Posted on 06/22/2026 5:41:34 AM PDT by marktwain
Lori Price successfully defended herself from a black bear attack in Alaska. Her dog was severely wounded by the bear. Then the bear came after her. She used a 9mm Glock 43 to defend herself. Joe Allgood interviewed her for In Depth Alaska (video link).
On Sunday, June 7, 2026, Lori Price was hunting for mushrooms near Skilak Lake. Skilak Lake is south of Highway 1 on the Kenai Peninsula, about 20 miles east of Soldotna, Alaska. She was almost ready to go home. She had two dogs with her, a chocolate lab, Willis and Chaos her German short-hair. The dogs were not very far away, but the woods were very dense. Both dogs wore bright colored GPS collars.
Lori heard a yip, an expression of alarm and fear from Chaos, then a loud roar from a bear.
Immediately, she heard yelps of pain and fear from her dog. Lori charged into the woods, a dense combination of alder, Devil’s club, and other trees, to get to her dog. As she dashed in, she was screaming for her dog. In a tiny opening, she looked up, and a black bear, with the blood from her dog dripping from its face and teeth, was coming at her.
Out of the corner of Lori’s eye, she saw the GPS collar for her dog. She saw Chaos lift his head, and he was a bloody mess. In that instant, the bear got up. Lori reacted and shot again. The bear went down again. Lori’s chocolate lab was trying to push past Lori to get between her and the bear. Lori was holding her back.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
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Sounds like someone who has practiced, reacted properly and effectively enough to put 3 bullets into a bear that were impactful (bears are not exactly easy to bring down), 9mm pistol no less.
Aim for the face.
She apparently has a good husband.
The laser practice is a good way to prepare.
Head shots under pressure are no joke, there is a reason center mass is taught, a head shot like that is more often getting lucky, very easy to miss given the adrenalin and nerves.
That being said I kind of agree but still, not an easy thing to do under that kind of threat.
I’d be afraid the bullet could ricochet off the skull.
A highly marginal weapon for the task, but carrying it saved the day. Good for that brave and lucky woman. Hope the dog makes it.
Nice map... I like maps. I think most guys like maps. :)
1) Any gun is better than no gun.
2) A gun that is reliable is better than a gun that is not.
3) A hole in the right place is better than a hole in the wrong place.
4) A bigger hole is a better hole.
;^)
It is sad that most non-guardian breeds charge in against bears in a fight they will surely lose quickly. Better to do what wolves and guardians do, get their attention but stay out of range. Wear them down with decoy and deception and let the human deal with the problem. I’ve had Chows who do this naturally, wonder what other breed experiences are... especially Husky and Akita— they seem to behave like Chows in many situations. Snakes are similar. I know when my Chows find a snake, they alert, but stay well out of range, BUT circle it and keep it pinned until I can get there and deal with it. Other breeds jump right in, get bit in the face or forelimbs and often die or require extensive care (assuming poisonous).
Happy to hear that she and her dogs are OK. Someone was looking out for her.
This news video shows the injuries to the dog. Looks like the injuries did not go deep. https://www.wsfa.com/2026/06/12/lucky-be-alive-woman-fends-off-bear-woods-after-animal-attacked-her-dog/
It is sad that most non-guardian breeds charge in against bears in a fight they will surely lose quickly.
Hounds use wolf tactics. They harass and hold the bear for the human hunters. It works better with black bears than with grizzly bears.
Swedish hunters use one dog which finds and harasses the bear until the hunter can catch up.
For sixty years I have taken family grief for having USGS quadrangles of every place I vacation.
Our map reading skills are becoming obsolete. The GPS devices are rendering map and compass navigation in the same category as celestial navigation for ships.
So far, they are a backup system. I suspect electronic backup systems will become the norm, perhaps with inertial navigation to back up GPS.
Indeed, a very brave and capable woman.
9mm took the bear out but she was lucky. She needs to upgrade to a Glock-35, 15+1 rounds of 40cal SW. It is a large weapon but you need a large weapon for bears.
Akita’s were bred in Japan to specifically hunt bears.
So, I would tend to believe it is second nature.
Similar to a beagle chasing a rabbit. Or any Terrier killing vermin. Thousands of years off selective breeding.
Even our female Chihuahua naturally chases rabbits out of the yard and stops at the woods line. Her father is a big chicken though. He will run the other way when the rabbits move. I call him the “Chicken Chi”.
I don’t have the time to read it, but where did she shoot the bear, on the head or the torso? Just askin’.
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