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Montana Bear Attacks: Could They Have Been Avoided?
A guest post to Field Notes from survival columnist Keith McCafferty, following up on his Feb. '08 magazine story The Grizzly Storm (p. 15).
Sensational headlines to the contrary (and yes, I’m including this magazine), the rash of bear attacks on hunters in Montana in the fall of 2007 were not caused by “rampaging” grizzlies. Instead, each of the eight incidents was precipitated by a hunter surprising a bear at close range, which is a grim reminder both of the inherent risks we assume by hunting in prime grizzly habitat and the importance of learning avoidance tactics in order to stay out of the headlines.
To recap:
September 9, 2007.
Ken Meyer was hunting black bears in the Little Trail drainage north of Yellowstone National Park when he surprised a sow grizzly with two cubs. The sow also was protecting an elk carcass. Meyer fired three shots as the bear attacked, mauling him severely. The grizzly wandered off and died of its wounds.
September 14, 2007.
Bowhunter Dustin Flack, wearing camouflage and scent masking materials, was cow calling to attract bull elk in Beattie Gulch near Yellowstone Park when he saw a sow grizzly with three cubs. He hid behind a tree, then tried to climb it after the bears had approached to within several feet. The sow snapped the tree in half and pulled Flack to the ground. He played dead and the bear left after biting him in the leg and back.
October 6, 2007.
College student Roman Morris was bowhunting elk in the same Beattie Gulch area and was hiding behind a sagebrush as a sow with three cubs came within several feet. The bear passed by before seeing the hunter, then attacked. Morris fought with the bear and then attempted to play dead. The bear bit at his shoulder, head and leg, picked him up and dropped him several times, then tossed him into the air and left. The bear is believed to be the same sow that attacked Flack.
October 6, 2007.
Two Minnesota bow hunters stumbled into a grizzly bear’s day bed in Tom Miner Basin north of Yellowstone Park. Initially, they drove the attacking bear away with pepper spray, but when it charged again, one of the men shot and killed it with a handgun.
October 15, 2007.
Brian Grand was bird hunting on Dupuyer Creek in northern Montana with several companions. The hunters were intentionally making noise and one of their dogs even wore bear bells. However, a bear near its day bed, which also was feeding on a nearby cow carcass, was apparently surprised by Grand and attacked him briefly before leaving, mauling his hands, elbows, head and legs.
October 30, 2007.
Elk hunter Virgil Massey was hunting on private land with a guide north of Yellowstone Park. The guide left him on a ridgetop to look for elk. Massey was apparently attacked by a surprised bear, which slapped him in the face, detaching an eye from the socket and severely damaging his face. The bear, which was not confirmed as a grizzly, then left.
November 3, 2007.
A hunter near Ovando, Montana was approached to by a sow grizzly with two sub-adult cubs. He shot and killed her at 8 yards.
November 20(?), 2007.
Vic Workman was hunting north of Whitefish, Montana when he was charged by a grizzly from 30 feet. Workman fired one shot from his rifle when the bear closed to within 10 feet and bear swerved and ran away; no evidence was found that it was hit by the shot. A whitetail deer carcass was found nearby.
Montana bear management specialist Kevin Frey, who investigated the attacks in the Yellowstone area, points out that in several cases the hunters were wearing camouflage, trying to attract elk (which also attracts bears), and stalking stealthily through heavy cover, a recipe for confrontation. The bears included sows with cubs and those protecting kills, which are most likely to attack when surprised at close range.
However, thousands of hunters each year emerged unscathed from prime grizzly habitat, and by learning more about bear behavior in our new Bear Safety Quiz, chances are you can become one of them.
This is absolutely crazy!
I realize that there isn't a grizzly behind each tree and under every rock, but jeepers!
I haven't hunted that area in years when the chances of grizzly contact was very slim at best.
I suppose now you're gonna have to wear bells and flashing lights while still hunting!
