ADN.com



By MARK THIESSEN— Associated Press


A black bear that was killed near the scene of a deadly mauling in remote Alaska last week has been identified as the animal responsible, Alaska State Troopers said Tuesday.

Robert Weaver, 64, was mauled Thursday outside a cabin at George Lake, about 110 miles southeast of Fairbanks.

"Mr. Weaver's remains were found in the bear's stomach," troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.

But even that wasn't enough to prompt final determination since this bear could have been near the cabin and ate the remains after another bear left.

However, Ipsen said wildlife troopers made the determination that this was the bear responsible after no other bears were seen in the vicinity of the kill.

Weaver, of Fairbanks, and his wife were at the lake last Thursday when the attack happened. His wife, who hasn't been identified, sought shelter in the cabin and called authorities.

Responding officials, including personnel from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks and Alaska Wildlife Troopers via boat, found Weaver's body outside the cabin and his wife severely traumatized inside.

An Alaska Wildlife Trooper investigating the death with a civilian noticed a black bear stalking the area and killed it.

A necropsy was conducted on the bear the following day in Fairbanks, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Cathie Harms said the bear appeared to be an older adult male based upon the wear on its molars.

She said it had normal levels of fat, meaning it was not in a condition of starvation, and did not have any apparent disease or infirmity.

"We don't have any kind of determination of what led up to the attack," Ipsen said.

It didn't appear the bear was protecting a food cache, and since it was male, it wasn't being protective of cubs, she said.

There appear to be no mitigating factors for the mauling, she added.

Attacks by black bears are very uncommon, with fatal attacks even more rare. Harms said records only indicate four other fatalities by black bears in Alaska in the last 61 years.

Ipsen said the wife's name is not being released to give her privacy.

"We want to give her time, give her space," Ipsen said. "She's going through a lot."


ADN.com



Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/06/11/...d.html#storylink=cpy

Scott, after reading the entirety of the article it was indeed an appropriate time to shoot a bear. Story says wife went into cabin and retrieved a rifle to shoot the bear but rifle jammed. Case in point, either have a reliable rifle or be very familiar with one to fix a jam. Very sad story, what a nightmare.

Thanks for posting it. A story I will show my wife and daughter who don't shoot their rifles as often as they should, thus enforcing the practice of why I take them out shooting as often as I do practicing off hand shooting, speed loading and timed shooting at moving targets.

One of the local Indians was telling me about a blk bear eating somebody south of Fairbanks the other day; didn't know if it was even true? I told ya about the two times blk bear come in on me like a cat on a rabbit with front quarters down butt up in the air, and they came in real slow; ears going back and forth like crazy. We've had blk bear climb up the tree stand right under the floor grate. Bear are still pretty much seen as dangerous pests around here; most are shot on sight if they ever come around people a second time.

We still haven't seen many bear around here, all I have on game cams is rabbits, squirrels, even grouse and of course birds; everybody thinks the weather is why. Haven't seen any on the bluffs above river feeding on grass either. Several people here hunt spring bear, nobody has even seen one yet; first season for that. I saw one on road week back or so, usually have a bunch on game cams, but not this year.

More like the firearm should have use on the bear before it came to the attack.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
More like the firearm should have use on the bear before it came to the attack.

Hard to know how to handle that one. Its just not reasonable to always be armed. Tool bags and lots of other outdoor type items just plain get in the way of carrying a Freedom Arms 454. I do keep a gun or two loaded this time of year, but if I can't get to it,.......

As I've mentioned before, when out walking my wife either carries pepper spray or a .38, but if I was being attacked, I'm not sure she'd have the fortitude to retrieve a firearm, load it and defend me. I can see her hosing us both down with a snoot full of pepper spray, and I guess thats better than being eaten. Pepper in open bite wounds gotta hurt!

MMMMM Peppered King!

A side by side double barrel shotgun. either 00 buckshot or slugs or one of each, for close work.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by LeonardC:
MMMMM Peppered King!

