GJD
Regular Member
imported post
Wow, just yeah....wow.
Wow, just yeah....wow.
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Wildlife encounters
- Thread starter Flintlock
- Start date
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
I was just charged by a moose!
I have been (for real)charged or bluff charged by moose on at least 5 or 6 occassions in my life, but today was the absolute closest I ever came to becoming a bloodystain in the pavement.
I was out jogging in my residential neighborhood running along with my IPOD, enjoying myself when I noticed someone or somethingin my poriferal vision. My jogs are usually short and it's a PITA to carry, so I go unarmed. And in this case, it probablywould have done me no-good anyway.
As I turned to my right to investigate what I noticed, a full-grown moose at between 4:00 - 5:00 was charging me and was literally just mere feet away. :shock:Because of the IPOD, I didn't hear anything to warn me. I thendelivered a startled yell at the beast while I increased speed, and at the last possible moment, it veered away at less than 5 feet from me. For a second, I thought I was finished. She wasn't the largest moose I've ever seen but she was an adult-sized female from what I could tell.
As for situational awareness, I believe the animal was either bedded down in a small forested patch in my neighbors yard as I ran by, and it ended up charging me on my way backout of the circle. The moose in the areajust gave birth to their young or are still giving birth, so it is a possibility that she was protecting a newborn or she was just irritable. :uhoh:
Either way, it was definitely something I will never forget and is a good way to get the adrenaline flowing or wake you up in the morning, although I do not recommend it..
Stay safe.
I was just charged by a moose!
I have been (for real)charged or bluff charged by moose on at least 5 or 6 occassions in my life, but today was the absolute closest I ever came to becoming a bloodystain in the pavement.
I was out jogging in my residential neighborhood running along with my IPOD, enjoying myself when I noticed someone or somethingin my poriferal vision. My jogs are usually short and it's a PITA to carry, so I go unarmed. And in this case, it probablywould have done me no-good anyway.
As I turned to my right to investigate what I noticed, a full-grown moose at between 4:00 - 5:00 was charging me and was literally just mere feet away. :shock:Because of the IPOD, I didn't hear anything to warn me. I thendelivered a startled yell at the beast while I increased speed, and at the last possible moment, it veered away at less than 5 feet from me. For a second, I thought I was finished. She wasn't the largest moose I've ever seen but she was an adult-sized female from what I could tell.
As for situational awareness, I believe the animal was either bedded down in a small forested patch in my neighbors yard as I ran by, and it ended up charging me on my way backout of the circle. The moose in the areajust gave birth to their young or are still giving birth, so it is a possibility that she was protecting a newborn or she was just irritable. :uhoh:
Either way, it was definitely something I will never forget and is a good way to get the adrenaline flowing or wake you up in the morning, although I do not recommend it..
Stay safe.
Rabid SA-XD
Regular Member
imported post
goodlesson about carying a small backup peice...
goodlesson about carying a small backup peice...
akhunter3
Regular Member
imported post
I see my fair share of moose when I'm running, always kinda worried about that kinda thing happening. Never could get the guts to listen to the ipod while running.
Good to hear you made it without any embarrassing hoof prints :lol:
Jon
I see my fair share of moose when I'm running, always kinda worried about that kinda thing happening. Never could get the guts to listen to the ipod while running.
Good to hear you made it without any embarrassing hoof prints :lol:
Jon
Citizen
Founder's Club Member
imported post
Flintlock wrote:
Wow!! Talk about aerobic exercise!!
By the way, penalty for tactical error. You did not immediately scan the sky for an additionalthreat from above.
Rocky.
Flintlock wrote:
Wow!! Talk about aerobic exercise!!
By the way, penalty for tactical error. You did not immediately scan the sky for an additionalthreat from above.
Rocky.
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
Citizen wrote:
Citizen wrote:
Your right! There are F-22 raptors flying around our area, ya never know!!
In reality, I feel I made a few tactical errors and was too comfortable with my surroundings because I was in my typically secure neighborhood and I let my guard down for justa second and it almost did me in... Lesson learned..
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
Story from May 22nd. A late-season skier almost got toasted by a 1000 pound brown bear on the Near Point Trail. No gun, no spray, no air horn...
Brown Bear Charges
Last Friday morning I was heading into the mountians for a late season ski trip. Started at Prospect Heights trail head. About an hour up the Near Pt. trail. I dropped my pack to take a break at a nice view spot. Heard some sticks breaking on the hillside across from me. Thought it was my dog. Then I heard branches breaking, figured it was a bear then. Stood up and looked that way expecting to see a wondering black bear, instead I found myself frozen in disblief as I watch the biggest Grizz I have ever seen busrt out of the alder about a hundred yards from me at full sprint strait at me. I heard they can move fast but for the first few seconds it didn't even seem real. I looked around for somewhere to run only to realize there was nowhere to hide. Standing my gound was the only option. No Gun, No bear spray, No air horn. So I stood tall and watched. It came to a halt about 50ft from me on the other side of a small gully. At this point I took three steps toward it in a freaked out attempt to stand my ground. Then we just staired at each other for way to long. Then my dog who was up the trail caught on and let out a bark on his trek to my rescue. The grizz looked up the hill toward the dog then back a me, then back up the hill, then he turned tail and charged off. I watched this 1000 plus pound bear run through alder like it wasen't even there all the way up to the ridge line where it turned for one more look, then over the ridge it went. My dog weights fourty pounds, appearently his bark is worst than his bite. I've made hundreds of solo trip into the Alaskan wild, seen dozens of bears, close and far, but have never experenced anything like this and would be happy if it never happened again. Happy to be alive.
