Bear attacks hiker in Wyoming....(Update in post 14)

Fuck bear spray. It just pisses them off. I prescribe 44 Magnum, S&W 500, some big hog-leg magnum bear-breaker motherfucker.
 
The Forest Service has issued a BEAR WARNING in the national forests
for this summer. They're urging everyone to protect themselves by
wearing bells and carrying pepper spray.

Campers should be alert for signs of fresh bear activity, and they
should be able to tell the difference between Black Bear dung and
Grizzy Bear dung.

Black Bear dung is rather small and round. Sometimes you can see
fruit seeds and/or squirrel fur in it.

Grizzly Bear dung has bells in it, and smells like pepper spray!
 
They did a study in Alaska about bear spray. While it does occassionally work everyone I knew carried a firearm instead. You are just as likely to mace yourself if the wind shifts.
 
My favorite part....

"We know your buddy just got mauled by a bear, and we haven't located the bears, but we need to leave you here by yourself tonight until a rescue party arrives to escort you out safely."

Because of the limited space on the helicopter that rescued Johnson, the companion who stayed with him, 45-year-old Minneapolis Fire Capt. Justin Reid, of Medina, was left behind until a ground team went in about 7 p.m. Sunday and guided him out about 2:15 a.m. Monday.
 
I live in the Tetons. I carry both a 10mm and Spray. There is literature out there on the effectiveness of spray. Just a few weeks back some folks stopped an attack on their kid with spray. I wouldn't bet my life on lead alone, Brown bears vary so widely in shape and size that some are easily taken down (the pheasant hunter who killed a grizz last year with #6 bird shot) while 44 mags bounce off others. Nice to have a back up.
 
I saw a report that says this poor dude was out in front of the rest of his party by about 100 yds. Not to Monday morning QB at all, because sometimes there is just bad luck, but I wonder if his being "solo" vs being with a larger group contributed to the attack (insert joke about only needing to be faster than the slowest person in your party). Certainly there are reports of bear attacks on groups but a single person "surprising" two bears may be viewed differently by the bears. Would be curious to hear what bear behaviorial "experts" say about it.
 
snapt said:
When I guided in AK the norm was one round of birdshot for a warning and then slugs after that. Buckshot was said to be ineffective.
Click to expand...

I said bear SPRAY, not bear STOP. I had to do a DLP kill up near McGrath to protect my supervisor who was doing the first 2 steps of our hazing protocol to one that was fucking with the camp. 5 slugs with good shot placement later, it actually stopped.
 
Ranger Psych said:
I said bear SPRAY, not bear STOP. I had to do a DLP kill up near McGrath to protect my supervisor who was doing the first 2 steps of our hazing protocol to one that was fucking with the camp. 5 slugs with good shot placement later, it actually stopped.
Click to expand...
Holy shit, that must have been a giant flipping bear! The kinetic energy behind taking a bear down, with 5 shotgun slugs no less, is kinda crazy. Just outta curiosity, what did you use?

Add on: Also where was shot placement on the bear?

2nd add on (Cause I'm a dork): Sorry if I'm prying. The biology behind bears able to take take so much damage is just mind boggling!
 
Last edited:
R.Caerbannog said:
Holy shit, that must have been a giant flipping bear! The kinetic energy behind taking a bear down, with 5 shotgun slugs no less, is kinda crazy. Just outta curiosity, what did you use?

Add on: Also where was shot placement on the bear?

2nd add on (Cause I'm a dork): Sorry if I'm prying. The biology behind bears able to take take so much damage is just mind boggling!
Click to expand...

3" something or other, whatever the company bought for us. Most of the time the head office passed out reduced recoil slugs, we told them we want the stank cannon ones because nobody out here is under 6' and it's for bear defense. Shot placement was center mass of the chest cavity from a 45 degree to the right and 45 down. I was on the roof of the camp overwatching my supervisor going through our hazing protocols of bird banger and rubber slug prior to lethal, I was straight slug, he had 2 bangers 1 rubber slug and then slug. We had already hazed the bear twice before for breaking into rooms in the camp, first time bangers made it run, second time it didn't do shit and we had to rubber slug it for it to run, the third time my boss got a banger off and it charged him from about 30yds. It was at less than 5 and goal when it finally did the theatrical skid along the ground.

And no, it wasn't a giant bear. It was a yearling black bear that would have been just slightly larger than I am reared up. The old big bastards knew well enough to just dig through our dump rather than actually come fuck with the camp.
 
^ This is a great example and to why PLBs, such as a SPOT, are important tools to carry in the backcountry.
 
I answered my own question. Yellowstone only has 50% cell coverage, and limits towers and antennas to preserve the area.

Even in the Mojave I don't think I've ever been 7 miles from cell coverage. I didn't know CONUS had places that remote anymore!!
 
Ranger Psych said:
3" something or other, whatever the company bought for us. Most of the time the head office passed out reduced recoil slugs, we told them we want the stank cannon ones because nobody out here is under 6' and it's for bear defense. Shot placement was center mass of the chest cavity from a 45 degree to the right and 45 down. I was on the roof of the camp overwatching my supervisor going through our hazing protocols of bird banger and rubber slug prior to lethal, I was straight slug, he had 2 bangers 1 rubber slug and then slug. We had already hazed the bear twice before for breaking into rooms in the camp, first time bangers made it run, second time it didn't do shit and we had to rubber slug it for it to run, the third time my boss got a banger off and it charged him from about 30yds. It was at less than 5 and goal when it finally did the theatrical skid along the ground.

And no, it wasn't a giant bear. It was a yearling black bear that would have been just slightly larger than I am reared up. The old big bastards knew well enough to just dig through our dump rather than actually come fuck with the camp.
Click to expand...
Damn that's still crazy! :-o The fact that it took that much to take a yearling down is testament to these animals durability. Would hate to know how much it would take to take down something bigger and as aggressive. Flipping fuzzy carnivorous locomotives.O_o
 

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