Autopsy: Woman Attacked, Killed By Bear (Family: Donna Munson Died Trying To Help Smaller Bear)

Ch 7 Denver ^ | 2:43 pm MDT August 10, 2009 | Wayne Harrison

[6SJ7]

“Lewis’s air gun was a remarkable property of the expedition. Widespread agreement is that it was a Girandoni-style air rifle, originally designed and built in Europe for the Austrian army.

That was an amazingly advanced weapon for that time. I wonder though if they used that kind of weapon in their first (and only) attempt to hunt grizzlies, if a riffle like that simply had too low a velocity to effectively penetrate the heavy coat of a grizzly.

[Seamus Mc Gillicuddy]

Sounds like she got “Munsoned” out in the middle of nowhere. Where’s Woody Harrelson when you need him????

[Smokin' Joe]

She endangered no one else

So, you reckon the realtor who sells the place will tell the new owners all about the bears?

Just curious.

Causing wild animals to be dependent on humans for food, (indirectly or otherwise) doesn't do the critters any favors, either.

The next porch they show up on might have a rifle poking out the door.

Say all you want about my not being from Colorado, that does not change anything.

[snowsislander]

There's a good book called Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance that I think is well worth reading. (And let me a quick acknowledgement of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods where I learned of this book.)

[Uri’el-2012]

I would like to apologize

We do have some spawn of the shallower end of the gene pool.

[mdk1960]

Now I’m bear-ly listening.

[nina0113]

I wonder if Disney was aware of the damage he was doing?

People lived so much closer to nature then that I think everyone must have known those were fairy tales - it's only now, when kids never even see a raccoon, that they don't know better. I'm sure he'd have been horrified if he'd had a clue as to how his pleasant little fantasies would be warped in these days.

[drpix]

"A woman of this age knew the risks she took even with the bears she loved. She died doing what she wanted to do."

From the article: "Munson had constructed a metal fence that covered her porch so that she could feed bears through the fence."

What did she know?

That chicken wire would protect her from the aggression of a bear?
OR
That a bear would be not become aggressive to a someone who loves bears?

If you're lucky enough, at her age, to do something you love, be smart enough to bring a gun of sufficient power to protect you while you're doing it.

[calex59]

A woman of this age knew the risks she took even with the bears she loved. She died doing what she wanted to do -— hope I get to be so lucky

Well, aren't you just precious? This woman can do whatever she likes as long as it only involves her, but feeding the bears endangered others living near her. One neighbor in particular had bear break ins to their house and also lost many, many of their chickens because one of this woman's "pet" bears broke in and killed them. This and other events were chronicled in another thread before this woman was killed when the DOW warned her about feeding the bears. I am glad she is the only one her "pets" snuffed and the neighbors are lucky it wasn't them.

[the long march]

This is an area of Colorado noted for bear activity —— ALWAYS has been.

So get over yourself. Live in the mountains and you run risks -— particularly in small isolated areas.

Bears are not the ONLY dangerous animals in the area. Raising chickens in Ouray county offers the local animals an opportunity for breakfast lunch and dinner —— coyote, puma, bob cats, etc ALL attack local live stock

[Question_Assumptions]

The problem with these people, all other things aside, is that they wind up getting the animals they are trying to help killed. In this case, the 250 pound bear sniffing her was probably the bear she tried to help so she not only got herself and the bear that killed her killed but also the bear that she was trying to help. But good intentions are all that matter to some poeple, even if they pave a road to Hell with them.

[Matt Hatter]

You might want to quit while you are behind. Your original statement indicated to me that you don’t have a real understanding of nature. The woman and the bears would still be alive had she not started feeding them. Yes you run risks in ‘predator country’, but this was not a random predatory act; she drew the bears to her.

[Dawgreg]

You got that right.....you should see ME!:)......btw, I LOVE your tag line.....LOL

[mware]

You are so correct. The man in this photo is over 6 ft.

[the long march]

And you are absolutely clueless. So quit while you are ahead as well

[drpix]

Here's 2 bear photos you may be interested in. (I just received them by email and can't remember if they were on FR before.)

1

2

[Matt Hatter]

I have been an avid outdoorsman all my life, and learned long ago not to apply human emotions and morals to the animal world. That said, I will leave you to your opinion and will move on with mine.

[the long march]

The thing I don’t understand is A) I never said the woman did a kind thing. I said she died doing what she wanted to do. B) I never suggested that living in the mountains wouldn’t have its risks. C) I applied no human emotion to anything other than this woman died doing what she wanted to do.

[Matt Hatter]

“A woman of this age knew the risks she took even with the bears she loved”

Love sounds like a pretty strong human emotion.
Not important really. Obama is lying to us all on TV right now. That is real.