Grizzly BearPosted on 01/21/2021 4:46:06 AM PST by marktwain
Grizzly Bear
Ken Ledeau is a semi-retired trucker who rented a cabin near Dupuyer, Montana. He loved the area, the views, and the wildlife he would see while walking for exercise. He would walk up and down a finger ridge on one side of Dupuyer Creek drainage. The land was mostly open on the ridge, while the creek had dense stands of willow trees and other vegetation.
Neighbors in the Dupuyer area had warned him about the dangers of grizzly bears in the area. He had taken their advice and was carrying a Smith & Wesson 629 stainless steel .44 magnum revolver. The revolver was loaded with 305 grain HSM cartridges. He had a can of bear spray.
On 8 April 2020, Ken was walking in the evening. It was cool and clear, in the low 40’s Fahrenheit. Ken wore an old backpacking windbreaker over his holstered pistol, gloves, and carried a walking stick. His 629 Smith has a six-inch barrel and was carried in an Uncle Mike’s nylon belt holster with a thumb break retainer.
Ken hiked the ridge about a half-mile south of his rented cabin. He was returning down the ridge. Lower on the ridge, on the right, toward the Dupuyer drainage, there was a patch of snow and a brush patch. As he passed the brush patch below him, he heard a noise. He stopped and looked around, but did not see any animals. He continued walking. For some reason, he looked back. A grizzly bear was emerging from the brush onto the snow and was charging up the slope toward him. The bear was 50-60 feet from him.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
It was worth it. Great story.
Great story. Thx!
Outdoors/Rural/wildlife/hunting/hiking/backpacking/National Parks/animals list please FR mail me to be on or off . And ping me is you see articles of interest.
Near the Bob Marshall Wilderness, noted for it’s beauty and grizzly bears! Good ending.
The man turned around and saw the bear praying, “Father, for this food we’re about to receive, we’re grateful.”
Lessons:
Practice your draw.
Practice your reloads.
Practice practice practice.
L
I owned that same S&W until just a few days ago. HSM ammo is just as available as every other manufacturer out there. Just out curiosity, in case I get another one soon, has anyone bought direct from HSM? I noticed on the HSM website that their office is closed to the public but they are still producing and offer curbside delivery. Anyone ever bought directly from HSM?
If the guy had worn bells around his neck the bear would have avoided him. Riiight.
And pepper spray too, bear dung smelling like pepper spray with little bells in it?
Gives me chills. I have walked that same creek with a Remington 870 hunting grouse. Saw the bear skat and immediately the hair rose on the back of my head. It was a scary walk back to the truck.
“He used to believe there should be more bears. Now he thinks the difficulties they present to people who are living where the bear population is increasing should be considered”.
It took him a bear attack to figure out what everyone else prob knew without a bear attack.
Huge numbers of urban dwellers do not know that.
To them, bears are wonderful individuals, kinda like nice humans in a furry suit.
I call it Disneyfication.
In many states, those people are a majority. It is how California passed the ban on mountain lion hunting in 1990.
It is how the state management of wolves and bears are stopped with judicial fiat.
It is ignorant and insane, but it is the mindset of tens of millions of Americans.
Great story. Lots of lessons here.
Then there is this...”Three cubs were later found and rescued by a rancher.”
The kind-hearted rancher is making sure the next generation is thriving and will be available to eat people. I’d wager he voted for Biden.
People’s first response to danger nowadays seems to be whipping out a smartphone & uploading it somewhere.
Thanks for another great article.
They will end up in a zoo.
The Inuit (Eskimo) peoples found bear cubs to be a delicious delicacy.
“Ken was 59 years old when the bear attacked him.”
How old was he when the attack was over?
Probably felt like he was 75!
This is an important piece of info.
Without it, the whole report would have been worthless.
Many in the gun culture appreciate details such as make, model, ammunition and other accessories used.
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.