Recent Brown And Black Bear Attacks
BY Herschel Smith
5 years, 3 months ago
Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to a bear attack Friday evening in the Eureka and Gunsight Mountain area, Alaska State Troopers say.
Troopers received a report at about 7 p.m. that a moose hunter, who was with another hunter, was attacked by a bear.
“Reportedly the two hunters surprised a sow brown bear with two cubs,” troopers wrote. “The sow attacked one of the hunters causing serious injuries.”
According to AST, the second hunter shot the adult female bear and ended the attack. The hunters then evacuated to a cabin and the injured hunter was flown by helicopter to an Anchorage hospital for treatment.
Samantha Larsen Marlin, whose cabin the hunters initially went to after the attack, says a nurse and first responder administered first aid before the injured hunter was taken out of the area.
The report doesn’t say with what gun or caliber the bear was shot. Next up, news from Canada.
A black bear killed a Minnesota woman on a secluded island in Canadian waters in an attack that experts call extremely rare.
Catherine Sweatt-Mueller, 62, of Maple Plain, was staying with her parents in a remote cabin on Red Pine Island in Rainy Lake when she was killed, Ontario Provincial Police said.
Police Constable Jim Davis said Sweatt-Mueller went outside Sunday evening when she heard her two dogs barking, but that she never returned, the Star Tribune reported.
The dogs, one of them injured, returned to the cabin. Her parents, who are in their 80s, also were on the island and her mother called police, Davis said. Officers found a bear standing over Sweatt-Mueller’s body and shot the animal.
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Minnesota wildlife biologist Andy Tri says a predatory attack by a black bear is “beyond extremely rare.”
Remember that. “Beyond extremely rare.” Beyond, mind you. Whatever that means.
Perhaps it’s so beyond extremely rare we could persuade Canadian law enforcement to turn in their weapons. Or perhaps she should have had means of self defense, and state law be damned.
By way of update, recall that I linked Dean Weingarten’s research work Pistols Or Handguns 95% Effective When Used To Defend Against Bear Attacks, 63 Cases.
Dean has expanded and updated his work and it now includes 73 cases. He can now add the case from Alaska, which will make it 74. It would be good to know the weapon and caliber used.
Grok the right lesson here. It isn’t that bear attacks, whether brown or black, are that rare. It’s that people who successfully live through such attacks carry means of self defense.
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On September 9, 2019 at 7:24 am, Fred said:
Want to know why this will happen again?
Who was the First Responder in Alaska, a nurse in the life flight? The guy would be dead if that were the case.
In (MN) Canada, officers found the bear standing over the body. What was the bear doing? Taking a coffee break from being a bear? Perhaps it was pondering rook to queen bishop 4? Or was it eating the lady? Why not say, in no uncertain terms that the other hunter in AK was the first responder and that the bear was eating the lady in Canada? Not wanting to scare readers with soft, weak, and innocuous language will get others killed. Show this blog post to your children and grandchildren today and explain these things. You could save their lives.
On September 9, 2019 at 7:42 am, Sanders said:
My wild-ass-guess on what caliber the moose hunters were using is that it was anything from .30-06 or bigger.
On September 9, 2019 at 8:35 am, robins111 said:
The nonsense spewed by the Canadian wildlife people about ‘Extremely Rare is a flat out lie. I live in Northern Ontario to the east of that incident.
Every year there is at least 3 or 4 bears put down in our community by the police, this is because of agressive behavior. Many more simply slide in and out of town with not problems. Every summer there is at least 2 break and enters by black bears in town and many more attempts.
The stats and info being compiled on bear/human interactions is largely massaged by Disney fans, who have a vested interest in keeping the numbers down. The truth is, I keep an 870 on hand all the time during the summer, and never go into the bush without it.
On September 9, 2019 at 8:26 pm, TheAlaskan said:
@ robins111
Roger that. ‘Extremely rare’ blackies stalking and killing people here in Alaska is not that ‘rare.’ Your Canadian wildlife people should be required (mandated…or as Justin would demand, peopledated) to read ‘Alaska Bear Tales’ before public speaking about bear/people hugging…er…encounters.
We here, like you there, know intimately how bear/people mixes end up. We deal with bears our way. Your 870 medicine is my 870 medicine. Bush people know these things.
Hope your 870 sports brenneke black magic magnums. Mine does. Bears hate 600 gr sabat slugs…
Bears eat people, ask Timothy Treadwell. He and his girlfriend’s remains were all of 40 pounds. Ask me how I know.
Bushman, keep your head on a swivel…bears get no quarter in the bush. Period.
On September 10, 2019 at 4:15 am, Nosmo said:
Know what’s even more “rare” than bear attacks? Me. There are approximately 7.3 billion humans alive today on Earth, and while estimates of total humans who have ever lived on Earth vary somewhat, every one I’ve seen is north of 100 billion. In all those humans there is, and has been, only one Me. And when I’m dead and gone there won’t be another Me. Ever. Except, perhaps, metaphorically.
I’ve become kinda of attached to my Me; it’s the only one I’ll ever have, at least while I’m on Earth. There are some close friends who have also become attached to my Me, as well as family members, who are also dependent upon my Me for various things. Which is why I own guns and carry one, sometimes more than one. There are other humans who don’t respect my Me, wild animals certainly don’t, and don’t me started on to what degree any government, ever, respects my Me.
So, “rare” or not, until threats against my Me – of any kind – verifiably fall to zero, I think I’ll keep my Me protection tools, and keep whichever ones are appropriate for existing conditions handy and ready for use. My Me also has several plans for avoiding threats, but Earth’s history says that may not always work. Depending on circumstances, whatever I do may not be sufficient to protect my Me, but whomever, or whatever, posed the threat will be very well aware that my Me turned in a Best Effort.
It’s the least I can do for my Me.
On September 10, 2019 at 7:13 am, Jim Whyte said:
Robins111 and TheAlaskan: When did “Minnesota wildlife biologist Andy Tri” get his new citizenship card?
In my encounters with black bears they’ve always high-tailed it unless attracted by food waste, but nobody should rely on that roll of the dice too many times!
I know a few people that trust heavy-calibre handgun rounds but don’t know of any real-life kills. Rifle calibres at or above .303 and .30/06 seem to be most people’s choice, but rifles (or smoothbores firing slugs) are less easily carted around when you’re doing something other than stalking game.
And the axiom that you can’t miss fast enough to stop an attack is also worth engraving ;o)
On September 10, 2019 at 8:33 am, robins111 said:
Alaskan, Brenneke are hard to come by, I generally stoke with Challengers. (Pretty much the same) and a couple of 000 buck, for close work.
On September 10, 2019 at 8:36 am, Herschel Smith said:
“I know a few people that trust heavy-calibre handgun rounds but don’t know of any real-life kills.”
Yes you do. I supplied the resource right there for 73 cases.