Story from May 22nd. A late-season skier almost got toasted by a 1000 pound brown bear on the Near Point Trail. No gun, no spray, no air horn...
Brown Bear Charges
Last Friday morning I was heading into the mountians for a late season ski trip. Started at Prospect Heights trail head. About an hour up the Near Pt. trail. I dropped my pack to take a break at a nice view spot. Heard some sticks breaking on the hillside across from me. Thought it was my dog. Then I heard branches breaking, figured it was a bear then. Stood up and looked that way expecting to see a wondering black bear, instead I found myself frozen in disblief as I watch the biggest Grizz I have ever seen busrt out of the alder about a hundred yards from me at full sprint strait at me. I heard they can move fast but for the first few seconds it didn't even seem real. I looked around for somewhere to run only to realize there was nowhere to hide. Standing my gound was the only option. No Gun, No bear spray, No air horn. So I stood tall and watched. It came to a halt about 50ft from me on the other side of a small gully. At this point I took three steps toward it in a freaked out attempt to stand my ground. Then we just staired at each other for way to long. Then my dog who was up the trail caught on and let out a bark on his trek to my rescue. The grizz looked up the hill toward the dog then back a me, then back up the hill, then he turned tail and charged off. I watched this 1000 plus pound bear run through alder like it wasen't even there all the way up to the ridge line where it turned for one more look, then over the ridge it went. My dog weights fourty pounds, appearently his bark is worst than his bite. I've made hundreds of solo trip into the Alaskan wild, seen dozens of bears, close and far, but have never experenced anything like this and would be happy if it never happened again. Happy to be alive.
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/437047.html
Bear killed during second attack in Galena
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]BLACK: Animal showed up in yard and wouldn't leave.[/size][/font]
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com
(06/15/08 02:29:22)
The city of Galena is abuzz with its second black bear attack in less than 24 hours, and this time, the bear was shot and killed, Galena police report.
This bear was aggressive, police say. It had charged a 14-year-old girl and a man and fought with a dog before resident Howard Beasley stared it down and shot it sometime after 1 a.m. Saturday, according to Galena Police Chief John Millan. No people were injured.
Locals believe the bear was preying on moose calves -- veal, to a bear.
Galena is a city of nearly 700 people about 270 miles west of Fairbanks on the Yukon River.
Beasley, director of the city water plant, said he and his wife had been fishing into the night on Bear Creek, off the Yukon. His wife fell and was hurt, so he took her to the local clinic, then returned to the river to collect the boat.
He was just pulling in at home when his wife hobbled out and shouted from the balcony that a neighbor needed help, and fast.
"There was a bear in the yard," she told him. "They couldn't get rid of it. They didn't have a gun. It was coming back, and it was getting more aggressive."
So he pulled back out, still hauling the boat, to track down that bear.
Scared residents started calling the police chief around 1:25 a.m. Millan said in a news release that Galena police respond to bear calls, but the community only has two officers, and there's one vacancy. He was arresting someone for domestic violence when the bear attacks happened Saturday.
The teenager was attacked first, according to police. Kids in Galena play outside until all hours in summer, when the sun doesn't set, Beasley said.
The neighbor, Christopher Kriska, told police that he heard a noise, went to investigate and was charged by the bear. His dog, Scooby, a pit-bull-and-lab mix, then attacked the bear. They both managed to get inside.
But unlike the incident on Friday, when a young bear ran off after tussling with a St. Bernard on a run, this bear wouldn't leave.
So it fell to Beasley.
"I just happened to see the bear coming out of the woods again," Beasley said. "There's no doubt it saw me. It was only 30 feet away, and it put its head down and huffed up his shoulders like he was getting ready -- was coming out no matter what. I went ahead and popped him with the gun."
Beasley said he used a 12-gauge shotgun with slugs to drop the bear. He's hunted grizzly before and this spring got a nice black bear with meat he said is as tasty as beef from Carrs.
But the bear Saturday wasn't good for eating, Beasley said. He skinned it, as required, to send the hide, skull and claws to the state Department of Fish and Game. The bear had been eating carrion, along with moose calves, so he disposed of the carcass away from town.
Saturday's incident was the first attack by a bear on a person in Galena in at least 30 years, according to police. They wander into town in search of garbage but usually stick to the dump, about five miles out of town.
Millan asks anyone who sees a bear in or near town to called Galena police at 656-2177 or troopers at 1-800-811-0911.
