Grizzly attacks Idaho man

(AP) ^ | April 14, 2007

[george76]

An eastern Idaho man was mauled by a grizzly bear just outside his rural home, suffering deep bite and claw wounds across his back, investigators said.

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the 33-year-old victim of the Tuesday night bear attack, saying he requested anonymity. They said he was in stable condition and good spirits in an Idaho Falls hospital.

"He just stepped outside of his house to look for his dog ... then the bear knocked him down," said Idaho Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Steve Schmidt...

"The bear caused significant injuries to his head, back, shoulder and buttocks. In other words, the bear was biting him all over his backside," Schmidt said.

On Wednesday, local police and Fish and Game officials set out to capture the bear, laying a series of traps and snares near the victim's home in a rural subdivision outside Tetonia, about five miles west of the Wyoming border.

Schmidt said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has the authority to manage grizzly bears, granted the state agency permission to remove the bear from the wild. The bear's fate, if captured, is uncertain, they said.

"After the well-being of the victim, the safety of the public is our top concern," said Jon Heggen, the state agency's enforcement chief.

The attack is the first in Idaho since July 3, 2006, when a female grizzly attacked a hiker near the western border of Yellowstone National Park...

Federal biologists say the bear population has grown from 4 percent to 7 percent a year since the mid-'90s and that more than 600 grizzlies now live in that region.

[mware]

Some decades ago my monsignor visited Glacier National Park.

One of the rangers asked him if he would accompanied him to a bear attack site to give rights.

There wasn't much left of either of the campers.

[mware]

Check this out. It is the most recent fatality from a bear attack.

Elora Petrasek, 6, female April 13, 2006.

Black Bear

She was killed and her mother and 2 year-old brother seriously injured in an attack in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee.

[Nailbiter]

ping

[Shimmer128]

Oh I remember that. (now looking outside fearfully)

[mware]

So sad, in up state NY in 2002, a 5 month old was mauled to death by a black bear. The baby’s mother was out with both her children and she saw the bear, and ran after her the toddler but before she could get the baby that was on the porch the bear had taken her.

[Grampa Dave]

I can just hear the PETA/Greens and other human hating POS liberals saying in private between hits of their favorite street drug, "The dude deserved this attack and asked for it by living where he did. Hey man, those Grizzlies were there first!"

[SunkenCiv]

The advantage of raising potatoes bears up under scrutiny.

[ishootbear]

whoever told you you can noy kill a grizz with a side arm is wrong!
My .454 casull will roll one in its tracks!
plus i have shot them with a bow and they are no tougher than a black to put down !

[Smokin' Joe]

Holy Cow! we still have Grizzlies in the lower 48?

Yep. Mountain lions are spreading, too. Reported in North Dakota and other places they have not been for 100 years...

[Myrddin]

The local news just reported that the 15 year old, 350 lb male grizzly that was responsible for the attack was captured in a snare on Saturday and shot.

[george76]

Thank you.

Is 350 pounds small for a 15 year old griz ?

( even in the spring )

[Myrddin]

The news story said 350-400 lbs. I'm not sure of what is normal. I enjoy observing grizzlies in the Wolf and Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone and at my local zoo in Pocatello. In both places the captive bears are much bigger than the one killed in Tetonia.

[Billthedrill]

Yeh - this time of year they're out of hibernation, skinny, and hungry. Exterior garbage cans are not a good idea in my neighborhood. Haven't seen any griz in a quite awhile at this low elevation but you wouldn't want to be the first one and armed only with a cellphone camera. "Hi, Mom, this is the b'ar what et me!" No thanks.

Personally I opt for a .41 magnum on my belt and a whole lot of common sense. It'd be the common sense that keeps me alive. The magnum is for letting my neighbors know where to look for my body...

[Myrddin]

I purchased a real pretty .41 magnum revolver suitable for carry. A nice titanium Taurus. I usually take my S&W 629 w/4" barrel (44 mag) with 240 gr PMC in a Kramer holster. It's satisfactory for big cats and black bears. I'm not convinced it would do the job for a grizzly...aside from marking the critter as the probable consumer of my carcass.

[Billthedrill]

LOL - yeah. I've been given the classic advice to file the front sight off...so Mr. Bear doesn't hurt me when he sticks it where the sun don't shine. If he's close enough for me to have to use it I'll have to hope that the muzzle flash blinds him long enough for me to git outta Dodge. And they run faster than I do. Lots.

My only close encounter with a real Grizzly was in Glacier National Park, where there were no fences and what I had to defend myself was a walking stick. My imported Irish blackthorn shrank into a popsicle stick in my hand. But God, he was beautiful. The ones you see mounted don't glisten. He glistened.

[Daryl L.Hunter]

This attack happened next door to a really good friend of mines home where we have shared many a barbecue.

After the attack victim was released from the hospital, being a good tree hugger, he asked the sheriff, Kim Cooke, “Did you relocate the bear?”

Kim Cooke replied: “Yes, we relocated him to the taxidermist!”

[george76]

LOL

“Yes, we relocated him to the taxidermist!”

[jazusamo]

That’s my kind of Sheriff! LOL

[txhurl]

You may have just landed yourself a gig!

Go bring that griz down and put his rug in front of the victim’s fireplace.

[GOP_Raider]

Palisades Reservoir on the Wyoming/Idaho Border The FR Idaho Ping List FReepmail GOP_Raider to be on or off this list