Grizzly attack, 3 shots from .41 revolver kills bear

[Malamute]

A local guy was attacked by a grizzly yesterday. Was life flighted to Billings. Was in a semi-residential area not far away, at an area I used to live. Called a guy I know that lives on the creek where it happened to see if he knew more. He hadn't heard about it yet, but told me about a guy out the North Fork out of Cody that was cutting firewood last week and attacked by a Mt Lion. State guy came to find the cat. He found it. He had to shoot it off one of his dogs. They didn't seem to think there was anything "wrong" with the cat. Those two incidents, with the wolves that killed the guys dog a couple weeks ago, keeps the variety of ways things can happen fairly wide open around here. Keeps you on your toes.


Will add details when I hear more. Buck may know some, jump in if you have any details.


Updated,....Here's the story from the local paper,

http://www.codyenterprise.com/articles/ ... 521044.txt

[mescalero1]

When I was in N.M last time, we were setting up a batch plant.
Just over the hill is a dumpster that has to be taken 80 mile to the landfill when full.
One of the guys drove up and said " I was just at the dumpster, and there is a good sized mountain lion sittting up there watching you "
Always keep your piece on you, always.

[Malamute]

I'm thinking the 30-30 that gets to go walking every nite "where the bears don't hang out" is going to get mothballed, and the .348 or .35 Whelen will get to go walking from now on. At best, where I go is only a mile or less from the base of the big mountain, where the bears DO hang out.

[Malamute]

Further information,...Sounds like the .41 didnt finish the bear. Game and Fish guy finished it.

Two guys out walking, looking for antler sheds, stumble over the sow grizzly and 2 or 3 cubs out in the sagebrush, taking a nap. Excitement ensues. Was about a mile from the area with houses.

[Buck Elliott]

Bear guns should start with a number no smaller than 4 and end with a number like 4 or 5 or maybe even something bigger.

Am leaving tomorrow to spend a couple days with a local BSA troop, in the Kirwin area, known to be frequented by bears -- large & not-so-large, and mt. lions as well -- not to mention wolves. BSA rules notwithstanding, I'm taking my pyrotechnically-enhanced bear repellent: a 12-ga. double and an '86 XLR. A .45 Colt Vaquero may hitch a ride too, just to be comfortable...

ANYONE who ventures into these environs unarmed, or requires others to do so, is the most arrogant kind of fool...

Just my two-bits worth.

FWIW, the lion was found to be extremely emaciated, according to our local fish-cop, and only weighed in at about 100 lb. Should have been a 150# cat, according to the powers that be.

[Sixgun]

Sure seems like we are entering the 1800's when people were attacked on a regular basis. My theory is that there are too many people living in the animal's property.-----------Sixgun

[Buck Elliott]

Sure seems like we are entering the 1800's when people were attacked on a regular basis. My theory is that there are too many people living in the animal's property.-----------Sixgun

Animals have no "property...

Whatever the encroachment of humans has to do with increased attacks is a relatively moot point. The ability, and/or mindset of those humans to protect themselves has devolved significantly over the years. The campground where the lion attack occured is adjacent to the country's First and oldest Ranger Station, and has been used by humans for over 100 years.

Be Aware -- Stay Alive

[a357lever]

the bear can't be dead the gun was way to small.

[Travis Morgan]

FWIW, the lion was found to be extremely emaciated, according to our local fish-cop, and only weighed in at about 100 lb. Should have been a 150# cat, according to the powers that be.

They should pass a law requiring the lions to carry more weight and be healthier; makes about as much sense as anything else they do.

[Travis Morgan]

Sure seems like we are entering the 1800's when people were attacked on a regular basis. My theory is that there are too many people living in the animal's property.-----------Sixgun

Animals have no "property...

Whatever the encroachment of humans has to do with increased attacks is a relatively moot point. The ability, and/or mindset of those humans to protect themselves has devolved significantly over the years. The campground where the lion attack occured is adjacent to the country's First and oldest Ranger Station, and has been used by humans for over 100 years.

Be Aware -- Stay Alive

I'm just fine with grizzlies coming into subdivisions and eating liberals; it teaches them their proper place as a critter with no fangs or claws; if they choose to evolve, the gunshop in towns like this is generally not too far away.