[/size][/font]
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/437047.html
Bear killed during second attack in Galena
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]BLACK: Animal showed up in yard and wouldn't leave.[/size][/font]
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com
(06/15/08 02:29:22)
The city of Galena is abuzz with its second black bear attack in less than 24 hours, and this time, the bear was shot and killed, Galena police report.
This bear was aggressive, police say. It had charged a 14-year-old girl and a man and fought with a dog before resident Howard Beasley stared it down and shot it sometime after 1 a.m. Saturday, according to Galena Police Chief John Millan. No people were injured.
Locals believe the bear was preying on moose calves -- veal, to a bear.
Galena is a city of nearly 700 people about 270 miles west of Fairbanks on the Yukon River.
Beasley, director of the city water plant, said he and his wife had been fishing into the night on Bear Creek, off the Yukon. His wife fell and was hurt, so he took her to the local clinic, then returned to the river to collect the boat.
He was just pulling in at home when his wife hobbled out and shouted from the balcony that a neighbor needed help, and fast.
"There was a bear in the yard," she told him. "They couldn't get rid of it. They didn't have a gun. It was coming back, and it was getting more aggressive."
So he pulled back out, still hauling the boat, to track down that bear.
Scared residents started calling the police chief around 1:25 a.m. Millan said in a news release that Galena police respond to bear calls, but the community only has two officers, and there's one vacancy. He was arresting someone for domestic violence when the bear attacks happened Saturday.
The teenager was attacked first, according to police. Kids in Galena play outside until all hours in summer, when the sun doesn't set, Beasley said.
The neighbor, Christopher Kriska, told police that he heard a noise, went to investigate and was charged by the bear. His dog, Scooby, a pit-bull-and-lab mix, then attacked the bear. They both managed to get inside.
But unlike the incident on Friday, when a young bear ran off after tussling with a St. Bernard on a run, this bear wouldn't leave.
So it fell to Beasley.
"I just happened to see the bear coming out of the woods again," Beasley said. "There's no doubt it saw me. It was only 30 feet away, and it put its head down and huffed up his shoulders like he was getting ready -- was coming out no matter what. I went ahead and popped him with the gun."
Beasley said he used a 12-gauge shotgun with slugs to drop the bear. He's hunted grizzly before and this spring got a nice black bear with meat he said is as tasty as beef from Carrs.
But the bear Saturday wasn't good for eating, Beasley said. He skinned it, as required, to send the hide, skull and claws to the state Department of Fish and Game. The bear had been eating carrion, along with moose calves, so he disposed of the carcass away from town.
Saturday's incident was the first attack by a bear on a person in Galena in at least 30 years, according to police. They wander into town in search of garbage but usually stick to the dump, about five miles out of town.
Millan asks anyone who sees a bear in or near town to called Galena police at 656-2177 or troopers at 1-800-811-0911.
[/size][/font]
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
Bear attacks Seward mushroom picker class=body
by Channel 2 News Staff
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Seward man says he holds no hard feelings toward a grizzly sow that attacked his companion.
Roger Long, 76, helped fend off a grizzly that attacked Jenne Danzl, 54.
He says they got too close to the bears in the animals' own home.
Long and Danzl on Friday were picking mushrooms in a burned-over area 50 yards from Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula.
They were about 20 yards apart when Danzl saw fresh bear scat.
Long says that a few moments later, he heard Danzl scream.
He looked up and saw two 2-year-old cubs, plus the sow pouncing on his companion.
Long says he grabbed a stick and yelled at the bears, which took off.
Back at their camp, they realized Danzl had been bitten on the left side of her rib cage and had other punctures.
She was treated at Central Peninsula Hospital and released about five hours later.
Bear attacks Seward mushroom picker class=body
by Channel 2 News Staff
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Seward man says he holds no hard feelings toward a grizzly sow that attacked his companion.
Roger Long, 76, helped fend off a grizzly that attacked Jenne Danzl, 54.
He says they got too close to the bears in the animals' own home.
Long and Danzl on Friday were picking mushrooms in a burned-over area 50 yards from Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula.
They were about 20 yards apart when Danzl saw fresh bear scat.
Long says that a few moments later, he heard Danzl scream.
He looked up and saw two 2-year-old cubs, plus the sow pouncing on his companion.
Long says he grabbed a stick and yelled at the bears, which took off.
Back at their camp, they realized Danzl had been bitten on the left side of her rib cage and had other punctures.
She was treated at Central Peninsula Hospital and released about five hours later.
AKRed
Regular Member
imported post
I usually carry Bear Spray and a Powerful Handgun while outdoors. I did not initially mention in Bear country because all of Alaska is bear country. Even in Anchorage many bears are present and are habituated to eating garbage, living in and around human activity etc. and are dangerous. They have personalities like humans. Most just want to be left alone, some are just downright mean. All are unpredictable. Try to make noise so at least the less onerous bears have a chance tomove away from you.
A high-powered rifle or 12 Gauge shotgun with slugs and/or buckshotwould be ideal for protection, but its a little inconvenient to carry one all the time (eg. wading while fishing). I've often heard 30-06 mentioned as a minimum cartridge, but even a 30-30 is more powerful than a handgun.
