Latest Bear Mauling

[KodiakBeer]

Pretty standard story. A guy is walking back to his car after an afternoon fishing. A brown bear charges (probably because of a surprise encounter, at least that's the usual reason). They guy gets off a shot with no effect, is scalped and chewed up pretty good.

They don't say what firearm he was carrying, but I'll bet it was a handgun - we'll see if they have more details later.


http://www.adn.com/2010/09/22/1466481/fisherman-mauled-by-brown-bear.html

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Another fairly brief physical encounter with a bear resulting in a trip to the emergency and hospital stay.

Maybe it was a surprise encounter or maybe the bear was attracted to the smelll of the fish? Carrying bear food can make one interesting to a bear.

Yep, probably a handgun, but of course it doesn't matter what you are carrying if you don't hit the bear and Pfendler doesn't know if he hit it or not.

 

[gbran]

Pfendler told his mother he caught two fish before the attack, she said.

He shoulda just gave them up. (gallows humor)

 

[teumessian_fox]

They don't say what firearm he was carrying, but I'll bet it was a handgun

Given the circumstance, I could have been carrying a LAWs rocket and still missed. A freight train with teeth bearing down on me at what, 30 miles an hour?

I'm glad the poor guy is alive. Did he get to keep the fish?

 

[JellyJar]

We need more info!

 

[KodiakBeer]

The paper usually follows these stories up with an interview (if the guy wants to talk about it), so maybe we'll know more later.

Bears don't usually attack for a couple of fish. The rivers are choked with salmon at this time of year and the bear can get all he wants. The trails along the rivers are used by both bears and people and if you surprise each other in tight cover there's always the possibility the bear will chew you up. Those pamphlets that tell you to make noise really are dispensing good advice.

Note that the guy was scalped, which is the same thing that happened to me and is typical brown/grizzly behavior. They try to pop your head and the skin slips off.

I'm always interested in these events...

 

[FROGO207]

Those critters are not what I would want to bump into by accident at ANY time. I wonder if a flare gun would have scared the bear away at all as it has more noise and a bright fire like appearance. I know it would not kill the bear---but turn it away in surprise maybe???

 

[Sam1911]

Moved to S&T.

 

[uspJ]

I recently watched a show about Alaska. They showed a fisherman who kept a SW500 next to him in case of bear attack. They said alot of people stay armed when out and about more for protection from animals than against people.

 

[Glamdring]

I know it sounds silly, but wouldn't some type of helmet help?

As I understand it one reason why Brown Bears can kill humans easier than Black Bears is because they both kill by biting skull, but Brown has bigger jaws so gets better leverage on human sized skull.

Unlike cats for instance. They kill by biting neck at base of skull or with African lions that bite throat/nose.

 

[KodiakBeer]

They've expanded the story with more details - same link as in the OP.

 

[Armored farmer]

IME
you must make a huge amount of noise to be heard above the roar of whitewater on some rivers.

 

[JoeSlomo]

I LOVE hearing stories about Alaska!

You MUST respect Alaska, or Alaska WILL kick your head in.

Be it a critter such as bear, moose, or wolf, OR the environment itself, you BETTER show some respect!

IMO, our society would be better off if we all had to show respect for things other than man, and man made objects.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

They said alot of people stay armed when out and about more for protection from animals than against people.

I'd seriously consider something in .454 for a cc (well, probaly OC) weapon if I lived or visited anywhere near bear country. Scalping sounds brutallly painful.

 

[KodiakBeer]

Scalping sounds brutallly painful.

It smarts, but you've usually got other things on your mind when it happens.

 

[rondog]

Man, I think if I were fishing in Alaska, I'd be tying my line on the end of a large rifle and using that as a fishing pole! Bears freak me out.

 

[merlinfire]

Disclaimer: I've only ever been to Alaska once, and for a brief time.

If I was in the interior, no less than 44 magnum oc. Coastal, No less than 454, but i'd rather have a rifle. Grizzlies are no joke, man. Remember, the Russians used to own alaska. In Mother Russia, bear eat you.

 

[lloveless]

KodiakBeer,
I have been in Anchorage since Mid July and haven't seen the first salmon in the streams around here. I did see a native lad riding a bicycle with what looked like a salmon threaded onto each side of his handlebars(no pole) they were about 2 foot long each.
The article in the paper stated "after the attack he reloaded his gun and walked back to his truck". Sounds like he got off more than one round?
ll

 

[Manco]

I'm glad that I have a huge head in case of such an emergency--"Just try to get your jaws around that, you overgrown panda! Wait, where are you going? I'm not done with you yet! Come back here with my face!"

The article in the paper stated "after the attack he reloaded his gun and walked back to his truck". Sounds like he got off more than one round?
ll

But the article also said "At some point Pfendler may have shot at the bear" which sort of implies that the gun might not have been loaded to begin with. I guess we can't be sure of what happened, exactly.

 

[merlinfire]

Obviously, he didn't bring enough vegetable.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39325889/ns/us_news-weird_news

FRENCHTOWN, Mont. — Police say a Montana woman used an unlikely weapon to fend off a charging bear — a zucchini.

Missoula County Sheriff's Lt. Rich Maricelli says a 200-pound black bear attacked the woman's 12-year-old collie just after midnight Wednesday on the back porch of her home about 15 miles west of Missoula.

When the woman, whom police did not name, screamed to draw the bear's attention, it charged her and swiped at her leg.

Maricelli says the woman jumped back into the doorway and reached for the nearest object on her kitchen counter — a 12-inch zucchini from her garden.

The woman flung the vegetable at the bear, striking it on top of the head and causing it to flee.

Maricelli says the woman did not need medical attention. Wildlife officials were trying to locate the bear on Thursday.

 

[Old Shooter]

Mayby it's just me. I don't know if I'd want to be out and about in the woods or by a fishing area like this when I'm not at the top of the food chain. I don't want to find out if I brought enough gun or not. Getting away with just being scalped dosen't sound like winning to me. Bringing the vegatables for a side dish dosen't sound like good strategy either.

 

[merlinfire]

The way I hear, all the grizzled old-timers fought the grizzlies with zucchinis.

Seriously though, if I really "expected" to see bears, I'd bring a 30-06 rifle. But no less than a big bore pistol, for sure.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

It smarts, but you've usually got other things on your mind when it happens.

Yeah, TEETH.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

How would a 12ga with 1oz slugs fare against a grizzly?

 

[DenaliPark]

Typical Alaskan bear mauling, its why I've always eschewed autos in favor of wheelguns in the bush, if the bruin and you meet on the trail, he will always get to you before you get to him, always!