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Yesterday a couple of hikers experienced a “worst case scenario” bear encounter. After embarking on a hike near Yellowstone’s Canyon Village (where as a college student I chopped veggies in the employee kitchen) they surprised a mama grizzly bear and her cubs. The bear defended her cubs, attacking the husband and wife.
The park service issued this description of the attack: “At approximately 11:00 a.m., at a point about a mile and a half from the trailhead, the couple walked out of a forested area into an open meadow. It appears that the couple spotted a bear approximately 100 yards away and then began walking away from the bear. When they turned around to look, they reportedly saw the female grizzly running down the trail at them. The couple began running, but the bear caught up with them, attacking the husband. The bear then went over to the wife, who had fallen to the ground nearby. The bear bit her daypack, lifting her from the ground and then dropping her. She remained still and the bear left the area.”
Other hikers heard the woman’s screams and called rangers to the scene. But it was too late. Tragically, the husband was mauled to death.
The park has closed hiking trails near the mauling, but the bear will not be hunted or captured. This is because she was acting naturally in defense of her cubs. It was a textbook example of what happens when a mama grizzly is startled.
Although this was the first fatal mauling INSIDE the Park in 25 years, it’s the third mauling in the area in just a year. In fact, a man was mauled to death at a campground just outside Yellowstone last year. Bear activity in Yellowstone is on the rise.
Yellowstone is my favorite park. What I really love about the park is the very thing that makes it dangerous: the abundance of wildlife. It’s awe inspiring to witness wild bison, moose, elk, wolf, and yes, bear roaming their native habitat. Bears will always roam Yellowstone. There will always be occasional human-bear interactions.
So, while you’ve no doubt heard this advice before, you might as well hear it again… A few bear safety tips:
Make noise – wearing “bear bells” is one option, but not a very effective one. BEAR BELLS ALONE DO NOT ENSURE YOUR SAFETY! You should talk to your hiking companions. If bears hear your voice, they will likely try to avoid you. Feel free to shout. When my wife and I hike in the backcountry, we occasionally shout, “Hey bear! Hey bear!”
Stay in a group. Your odds of survival increase in a group. Bears are less likely to attack groups of three or more people.
Carry pepper spray. This “bear spray” stuff isn’t cheap ($50 a can?!) but it has been proven to work. When you carry it, you need to be ready to use it.
Keep food away from campsites. Store food and other potential bear attractants inside your RV, preferably inside sealed plastic containers.
If you do see a grizzly bear, walk away slowly or play dead, but avoid fast moves. In the Yellowstone fatality, the husband reportedly told his wife to run. While this reaction is understandable, running is the WORST response to seeing a grizzly bear. It often provokes the predatory instinct in the bear to chase its prey. Grizzlies are always faster than humans, so this chase has a predictable end. In fairness to the hikers in the Yellowstone attack, it seems the provoked bear was already running towards them before they chose to run. But there is no point in running. YOU CANNOT RUN FASTER THAN A BEAR.
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For more info on Yellowstone and bear safety, please visit our website: LongLongHoneymoon.com.
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Fed up
This is why you should always carry a 12 gauge pump loaded with 00 buckshot.. You are on your own, You have a right to self defense. Screw the tree hugging rangers. Properly armed the dead kiker could have blown that grizzily into pieces.
guy
We had just left Yellowstone when we heard the announcement of the bear attack. After spending a week in and around the park, we saw numerous black bears with cubs and one grizzly with 2 cubs. Distances varied, but the griz was probably 3,000 feet away. She was hard to see even with scopes. Black bears were sometimes within 30 – 50 feet of the road. Reports of people and their kids getting out of cars at these distances from the bears are true and frequent. We observed no aggressive actions by animals this trip. We did see several questionable actions by visitors.
Tragic incident.
GaryM
I like a 357 magnum with bear (180 grain) bullets. The thing is though if you respect the country side, the wild critters and give up the idea that you are immortal, you would probably be ok.
When we were in Alaska, we saw two bears in a fight – unbelievable – it went on and on. Then the larger bear took off running straight up the mountain. The smaller one followed and they ran at full blast for probably 2 miles. We all sat and watched as long as we could see them. It was amazing.
Surprised bear are the most dangerous so don’t be quiet. Just be careful. Those who die, usually make a mistake of some sort. A bear can take down an elk so you have to know that we are no match for them. Stay safe and don’t make any mistakes.
Jon delPozo
Well now, as it were, folks just don’t seem to p[ay any attention to the wildlife rules in Yellowstone or anywhee else for that matter. And on the subjuect of weapons, those men I knew who hunted bears with hand guns used no less than a .44 mag with a six inch barrel and backed up by another guy with a 700 weatherby. Anything perhaps other than a 30-30 will only tick the bear off.
I’ve heard about the pepper spray and the so called “Bear Bells”. and those are a joke. COMMON SENSE is the most important thing one can and should use.
My time in the Idaho wilderness areas while a sheriff, only made me to be a whole lot more careful that most and to learn everything I could regarding the native wildlife. Tracking some psycho in the boonies was easy compared to giving a death notice to the parents of some kid who thought teasing a bear was going to be so much fun. Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared!
Perhaps if the hiking couple boned up on the rules and how-to’s, they’d all be safe today. I’m sorry about the husband, but- – – lessons learned.