Bubba
Posted by: Bubba | January 09, 2008 at 09:44 PM
We're starting to hear a new term that concerns the environment. Its called "Presettlemnt". This refers to conditions that existed here prior to Christofer Columbus. This has implications that will affect wildlands throughout America. One is that the Grizzly will return as the Alpha Predator or top of the food chain.
YooperJack
Posted by: YooperJack | January 09, 2008 at 10:54 PM
YJ
I don't have a problem with the bears. When I hunted (SW Colorado) that area, there were griz sightings and we went right on out there, just like we had good sense! If I wanted to hunt that area, I'd probably still head out. It's just that you would have to be so wary of bears, how would you ever hunt!?
I didn't look up any of the articles, but it sounded kinda like the guy above was blaming the hunters!!!
I suppose we will start seeing signs: "Danger, bear habitat, NO HUNTING ALLOWED!"
Bubba
Posted by: Bubba | January 10, 2008 at 07:26 AM
No doubt you're right Bubba. But I believe that the poplulation of bears might be higher now. At some point they need to control this. Ideally, this would be hunting. Can you imagine the press when they try to open a bear season?
Yooper
Posted by: YooperJack | January 10, 2008 at 09:12 AM
Presettlement? Never heard of it. Excatly what are said implications and what do they mean for us? And the grizzly has always been and always will be alpha predator. As long as people- hunters, hikers, whatever- dare to venture outdoors and into the bear's domain (HIS turf)the grizzly will remain at the top of the food chain.
Posted by: Blue Ox | January 10, 2008 at 09:23 AM
It's the hunter's fault if he didn't adapt histactics to griz country. Don't stop hunting where the bears live, just don't douse yourself in elk urine and spend all day hidden under a bush. Duh.
Posted by: Banjo Bill | January 10, 2008 at 09:41 AM
Hey Ox, you nailed it. As far as presettlement goes, you only hear about it from Sierra Club types, and only in rural areas with less voters. I'm not saying bears are safe, nor do I want them eliminated. What I tried to say was that there is a portion of our population that wants a very high Grizzly population, no matter what the cost to the rural areas.
Yooper
Posted by: YooperJack | January 10, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Just a note to Kevin Frey. Hunters don't wear camo to attract elk, they wear it to hide from elk.
Posted by: Matt Mallery | January 10, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Matt, I think you missed the comma in there -- they were "wearing camo, trying to attract elk, and stalking through the brush."
Not "wearing camo to attract elk."
Posted by: tom | January 10, 2008 at 12:29 PM
Right you are tom. My apologies to Kevin frey.
Posted by: Matt Mallery | January 10, 2008 at 02:20 PM
This is Exactly why the "grizzly Man" didnt survive This is A BEAR we are Talking about people if u are going to going into Grizzly country to Hunt for Elk which is one of there main sources of Food you need to bring protection...
It's like a drug dealer walking onto another dealers block you dont do that with out protection it's just being smart and covering your own 2 Cheeks...
if your gonna Hunt Elk with a bow do like to smart ones who killed the bear did bring a handgun with you... you dontneed a desert eagle to bring one down just bring something higher thn a .22 and you have your protection should anything happen.. plus if u do tht you may get to keep the meat and kill two birds with one Stone!!!!
Posted by: Sexy Man | January 10, 2008 at 04:55 PM
I am really curious as to who made the quiz.
Posted by: Jason | January 10, 2008 at 06:06 PM
I don't really agree with the idea that Grizzly Bears are an Apex predator above humans. Until bears can build, maintain and fire guns accurately they've got nothing on humans. I don't think that this is a food chain issue, not one of these bears apparently attacked humans to eat them. It's mainly a territory issue thing. When I lived in Montana everybody from there knew about the dinner bell theory. The theory is that bears are attracted to areas that hunters frequent because when they hear a gunshot it's like a dinner bell to them. They know that there is most likely a carcass that a hunter took only a small percentage of the kill which is an easy meal for them. I've personally experienced a grizzly years back sit down a comfortable distance away and wait until I was done rapidly and sloppily field butchering my kill and looking over my shoulders. I imagine when I left he/she ate the rest of my kill. What I wonder is how many of those hunters were locals and knew what expect in bear territory? Bear territory is actually more dangerous for hunters than anyone else because we try to be quiet and stealthy. This surprises them and makes them more willing to fight than a hiker who purposefully makes plenty of noise to let them know humans are around. Oh yeah- Bears love it when people bring dogs into the woods. People usually hang up human food but neglect to do this with dog food so they get an easy kibbles and bits meal. My 2 cents.
