When ever hunting or visiting the state of Wyoming, Montana or Idaho you need to keep in mind that this is grizzly country. In the past several months grizzly bears have been exceedingly active in the area. This past summer alone, there were 2 deaths  in Yellowstone National Park due to Grizzly encounters. These deaths were that of hikers who were hiking in Yellowstone Park. These hikers were not carrying bear spray.

Grizzly bears are wondering just outside of town too.

On two separate occasions, 2 Grizzly bears were trapped and re-located; the first was in mid September and the other early October after foraging apples at an apple orchard near Cody. And then more recently, on Friday, October 29th a grizzly killed 19 chickens in the Clark area.

Recently several hunters in Wyoming and surrounding states have been attacked by Grizzly.

Elk hunters especially need to beware this time of year. A surprised Grizzly is a dangerous Grizzly. Grizzly bears are now foraging for winter. As in the early spring when Grizzly come out of hibernation and forage for food, this time of year is prime time for Grizzly to be storing fat for the winter snooze. Grizzly are known for traveling long distances to hunt for food. Do the math – 600 grizzly @ 500 mile foraging radius = they could be anywhere!

In early October, an out-of-state hunter surprised a Grizzly while he was hunting near Meeteetse. He was charged but not seriously wounded. A Casper man was also charged while hunting in the Dubois area. He dropped and played dead. Luckily he only suffered bites to his ankles and rear end.

More recently, on October 30th,  another bear incident occurred in the Grand Teton Park. A Jackson man was attacked while hunting Elk in the area. He was carrying bear spray, but it was in his holster. He had no warning before the bear attacked. Grizzlies are quick and a holstered can can be difficult to release in just a few seconds. He dropped and played dead. Fortunately for him his bites were not serious.

Remember that this is grizzly country! If you are going to scout for elk or what ever poor creature is in season, have your bear spray in hand at all times. Just like the Jackson man above, he was carrying his bear spray but it was holstered. A grizzly attack can happen quickly and you must be prepared.

Play it safe with Griz! Pay attention in grizzly country. Look for fresh signs of a grizzly such as tracks, scat, digs and carcasses. Inform yourself on bear habitats, what bears eat, ect… If your gutting a kill, keep all intestines ect… far from your camp area, as a griz will make quick claim of anything left behind. Keep your bear spray in your hand at all times, don’t hunt alone, (one man to spray the bear and the other to shoot it if need be!) and keep all food supplies, especially carcasses out of reach of the bears!

A must-read on these magnificent but sometimes deadly creatures—thoroughly revised, expanded, and updated

Mark of the Grizzly

The body of 59 year old John Wallace was discovered August 26th by 2 hikers less than 10 miles from where another hiker was killed by a female grizzly on July 6th. Apparently he was camping and hiking alone without bear spray right smack in the middle of grizzly country when he was killed. With more than 600 grizzly bears in Yellowstone who are known to frequent the Hayden Valley regularly, I can’t help but wonder what was this man thinking?

Be Smart or Be Mauled

This recent death along the Mary Mountain Trail could have possibly been prevented. No disrespect to the victim or family but Mr. Wallace, a know nature enthusiast and hiker, broke 3 very important rules of thumb when hiking in Yellowstone that may have saved his life.

1. He was alone. You have a better chance of avoiding a grizzly attack when hiking in groups of 3 or more. The more noise you make, the better. A bears hearing will protect you since a bear will avoid human contact when ever possible. Many people going it alone or in pairs are more susceptible to a grizzly attack as they are generally not making a lot of noise. Startling a grizzly in his natural habitat will have deadly consensuses. Venturing too close to a carcass or grizzly food of any kind is viewed as a threat to the bears survival. If you smell a rotting carcass, head the other way. That is HIS food, his personal belongings and he will protect it any way possible.
2. He WAS NOT carrying bear spray. Mr. Wallace was an educated man, he worked in a library, he loved books, but, he was not carrying bear spray? It is always important to be prepared when hiking or camping in grizzly country. Think of it this way, this is the ‘wild wild west’. Your not likely to encounter a bank robber or notorious outlaw but there is a large probability that you may encounter a 200 – 500 pound muscle bound beast with 3 inch claws who neither talks or reasons. Your gun is your bear spray. It is attached to your belt. You are a gunslinger. Your ‘gun’ is loaded and ready to go. Be prepared.
3. Location – The Mary Mountain as well as the Lamar Valley area is known as a grizzly travel and hunting area. In the spring, The Mary Mountains in the Hayden Valley are closed to the public during the awake/feed cycle of the grizzly. The bear emerges from his den and the first thing he wants to do is eat. Dead carcasses from the winter are a valuable source of food to the grizzly March-June. Bears don’t know when humans declare their feeding season is officially over and it is time ‘to move on.’ And a grizzly never knows when your coming for a surprise visit. They haven’t gotten the email that says “stay away from the Mary Mountains today for I will be hiking there. I don’t want to startle you or do anything stupid that may cause my death.” Your friend Bob.

Living in the Cody, Wyoming area, 52 miles east of Yellowstone park I am privy to the grizzly attacks that don’t make national news. Just 3 weeks ago my friends daughter lost her horse to a grizzly. I don’t know any other way to tell you that GRIZZLY BEARS ARE DANGEROUS. They are unpredictable and they will kill you!!

Don’t be foolish! Be prepared. Take responsibility for yourself and your families. Don’t expect that it will never happen to you, because quite simply, It Could! Mr. Wallace didn’t expect it to happen to him. Right?