I have had to spray a couple and it worked pretty well. They were Black Bears and not particularly large. I would be afraid to have used it in the same manner on a large Brown Bear. Of course, many people have been mauled and even eaten by relatively small Blackies. If you carry spray be sure it's for bears and test fire it to see how far it works. It's generally much farther than the small sprays designed for humans. It will freeze and freezing/thawing takes a toll on how long it remains good. If you have to spray, try to be upwind. We don't have big cats up here, that one of the other posters mentioned. I would be interested if anyone has ever used Bear spray on problem moose and what the affects were?
I usually carry Bear Spray and a Powerful Handgun while outdoors. I did not initially mention in Bear country because all of Alaska is bear country. Even in Anchorage many bears are present and are habituated to eating garbage, living in and around human activity etc. and are dangerous. They have personalities like humans. Most just want to be left alone, some are just downright mean. All are unpredictable. Try to make noise so at least the less onerous bears have a chance tomove away from you.
A high-powered rifle or 12 Gauge shotgun with slugs and/or buckshotwould be ideal for protection, but its a little inconvenient to carry one all the time (eg. wading while fishing). I've often heard 30-06 mentioned as a minimum cartridge, but even a 30-30 is more powerful than a handgun.
I have had to spray a couple and it worked pretty well. They were Black Bears and not particularly large. I would be afraid to have used it in the same manner on a large Brown Bear. Of course, many people have been mauled and even eaten by relatively small Blackies. If you carry spray be sure it's for bears and test fire it to see how far it works. It's generally much farther than the small sprays designed for humans. It will freeze and freezing/thawing takes a toll on how long it remains good. If you have to spray, try to be upwind. We don't have big cats up here, that one of the other posters mentioned. I would be interested if anyone has ever used Bear spray on problem moose and what the affects were?
Sonora Rebel
Regular Member
imported post
Bear Country? .454 Casul... Don't leave home without it!
Bear Country? .454 Casul... Don't leave home without it!
sv_libertarian
State Researcher
imported post
So thoughts on a handgun to take up with me? I've got a .357 long barrel security six and am thinking real hard about replacing it with a .41 mag or hot loaded .45LC. I'm leaning more towards a handgun that can take hot .45LC loads with about a 4 inch barrel.
So thoughts on a handgun to take up with me? I've got a .357 long barrel security six and am thinking real hard about replacing it with a .41 mag or hot loaded .45LC. I'm leaning more towards a handgun that can take hot .45LC loads with about a 4 inch barrel.
murphyslaw
State Researcher
imported post
S&W .500 huraaa
S&W .500 huraaa
sv_libertarian
State Researcher
imported post
murphyslaw wrote:
murphyslaw wrote:
And I should add preferebly one that doesn't weigh as much as my mosin nagant!
murphyslaw
State Researcher
imported post
they make some nice shoulder slings for them these days.
they make some nice shoulder slings for them these days.
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
sv_libertarian wrote:
Myself and at least one other Alaska OCDOforum member carry a Glock 20 in 10mm for bear protection in the wilderness. With the premium loads that Double Tap offers, you are getting low-end .41 magnum power in a full-size Glock platform. Follow-up shots are much easier than with a large, single action pistol, recoil is less and you are still delivering 1300 ft. pounds of energy at themuzzlewith each shot and can carry 15+1 in each magazine. It is also much lighter than most large caliber revolvers, which makes a big difference if you are a hiker/backpacker, etc.
Not totally ideal as a bear stopping package, but then again, nothing is in a handgun for all purposes. When I am fishing on a bear infested stream, sometimes I carry a short barreled shotgun in a scabbard over my back.
sv_libertarian wrote:
Myself and at least one other Alaska OCDOforum member carry a Glock 20 in 10mm for bear protection in the wilderness. With the premium loads that Double Tap offers, you are getting low-end .41 magnum power in a full-size Glock platform. Follow-up shots are much easier than with a large, single action pistol, recoil is less and you are still delivering 1300 ft. pounds of energy at themuzzlewith each shot and can carry 15+1 in each magazine. It is also much lighter than most large caliber revolvers, which makes a big difference if you are a hiker/backpacker, etc.
Not totally ideal as a bear stopping package, but then again, nothing is in a handgun for all purposes. When I am fishing on a bear infested stream, sometimes I carry a short barreled shotgun in a scabbard over my back.
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
Been away from keeping this thread updated for a while now. There have been so many bear attacks and DLP's that it is almost a full-time job keeping this up-to-date. The bear and moose situation near Anchorage is out-of-control!!
Been away from keeping this thread updated for a while now. There have been so many bear attacks and DLP's that it is almost a full-time job keeping this up-to-date. The bear and moose situation near Anchorage is out-of-control!!
murphyslaw
State Researcher
imported post
There is no debating the stopping power of a 12ga 3" 1oz slug.
There is no debating the stopping power of a 12ga 3" 1oz slug.
Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
Going to try and start updating this thread....
