https://www.azfamily.com/2023/...county-deputies-say/

Deputies say that Arizona Game and Fish officials are on the way to the scene to investigate. Initial reports say that one person is dead and that the bear has been killed; however, deputies are still working on gathering information into how it occurred and what exactly happened in the moments leading to the attack

Check out this article from AZCentral:

Man dies after 'exceedingly rare' bear attack near Prescott

https://www.azcentral.com/stor...ponding/70330038007/ This from AZ Republic.

Sounds like your basic predatory male black bear attack. Just not all that uncommon. Happens several times a year, although you don't hear about a lot of the attacks. Bad for tourism.

That's just plain awful. So sorry for his family.

Wrong place wrong time

Let me see AZ has approximately 2500 black bears.

Az. has approximately 6.9 murders for every 100,000 people.

So per population bears have the equal rate of 40 per hundred thousand.


I know it is all about how one does the math.

This is why all this garbage about "carry permits" pisses me off. No one should ever be denied the right to have a shooter on their hip. It is unconstitutional BS, and if that man had a firearm he may still be alive.

AZ is a permit-less carry state.

It is a far more cultural thing. Then a law in most states.

Many seem to be afraid.

What will people think if they know I carry a firearm.

The anti's have been very successful in demonizing firearms.

So much that many who own them are afraid of people seeing them carrying.

Check out this article from AZCentral:

Necropsy finds bear that killed man near Prescott in good condition,' negative for rabies

https://www.azcentral.com/stor...healthy/70347367007/

He was just hungry.

Better to have one and not need it than to need one and an undertaker.

https://gunwatch.blogspot.com/...zly-bear-charge.html

I carry my Springfield V16 Long Slide in 45 Super as a woods gun. It's not too heavy or bulky, hits hard, and I shoot it well.

Yes handguns are very effective.

The 45 super can do the job.

The 44mag is the most used.

In reading the AZCentral article, it ended with the recommendations of the US Dep't of Agreculture for self protection if attacked by a bear (didn't specify as to type of bear); the usual recommendations:

Be aware
Lay on your stomach, spread legs, etc. . .

But the other suggestions are more suited to a griz attack: lay still, dont screem or struggle, wait for the bear to quit the attack, etc, IS VERY BAD if it's a male black bear! If the male black thinks you died it will start eating you, and if not it will eat you anyway!

An attack by a male black bear is predatory!

An attack by a nursing female is usually to protect cubs (or a cub). But it would be a huge mistake to assume an attack by a sow bear is to protect cubs... it may well be a predatory attack as well!

In any case, use fists to swing with all might right on the end of their nose, fingers or thumbs in eyes, rocks (biggest available) in face or on skull, long hardwood sticks for wacking and poking, etc, anything BUT allowing them to give a good mauling to you or killing you!

I used to walk in a conservation area 2 kilometres north of here. Can't take any firearms. Women walk their dogs there. I walked alone despite bear warning signs and poison ivy. I'm not allergic to PI but my wife is and the only time she walked with me there she got a good dose; then she didn't like the idea of bears sharing the area with us. But as soon as I came to one of the trails (many of them), I'd pick up a sturdy hardwood branch that had turned gray in weathering, was 5 - 6 ft in length by 1.5 to 2" thick and used it as my walking stick. . . and weapon against any agressive bear! A strong wack over the nogan of any bear with one of those would send him prematurely into a state of hibernation!

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Local rumor was he had water out for a dog. It’s mighty dry there. Tried to chase bear off and lost.

Sorry to hear. Never a good idea to chase bears off even if you have a gun, unless they're killing your dog. I've done it, but it's not smart.

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
Sorry to hear. Never a good idea to chase bears off even if you have a gun, unless they're killing your dog. I've done it, but it's not smart.

I disagree I have chased black bears off many times.

Teaches them respect.

The local bear trapper asked me what I would do if one turned on me.

I told him that is what guns and back hoes are for.
He didn't pry any deeper.

Around here bears are hunted with dogs a lot. Very few bears hang round when a dog goes after them.

I have talked and yelled at two grizzlies and got them to leave (once in the Bob Marshall) the other on my brown bear hunt in Alaska. Not optimal.

Talking about the BOB.

My friend was was the lead hiker.

He just passed black bear creek when a grizzly popped out on the trail about 15 yards away.

One yell as he was looking over the sights of his 10mm Colt delta elite.

Did the trick and away it went.

On another trip in the BOB woke up to find. A good size fresh grizzly track about 30 feet from the tent.

I really enjoyed the 6 or so trips I did into the BOB.

The only bear trouble we came close to was a black bear harassing a camp just across the river from us.

For some reason it never came over by us.

I was an assistant guide there from 69 to 77. Place is magical.