Man (Freeper kanawa) stabs bear to death

A Waterloo man and his dog made a harrowing escape from the clutches of a vicious black bear Thursday while portaging near Wawa, Ont.

Tom Tilley, 55, killed the nearly 200-pound bear by jumping on its back and stabbing the aggressive animal with a six-inch hunting knife after his dog alerted him and distracted the bear.

"Love is a very powerful emotion and my thought right away was, 'You're not going to kill my dog,' " Tilley said yesterday.

"I really consider my dog a hero. Without that first warning I would have had the bear clamping down on my neck."

Tilley had planned on spending 12 days portaging through the area near Wawa with his American Staffordshire, Sam.

Four days into the trip, as he was making his third trip back to the water near Abbey Lake to retrieve his gear, he heard his dog growl and noticed the bear closing in on him. He said he did what he's been taught to do when a bear is close -- he starting waving his arms and slowing started backing away from the animal.

The bear moved off the trail, but a few seconds later reappeared, cutting off Tilley's escape route.

Sam, who was behind Tilley before the bear moved up the trail, was now between the bear and his owner. Instead of taking an aggressive stance, the dog stood sideways blocking the bear's route.

"The bear took a few steps down the trail and clamped its mouth on the back of my dog," Tilley said. "By attracting the bear's attention like that and distracting the bear from me it gave me the quick opportunity I needed to run around to the back of the bear, get on its back and with my knife start stabbing it."

Tilley had recently purchased the knife that would save his life after reading the story of Jacqueline Perry, the young Cambridge doctor who was killed by a bear last September.

Perry's husband attempted to fend off the animal with a Swiss Army Knife -- the only weapon he had.

"When I read the report about her death, it really hit home to me that these things are possible," Tilley said.

"I owe her husband a real debt of gratitude because if I hadn't heard her story and got that knife, I wouldn't be telling this story."

After making sure the animal was dead, Tilley realized he had suffered a wound to his hand and Sam had two puncture marks on his back. He needed to get help, but was a two-day portage away from civilization.

Dragging his canoe across the short portage, Tilley paddled for about an hour before he came across a pair of Americans who happened to have a satellite phone.

They called for help and two hours later, a cargo plane arrived to take Tilley back to Wawa for medical attention.

News of his feat passed quickly through the small community, with a population of just over 3,000.

"He had a lot of cojones to do what he did," said Brenda Grundt, who operates the local news site Wawa-news.com and drove Tilley two hours back to where he'd left his van after the incident.

"It's pretty amazing. Here's a guy that wouldn't be here if he hadn't happened to have a knife on him."

As for Tilley, it wasn't until he was back in his van alone with Sam that he took in the gravity of the situation.

"I just thanked God I was alive and that my dog was alive and cried a bit, but they were tears of thanks and relief," he said.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has sent the bear's body to Guelph and Ottawa for testing.

"It's very unusual for a bear to attack a person (and) pretty amazing this gentleman was able to kill it just with a knife," said Jolanta Kowalski, spokes-person for the ministry.

Because Wawa doesn't have a veterinarian's office and a specialist wasn't available to treat his hand, Tilley decided to push through and make the long journey home that night.

Back in Waterloo, news of his experience trickled back to amazed friends and family. Despite the danger, Tilley said the incident hasn't erased his love of the outdoors.

"My daughter says I'm not allowed to go up there anymore," he said with a laugh. " But I left my canoe there knowing I'll have to go back to get it."

Good job Kanawa. I had a lengthy discussion with you not too long ago on a Freeper thread,05/30/2006, 2 months or so ago about going into bear country. This is the knife I recommended you take with you, easily made into a spear with which one can pole ones canoe, during a portage trip, and disassembled at the end of the trip. I recommend you get one and pray you don't have another similar occasion to use it.

In my days as an Exploration tech. crew chief with Noranda Exploration out of Toronto, into Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Labrador, my crewmen had occasion to tangle with black bears. One in Riley Brook, New Brunswick was a case like yours, an unprovoked attack, the only one ever recorded in New Brunswick. Being prepared is the best remedy, and if you can't carry a heavy caliber pistol or rifle, a good knife is next, as you have proven.

Ironically that Freeper discussion with you was involved in a thread about pit bulls and the movement to "ban" them. Your dog is a beauty and a wonderfully loyal hound. Not many dogs will stand on a bear. You are lucky to have him and he to have you!