Bob Hazlett
Hello:
Based on a wonderful trip last year that included Yellowstone, my wife and I are “packing up and selling out” to become full time RVers — hopefully to do a lot of boondocking. I am not a newbie and I know a lot more about RVing, boondocking, and wilderness living than I care to go into in this posting. However, self defense is high on our list of concerns — defense against the two legged, the four legged, and the slithering. We are reading and studying everything we can on the subject. I have a reasonable amount of common sense and a great deal of respect for the wild. Here is where I stand right now (process not complete) and I welcome comments.
Guns — plenty of literature, advice, and opinion. Seems like a hand gun should be adequate and a double action revolver should be sufficient. Major drawback appears to be that owning, transporting, and carrying one has become a legal nightmare (50 legal nightmares). I just read that you can buy an insurance policy to cover the cost of a lawyer if you ever have to use the gun. How sick is that.
Tasers (the ones that work at a distance) — can’t find much on the subject. My questions just cause raised eyebrows.
Spray (bear, mace, pepper, etc) — Highly recommended by some, poo pooed by the gun advocates. Downside to me is that you have to be toooooo close in order for it to be effective. Wasp spray is recommended as a good alternative because it shoots a stream not a fog. Advertised range is 25 feet.
Opinions welcome.
Tom
There will always be people who refuse to defend themselves, somehow believing nature will “know” they are not a threat.
There will always be stories in the new about those who were injured or, lost their lives because they were not prepared, refused to head the warnings, or failed to follow the safety guidelines.
While I feel for the family and their loss, I am glad they’re not going to hunt down the bear. It’s reaction clearly indicated a defensive posture.
Sadly, some people will never learn except via the school of hard knocks. And some of those will never come back.
Mr. g
Please stop promoting bear bells. They should be outlawed!!! Wind blowing leaves in the trees or a river running nearby make them useless and people think they’re safe because they bought a $5 bell.
I live and work in the park less than 2 miles from the accident. I’ve been in the wild in Alaska fishing with big Browns and hiking here in Yellowstone.
People come here and act like they are in a zoo. They do not follow the rules and it is only as a result of grizzly’s doing everything they can to avoid people that there are not more incidents. The foolish conduct of people regarding bison and elk cause more injuries than anything in the park but it is incredible more people are not injured by grizzly’s.
Just last week there was a grizzly 25 feet off the side of the road. People parked their cars in the road to get out to photograph it. One father let his 3 young kids run ahead of him to see what was happening. A couple people came up and stood by my truck as it approached and refused to listen as I told them to get in their cars until I yelled at them. Within 30 seconds that bear came down the 15 feet of hill in 2 seconds and was 2 feet in front of my truck!!
Forget the bearbells. Even selling them is irresponsible. Get bear spray and remove the safety before you leave your car. Call out loudly if you can not see clearly ahead. Another good idea suggested to me by an employee with 25 years in the back country is get an air horn.
Initial reports from the rangers were that the couple had previously seen the bear. That was the clue to get away. Tragically a $50 can of bear spray could have saved his life.
Dennis
You know, this has got to be the dumbest site on the web. Every time I want to look at something, here comes the blurbs. Join Now! So you can access the site, Once again I go thru the Malarky. And guess what? It say’s I am already registered. Why not take a few minutes and correct this Hypoglycemic accident? It flippin’ SUCKS!
Sean Michael
I looked up the rules regarding firearms in Yellowstone. YES, you can carry a gun with you into the park. However, the NPS advises that firearms should not be considered a “wildlife protection strategy.” Pepper spray has been proven to work (and it’s a helluva lot easier to carry on a hike than a shotgun). 😉 But if you want to carry a firearm, go right ahead.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/parknews/10008.htm
Safe camping to everyone!
Roger Spencer
It’s terrible, but it does happen. Remember, the bears are not tame animals, and Yellowstone is not a zoo, or a pet farm. It was their land before, and is their land now (by an act of congress), and we are just visitors. Think about that before you just go for a walk. I don’t know what the firearms rules are in Yellowstone, but this would be a good time to “carry”.. legal or not. Doing nothing is not a defense, no matter how sensible.
God bless America… may we all marvel at such majestic visions… but without the terrible encounters. Good travels to you all. Roger
Phil Mitchell
Carry Pepper Spray my a%%, please to note; those Tight A%%,, Anti Gun, Forest Rangers either carry large caliber handguns or have guns within reach. If you have an ounce of brains and enjoy the outdoors it is just a matter of time till you encounter a killer bear. A blessing that no children were involved. Get your self a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs.
Phil Mitchell (former USF&WS)
butterbean carpenter
Howdy Sean,
You have to be prepared if you are going into ‘bear country’; evidently these people weren’t… So sorry…
Smooth roads, clear skies & balmy breezes !!!!!!!!!!
Gary
i FEEL JUST AWFUL FORE THE COUPLE, BUT… IT IS SELF-EXPLANATARY : DO NOT RUN FROM A BEAR. DAMN HARD NOT TO, BUT THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO. DON’T KNOW IF THERE WAS ANYTHING BETTER TO DO THAT WHAT THE WIFE DID. pLAY DEAD AND THE MOTHER BEARS FEELING OF THREAT TO HER CUBS WAS GONE. BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. THERE ARE THINGS THAT WILL KILL YOU.