So seriously now, it happens,.... your bit up good and burning from every orfice and wound coated with pepper,......now what? Jump in the river? Get the garden hose taken to you? This time of year the water is still ice cold so its really uncomfortable all around.

That whole day would just suck.

We can all talk about which gun is not enough for bear. The gun with you is better than the one back in the cabin or leaning on a tree 50 feet away when brer bear comes for you. I've been there and that's when I started carry a pistol as well. It may not be optimal caliber wise, but it's always with me in grizzly/brown bear country.

No, I was thinking what if the pepper spray didn't really stop the bear and now you're a pepper flavored bear snack?

quote:

Originally posted by LeonardC:
No, I was thinking what if the pepper spray didn't really stop the bear and now you're a pepper flavored bear snack?

I have heard that bears like the taste of pepper spray and if its ineffectively used, they'll lick it like an icecream cone.

In practice, if I as a bear mauling victim have been sprayed with the pepper and have it up my nose, in my eyes etc,... odds are good the bear does too. I have been told by law enforcement and fellow EMT's, as well as sportsmen that have actually used it as bear defense that the pepper spray is an absolute party ender and because it is reported to work so well I prefer it to firearms in some circumstances.

As it applies to the article, I can see myself being in the same position and I see my wife using three options; 1) she grabs one of the two pepper sprays next to the front door and hoses us both down. In this case, I hurt quite a bit and from at least three different sources, (bear teeth, the gravel I'm being ground into and the pepper,). 2) grab her .38 and hose us both down. I'll remind the gang that some african ph's instruct their clients to not shoot if the leopard is on top of them. In my case, I'd expect my wife to empty the cylinder and I may well soak up the majority of the rounds. 3) Throw everything she can get her hands on at the bear and this may well be the safest alternative. Sure, maybe she gets 'et, but at least its not me or the dog. I don't have to jump in the river to get the pepper out of my wounds, I'm not shot with my own carefully crafted reloads, and if the bears hit with enough stuff for enough time he goes elsewhere.

We'll be king fishing here in a couple of weeks and we'll be plenty armed. My instructions will be to fire as a last resort, but for Pete's Sake, if you do fire, keep firing until the gun is empty! Hopefully I'm not under the bear.

I'm all for bear spray too, Phil says it works and that's good enough for me. I want both bear spray and my 1911 though.

quote:

I'll remind the gang that some african ph's instruct their clients to not shoot if the leopard is on top of them.

In view of how some people are with firearms
and stressful situations, that is probably
not a bad idea !

Or at least instruct them to get close
and put the gun up within an inch of the
animal before firing, making sure of course
that it is clear the other side.

One from Wis. 2nd one in two weeks are bear population is booming.

A Wisconsin man was attacked by a black bear outside of his home and is in stable condition at a hospital.

Story Highlights
The victim's dog apparently initiated contact with the bear, authorities say
The man's brother shot and hurt the bear, which ran away
Officials have set up traps in case the animal returns

SHELL LAKE, Wis. (AP) — A man who was attacked by a black bear outside a cabin in northwestern Wisconsin is recovering at a hospital.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the man was attacked in his yard near Shell Lake on Monday night. DNR carnivore specialist David MacFarland says the man's dog apparently initiated contact with the bear.

MacFarland says the man's brother came out of the cabin and shot and injured the bear, which ran away.

The Burnett County Sheriff's Department says the man was taken to a hospital in Shell Lake. He was then airlifted to a hospital in the Twin Cities. MacFarland says he's in stable condition.

DNR wildlife supervisor Mike Zeckmeister says officials have set up traps for the bear in case it returns.

I have lived in the same house for 13 years. We see deer daily plus a lot of other wilflife. Prior to this winter, we probably averaged seeing a black bear once every 6 months. For reasons unknown to me, that changed for about a month this winter. I saw black bears virtually every day. Sometimes several a day.

One night I was exercising. I saw a bear. I kept walking on my intended path. I stopped when the bear was right across the street from me. I was taking a picture with my phone. It was then that I heard a odd noise in the tree above me. Not 10 feet above me was a second bear in the tree! Got me attention.

After that night, I started carrying a pistol.