the 265 Nosler partition would have been 'enough gun' at that range, doesn't it? Or am I even more clueless than I thought about bears?


Larry
 
Danceswithbears1,
Welcome to the forum! Pull up a chair and hang around for a while. Your the kind of guys we need around here. Just the perfect touch of sarcasim, and not afraid to defend your position. If we ever meet, the bar tabs on me!
GLAD YOUR STILL HERE TO TELL YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY.
 
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