Man (Freeper kanawa) stabs bear to death

The Record.com ^ | Jul 22, 2006 | MELINDA DALTON

[doug from upland]

Thanks for bringing back that memory, Cal.

[Candor7]

He had to dispatch the bear quickly with the bear biting Sam even harder as he was stabbed.I think thats why he stabbed the sucker so many times, and didn't stop uintil Bruno did not move,as he has said. When a bear has a mouth full of something and it is stabbed or attacked,it tends to blame it on what it has in its mouth. This I know from men who have had the misfortune to have their forearm in a black bear's mouth, while others beat on it.

Kanawa succeeeded admirably in this and it likely saved Sam's life because Sam's back could have been broken, a bears mouth can deliver a bite which is in the 1000 pounds per sqaure inch range, stronger than a wolf's, (look at the mouth muscles on a bears head.)

Again a great job by a dedicated and loving man.

[xp38]

OK That's a Knife!

[Joe 6-pack]

My boys and I salute you, sir! You and Sam are both highly deserving of membership in the Order of the Big Brass Balls....

[Candor7]

The spear keeps you from having to close with a bear if all you have is a knife. Most bears will turn and run with such a spear, and if they stand on their hind legs to fight, you have a very good target. Frontiersmen in the old days could close with a bear because they wore leather and/or heavy wool coats and shirts, even in summer at night. People these days do not wear such heavy clothing, because synthetic fiber keeps us warm without the weight.

If the spear would not work for whatever reason, my camp axe would be the second thing I would pick up, the belt knife would be the last resort.I know several men who have killed black bears with a camp axe, Dona Hache of Bathurst, New Brunswick being one, who killed one with his first blow right on top of the head as it came at him on all fours outside a cook tent in the Gaspe. The boys actually blew a bear up with dynamite that summer ( it's a long story) and they had to move camp because of it. Rotting bear guts attract more bears, so blowing one up doesn't work well.

I really like bears and they have rarely bothered me, but have gotten close enough to spook me over and over. I guess Kanawa must smell better! I have a bear that visits my land every spring, even looked in my windows, but has never attacked or made a nuisance of himself.LOL.

Of course , if Canada would change its gun laws, there is nothing better than the Ruger Super Black Hawk in .44 magnum cal., 7.5 inch barrel, which I have hanging in my bedroom closet here in Vermont, in a cross draw fast break holster. Perhaps my bear friend knows I have it.

[Jeff Head]

Kanawa, God bless you!

In remote areas of Montana and in Idaho I have been blessed on a couple of occassions to be able to back away from situations that I felt may have led to severe problems. Nothing like your situation...just becoming aware of the potential before it occurred (like hairs raising on your neck when you smell a recent kill and you note that distinctive Bear smell while hemmed in by Willows)) and then luickily being able to avoid the problem.

I always travel in those remote areas now with my dog and a firearm.

What a harrowing experience, and what a good dog you have and a good owner you are. You two have won our undying respect and admiration for how you both handled this and were, in fact, one another's salvation. Again, God bless and keep you. Thank you so much for sharing.

[fanfan]

I didn't notice until the next day but my ribs are pretty tender, I guess from the tussling.

LOL! Bear tussling will do that to you I guess!

I'm happy to hear you both are going to be OK.

:-D

[GMMAC]

... and worse still:

7. he displayed individual initiative,

8. didn't depend on the nanny state to save his butt,

9. took personal responsibility,

10. and rightly figured & showed he knew more about what constitutes a good dog than every slimeball, opportunistic Liberal politico & brownshirted, statist, pro-dog-killing thug in the entire Province of Ontario !!!

BRAVO !!!
Tom & Sam

[fanfan]

Yes, the libs are asking why he didn't try a little conflict resolution first!

[TYVets]

That will be 5% of your profits as my consulting fee.

Since you want in on the ground floor, you have to take the bad with the good.

My salary of $500,000 comes off the top, plus an operating loss of $250,000 the first year.

$750,000 loss.

5% of 750 thousand comes out to $37,500.

NonValue please forward your personal check to me in the amount of $37,500 on or before August 1.

Contact Inyo-Mono as to his operation. Then forward my Finders Fee of 35% of what ever money you can extract from him.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Excellent story...and thank God it had a happy ending.

Not to sound morbid, but would you mind telling me where and how you stabbed the bear in order to kill it? The reason I ask is that I often hike in the Cascades. I've seen black bears up there. I know that they don't attack often, but when they do, it is to eat, and that your only chance is to fight for your life. I always carry a large Buck hunting knife, but there's always the nagging doubt that I wouldn't be able to get through the muscle and fat to hit a kill zone.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

YOU THE MAN!!!

[fanfan]

Isn't he though!

[Old Student]

Going postal in such a situation is an appropriate behavior. IF you're going to fight, hand to claw, fight berserk! (even if you have a knife)

Sam is both blessed, and a blessing. Kanawa is likewise, both blessed, and a blessing. They bless each other.

I had my daughters read this story as soon as I finished it. Bears aren't common here in Oklahoma, but they may not live here all their lives. I'll have my son read it when he gets home from church.

I think I'm buying them all a good knife and a camp ax. When they're a little bigger, that Ruger Super Black Hawk sounds like a good idea, too.

We have a cage full of Grizzly Bears in our local zoo, and I've pointed out such things as the size of their teeth and claws, and how muscular they are, to my kids. We have our own hero-dog story in the family, as well, although her opponent was another dog, two or three times her weight.

[fanfan]

Did you see this?

[kanawa]

Can you confirm that the buck knife you purchased was the 119BR?

My knife has 119 engraved at the base of the blade.
The 119BR looks like the same knife but with brass trimmings.
As others have pointed out a longer blade would probably be better.
One of my considerations was whether an 8 or 10 inch blade might be a bit cumbersome to carry around with me.
Not saying they would be but I opted for one that I felt I would be comfortable wearing.
Any knife is, of course, no help if you don't have it readily at hand.

It's interesting to me to look back at my trip journal
and see my last entry from the night before the incident...
"Finding it quite easy to wear knife on belt"

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I wish there were bears in Ireland... I could prove my manhood!! ;)

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Yes, the libs are asking why he didn't try a little conflict resolution first!

kanawa should have at least sought a UN resolution first!! :P

[fanfan]

LOL!

You don't need a bear, grab a shark or something.

;-)