A New Tragedy

[DrMike]

Dreadful headline in the NY Post this afternoon.

https://nypost.com/2021/07/07/woman-killed-by-grizzly-bear-while-camping-in-montana/

A woman killed by a grizzly while sleeping in her tent. I do pray God's comfort for her family and friends.

 

[JD338]

Sad news. Prayers for her family and friends.

JD338

 

[mjcmichigan]

Brutal.

If you was to sleep well in grizzly country, consider sleeping with a holstered 44 mag.


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[Thankful Otter]

Brutal.

If you was to sleep well in grizzly country, consider sleeping with a holstered 44 mag.


I am sure that you are capable of handling a handgun in a stressful situation---but---for those who read this thread who have never been face to face with a grizzly, I thought I needed to add. Firing a handgun at a target, even a moving one, is a world away from waking from a dead sleep, unholstering a handgun and firing it at a charging bear or even one that already is upon you. Hitting the bear and not hitting others inside or outside the tent is also important.

First and foremost, she should not have had food in the tent and definitely not in open containers . A dog would have given her an early warning, an electric fence would have helped, bear spray would have helped. They have small trailers that pull behind bikes now, so all those things could have been taken with them. Even attaching the bikes together around the tent, should have created enough noice to have had the bear spray ready.

mjcmichigian--I hope this post is received in the manner intended. Not confrontational but for information to others who might see this thread. As I am sure everything I said, you are already aware of.

 

[DrMike]

Thank you for the contribution, Cheyenne. That is some good insight that is often overlooked if it is known at all.

It appears that the woman was biking through this area with another couple. They were actually tented behind the post office in the small community, which makes the bear attack even more exceptional. However, the bear had been in the campsite before attacking a chicken coop and tearing the door off another home in the town. The bear then returned to the campsite where it attacked the woman in her tent. The couple, in a different tent, heard the commotion and chased the bear away with bear spray. However, the sixty-five year old woman was so seriously injured that she did not survive the mauling.

The wildlife division now claim to have located the bear and killed it. They are taking samples of the stomach contents and performing DNA analysis to ensure that it is the same bear. The service claims they are quite certain they shot the right bear.

 

[HodgemanAK]

Brutal.

If you was to sleep well in grizzly country, consider sleeping with a holstered 44 mag.


I am sure that you are capable of handling a handgun in a stressful situation---but---for those who read this thread who have never been face to face with a grizzly, I thought I needed to add. Firing a handgun at a target, even a moving one, is a world away from waking from a dead sleep, unholstering a handgun and firing it at a charging bear or even one that already is upon you.... . A dog would have given her an early warning, an electric fence would have helped, bear spray would have helped. They have small trailers that pull behind bikes now, so all those things could have been taken with them. Even attaching the bikes together around the tent, should have created enough noice to have had the bear spray ready.
.

Those are all excellent points. I carry a .44, but I'm under no illusion that its primary benefit is the placebo effect. I also carry spray and I'm a huge proponent of the electric fence around my tent.

The proximity to town isn't surprising, all of my unpleasant bear encounters have occurred pretty close to a town when bears start associating people and food sources. I had to put one down a couple years ago in town...and I was very happy to have had a rifle in hand at the moment.

 

[mjcmichigan]

Hey Thankful Otter, no offense taken.

I’ve never been in the situation.

For sure, survival is a sticky quandary!

The dog for sure is an excellent recommendation.

You’ve seen more in a year up there than I’ll see in a lifetime!


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[diverdown]

Cheyene, excellent post and it's good to know it's coming from some one experienced in Grizzly country.

 

[Thankful Otter]

Thank you gentlemen. I did want to add that Dr Mike, Gerry, Gil, Hodgeman, and Salmonchaser also live and work in bear country, and I am probably forgetting someone.

Salmonchaser had three encounters with grizzly's just yesterday. He and I possibly have more encounters with them, because we live and work in their "house", so to speak.

Dr Mike, mentioned the fact that they were in town, and therefore, in their mind, they did not need to worry about the bears. We actually have bear alert systems in our towns, because they come into town. We even have bear prisons ( a building with individual cells for each bear ) 1st offense--30 days. 2nd offense--60 days. 3rd offense--bear meat is not bad if fixed properly.

Dr Mike . if they had backed the tent up to the wall of the building and then tied their bikes around the other three sides it would have at least given them some warning, just my thought however sir

Hodgeman. electric fence, we also use them a lot. thank you sir AND, did you quit publishing articles ?

do any of you other gentlemen use them ? electric fences

mjcmichigan. thank you. one last word about the dog. We use one all the time. BUT, he is well trained and this is important. He does not run after them, he does not bark, but growls which gives us a heads up that something is around us that we dont yet see. After they are visible they will bark and even help to distract and run off, but they dont chase them. Also they are quiet, so to speak, and this is very important in a canoe.

I apologize, this is probably way to much information. But if you fellows ever talk to someone who is headed into bear country, maybe something I said might help. AND, again, all the gentlemen mentioned above have just a much bear knowledge or more !

p.s. I knew I would forget someone. My apologizes gbflyer

 

[gbflyer]

X2 on the dog and fence. Bears like neither dogs or electricity.

 

[mjcmichigan]

The dog I’m thinking of passed away this past winter. Cancer at age 11. It was a camp dog in a fishing camp in black bear territory. We probably worried more for the dog when a wolf pack showed up for a couple months…


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[Slimfinn]

The FWP announced that the DNA confirmed the bear they killed was the same one that killed the lady and raided the chicken coops.