Another Bear Spray, Gun and Grizzly National Park Incident

Gun Watch ^ | 26 November, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

I actively look for and monitor defensive uses of firarms.   While some defensive uses of firarms are common, such as driving off intruders from a home, others such as defense against a grizzly bear, are rare.  They tend to stand out when they happen.   I missed this one, even though it did get some coverage in 2013.  The actual defense occurred two years ago in November of 2012.

It is especially interesting because both bear spray and bullets were used.  The only other one that I recall happened this year. The bear was killed by the gunfire, dropping, literally at the shooters' feet.   The shooters showed remarkable restraint, not fireing until the bear was only 10 feet from one shooter, eight feet from the other, moving fast.  From foxnews.com:

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Federal prosecutors have decided not to file charges against two young elk hunters after investigators concluded they acted in self-defense when they shot and killed a grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park last fall, park officials announced Thursday.

The bear charged the two and their father from 42 yards on Thanksgiving Day. First, the father fired bear spray at the animal. The sons opened fire when the bear was 10 feet away.

The two hunters who shot the bear were brothers, 17 and 20 years old, accompanied by their father, who deployed the bear spray.  They were not identified but their Grandfather speaks of what he heard from investigators:

 "They complimented the boys on how well they did because the bear was within eight feet of one of them," Dwayne Trembly told The Associated Press.

The bear was hit with three bullets.  Two were to the head, and the third was to the back.  I suspect that the head shots occurred first, and and the shot to the back happened as the bear dropped and slid toward the hunters.   It seems unlikely that bear spray would have been sufficient to prevent injury in this incident.   I have not seen any description of make, model, or caliber of the firearms used.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[marktwain]

While this incident occurred in 2012, I do not recall it being reported on freerepublic.

[Hugin]

Shooting a bear in the head is tricky business. Basically the skull stops at the top of the eye sockets. Shoot in that big “forehead” and the bullet will hit a mass of fat, hide and hair. At that angle you need to shoot midway between the eyes and tip of the nose.

[driftdiver]

Perhaps they asked the bear to stop charging so they could hit the right stop.

Or they were using howitzers.

[driftdiver]

8 feet from a charging grizzly.

Thats enough to make you pucker.

[familyop]

Bear spray wouldn’t work in my area. It’s almost always too windy for that. With a little bear anatomy knowledge and a plan for defense, a firearm would be a much safer tool.

From the front, the target areas are the chest just above the tops of the legs, the small area of the skull in the middle between the eyes and ears, and the spine (top or front of neck depending on bear’s position, low or high). It’s not much, but it’s better than being killed. There was an anatomy target with target areas for defense somewhere around the Net.

[familyop]

The frequent talk about bear skulls being too thick is a myth, but a more perpendicular and less oblique bullet path with respect to a bear skull is preferable for defense. In most cases, even a miss will stop a bear and scare it away. Wounded bears are more often dangerous later on and not at the time of being shot.

[Swordmaker]

Those fir arms must be controlled.

[Hugin]

If you shoot midway between the ears and eyes the bullet will probably go right over the skull. If the bear skull is level aim for the tip of the nose.

[libstripper]

Even though the article does not state the caliber of the weapons, it does say shooters were hunting elk, pretty large animals that would often be hunted with something like a .308. That means they’d definitely have enough gun at 10 feet.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

When using bear repellent spray, this is the most important rule: the spray goes on the bear.

If you spray it on yourself (like mosquito repellant), it's just so much hot sauce. Bears love hot sauce.

[dfwgator]

And don't forget to make an anti-Sea Bear Circle.

[lurk]

A charging bear at that distance creates a multi-tasking event for the shooter: shooting, standing still, and messing one’s pants.

[rickomatic]

Since when is elk hunting legal in Grand Teton National PARK?

[libstripper]

Probably not, but the shooters might have been just on the edge. Just guessing,but the article says they were hunting elk.

[marktwain]

Elk hunting has been legal in Grand Teton National Park for a long time. It is one of the few National Parks where hunting is legal. Hunting has been used to keep the elk heard there in check for many years.

http://www.jacksonholewy.net/summer_recreation/hunting.php

[marktwain]

heard should be herd

[driftdiver]

I wanna go elk hunting. I hear the bear problem is under control now.

[Brother Cracker]

[driftdiver]

Not a sight I’d like to see personally.

[rickomatic]

Today, I learned something new!