[bigbore442001]

I loved some of the comments to the news story. Many were supportive of the victim. I don't think you would see that here on the East Coast.

[Buck Elliott]

The guy is still in pretty rough shape in a Billings, MT hospital, with a crushed larynx, busted ribs & arm, fractured jaw, and other assorted cuts, scrapes, bruises & contusions.

The fact that is a a recently-retired cop (Baltimore, MD) has a lot to do with his survival. He was trained to do what he did -- meet the aggressor and return fire as quickly & efficiently as possible. Rather than "play dead," and probably end up that way -- he chose (a long time ago) to fight for his life.

Only two .41-cal. bullet wounds were found in the bear at necropsy; one of which was fatal.

As an aside, the bear was a sow, with three cubs. The 'orphaned' cubs are on their way to a life of confinement in TN, I believe.

[Malamute]

I talked to someone that talked (Jerry was writing back, he couldn't talk yet) to Jerry in person. Bucks update is correct. He saw a blur of movement from about 75 feet, from the side I believe, before it hit him. It beat him up and backed off a short ways to check on and round up the cubs, then started more aggressive behaviour towrds Jerry. He had drawn his pistol by then, and fired three rounds, conciously saving three for whatever came next. His take was that the bear absolutely meant business, that it was by no means a bluff.

This happened in sagebrush country, not deep woods or in the mountains. The bears have increased to the point they are looking for more country, and are edging out into more populated areas, farming ground, pasture land, all the time. There has been an increasing number of contact level clashes between bears and people.


Should be something further in the Billings paper.


Not meaning to stand on too tall of a soap box, but this incident stands as testimony to the lie that "having a firearm isnt going to save you", "isn't effective" or that "you will never have time to use it, so why carry it", or "there isn't a powerful enough handgun to stop a bear", or only an elephant grade round is useful, etc.

There are numerous such incidents that support having a firearm as protection from bears.

[BigSky56]

http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/loc ... 002e0.html. danny

[mescalero1]

Thanks Danny,
Hate to be a pest, but if you catch wind of the number of hits and where, plese pass it on.

[Malamute]

Thanks Danny,

The guy I talked to was there in the room when the Billings Gazette reporter was interviewing Jerry.


One of the commeters mentioned that the area where this happened wasn't known to be grizzly country, but that has changed some in the last few years. One ranch had 3 or 4 grizzlies removed last year, and several this year (7 grizzlies hanging around the place this year, so far) and one horse torn up pretty good, tho it survived. There simply are more grizzlies around, and they will seek new range, and food sources. I don't hold it against the bears at all, tho there needs to be a realistic policy, and, at this point of recovery, some limited hunting should probably be instituted. When grizzlies were hunted in the past, they stayed out of sight for the most part.



Mescalaro, do you mean hits on the bear? He hit it twice, one was a chest hit that was fatal. Google "cody enterprise grizzly attack", should be the couple of items that have apeared there in the past week.

[mescalero1]

Malamute,
Yes, I was looking for data on the bear.

[kimwcook]

Not meaning to stand on too tall of a soap box, but this incident stands as testimony to the lie that "having a firearm isnt going to save you", "isn't effective" or that "you will never have time to use it, so why carry it", or "there isn't a powerful enough handgun to stop a bear", or only an elephant grade round is useful, etc.

I will forever pack a sidearm when in the woods and hopefully a longarm too. My healthy paranoia just won't let me do anything else. Oh, and I pack 24/7 when in the world.

[Malamute]

Mescalero, here's the online copy of that story. I read it in the paper at the neighbors yesterday.


http://www.codyenterprise.com/articles/ ... B6567ABC06

[mescalero1]

Thank you.

[PaulB]

I know someone who killed a charging grizzly with 2 shots to the chest, a couple of years ago. .41 mag out of a Taurus Tracker.

The hunters around here all tell stories of having elk taken away from them by grizzlies. I'm content with hunting deer in my back yard.

The problem is not the grizzlies; they are just doing what their nature tells them to do. The problem is the federal government (as usual).