Posted on 12/02/2007 9:24:01 AM PST by george76
Juneau man recounts Friday morning bear attack on Admiralty Island .
A "crack" in the brush. A split second to turn and see the bear. Another second to click the gun's safety off.
That's all the time Dr. John Raster had before the brown bear attacked him.
"I screamed and fired a shot into the air," he said. "It was already on me and the gun was still pretty much slung around my shoulder. He bit me and started scratching me and pushed me down into the water."
The Juneau doctor had been walking alone Friday morning along a stretch of beach on Admiralty Island, just a few hundreds yards from a cabin where he stayed with a hunting party.
"I thought it was my neck," he said. "I thought I was going to die ... I was afraid it was going to eat me and drag me into the woods."
He may have lost consciousness or been stunned, but a few minutes passed before he realized he was soaked through and cold.
Thursday night they heard a bear outside the cabin popping its teeth and breaking branches...
Friday afternoon, they packed up and took a floatplane back to Juneau.
(Excerpt) Read more at juneauempire.com ...
/s
.
Lemme guess - the air was not what was attacking him.
popping its teeth?
This guy fired into the air, too ?
Authorities believe a Calgary hunter killed by a grizzly near Sundre went down fighting, firing his weapon before dying.
An autopsy conducted on Don Peters, 51, of Calgary, yesterday confirmed the city hunter died as a result of a grizzly bear attack and an investigation at the scene concluded Peters fired his hunting rifle before being killed, said RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/11/30/4696926-sun.html
The article didn't mention that the good doctor was wearing bells or was armed with the lethal pepper spray.
My friend in the other tent had his bag and the sleeve of his shirt ripped, but wasn't injuerd. The thing he remembered most afterwards was, "That sucker's HORRIBLE breath!"
Needs more range time, or get his sights aligned properly.
Seriously, what a jerk.
or get his sights removed so it will not hurt so much for when the bear...
Things happen so quickly. Usually the bear charges out of nearby cover. We’ve had several incidents this hunting season in NW Montana.
In one the hunter fired his rifle from the hip and the 600 lb Grizzly passed to his side. Afterwards he found a deer carcass the bear had been feeding on. The next day the carcass had been moved and buried in another location.
In another incident a mountain lion jumped on a hunter’s back. He dropped his rifle, but managed to get a shot off with his pistol, which was enough to scare the cat off.
In another instance a hunter was taking a dump, when a Grizzly came out of the brush, knocked him over and held him down. He couldn’t get his 44 out of the holster because his belt was loose. The bear released him and left.
In another instance a Grizzly charged 2 hunters, who deterred it with pepper spray. The bear came back for another go and they shot it.
Yup. Forensics would be working with the proctologist.
They said “no mom we were crying because the bear was so stinky”.
Warning shots into the air at such a close range is not good.
I lived in Alaska for more than 30 years, including Juneau. A well known and often used joke said to persons depending on a handgun for bear protection was “Good choice, you’ll be able to stick it in your mouth and kill yourself before the bear reaches you.”
“It was already on me and the gun was still pretty much slung around my shoulder.”
Superman could twirl around in a phone booth while changing clothes.
The rest of us are a bit slower.
A bear can cover 20 yards in less than two seconds - with his camera in hand and rifle slung over his shoulder, he surprisingly was able to fire a shot. I lived in Juneau for 24 years and know this doc from a few appointments with him - nice guy, good physician. We hunted the Seymour
Canal area many times and there are plenty of brown bears -this one could have had a deer carcass nearby, which are in short supply after last winter’s devastating snowfall (16 feet plus) which shrank the Sitka blacktail population in a big way.
lOL.....ah great children stories.....”Look mom! This is the dogs paw! Can we hang it from the mirror??”
City liberals often say...He should have had his little brass bells to warn the bear.
Peters was out hunting big game over the weekend in a heavily wooded area near Mount-Aire Lodge west of Sundre, about 90 km northwest of Calgary, when he failed to return home on Sunday afternoon.
He was found Wednesday after an intensive three-day search.
Signs at the scene show Peters was likely killed Sunday but that the hunter, despite having fired his high-powered rifle before the attack, likely didn’t hit the bruin that killed him, said Alberta Sustainable Resource Development spokesman Dave Ealey.
“There is no evidence of a blood trail from the bear, or any other signs that the bear is wounded,”
Other funny story....or it could be a “choking doberman” style urban legend. State park close to Anchorage near Chugiak some years ago. Rangers posted signs warning of very touchy sow and young being reported in the hiking trail area. “proceed at own risk” advice on signs. Apparently a older woman and her 20+ son saw the signs and she commented to others around at the time that they “understood bears” and being so were therefore in no danger. Of course, as the story goes, what was found later in the park was only what had not been converted into bear droppings.