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/474892.html
Woman recovering after Cooper Landing bear attack
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]KENAI PRINCESS: Victim, 21, is a summer hire from Utah.[/size][/font]
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]By JULIA O'MALLEY
jomalley@adn.com
(07/25/08 04:28:13)
Lani Vin Zant picked up her ringing phone in Wasilla late Wednesday night. The only thing on the line was her 15-year-old daughter Andria, sobbing.
" 'Mom there's a lady and she was attacked. Dad scared the bear away," Andria choked out. "There's so much blood."
Moments before, Vin Zant's husband, Robert, had scared off a brown bear as it attacked Abi Sisk, 21, a Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge housekeeper, working in Alaska for the summer. Sisk was badly mauled and spent Thursday in surgery at Providence Alaska Medical Center. She was listed in critical condition Thursday evening but was expected to survive.
Alaska State Troopers said Robert Vin Zant, a gas plant operator for BP in Prudhoe Bay, probably saved her life.
Vin Zant and his daughter were rafting on Thursday, but Lani Vin Zant told the story she heard over the phone as it happened.
Andria and Robert arrived at the Kenai Princess in Cooper Landing after 10 p.m. on Wednesday, she said. After parking, Robert heard what he thought was laughing in the woods nearby. It quickly turned to screams. He followed the sound. Yards away from the lodge, on a trail, he could make out the hulking form of a brown bear standing on the body of a young woman.
The bear had her head in its mouth.
WET WITH BLOOD
Sisk came to Alaska this summer because she wanted adventure, her father Stan said Thursday by phone from the family home in Logan, Utah. The younger of two children, she worked as a cleaner at a local hospital, saving money for college, singing on Sundays at church. Her parents encouraged her to take the job so she could get out of the small town where she grew up.
Just days before, she'd called her parents and complained that she was the only person around who hadn't seen a bear.
As soon as he saw what was happening, Vin Zant hollered at his daughter to call 911 and get his gun from the car, Lani Vin Zant said.
Andria ran inside the lodge for help and gave her father his gun. Then she called her mom.
Mom stayed on the phone with her for an hour.
Robert Vin Zant tried to make himself loud and big to get the bear off Sisk, he told his wife.
"He put his hands out and came running at the bear as fast as he could. The bear went up on his hind legs looked at him, and then the bear dropped again, back to all fours, like it was contemplating dinner," said Lani Vin Zant.
Vin Zant charged the bear again and it ran off. Sisk lay on the ground, her scalp torn and her brown hair wet with blood.
PURRING IN THE BUSHES
At home in Logan, the Sisks got word that their daughter had been attacked by a bear and had a major scalp injury. Doctors were trying to stop the bleeding.
"We were praying at 3, 3:30 in the morning that her life would be spared," Stan Sisk said.
Then the phone rang again. It was his daughter. She was groggy but talking.
She'd been heading home from a hike, her father said. She bent down to look at a flower.
"She heard something purring in the bushes," her father said.
Then the bear was on her, ripping into her. She went limp, trying to play dead. The bear let go. She waited. The lodge was so close. She started to move. She hadn't waited long enough. The bear was on her again. That's when Vin Zant heard her scream.
'TELL MY MOM I SAW A BEAR'
Dan Michels, the lodge's general manager, got to Sisk within minutes of the attack. It was raining. She was already circled by emergency personnel, who were trying to stop the bleeding from her head.
She'd been bitten in the buttocks and leg as well, her father said.
A helicopter couldn't get into Cooper Landing because of the crummy weather so Sisk had to go by ambulance to Soldotna where she was flown to Anchorage, Michels said.
"Obviously there's going to be some trauma," he said "There was a little bit of shock."
Sisk has a beautiful singing voice, Michels said. She would sing while she made beds and people often would stop to listen. She also has a great sense of humor, he said.
"Tell my mom I saw a bear," she joked, as the EMTs were taking her away.
Sisk's mother flew into Anchorage Thursday, her father said.
Abi is expected to be in the hospital for a week at least, Michels said.
"She literally had a large portion of her scalp ripped off," her father said. "By the time they got it back on, (the doctor) is dubious whether it's gonna take."
WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME
Bears are common around the lodge in the summertime, especially at night, Michels said. All the employees go through bear training and, though some trash isn't in bear-proof cans during the day, all trash is locked behind an electric fence at night, he said.
Larry Lewis, Fish and Game wildlife technician, walked the trails Thursday with troopers but found no sign of the bear. Cooper Landing has more than its share of human/bear encounters in the summer, in part because of the large number of seasonal visitors and the great bear fishing in the shallow streams off the Kenai River, he said.
The bear was likely surprised by Sisk. She was by herself and probably wasn't making a lot of noise, he said. The bear was acting to eliminate a threat. It was a little unusual because Sisk was so close to the busy lodge.
" I'm sure she felt safe there, I would have felt safe there, " Lewis said. "It's just a bad situation. It's pretty classic wrong-place, wrong-time."
