Posted on 06/22/2020 11:00:39 AM PDT by SJackson
HENRYS LAKE — Gregory “Thor” Godar thought he was going to die.
As the 500-pound bear slashed his back, swung him to the ground and bit his stomach, he looked into its eyes and was sure this was the end.
“I said to myself, ‘Well, at least I’m getting killed by a pretty bear.’ She was very beautiful,” Godar says.
How the attack happened Godar and his wife, Sherry Groves, had been hiking on the Aspen Trail at Henrys Lake State Park on Friday afternoon. The West Yellowstone, Montana, couple had hiked in this area of the park before but never seen any bears. They were carrying bear spray and bells.
“I hear ruffling in the brush and the aspen trees. I look over and see brown and assume it’s an elk but out of the trees run two big fat cubs – large grizzly yearlings,” Godar tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Then I look, and there’s mama bear staring at me from 20 feet away. I go, ‘Oh s***!’ and yell to warn Sherry.”
In an “unbelievably quick” second, the bear charged at Godar. He reached for bear spray he carried at his chest but couldn’t get it in time. What happened next in something Godar says he’ll never forget.
“She paused for a split second 5 feet away from me and looked me straight in the eye,” Godar recalls. “I think she was trying to figure out the best way to attack.”
Before he knew it, Godar was on the ground, and the bear was swatting and biting. Groves turned around and saw the grizzly lying on her husband.
A bear attacked and bit Gregory “Thor” Godar in the stomach while he was hiking in Henrys Lake State Park on Friday, May 30. | Courtesy Gregory Godar “I was convinced I was dead. After she chewed on my belly, I thought she was going to crush my neck and kill me,” Godar says.
He grabbed his throat, thinking that’s where the bear would bite next, but instead, she paused, got up and ran away.
After the attack Groves released bear spray in the direction of the animals, but they stayed put. Now the couple had to get out of harm’s way.
“We pretty much assumed she would attack again, and we had to walk a mile and a half back to the park entrance station expecting she’d charge at us,” Godar says. “On the way down, we warned a lady walking her dog that there was a grizzly up there, and she didn’t believe us but then turned around and left.”
Despite the attack, Godar says he was never in extreme pain – “it was a 2-to-3 on a scale of 1 to 10” – but the tooth marks in his stomach stung, and there was a lot of blood. Finally, the couple arrived at their car and drove to the park entrance.
“I thought I was going to throw a little water on it, get dirt out of the wound and drive home to West Yellowstone,” Godar says. “I was descended upon by dozens of people asking questions – ambulance people, park rangers, the bear specialist, Fish and Game – they all had to ask the same questions over and over again.”
Godar was loaded into an ambulance and then transferred to a helicopter so he could be flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. He was conscious the entire time and remained in good spirits.
“Once the bear got off of me, and I could see I might have a shot at getting out of there, I was very happy because I thought I wasn’t going to die. I was pretty cheerful through most of it,” he says. “But my heroic wife, who helped me hustle of there, she was hyperventilating and felt like throwing up. We were both scared the bears were coming back.”
Godar was released from EIRMC late Friday night and will see a wound specialist in Bozeman, Montana, a few times a week for the next month. Big bruises are all over his body, and he puts ointment and gauze over the tooth marks on his stomach.
The couple says this won’t stop them from hiking, but they will now carry large cowbells on their backs and bear spray in their hands.
“I would advise anyone in significant bear country to not depend on having your bear spray on your hip or in your backpack. Mine was on my front, and you’d think I’d have time to get it out. I didn’t. Most of the attacks are from very short range,” Godar says. “I don’t think I will ever put it in a holster again. I’m going to hold it in my hand.”
LOL
Now we both should be kicked off :)
“I hear ruffling in the brush and the aspen trees. I look over and see brown and assume it’s an elk but out of the trees run two big fat cubs – large grizzly yearlings,” Godar tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Then I look, and there’s mama bear staring at me from 20 feet away. I go, ‘Oh s***!’ and yell to warn Sherry.”
That should have been the signal to draw, right there. But, he doesn't do it.
“She paused for a split second 5 feet away from me and looked me straight in the eye,” Godar recalls. “I think she was trying to figure out the best way to attack.”
That would have been the perfect time to shoot and kill the bear, but he didn't have a gun. He could have sprayed it, but he hadn't drawn the bear spray, either.
Look at the pictures of the wound at the link. If someone in a bloody shirt told me that, not only wouldn’t I go forward, I’d help him.
Bear spray? if it isn’t .44 magnum forget about it.
You’re right, I was focusing on the 20 feet, which a bear can traverse faster than you can draw and aim accurately. Seeing brown, but absolutely seeing cubs should put anyone on high alert.
The world is full of idiots.
Her little dog would make a nice grizzly snack with her as the main course.
If you haven’t seen this before it is a must read when talking about bear defense.
https://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97_25.html
That's not going to last long once he gets the bill from the air ambulance company..........
"Good luck with that".
Yeah, I hear bear scat is full of those things and smells like bear spray...
I am stunned how little damage the bear caused. The 2 holes it punctured in his beer belly fat are HUGE but that seems to be the extent of the damage. 2 big old holes in fat, which doesn’t bleed like veins, arteries, and organs do.
Good thing she felt the threat ended and left. I don’t see where he got damage from getting swatted. Looking at his 2 holes and that is it, I would never suspect he had been attacked by a Brown Bear. 500 lbs is a small Brown Bear, but still and all.
Yes. He was immobile, curled up on the ground. She ended the threat. That was that.
Thanks. I’m a little surprised at the 9mm stops. Would not be my choice. I do carry spray as well, as much for other threats. Of course I’m rarely in grizzly country.
500 lb. That’s a biggun.
“There’s got to be a Gary Larson take on that somewhere...”
Good one...and boy, do I miss the Far Sides. At least we can go to the web to get a refresh.
“...They will now carry large cowbells on their backs and bear spray in their hands”
I’d be carrying my AR50, the Beowulf .50cal w/ 425gr HPs.
The author has well over 100 documented saves now if you search Dean Weingarten you can find the most up dated report with 70 some I think.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.