Sounds like the bear was protecting his turf = which he relies on for survival - including the deer the hunters were taking.
He politely gave them a polite warning with his signature popping of teeth and snapping branches. This not working, next day, he gave a more drastic warning to get out of my hunting grounds... He could easily have finished the job and dragged the guy off for supper -
“He grabbed the 6 mm rifle out of the water, jammed another cartridge into it and watched the woods.”
Pretty puny rifle for walkin’ around in bear country, IMO.
Semper Fi,
6 mm rifle ...noise maker for warning bears ?
This year I was carrying my 7mm Rem Mag. Last year I carried a 243 Win. I don’t know any hunters that carry heavy caliber “bear guns” to hunt deer, even though we’re thick with bears up here.
Last year I came on a black bear while hunting grouse with a 28ga shotgun. He was munching on what appeared to be a part of a deer. Luckily, I saw him at some distance and was able to observe him as he ignored me. I was carrying a 44 as well, but it wouldn’t do me much good if I stumbled over a bear trying to kick up some grouse in cover.
bump!!!
I never had probs with grizz, they pretty much stay above treeline; and when I have seen them; I respect the heck outta them. I sent some claws to a buddy a few years back and he made a necklace, which he thought was too cool. Now and then they break into fish shacks come spring.
We are now allowed to bait grizz with buckets of fish guts in trees; draws them in. Their pops have really put a hurtin on the moose. If they would permit sale of bear parts to chinese; entire bear problem would go away quick. I hear grizz hides with claws are bringing 800 bucks untanned.
Have been stalked twice by blk bear; came in on me crawling with front quarters down like a cat would a rabbit; ears twittlin back and forth like crazy; what I really remember. So I kinda watch the blk bears good too as they all don’t run from man up in Alaska.
Next time, all he has to do is lay down and then sing to the bear. This always works.
A “crack” in the brush. A split second to turn and see the bear. Another second to click the gun’s safety off.
That’s all the time Dr. John Raster had before the brown bear attacked him.
“I screamed and fired a shot into the air,” he said. “It was already on me and the gun was still pretty much slung around my shoulder.
He wasn’t aiming for the air, doesn’t anyone read the article?
Why not shoot the guy next to you in the knee and run?
“...came in on me crawling with front quarters down like a cat would a rabbit; ears twittlin back and forth like crazy;”
LOL! Good one! I wonder what the black market price for gall bladders is/are/am these days? I recall there was a real market for that. I take it you are or have been in Alaska? Fomerly of Fairbanks, Sitka, and Juneau myself. ‘74 to ‘03.
“Zactly” Used in this way, I’ve heard that a .22 LR is the best bear medicine.
“They were trying to get into the other tent, maybe smelling food.”
Keeping food in a tent in any bear country is just asking for trouble.
“We went bear hunting and took our sons,age 6 and 4”
You horrible person, brainwashing young children into a culture of death and savagery. Social Services should take your kids away, lest they forever have bad dreams of gore and violence.
/PETA rant.
Make sure and use a hollow point so there will be plenty of blood. Bears like that.
Hmm... I’ll make a note.
If you are the guy that gets shot, make sure and sing to the bear. I heard that works but not always.
My biggest fear in bear county is that one gets the drop on me while I am taking care of business. I am so crazy about it I draw my gun and keep it my hand when involved. Buddies all think I am nuts, so your story is timely. I also keep a long knife handy as the third line of defense.
That would be wise.
Thanks for reposting my picture. That was a fun thread!
bump!
Kanawa will forever be a legend.
The fact that bears get the jump on deer all the time ought to clue folks in.
Fella from up this way killed a Brownie with a folding Buck knife a couple of years back. A lot of folks thught he was telling a wopper - till the hide went on auction.
The fellow wielding the knife was 68 Y/O.
You could clearly see the puncture wounds and slashs on the bears neck.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-16615.html
Same thing happen down B.C way this year - 3.5 in Buck folder vs a Griz. The man ‘won’.
Me? I carry a 12 ga.
Real Hunters Bump!
In another instance a hunter was taking a dump, when a Grizzly came out of the brush, knocked him over and held him down. He couldn’t get his 44 out of the holster because his belt was loose. The bear released him and left.
Whoa! I would have crapped my...
Never mind.
“In another instance a hunter was taking a dump, when a Grizzly came out of the brush, knocked him over and held him down. He couldn’t get his 44 out of the holster because his belt was loose. The bear released him and left.”
Don’t tell me, let me guess - the hunter never walked the same afterwards. Adds new meaning to ‘broken open like a shotgun’.
Good point. They are sneaky devils
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