This is the second bear mauling of a seasonal worker at the Kenai Princess in recent memory. In 2005, another 21-year-old employee was grabbed by a bear and dragged, but she fought furiously and escaped injury.
Once Abi Sisk was on the way to the hospital, Vin Zant took the phone and talked to his wife. He said he was covered with blood and very shaken, she said.
"I heard someone come up to him and thank him for his help. He said he just did what he thought anybody would do."
[/size][/font]
Going to try and start updating this thread....
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/474892.html
Woman recovering after Cooper Landing bear attack
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]KENAI PRINCESS: Victim, 21, is a summer hire from Utah.[/size][/font]
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]By JULIA O'MALLEY
jomalley@adn.com
(07/25/08 04:28:13)
Lani Vin Zant picked up her ringing phone in Wasilla late Wednesday night. The only thing on the line was her 15-year-old daughter Andria, sobbing.
" 'Mom there's a lady and she was attacked. Dad scared the bear away," Andria choked out. "There's so much blood."
Moments before, Vin Zant's husband, Robert, had scared off a brown bear as it attacked Abi Sisk, 21, a Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge housekeeper, working in Alaska for the summer. Sisk was badly mauled and spent Thursday in surgery at Providence Alaska Medical Center. She was listed in critical condition Thursday evening but was expected to survive.
Alaska State Troopers said Robert Vin Zant, a gas plant operator for BP in Prudhoe Bay, probably saved her life.
Vin Zant and his daughter were rafting on Thursday, but Lani Vin Zant told the story she heard over the phone as it happened.
Andria and Robert arrived at the Kenai Princess in Cooper Landing after 10 p.m. on Wednesday, she said. After parking, Robert heard what he thought was laughing in the woods nearby. It quickly turned to screams. He followed the sound. Yards away from the lodge, on a trail, he could make out the hulking form of a brown bear standing on the body of a young woman.
The bear had her head in its mouth.
WET WITH BLOOD
Sisk came to Alaska this summer because she wanted adventure, her father Stan said Thursday by phone from the family home in Logan, Utah. The younger of two children, she worked as a cleaner at a local hospital, saving money for college, singing on Sundays at church. Her parents encouraged her to take the job so she could get out of the small town where she grew up.
Just days before, she'd called her parents and complained that she was the only person around who hadn't seen a bear.
As soon as he saw what was happening, Vin Zant hollered at his daughter to call 911 and get his gun from the car, Lani Vin Zant said.
Andria ran inside the lodge for help and gave her father his gun. Then she called her mom.
Mom stayed on the phone with her for an hour.
Robert Vin Zant tried to make himself loud and big to get the bear off Sisk, he told his wife.
"He put his hands out and came running at the bear as fast as he could. The bear went up on his hind legs looked at him, and then the bear dropped again, back to all fours, like it was contemplating dinner," said Lani Vin Zant.
Vin Zant charged the bear again and it ran off. Sisk lay on the ground, her scalp torn and her brown hair wet with blood.
PURRING IN THE BUSHES
At home in Logan, the Sisks got word that their daughter had been attacked by a bear and had a major scalp injury. Doctors were trying to stop the bleeding.
"We were praying at 3, 3:30 in the morning that her life would be spared," Stan Sisk said.
Then the phone rang again. It was his daughter. She was groggy but talking.
She'd been heading home from a hike, her father said. She bent down to look at a flower.
"She heard something purring in the bushes," her father said.
Then the bear was on her, ripping into her. She went limp, trying to play dead. The bear let go. She waited. The lodge was so close. She started to move. She hadn't waited long enough. The bear was on her again. That's when Vin Zant heard her scream.
'TELL MY MOM I SAW A BEAR'
Dan Michels, the lodge's general manager, got to Sisk within minutes of the attack. It was raining. She was already circled by emergency personnel, who were trying to stop the bleeding from her head.
She'd been bitten in the buttocks and leg as well, her father said.
A helicopter couldn't get into Cooper Landing because of the crummy weather so Sisk had to go by ambulance to Soldotna where she was flown to Anchorage, Michels said.
"Obviously there's going to be some trauma," he said "There was a little bit of shock."
Sisk has a beautiful singing voice, Michels said. She would sing while she made beds and people often would stop to listen. She also has a great sense of humor, he said.
"Tell my mom I saw a bear," she joked, as the EMTs were taking her away.
Sisk's mother flew into Anchorage Thursday, her father said.
Abi is expected to be in the hospital for a week at least, Michels said.
"She literally had a large portion of her scalp ripped off," her father said. "By the time they got it back on, (the doctor) is dubious whether it's gonna take."
WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME
Bears are common around the lodge in the summertime, especially at night, Michels said. All the employees go through bear training and, though some trash isn't in bear-proof cans during the day, all trash is locked behind an electric fence at night, he said.
Larry Lewis, Fish and Game wildlife technician, walked the trails Thursday with troopers but found no sign of the bear. Cooper Landing has more than its share of human/bear encounters in the summer, in part because of the large number of seasonal visitors and the great bear fishing in the shallow streams off the Kenai River, he said.
