Posted on 09/23/2011 4:38:12 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Authorities say a hunter attacked by a grizzly in a Montana forest was killed not by the bear, but by a gunshot fired by a companion trying to save him.
Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said Friday that 39-year-old Steve Stevenson of Winnemucca, Nev., died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. The cause of death was determined by the medical examiner with the Montana State Crime Lab.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
His friend’s name was Dick Cheney.
hardly a good comparison
Cheney lives in Wyoming.
Of course the bear was responsible for the death. Had it not attacked this person his friend wouldn’t have been shooting at it trying to save him.
The bear was just acting within the maker’s design specifications. I guess you can call it an act of God.
Actual 911 call:
Caller: “My friend just got mauled by a bear!”
911: “Is he breathing?”
Caller: “No, I don’t think so - I think he’s dead!”
911: “Okay. Calm down. First make sure that he’s dead or not.”
Caller: “Okay - just a minute.” (Shot heard in background). “Okay, yes he’s dead. Now what?”
Damned if you fail, even more damned if you didn't try.
You'll hear no judgment from me.
I call it a mean a**ed grizzly attack by a frickin’ bear that is noted for it’s violent temper. Too bad the guys buddy didn’t step in close for a head shot and miss his friend. Has to suck to be the guy that fired the shot trying to save him.
LOL
This happened in my neck of the woods. The hunters were from Nevada up here hunting. They had an out of state license to shoot BLACK BEAR. The 22 year old saw what he thought was a black bear (don’t shot if you don’t know what you are shooting) and shot a small grizzly, wounding it. The followed what they thought was a black bear into thick cover, the angry grizzly attacked.
Lousy situation for all involved.
Yep. It just always amazes me when someone gets mauled or killed by some alpha predator, be it a tiger, lion, grizzly, killer whale, etc. some media idiot asks, “What provoked the attack?”. Nothing provoked it, moron, it’s WHAT THEY DO!
These threads usually bring big discussions/arguments over which BFG to blow that bear away. Then you read the stories of real bear attacks and see that things happen too quickly for people to do what they say they would do.
Exactly, when you volunteer to give up your place at the top of the food chain, don’t be surprised when you become bear poop.
His friends might have done him a favor. If I saw a bear ripping my friend apart...And as awful as it sounds, I might shoot my friend, too.
The bear didn’t pull the trigger.
If they couldn’t tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly, they shouldn’t have been hunting.
I was thinking the same thing...
I’m always amazed when the hunted animal, a bear for instance, somehow manages to kill the hunter and people act like the bear cheated or something. A real hunter understands there are some major league dangers out there- not only from hungry critters, but from goofballs shooting at anything that moves. Hey, you go out hunting and you get done in by a bear or a lion or giraffe or another hunter- that’s called the circle of life. If you’re not willing to accept that, then don’t go hunting.
What difference does it make what kind of frickin’ bear it was, it was attacking the guy wasn’t it? If it didn’t attack the guy would still be alive. If someone was beating a friend of yours to death with a club and you shot at him to protect your friend but hit your friend instead would you think that the perp wasn’t responsible? Of course he was, just as the bear was responsible in this case. It is just too bad the guy didn’t get a grip on his nerves and step in close to finish the bear and not kill his friend.
“The bear didnt pull the trigger.
If they couldnt tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly, they shouldnt have been hunting.”
Bingo...
I get more nervous every year with all of the out of state hunters coming up here for their first BIG HUNT.
If a Grizzly charges you from cover 20 feet away you won’t have time to crap your pants let alone draw a weapon. Bears move frighteningly fast.
“The bear didnt pull the trigger.
If they couldnt tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly, they shouldnt have been hunting.”
Bingo...
I get more nervous every year with all of the out of state hunters coming up here for their first BIG HUNT.
If a Grizzly charges you from cover 20 feet away you won’t have time to crap your pants let alone draw a weapon. Bears move frighteningly fast.
hmmmm, makes me wonder if the bear wounds were pre or post gunshot wound
remember - when you and a friend are being chased by a grizzly you don’t have to be faster than the grizzly, you just have to be faster than your friend.
speaking of bear poop, does anyone know what it looks like (for real) over in the clearing by my house my DIL and grandson took a walk and found some poo that is definately not dog poo and my dog is always on a chain or leash when outside...It was very dark brown and not a firm log like a dog poops....Almost black and just a bit mushy....we cleaned it up and yesterday found another pile....Could be a large coon but it was quite a large pile....(sorry to gross anyone out) Live in Michigan, Lapeer county and have not had a bear sighting in 6 years...
My thought as well. I would much rather be shot than mauled.
First, the hunters shot the wrong kind of bear—grizzly, not black [they had a permit for the latter].
Then, having wounded it, they followed it into thick cover.
Then the wounded grizzly turned on the friend.
Yes, the friend should have tried to kill it. But the problem started when they shot the wrong kind of bear.
Mmmmm. Perhaps a homeless person. Any beer cans lying around?
The bear and the friend were working together.
Oh, Sh*t, Oh Dear!
“If they couldnt tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly, they shouldnt have been hunting.”
I have a beautiful bear rug. It is the same color as a grizzly bear, could easily be mistaken for a baby grizzly but its a black bear specis. I shot this bear in Colorado some years ago with a bow and arrow. I understand a large percentage of the black bear population in Colorado are other than black. At least they were at that time.
From that area. Remember seeing a sign that read:
“Warning: Due to the frequency of human/bear encounters, the BC Fish and Wildlife Dept is advising hikers, fishermen and any other persons that use the outdoors in a recreational or work related function to take extra precautions while in the field.
We advise the outdoorsman to wear little noisy bells on clothing to give advance notice to any bears that might be close by so you don’t take them by surprise.
We also advise anyone using the out-of-doors to carry ‘pepper spray’ with him in case of an encounter with a bear.
Outdoorsmen should also be on the watch for fresh bear activity, and should be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly feces. Black bear feces is smaller and contains berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly shit has bells in it and smells like pepper.”
Having read stories of Grizzly attacks, where they feed on people while they are still alive for a half hour or more... the guy’s friend may have been lucky if he died quickly from the gunshot.
Omc—you cracked me up so bad! I did NOT see that coming! I was all serious, and I was going to write back, if they are both the same shade of silvery brown, or whatever the grizzly color is, how do you tell them apart?
The punchline is priceless!
My sister in law lives in Montana and bears come through her yard often. (this is pretty bad but you were asking) she emailed me a picture of a huge pile of bear poop. It would cover a dinner plate and had parts of apples in it. The apples came off of her trees.
Those things can run 35 miles an hour and cover hella lotsa ground in one stride.
I know it might gross out some, but the info was needed..:O) Would hate to be on garden tractor and come face to face with a bear...yikes, you'd know it was human poo that you found..all over the tractor.....LOL along with undigestable dentures..
no beer can’s thank God....
Okay, I read about them and here’s the gist of what I found:
Dished nose, smallish, rounded ears and a hump over the shoulders: grizzly.
Roman nose, larger, pointed ears, no shoulder hump: black bear.
Also, honking big claws: grizzly.
Much smaller claws: black bear.
Absolutely! Following a wounded grizzly into thick cover is one of the scariest things I can imagine! Sounds like they were not well prepared for that.
JC
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.