Free Republic

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of firearms in defense against bears. This may be because early experience with modern firearms against bears showed them to be incredibly effective compared to muzzleloading firearms, which were far superior to bows and spears.Before Christopher Columbus pioneered a regular and profitable way to travel to the Caribbean and the New World, Amerindians had difficulty defending themselves and their food against grizzly bears.Grizzly bears migrated into the area occupied by the 48 contiguous states a bit after humans, about 12,000 to 16,000 years ago. The bears originated in Europe and Asia, and had colonized...

Some people can't be taught. That brings us to Downieville, a Gold Rush village up in the Sierras where an elderly woman living alone was mauled by a bear who broke into her house and killed her. ... a sheriff’s deputy found Miller’s lifeless body in her kitchen. Her right leg and left arm had been partially gnawed off. On the floor around her were the large paw prints of a bear. ... autopsy determined that Miller had likely been killed by the animal after it broke into her home... fatal bear attack on a human. ... people who live...

Yellowstone National Park confirmed an 11-year-old male grizzly was captured and killed Wednesday after repeatedly knocking over bear-resistant dumpsters. Officials say the grizzly had repeatedly sought out human food. ======================================================================= A grizzly bear was captured and killed in Yellowstone National Park this week after becoming too used to human food. It’s the first grizzly to be killed within the boundaries of Yellowstone since 2017. The National Park Service (NPS) announced that the 11-year-old male grizzly had repeatedly sought out human food, turning over several bear-proof dumpsters and bear-resistant trash cans in several different areas of the park between April 3...

DOWNIEVILLE, Calif. — Patrice Miller, 71, lived by herself in a small yellow house beneath towering mountain peaks on the edge of a burbling river in this Sierra County village. She doted on her cats and her exotic orchids, and was known to neighbors for her delicious homemade bread. One fall afternoon, after Miller had failed for several days to make her customary appearance at the town market, a store clerk asked authorities to check on her.A short time later, a sheriff’s deputy found Miller’s lifeless body in her kitchen. Her right leg and left arm had been partially gnawed...

An 89-year-old Florida grandfather appears to have been attacked and killed by a black bear during the early morning hours of May 5th, near Jerome, Florida. Jerome is a rural area on the opposite side of the state from Miami, between the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area and the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, part of the Everglades.The relative of 89-year-old Robert Markel called 911 to report that a bear had killed Markel’s dog as the relative had watched, and that the elderly relative was missing. The call was made about 7 a.m. From fox4news.com:“No, he’s gone completely. His whole...

The Sledge Patrol, by David Howarth, 233 pages, published by Macmillan in 1957. $10 in mass market paperback from Amazon. First editions available as used copies. The Sledge Patrol is a one of those fascinating glimpses of WWII which show the conflict through an unexpected and unusual lens. It is the story of the East Coast of Greenland and how a few men can affect a much larger conflict, in ways of which they are unaware. As a bonus, there is the description of a conflict between a polar bear and a man alone on the ice. The polar bear...

An 88-year-old man and a dog were killed in apparently separate bear attacks near the victim's home in Florida, officials said. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call shortly after 7 a.m. Monday involving a "bear encounter." The attacks occurred "some time apart" on Monday, and the man and the dog were found within a couple of hundred yards of the area, according to FWC spokesperson George Reynaud. His daughter saw a bear attack the dog and then went looking for her father, who is believed to have been attacked earlier on Monday, Reynaud said.

CONNECTICUT — A man from Bethlehem said he was caught in a tough situation that involved self defense and breaking the law.Todd Topicz exclusively told Channel 3 that was woken up in August by his pregnant wife after a bear came within feet of his two children. “He walked right into the garage with people in there. He didn’t care. So, who knows what would’ve happened next time,” Topicz said.He said that the bear entered the home through the garage, where the two kids were at the time.The animal grabbed a few bags before being chased up a tree by...

BETHLEHEM, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) – A father in Connecticut was arrested after he said he shot a bear in self-defense to protect his family. The shooting happened at Todd Topicz’s home in August. He said that the bear entered the home through the garage, where his two kids were at the time. “He [the bear] walked right into the garage with people in there. He didn’t care. So, who knows what would’ve happened next time,” Topicz said.

A man shot and killed a grizzly bear Friday after it charged while he was shed hunting near Dupuyer in north-central Montana. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the man was searching for antlers on a brushy hillside when he first saw the bear. As he was leaving, the bear charged him at close range and he shot the bruin. The man was not injured. The adult female grizzly was healthy with no history of conflict. She was estimated to be 13 years old and weighed about 250 pounds. The sow had a single yearling cub that was found...