The bear was likely surprised by Sisk. She was by herself and probably wasn't making a lot of noise, he said. The bear was acting to eliminate a threat. It was a little unusual because Sisk was so close to the busy lodge.
" I'm sure she felt safe there, I would have felt safe there, " Lewis said. "It's just a bad situation. It's pretty classic wrong-place, wrong-time."
This is the second bear mauling of a seasonal worker at the Kenai Princess in recent memory. In 2005, another 21-year-old employee was grabbed by a bear and dragged, but she fought furiously and escaped injury.
Once Abi Sisk was on the way to the hospital, Vin Zant took the phone and talked to his wife. He said he was covered with blood and very shaken, she said.
"I heard someone come up to him and thank him for his help. He said he just did what he thought anybody would do."
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Flintlock
Regular Member
imported post
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/484087.html
Eagle River man fights attacking bear to draw
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]CUTS AND BRUISES: He battled bruin to a 'tie' after pitch-black 2 a.m. attack near Meadow Creek.[/size][/font]
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com
(08/05/08 01:26:37)
Devon Rees could have played dead. Or run. Instead, he chose to fight the bear that lunged out of the woods near his home in Eagle River on Monday morning.
And, though he ended up with a harvest of cuts and bruises, he survived.
"I definitely earned my bragging rights boxing a bear," said Rees, 18. "It got me a couple of times, and I got her a good couple of times. I wasn't going to give the bear an easy target."
Rees was walking home from a friend's house along VFW Road -- a frontage road that parallels the Glenn Highway -- at about 2 a.m. When he left the paved street for a dirt road that crosses Meadow Creek, he was less than 50 yards from his home at the edge of Chugach State Park. Midway across, he heard a splash down the embankment at the water's edge, perhaps 10 feet away. Probably just some salmon jumping, he thought.
The creek, not far from the heart of Eagle River, is a popular king salmon fishery -- for bears, said Jessy Coltrane, assistant Anchorage-area wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The culvert under the road acts as a bottleneck for the migrating fish, making for easy pickings, she said.
This late in summer, darkness envelops the woods in the early morning hours. Rees couldn't see a thing. As he continued on, a quick rustle was followed by a brief glint of hair. When the bear barrelled out and tore into him, he tore back.
"I was doing the best I could to stay up on my toes and move all around it," Rees said. "I figured my best chance was to fight the best I could, fight the hardest I could to get away."
The bear bit into his arms. Scratched his side. Dug into his thighs. Swatted his head. Rees was pumped with adrenaline, masking the pain of teeth and nails sinking into his flesh. He started yelling furiously. He threw elbows and punches into the bruin's head, kicked when he could.
As suddenly as the attack began, the bear released him. He didn't wait around. Rees began staggering up the road, shoeless and with pants shredded, calling 911 on his cell phone as he headed toward a nearby fire station. Police arriving on the scene found Rees near the Equipment Direct Rental store, but by that time, the bear was gone, police Lt. Paul Honeman said.
"I don't think the bear's any worse for it, but it was probably surprised someone was fighting back," said Honeman, who tallied the brawl as a "tie."
Medical personnel gave Rees some morphine for the pain and took him to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where he was treated for cuts, gashes and scrapes to his head, left arm and side, both thighs and waist.
He was released at about 6 a.m. Monday with his wounds still open because doctors were afraid of infection.
"I'm glad he didn't just lay there and let it eat him," said Rees' mother, Denise Jones. "I'm just glad he's OK. Just glad it's not worse than it is."
Fish and Game got on the scene at about 2:45 a.m. but was unable to find the bear, Coltrane said. The type of bear is unknown, but she suspected it was a grizzly based on its actions and because a police officer who lives nearby reported seeing a brown bear sow and cub in the area shortly before the attack.
The bear appeared to be acting defensively -- the way one would expect of a sow surprised in the dark, near a salmon stream and possibly with a cub in tow, she said.
"It's the same kind of situation that we had earlier this summer with Petra, in the sense that it's dark, a salmon creek, and it's essentially a dark trail," Coltrane said. "The same variables were there."
In late June, 15-year-old Petra Davis was severely mauled by a brown bear in Far North Bicentennial Park as she competed in a 24-hour bike race near Campbell Creek.
The attack on Rees took place near the route of a proposed trail to connect Eagle River High School with Chugach State Park. Fish and Game has opposed the trail system as planned, saying there would be few worse places to build it in the municipality, and this attack reinforces that, Coltrane said.
Recently people have reported seeing bears in the area most every night, said Rees' uncle, R.J. Jones, who lives nearby. A neighbor's chicken coup has been raided, and on Friday, Rees had another brush with bruins, when he was charged while riding his bike. He was not injured in that encounter.
"Nobody's ever gotten hurt down here before," Jones said. "We're just lucky it wasn't a little kid. We've got a lot of 5- and 7-year-old kids that live around here and somebody could have got really hurt."
There are a number of bears in the area, Coltrane said, and officials weren't sure which was responsible. They have no plans to hunt it down because it appeared to be behaving normally, she said.
