Posted on 09/29/2014 6:05:07 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
Family members said a hunter is undergoing a second surgery after a bear attack in Pine County. Brandon Johnson is from North Branch and was attacked by a wounded bear early Saturday morning.
The 9-1-1 call came in after 3:30 a.m. in a remote part of the county called Duxbury. Pine County deputies said Johnson was alone at the time of the attack, but was with a group scattered in the woods.
Johnson told deputies he was tracking the wounded bear after bowhunting. Johnson told deputies the animal knocked him to the ground clawing and biting him.
Officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said bear attacks are rare.
"Bears, in general, are afraid of people," Area Wildlife Manager Chris Balzer said. "Tracking wounded bears is something you want to be cautious about, especially after dark."
(Excerpt) Read more at wdio.com ...
Will do.
Prayers and best wishes to your friend.
Do you know if he was carrying a sidearm?
lesson being, always carry a sidearm.
Bummer. Hope he does well.
I had to go after a bear at sundown once. Tightens up the boys.
What are the rules for bow hunting bear?
Can you carry a sidearm for protection?
Prayers sent. Sorry your friend had to learn such a lesson the hard way.
A wounded bear at night presents a real quandary. The law won’t allow a bow hunter to be armed in most places so maybe the best thing to do is contact the game warden and let him make the call. I tracked a wounded bear at night one time, but we were all armed to the teeth with 12 gauges full of slugs and enough spotlights to light it up like daylight. We kept together in a bunch watching each others backs. Luckily all we found was a dead bear.
Hunter kills 525lb black BEAR with his bare hands after it attacks him when he shot it a bow and arrow
Man shot black bear with bow and arrow during hunting trip near Duxbury
Fearing animal’s meat would spoil in heat, he waited four hours to track it
But after finding it lying injured on ground, bear suddenly charged at him
Hunter suffered two broken arms and facial wounds before stabbing bear
He is in a stable condition at Robbinsdale’s North Memorial Medical Center
Bear, which died from stab wounds, dragged out of wood by 10 hunters
you are allowed.not sure why he didn’t.
Common sense in Big Game Laws left the building a few decades ago in most states and all National Parks. In no circumstance should animal life be elevated by government to the point the laws endanger human life or deprive self defense from an attack. IOW back country hikers in NP's should be allowed a firearm.
If a bear is attacking bow hunting or not you should be allowed a firearm for defense. If a wolf or bear is outside your home and thus a danger to your family etc destroying the animal should not require red tape but be an on scene judgment call of the land owner. In such a case let the state have the fur & meat thus shooting a nuisance animal simply for personal gain of fur or food is eliminated.
I disagree with the game officers opinion on bears. Several conditions make them very dangerous besides injury. One is bears that scavenge populated areas for food. Their fear of humans is gone at that point. Another is a sow with cubs. Momma Bear can rip your head off and you may not realize cubs are even there. A back country bear might run off if he hears you coming {Talking about Black Bears BTW}. Some of the more aggressive western state breeds will just chase you down and kill you.
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