Opinion

Grizzly Bear
Flurry of Bear Attacks in Fall of 2018, Are You At Risk?

Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- It is the season for bear attacks. Bears are very active in the fall, when they must accumulate enough calories to lard up for hibernation. At the same time, human hunters are out and about, hunting all game animals, putting human hunters in the same areas with heavy bear populations.

In the last month, there have been several bear attacks in the news.

  • On 9 September 2018, Dr. Brad Johnson was attacked and severely mauled. He had bear spray in his hand.  He was attacked by two bears and was not able to use the spray. He almost died. His two companions saved his life with first aid. The bears were never pursued or found. They are thought to have been grizzly bears.
  • On 14 September, bow hunter Corey Chubon and Guide Mark Uptain were attacked as they processed a trophy elk in Wyoming. Chubon was mauled and Mark Uptain was killed. Bear spray proved ineffective. A Glock pistol was not used because it was yards away, and Chubon did not know how to use it.
  • On 24 September a bow hunter who bagged a moose on the Blackfeet Indian reservation in Montana used a pistol to stop a grizzly bear attack there.
  • On 26 September, a bow hunter successfully used a pistol to defend himself a sow grizzly bear and a grown cub in Montana.
  • On 29 September, a Tye Carlson, a bear hunter, was mauled by a 350 pound boar black bear in northern Wisconsin. Dogs that were pursuing the bear arrived. Carlson was able to retrieve his firearm and shoot the bear. The bear attacked Carlson

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