Monday afternoon, police were urging residents to be alert for wildlife. Fish and Game was doing likewise, with an added recommendation against fighting grizzly bears.
"Typically if it's a defensive attack, which is in most cases with a brown bear, you've invaded their space. We recommend people to hold still because they want you to no longer be a threat," Coltrane said. "(Rees) did get off pretty lucky. The bear could have done a lot worse."
[/size][/font]
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/484087.html
Eagle River man fights attacking bear to draw
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]CUTS AND BRUISES: He battled bruin to a 'tie' after pitch-black 2 a.m. attack near Meadow Creek.[/size][/font]
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com
(08/05/08 01:26:37)
Devon Rees could have played dead. Or run. Instead, he chose to fight the bear that lunged out of the woods near his home in Eagle River on Monday morning.
And, though he ended up with a harvest of cuts and bruises, he survived.
"I definitely earned my bragging rights boxing a bear," said Rees, 18. "It got me a couple of times, and I got her a good couple of times. I wasn't going to give the bear an easy target."
Rees was walking home from a friend's house along VFW Road -- a frontage road that parallels the Glenn Highway -- at about 2 a.m. When he left the paved street for a dirt road that crosses Meadow Creek, he was less than 50 yards from his home at the edge of Chugach State Park. Midway across, he heard a splash down the embankment at the water's edge, perhaps 10 feet away. Probably just some salmon jumping, he thought.
The creek, not far from the heart of Eagle River, is a popular king salmon fishery -- for bears, said Jessy Coltrane, assistant Anchorage-area wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The culvert under the road acts as a bottleneck for the migrating fish, making for easy pickings, she said.
This late in summer, darkness envelops the woods in the early morning hours. Rees couldn't see a thing. As he continued on, a quick rustle was followed by a brief glint of hair. When the bear barrelled out and tore into him, he tore back.
"I was doing the best I could to stay up on my toes and move all around it," Rees said. "I figured my best chance was to fight the best I could, fight the hardest I could to get away."
The bear bit into his arms. Scratched his side. Dug into his thighs. Swatted his head. Rees was pumped with adrenaline, masking the pain of teeth and nails sinking into his flesh. He started yelling furiously. He threw elbows and punches into the bruin's head, kicked when he could.
As suddenly as the attack began, the bear released him. He didn't wait around. Rees began staggering up the road, shoeless and with pants shredded, calling 911 on his cell phone as he headed toward a nearby fire station. Police arriving on the scene found Rees near the Equipment Direct Rental store, but by that time, the bear was gone, police Lt. Paul Honeman said.
"I don't think the bear's any worse for it, but it was probably surprised someone was fighting back," said Honeman, who tallied the brawl as a "tie."
Medical personnel gave Rees some morphine for the pain and took him to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where he was treated for cuts, gashes and scrapes to his head, left arm and side, both thighs and waist.
He was released at about 6 a.m. Monday with his wounds still open because doctors were afraid of infection.
"I'm glad he didn't just lay there and let it eat him," said Rees' mother, Denise Jones. "I'm just glad he's OK. Just glad it's not worse than it is."
Fish and Game got on the scene at about 2:45 a.m. but was unable to find the bear, Coltrane said. The type of bear is unknown, but she suspected it was a grizzly based on its actions and because a police officer who lives nearby reported seeing a brown bear sow and cub in the area shortly before the attack.
The bear appeared to be acting defensively -- the way one would expect of a sow surprised in the dark, near a salmon stream and possibly with a cub in tow, she said.
"It's the same kind of situation that we had earlier this summer with Petra, in the sense that it's dark, a salmon creek, and it's essentially a dark trail," Coltrane said. "The same variables were there."
In late June, 15-year-old Petra Davis was severely mauled by a brown bear in Far North Bicentennial Park as she competed in a 24-hour bike race near Campbell Creek.
The attack on Rees took place near the route of a proposed trail to connect Eagle River High School with Chugach State Park. Fish and Game has opposed the trail system as planned, saying there would be few worse places to build it in the municipality, and this attack reinforces that, Coltrane said.
Recently people have reported seeing bears in the area most every night, said Rees' uncle, R.J. Jones, who lives nearby. A neighbor's chicken coup has been raided, and on Friday, Rees had another brush with bruins, when he was charged while riding his bike. He was not injured in that encounter.
"Nobody's ever gotten hurt down here before," Jones said. "We're just lucky it wasn't a little kid. We've got a lot of 5- and 7-year-old kids that live around here and somebody could have got really hurt."
There are a number of bears in the area, Coltrane said, and officials weren't sure which was responsible. They have no plans to hunt it down because it appeared to be behaving normally, she said.
Monday afternoon, police were urging residents to be alert for wildlife. Fish and Game was doing likewise, with an added recommendation against fighting grizzly bears.
"Typically if it's a defensive attack, which is in most cases with a brown bear, you've invaded their space. We recommend people to hold still because they want you to no longer be a threat," Coltrane said. "(Rees) did get off pretty lucky. The bear could have done a lot worse."
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