Timothy Treadwell was a controversial figure who insisted on approaching and viewing brown bears at close range for about 13 years. He did not carry a firearm or bear spray or any deterrents. From backpacker.com: Wes: Timothy thought he was the dominant bear in the ecosystem. I think he was past the point of accepting any input on that. I think he had convinced himself that they would never hurt him, and he was untouchable. Treadwell was repeatedly warned about the danger. From akfatal.net:Despite that, Treadwell refused to carry firearms or ring his campsites with an electric fence as do...

On March 21, in the Malá Fatra mountains near Bratislava, Slovakia, a European brown bear attacked a man who was hiking with his dog. The bear was reported to have had cubs with her. Mr. Piotr was carrying a mid-sized axe, which was used to clear brush and trim limbs.The axe appears similar to what we would have called a “cruiser” axe, about a 3/4-sized axe with a single-bit head. Mr. Piotr casually swings the axe as he walks along. It is something this correspondent often did while walking through the forest over 50 years ago. An axe is a...

Nunaga: Ten Years of Eskimo Life by Duncan Pryde 285 pages, 1971, Walker Publishing Company, Inc. New York, 1972 American edition. Available at Amazon from about $10 used. Nunaga is extremely well written, a riveting story of a young man from Scotland who goes to Canada in 1955, seeking fortune and adventure. He answers an ad for fur traders by the Hudson Bay Company.In 1955, eighteen-year-old Duncan Pryde answered the Hudson Bay Company ad. “Fur traders wanted for the far north,…single, ambitious, self-reliant young men wanted…” Pryde lived the Eskimo life for years, becoming adept at survival in the Arctic...

On May 20, 2022, Chad and Lacey Liske were getting ready for bed in their home near Medford, Wisconsin.Part of their routine was to take down their bird feeder to prevent damage by bears. Their house was invaded, and they were attacked by a 250 lb black bear. The incident was initially reported on AmmoLand on May 23, 2022. The Liske’s contacted AmmoLand with a detailed account this year. Their account is consistent with the AmmoLand report but includes many interesting details that were not available at the time. The Liskes had three children at home during the fight. Their...

UK Intercepts Russian Bombers Updated: 12:33, Thursday September 06, 2007 RAF Tornados intercepted eight Russian bombers as they approached UK airspace.

In his first term, and approaching his taking of office in his second term, President Trump spoke of the importance of Greenland to American security and the desirability of purchasing Greenland.Historically, the United States of America has been interested in Greenland because of its strategic position. Attempts have been made to purchase the island. In WWII, the United States became the de facto protector of the island. The USA maintains a military base in Greenland.It is uncertain if President Trump will acquire Greenland for the United States. This may be the opening gambit in a negotiation for more control over...

In the summer of 1991, Alan Yates was working in the forested mountains near Bozeman, Montana. Two black bears charged him at the same time. He successfully defended himself against the bears with two shots fired from his .357 magnum Smith & Wesson 65 revolver. He was 21 years old.Here are Alan’s words, lightly edited for space and clarity:In the summer of 1991 I worked on a logging operation in the mountains of Montana.There was a large bear that lived in the hills and mountains around our community. He was very aggressive. His favorite mode of attack was to charge...

Grizzly bears in Wyoming and the rest of the Lower 48 will remain under endangered species protection, federal officials announced — a decision immediately blasted by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon. In a statement released Wednesday just after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced its intention to keep grizzlies listed, Gordon implied it was a political move in the last days of President Joe Biden’s administration. “It has always been clear the Biden administration had no intention of delisting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear,” Gordon says in the statement. “This latest move to keep a fully-recovered population on...

During a crisp early Wednesday morning on October 15, 2003, near Fortine, Montana, James Beeman used a .410 shotgun to shoot and drop a charging grizzly bear at three feet.James Beeman had been having problems with raccoons in the large chicken coop he had built, about 50 yards from his 3600 square foot home. At about 3:30 a.m., he heard an unusual noise, sort of a mew-mew, but he did not sense anything amiss. At 4:30 a.m., chaos erupted in the chicken coop.The coop was 36×22 feet, with a floor 4 feet above ground level to allow the chicken droppings...

The incident happened in the fall of 1989 near Bozeman, Montana. This correspondent interviewed Alan Yates this year. Alan says this, and a few other incidents involving bear charges are burned into his memory. Alan was kind enough to write about what happened. Alan’s account has been lightly edited for space and clarity. This is Alan’s story:I was hunting whitetail in the early morning. I had my sort-of-trusty 303 Enfield over my shoulder. As I slipped slowly and quietly along, with the wind in my favor, trying to make no noise in the dew-dampened tall grass, a sound caught my...