Seattle woman attacked by bear near Tangle Lakes

newsminer.com ^ | Tim Mowry

[marktwain]

FAIRBANKS — A Seattle woman working for a Canadian mining company was attacked and bitten in the hand by a grizzly bear about 20 miles north of the Denali Highway near Tangle Lakes on Sunday.

Julia Stafford, 20, and a male co-worker she knows only as Kerry, were collecting rock samples in the rain when they encountered the bear in a foggy ravine about 1:30 p.m.

“The bear sort of walked out of the fog and it had two cubs with it,” Stafford said by phone Monday from her bed at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where she was being treated for bites to her hand and scratches to her back.

“We started walking uphill to get away from it and it started walking toward us,” she said. “We stopped once we saw it was following us and tried to get the bear spray out but by then it was already running toward us.”

Stafford had the can of bear spray in her pack, which she was holding in her hands, when the bear charged. She didn’t have time to get it out before the bear crashed into them, she said.

“I was wearing gloves and they were wet and it was confusing,” Stafford said. “There was just not enough time to get the bear spray out.”

[marktwain]

A bear spray failure. I bet this would not be counted as a bear spray failure in the "study" that said bear spray was more effective than firearms.

[MissMagnolia]

Carrying bear spray in your pack in bear country .... not a good idea ... most folks have NO idea how fast a bear can move.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Keeping your bear spray in your pack is like keeping your gun unloaded and locked in a safe.

[jazusamo]

A very lucky young woman to not have been seriously injured, bear does not one ounce of good in a pack.

[bcsco]

This is the 2nd recent bear attack in, or near, the Denali area.

[freekitty]

These people never learn.

[PowderMonkey]

Reminds me of the old joke “How can you tell if you’ve encountered bear poop on the trail? It smells of bear mace, and it’s filled with bear warning backpack bells.”

[Bratch]

[arrogantsob]

She is very lucky indeed. Does “Bear Spray” even do any good against a mama Grizzly?

[jazusamo]

I honestly don't know if it's actually effective, it may be in some cases I guess.

Have read quite a bit that it is but suspect the animal type lovers could be behind it.

I'd prefer having a large caliber weapon.

[arrogantsob]

Even with a large caliber weapon an encounter with a grizzly is not going to be good for the most part. Not too many would be able to get off a kill shot with an enraged grizzly
charging them.

[Billthedrill]

That's why they sell bear spray with belt holsters from which you can actually deploy the spray without even drawing the can. I've practiced it, it works.

It's also why they sell belt holsters for firearms. It isn't an "either-or". Keeping your spray or your gun inside your pack in bear country is not a good idea.

[SJackson]

If you’d like to be on or off this Outdoors/Rural/wildlife/hunting/hiking/backpacking/National Parks/animals list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.

[BerryDingle]

Tangles Lakes is still about 300 miles from Denali.

[Daffynition]

Yesterday a black bear *B1*, visited the garbage pail of a resident in Madison, CT [a tony, very populated shoreline town]. Homeowner VIDEO

**Hey BEAR!**Another video of *B1*

[CodeToad]

We have had loads of bears this year. This one was around the corner from the house, picture taken by a neighbor.