This knife is what I use, and on the first day out I cut a 7 foot straight sappling and mount the blade on the pole, and put the sheath on it, and use the spear to pole the canoe through shallows, and keep it in the canoe. I hope I never have to use it, but I want to share it with you again as a step up so you won't have to jump on the back of the next one!

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My previous post to you is as follows (and you NOW know I wasn't joking):

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1637516/posts?page=237#237

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The knife comes with a small notch on the rear handle edge you can use to clamp the knife to the spear with a screw. That is not secure enough for me. What I do is drill two small holes in the handle and use 2 short dry wall screws to fasten it up tight with the phillips head on my swiss army knife. Some people go through the trouble of making the whole spear before the trip and use cross bolts. I like to do it on the way. My father and uncles all are camp whittlers. I am the same. The first day out I keep my eyes peeled for a good sappling that is straight and a little wider than the hollow handle on the top end, then harvest it with an axe. Hardwood is best(maple) but a good long straight black spruce sappling from a thicket where they grow tall and straight will do just as well if you dont mind peeling the bark off, or the sticky sap.It should be about 8 feet long. In camp the first night I simply whittle the sappling end into the right cone shape, by repeatedly fitting it into the handle, until I get a solid snug fit way up into the handle. I then take out my trusty swiss army knife, open up the phillips head screw driver and screw the short dry wall screws into the holes I have predrilled. ( Drilling the holes about 2 inches apart takes about five minutes with a hand drill at home.)When I finish the fitting and squaring the butt, the spear is usually between 6 or 7 feet long. Make sure to mount the knife on the skyward end of the sappling, its incredibly bad luck to mount it on the earthward end, but do as you please. If the butt starts to split you can resquare it or serve it with tightly wrapped and tied fish line. As time goes on, you will get better at selecting straighter sapplings and smoothing the shaft. Sometimes I use beach sand to get the shaft really smooth, and by the end of the trip, the spear shaft is scrimshawed with art.I even tie feathers I find to the haft just behind the knife handle, using fishing line.Raven feathers work well to keep track of wind direction.

I keep the spear on the floor of the canoe with the knife in the sheath, and use it for poling the canoe when in shallow water. I leave the sheath on when poling.My dad taught me how to stand up and do this but be careful, its tricky balancing with two in the canoe if your partner moves much. The Indian people used to do this a lot. (If going into rough water, I lash the spear to the thwart with rope, just like the other gear.) I usually whittle the spear shaft , as an ongoing project in camp, peeling the bark off, smoothing out the knots and squaring the butt. Its good that the butt has a few knots in it to discourage splitting, you can see that when you cut the sappling. I do this smoothing work as a matter of respect for the weapon, and if a native Indian sees it, he will understand why you have it a lot better, its not just a cold killing tool but a way to pass the time enjoyably.

At the end of the trip, I take out my trusty swiss army knife, and unscew the dry wall screws, and put the knife in sheath in my pack. Usually I burn the spear at my last camp fire. (I have even used the spear as a quick in a pinch fishing rod by tying leader and hook to it).

I do get some queer looks from other canoists about the spear, but have never been castigated, when I tell them its bear insurance, because of the recent attacks you have mentioned. If you ever have to use it, prod the bear with the spear about its cheeks and nose until it stands up and sink the spear right into its solar plexis or base of the neck as deeply as you can, avoid the ribs. If you have to thrust into ribs do it from low to high at an angle so the blade will slip in between them.Pull it out and reinsert as many times as necessary.You will find after the first few prods that most bears will turn and tucker, rather than stand.If the spear shaft is broken by the bear after you have inserted it, go for your camp axe and finish the job. BTW Do not try to use it on a moose that might chase you. Thats what trees are for ( LOL), but I am told that Indian people use to wait for moose to feed on Water Lilly roots, and stalk the moose by paddling up on it silently when its head is under water. When next to the animal they speared it deeply towards the heart from the left side if possible, just behind the foreleg shoulder. They must have been wild crazy and hungry! I have done the same, but used a camera, instead of a spear.

A spear is a good weapon, and not at all a toy. My dad always said to be real careful with it.

There is a photo here of the result of spearing a bear.

http://www.apgs.com/spear%20hunt.jpg

Good luck!

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I am so glad you had the mental edge to snatch your life and your dog's away from that bear!!!!! I also hope that our discussion helped you think before hand what to do if you were cornered by Bruno.

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