Griz Bites PA Elk hunter

[galthatfishes]

Where was Todd Plank hunting again? Sure hope it wasn't him, but what a story to tell the grandkids!!

Grizzly bites elk hunter

A Pennsylvania man calling elk while archery hunting with his wife southeast of Ennis in the Madison Range on Friday morning called in a grizzly bear instead.

The man, who wasn't identified in a Fish, Wildlife and Parks press release, was cow calling with his wife about 25 yards away. They were set up along Indian Creek Trail in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. When the hunter heard some rustling in the brush about 15 yards away, he looked up to find a female grizzly staring at him.

The grizzly, a female with two cubs, bit the hunter on the arm and head before running away. The man suffered no life-threatening injuries.

Although both hunters were carrying bear spray, it was not accessible at the time of the encounter.

The attack occurred on the same day that an archery hunter near Island Park, Idaho, was bitten by a grizzly while hiking to retrieve an elk that had been shot the previous day.

The incidents have prompted state and federal officials to re-emphasize the dangers of hunting in grizzly bear country, and the precautions that should be taken.

“Bears are preparing for their natural hibernation period and stocking up on food, including berries, whitebark pine caches and ungulate carcasses,” said Jodie Canfield, wildlife biologist for the Custer and Gallatin national forests. "Recreationists, especially hunters, need to be particularly tuned in to potential bear activity during the autumn season. Bowhunters can be especially susceptible to attracting bears based on traveling alone, quiet approaches and elk bugles or cow and calf calls.

"Knowing how to discharge bear spray and having it readily accessible in a hip or shoulder holster is paramount.”

Bear spray is effective at a range of 25 feet or less. With a charging bear you should give it a two-second burst when the bear is 40 feet away to create a cloud of spray between you and the bear. If the bear penetrates the cloud and continues coming towards you, spray the remainder of the can directly in its face and then either fight back or play dead, depending on the species of the bear.

Studies of bear spray have shown it to be 87 percent effective in preventing human injury versus 50 percent for firearms.

Recreationists can lessen the chances of a negative bear encounter by understanding and following some simple tips on how to “Be Bear Aware”:

-- Always carry bear pepper spray, have it close at hand, and know how to use it. Practice proper food and attractant storage techniques.

-- Travel in numbers and make noise; keep children and pets close.

-- Be alert to signs of bear activity — fresh scat, tracks, digging, turned over rocks, tree scratching, and concentrations of natural food including whitebark pine cones and animal carcasses. Avoid recreating in areas with fresh bear sign.

-- After making a kill, hunters should get the carcass out of the area as quickly as possible; while field dressing, keep a can of bear pepper spray within easy reach.

-- Do not attempt to frighten away or haze a bear that is near or feeding on a carcass.

-- Cook any meals at least 100 yards from any backcountry campsites.

-- Store any attractants, including game carcasses, at least 100 yards from any backcountry campsites.

For further information about “Be Bear Aware” visit www.BeBearAware.org or log on to fwp.mt.gov.

[Deleted]

don't think I want to feel the power of a grizz's jaws

[galthatfishes]

A bit more detail in this one.

A Pennsylvania archery hunter was attacked by a grizzly bear in the Indian Creek area of the Madison Mountains Friday morning.

The hunter was treated for bite and puncture wounds to his head, neck and arm at the Madison Valley Medical Center.

The attack happened six miles from the Indian Creek trailhead, which is located south of Cameron, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden, Ryan Gosse.

The hunter was using a cow call to call elk for his partner. The pair were hunting about a third of a mile from where the victim had harvested a bull a few days earlier, Gosse said.

Both hunters said the woods were very quiet and then they started hearing some movement. Suddenly, the caller heard movement directly behind him.

When he turned he saw a sow with two cubs at about 15 yards. The mother bear locked eyes with him and charged. The man had no time to pull the bear spray off his belt and use it to ward off the attack.

The bear bit him in the arm and head.

The man’s partner ran toward the bear yelling and then stopped to go back to his pack for his bear spray. The bear dropped the victim and then bit him again.

When the man’s partner grabbed his bear spray, the bear and cubs were already running away, Gosse said.

The two men walked back to their camp and called the Forest Service with a satellite phone. Forest Service officials alerted Madison County Search and Rescue and FWP.

The man walked most of the way out to the trailhead on his own before search and rescue personnel met him and transported him to a waiting ambulance, Gosse said.

The attack was likely precipitated by the close proximity of the hunter to the sow and her cubs, he said. The bears could have been drawn to the area by the gut pile left when the victim had harvested the bull a few days prior.

“My interpretation of what happened here is they were hunting an area that had an attractant,” Gosse said. “Those attractants are going to bring in scavengers of all sorts, including grizzly bears.”

Also, this time of year both grizzly and black bears are in a stage called hyperphagia, which means they’re putting on fat reserves for the winter. This means they’re moving around trying to eat as much as possible, he said.

Since this is also the time of year archery hunters are sneaking around in the woods, it makes for a scenario where bear encounters are more likely.

“Hunters need to take the necessary steps to be aware,” Gosse said.

In this case, the hunters were taking all precautions, but were still surprised, he said.

The only thing they might have done differently was hunt further away from the gut pile. But still, many hunters would go back to an area where they had seen elk previously, Gosse said.

Friday’s attack was the second in the region for the week.

Earlier in the week, a Michigan hunter was attacked near Island Park after returning to an elk shot the evening before. The hunter and his partner were tracking the elk’s blood trail when they encountered a grizzly bear that had claimed the animal. The bear charged the hunters, bit one on the shoulder and then returned to the carcass, according to an account released by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Montana FWP encourages archery hunters to take precautions when hunting in grizzly country. These include hunting with a partner, carrying bear spray, removing carcasses as quickly as possible and if they must be left overnight, leaving them in a spot that can be seen from a distance. Hunters are also encouraged to keep a sharp look out for bear sign in the area they’re hunting.