Posted on 06/07/2012 4:16:03 PM PDT by marktwain
PAYSON, AZ - A 74-year-old Arizona woman was injured Thursday morning when a bear ripped a hole in the tent where she, her husband, and their dog had been sleeping.
According to Arizona Game and Fish officials, the attack occurred around 4:30 a.m. at the Ponderosa Campground in Tonto National Forest, about 10 miles east of Payson.
Officials said after tearing open the tent, the bear reportedly stuck its head in and clawed at the woman, leaving her with bruises and a laceration on her scalp.
The Apache Junction woman was treated at Payson Regional Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries and was released. The woman's husband and dog were not hurt.
According to Game and Fish information chief Jim Paxon, a large adult bear had recently been seen hanging around the campsite dumpsters.
A wildlife manager with Arizona Game and Fish Department visited the Ponderosa Campground Wednesday looking for the bear, but could not find it.
Wildlife officials set a trap for the bear and warned all campers of the bear threat.
Paxon said the bear returned to the campground sometime during the night. Campground officials chased the bear, but it ran away. It returned a short time later and attacked the campers in their tent.
Personnel from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services are working with Game and Fish officers, using dogs to track the bear from the scene of the attack.
"Public safety is our first priority," said Paxon. "This bear poses a threat to public safety and therefore needs to be lethally removed."
(Excerpt) Read more at abc15.com ...
Must not have been much of a dog.
All of mine would have been game for some rumpleround.
Tent is the most important word in the report.
RV is harder to enter and gives enough time to lock and load.
Note to self:
Do not set up tent near camp dumpster.
Ping to Camping & Wildlife
Years ago we tent camped in the forest on Mt. Rainer. I noticed that the garbage cans were underground and they collected the garbage just before dark. The next morning all the lids were off the garbage cans and the black plastic bags were pulled out.
Goes to show you never bring a walker to a bear fight.
I don't hunt bear, and I've never dealt with a particularly aggressive bear, but I've been in a tent a few times when they've wandered by, and I think that's my least favorite circumstance to confront an aggressive bear, other than when he's on top of me.
I camp with my dogs. The bear wouldn’t have gotten even close.
The minipin would have set up the argument, the maxipin would have attacked.
Bears just hate it when little dogs latch onto their noses, and big dogs bite their haunches.
P.S. the minipin is brave beyond stupidity. She WOULD attack anything, and probably die. The maxipin is cautious and would probably live to fight another day.
I'm surprised this woman at 74 (assuming her husband is somewhere around that age) would set up camp that close to a dumpster. I do applaud them for tent camping under the western sky at 74 though.
“Do not set up tent near camp dumpster.
I’m surprised this woman at 74 (assuming her husband is somewhere around that age) would set up camp that close to a dumpster. I do applaud them for tent camping under the western sky at 74 though.”
Tent as one feels comfortable, but tent with firearms.
A large revolver in each person’s sleeping bag and ‘bear head in the tent’ becomes a resource awaiting harvest. Think rug, and lots of meat.
I have to admit that a brainless youth, I drove to Yosemite, arriving long after dark. I slept on the open ground next to my car. At daylight, I discovered I was sleeping in the park dump. I lived to become smarter, and a grandmother.
This got me to thinking if I would rather be awakened by a bear’s head poking into my tent, and giving me a thwack, or a zombie poking his head into my tent, and givng me a thwack.
I decided neither, and I don’t think I will ever go tent camping any place that has bears (or zombies).
Note to self: Do not pitch a tent near Miami’s MacArthur Causeway.
During my days in Phoenix before service in WWII I spent some memorable days in the area of Apache Junction, Payson and the Tonto National Forest. Always slept under the stars in a handmade sleeping bag. Don’t recall we ever worried about bears or other wild animals including more organized campers. We usually did have a 20 gauge shotgun for recreational quail hunting.
I suspect the dog was what the bear was after.
I suspect it was the people he was after.
Dosen’t look like this one has spent much time in holsters or laying around a tent floor.
I perfer stainless hand guns for out door work their finish holds up better to use better then blued steel.
No doubt.
When I purchased my commemorative Dirty Harry Model 29 (like the one in the photo posted), I had not been able to find a 629 for years. I've also given up on finding a used 686 and 65 with hammer-mounted firing pins (with the superior trigger lock work).
I see that the performance center is offering a host of revolvers, but I wonder if they have the old (superior) trigger lock work. I was told there is no difference, but I do not believe it. EVERYONE of my early model S&W revolvers have far superior triggers. My 65-7's trigger is noticeably inferior.
“Must not have been much of a dog.”
10-4, they should have been armed and should have shot that sorry excuse for a dog first, then turned on the bear!
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.