Grizzly mauls sheepherder; kills dogs, sheep

Sublette Examiner ^ | September 15, 2009 | Joy Ufford with Derek Farr

[MamaDearest]

Sad, isn’t it, that bears and wolves are protected, while the people are not. (same thing goes for timber....we used to have a sawmill in Wyo.)

People are expendable to the feds managing grizzly and wolves. We carry bear spray ini the woods AND A GUN. There are also mountain lions in that area.

[Iscool]

Better penetration than a .458 Winchester with quick follow-up shots.

That is if you're quick at pulling yourself up off the ground after the previous shot...

[Rushmore Rocks]

We’re having major mountain lion problems here. One got my cat, Dunbar, three weeks ago. My daughter teaches in Wyoming. They had to call all the kids in from recess last week because a lion was spotted near the playground.

I agree with the “shoot, shovel, shutup” principle.

[goat granny]

Mary sounds like a real jerk...her sheep won’t last long and no shepards will apply for jobs with her. Hope she goes broke via terminal stupid..

[goat granny]

The only trouble I see with your solution is you’d need a back hoe to dig the hole deep enought...My hubby had to bury a couple of dead goats when we were farming and that hold was 4 foot deep..the goat was buried the next day and had already bloated to twice her size...(it was middle of summer) and originally she probably only weighted about 65 pounds...

[waterhill]

I wanted to load it with those flamethrower rounds, but that would not be too popular these days what with all the metrosexuals and all... Yet, again, I digress... a flaming blackie running through a tinderbox would be really unsafe.... Desert Eagle????

[technically right]

Yeah, I will admit that the recoil is a bit stout, but in the heat of combat it’s amazing what you can do when you think you’re gonna die.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

http://www.brassfetcher.com/index_files/Page448.htm

This is the largest bullet they have tested free on their web site.

.50 Beowulf
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Test # JK1

Cartridge : .50 Beowulf Alexander Arms 325gr HP

Test Parameters : Nominal 10% ballistic gelatin block. No barriers present. (15.5x9x9)” gelatin block

Block calibration velocity : 573 ft/sec

Block calibration penetration : 3.0 inch

Block calibration temperature : 35.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Block core temperature : 36.0 degrees Fahrenheit

Bullet impact velocity : 1956 ft/sec

Deepest penetration depth : 15.5 inch

Maximum crack diameter : 7.5 inch

Maximum crack diameter location : 5.8 inch

Cavitation depth : 0-14.7 inch

Weapon : Alexander Arms Beowulf Entry; 16.5 inch barrel length

Distance from weapon muzzle to impact face of gelatin block : 10.0 feet

Test site conditions : 69 degrees Fahrenheit, 44% relative humidity

Time out of refrigeration prior to shot impact : 4 minutes

Bullet recovered weight : 271.4gr

Bullet recovered average diameter : 0.798”

Bullet recovered length : 0.253”

[STGP]

I don’t know if you live in the Rocky Mountains? Many of us who have lived here for many years (35 plus) realize that grazing allotments always involve risk of predation. Some allotments are being eliminated or exchanged for ones located in areas with less predator populations. It makes no sense to respond to this unfortunate accident with anger or political ranting (other comments). If the sheepherders had guns perhaps they would have been able to defend themselves? You have to me a very accurate and fast shot. The adrenaline is bumping and the bear is moving at 35mph or more. Pretty terrifying. In Montana (where I live) some people have been able to ward off bears with guns and some people have had luck with bear spray. Perhaps the sheepherders should have been armed with both? I am a lousy shot so I opt for bear spray. Being a sheepherder is obviously a potentially dangerous line of work and I hope both men recover soon. I also feel badly for the financial loss to the rancher and the death of the dogs. I value wildlife and I value the hardworking people who work the land. There is no easy solution and I have not heard anyone advocating total extermination of bears, although I know a some people would like to get rid of wolves (another issue).

[Citizen Soldier]

LOL! It looks like a “beer garden” in jolly ole England outside a pub.

[AnAmericanMother]

Thoman is a flippin' idiot.

Any employer who would rather let her employees DIE than tangle with a bunch of Fish & Wildlife bureaucrats deserves to go broke.

She should have issued some of these:

Winchester Model 71 for the .348 cartridge. Packs a severe punch but has quite controllable recoil, and with the lever action you can roll the lead out there in a hurry. I think it's still the most powerful production lever action, the cartridge is based on an old black powder round and you can see that the base is massive. It takes over 50 gr of 4320 or 4064 to fill that huge case up (the top round is a .30-30 for comparison).

It was my mother's bear gun when she and dad were planning a trip to Alaska. Dad was going to get a .375 H&H, but they turned up pregnant with me instead . . . . every so often dad gives me a wistful look and asks, "Couldn't you have waited til I got the .375?"

[jazusamo]

Agreed, she has no right to put employees in that position.

I remember the Md. 71 .348 from years ago and it was the most powerful lever action at the time.

I think you should have waited awhile so your Dad could’ve got his .375 H&H. LOL! (jus kiddin)

[AnAmericanMother]

Thing is, with the big cross section, the heavy bullet, and lots of relatively slow powder, it packs a serious knockdown punch without punishing the shooter the way the big English rifles or the hot modern magnums do. Any more recoil, and you can't get the muzzle back on target quickly enough. It is too much cartridge for deer but perfect for wild boar or bear.

I shot it as a 12 year old. The recoil's not pleasant, but if Mama Grizz was rearing up in front of you you'd never feel it (but she would). With a grizzly, I might want the .375 (sorry, dad!) but this one would be adequate and reasonable for a relatively untutored shooter (like a shepherd) to handle.

Bad cess to this woman for sending her people out unprotected. I hope she lost a TON of money on those poor dead dogs anyhow. All the guys will have is a measly workers compensation claim for what amounts to reckless endangerment . . . . unless a slick lawyer can convince a judge that she deliberately and recklessly put them in harm's way.

[calex59]

Isn't wonderful to have these wild wolves and Grizzlys running free after all this time?/SAR

I think we should find out who actually lobbied for these animals to be "planted" in human population areas and make them live with them for a while, maybe tie a haunch from a sheep around their neck and let them wander for about 3 days in the wilderness.

[jazusamo]

Yep, the idiots responsible for bringing them back are not the people who have to live in close proximity to them. The idiots just think it’s wonderful to have these predators that were killed off to near extinction for a good reason back in the wild. Of course they don’t live within five hundred miles of them and probably don’t leave their city limits but once a year to go on a canned vacation.