Posted by: William | January 11, 2008 at 01:41 AM
They (bears) are apex predators in the fact that man, except on the rare occasion, can't physically put off a bear; black, griz, kodiak, whatever!
The firearm is what makes man the dominant predator, and that's not a "natural" edge!
Man's edge is the ability to reason and think!
A bear's reaction to a situation is simply that, a reaction. No thought train other than survival and/or pecking order.
Bubba
Posted by: Bubba | January 11, 2008 at 06:36 AM
Bubba:
I guess I should have said"Depending on the election in November, the Grizzly might be the alpha predator". I think they probably were 500 years ago.
Yooper
Posted by: YooperJack | January 11, 2008 at 09:44 AM
No doubt, more than one Amerind got the big chomp prior to the intervention of the "white man" into grizzly turf. Kinda like Africa today. They say that lion/human encounters occur with more regularity than anyone cares to mention!
Bubba
Posted by: Bubba | January 12, 2008 at 06:13 AM
Is there so many bears that these confrontations will continue? If so why not a very controlled hunt? I know that is almost an impossibility but a few of them are shot they may get the message? I really dont know what the answer is? We keep treading on their turf we will continue to get smacked around from time to time. This I do know.
Posted by: GREG | January 12, 2008 at 08:53 AM
Get smacked around? Not so bad.. could always be worse. Bear could show up and slap your face clean off, then transmogrify you into a steaming pile of Yogi turds if you're not carefull.
Posted by: Blue Ox | January 13, 2008 at 07:54 AM
GREG,
Unfortunately, if there were only a handful of griz out there, there would still be incidents! It would be real interesting to see the statistics on "number of bow hunters/number of griz/number of incidents"! We would probably discover there is a much greater chance of "death by car" than "death by carnivore"!
Pretty much, it's a personal choice. The bears are out there. What is it worth to you?
Bubba
Posted by: Bubba | January 13, 2008 at 10:05 AM
I live here in n.w. montana.We run across an ocassional grizzly,i always pack a side arm usally a 44mag,i rcently bought aS/W500 u can never have to much gun when up against a grizzly, have fun with your 22 on up!!!! Griz
Posted by: grizzly bob | January 17, 2008 at 09:16 PM
As the article indicates, all these attacks happened in Montana while the victims were hunting. My question is: are there reports of attacks, in Montana or elsewhere, on fisherman? That is my main outdoor activity and of greatest concern to me.
Posted by: tenniscoachdude | January 19, 2008 at 04:48 PM
It is too bad that these "Bear experts" were not the ones attacked so they could have put into practice their theories.
This reminds me of Robert Ruark's quotation; "Use Enough Gun" to stop dangerous game.
Posted by: Richard | January 24, 2008 at 03:00 PM
People need to learn to how to stay safe around bears without killing them. Carry peper spray it will save your life. The only reason the bear attacks is to defend itself just like you're defending yourself. If you don't startle the bear it will probably leave you alone. It just wants to get from point A to B. Bears are not walking around just to kill people.
Posted by: Matt | February 22, 2008 at 02:55 PM
Good point Matt. It's not always the bears falt. But it's not always our falt either. We need to find new ways to hunt safley.
Posted by: Dan | February 22, 2008 at 03:32 PM
Dan/Matt
The way to hunt safer is to instill a fear of humans in the bears. This means a bear season. Until the fear of humans is "re-installed", there will be unpleasant confrontations.
Will it stop them all? Of course not, but it will definitly reduce the number!
Too much research proves it and is out there to anyone who wishes to "read and heed"!
Bubba
Posted by: Bubba | February 22, 2008 at 04:51 PM