How Many Close Calls And Deaths Will It Take Until People Wise Up?

In this area, and especially in the Yellowstone area the grizzly bear is at home. This is his domain. He lives, eats and sleeps under the broad night sky. He fishes in the streams. He eats dead things. He goes where he wants and when he wants. It doesn’t matter if we have built roads and designated hiking trails. He will roam where and when he chooses, according to his senses and territory desires. A grizzly bear ‘OWNS’ a territory of up to 500 miles. If he smells a long dead animal, he will venture toward it. It won’t matter if you are walking up the trail or not.

This territory is his backyard, dining room and bedroom. To him, we are the trespassers in his domain. He has not extended us an invitation to visit him, nor does he offer us any hospitality. He WILL avoid us at any cost but he will protect what is his. A grizzly is always searching for food. Always. He is a scavenger by nature and the more dead and rotting, the better.

Feature Read:

Some Bears Kill –

In light of the most recent grizzly bear attack in Yellowstone Park, I would like to once again stress the importance of being prepared and taking precautions when hiking in Yellowstone.

While many are out hiking and enjoying the scenery in Yellowstone this time of year, mother grizzlies are out and about teaching their cubs how to forage for food. This is prime time to take precautions when traveling through Yellowstone. It is always great to see the Grizzlies, especially sows with cubs, but it is absolutely necessary to carry bear mace when walking or hiking ANYWHERE in Yellowstone.

Grizzly bears will naturally try to avoid people. But with more than 600 grizzlies roaming the park and millions of tourists visiting Yellowstone each year, it is possible that another encounter with a grizzly could happen. 

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Yellowstones Last Grizzly Attack Was 25 Years Ago – 1986

The last attack inside the boundaries of Yellowstone Park occurred 25 years ago. 

Last year alone, there were 2 deaths directly related to grizzly attacks within 7 miles of the Parks borders. In June 2010, a tranquilized bear had been left sleeping approximately 7 miles outside the east entrance of Yellowstone Park.  Hiker and cabin owner Botanist Erwin Frank Evert was hiking in the area and probably came upon the sleeping, tranquilized bear. He was later found just 20 yards from the bear capture site.

Only one month later in July 2010, a female grizzly savagely attacked sleeping campers in the Soda Butte Campground- killing one man and injuring 2 others. The female sow was later located and euthanized. The campground is located just 5 miles from Yellowstone’s Northeast entrance.

And now Wednesday July 6, what began as a hiking adventure between husband and wife, resulted in the mauling death of the 57-year-old man. The man and his wife had been hiking in the Yellowstone Grand Canyon area when they crossed the path of a mother grizzly (Sow) and her cubs. The hike turned tragic when the sow charged the couple. The man was mauled to death and the woman picked up in the grizzlies massive jaws. (It wasn’t clear to me if she was attacked before her husband was killed or after). What I know is that the grizzly picked her up by her backpack, shook her a few times, dropped her and left. She survives with a few scrapes and scratches only because she played dead.

The grizzly will not be sought and euthanized as the attack is considered a ‘natural’ occurrence as it is believe the sow was protecting her cubs. Since grizzlies obviously have more rights than we do this is considered the right measure. Let’s just hope the grizzly DID indeed feel threatened and more attacks are not forthcoming.

The path to Artist Point has been blocked by barricades to prevent further attacks if the bear is still in the area.

Please read Bear attacks are rare but they do happen to learn what you should do to prevent a grizzly encounter and what to do if you would encounter a grizzly.

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The 2nd attack happened to Canada vacationer, Deborah Freele who is currently in the West Park Hospital until Sunday. Freele tells reporters from her hospital bed that she woke seconds before the grizzly latched onto her arm and shoulder and screamed several times before it started to drag her out of the tent. She realized that she had to stop screaming in order to survive. She did the absolute right thing. She played dead. If she had not, the bear would have bit and shook her to death.

Mrs Freele should be released on Sunday as long as their are no signs of infection from the bear bites to her arm and shoulder.

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The 3rd victim,  Ronald Singer, of Alamosa, Co, fended off the bear who was at that time biting his leg by punching him until he went away. Singer  was treated and released Thursday.

All victims where sleeping in tents. Soda Butte was immediately evacuated and nearby campgrounds were also closed until the grizzly was caught. Freels husband then drove to the hospital to see his wife.

Almost 2 years ago to this day a grizzly attacked another man who was also sleeping in a tent in Soda Butte campground. He survived the attack with only bites to his hand and several claw marks.

Here are my thoughts:

When an animal, wild or otherwise, attacks without provocation it should be determined that the animal is dangerous and should be removed to protect the public from further deaths or incident. It is not know why the grizzly attacked the sleeping campers.

Uncommon to the general consensus grizzlies do not actively look for trouble and avoid encounters with people at all cost, but at the same time, they are always looking for food. Bears are commonly refered to as meat eaters but in fact, bears mostly rely on vegetation such as grasses, roots and berries for substance. Hunting for meat consists of scavenging dead rotting carcasses or capturing and killing ”easy prey” such as rodents, a new born elk calf or livestock.  

With that being said, this predatory act of this particular grizzly was not usual in the least. She could have been scouring for food as she had 3 cubs to teach and feed and to her, sleeping campers could have been ‘easy prey’.

The campsite was most likely one of the  grizzlies usual food stops. It could be possible that the bear smelled food on or around the tent of the first victim. The man from Michigan may have woken and tried to run. At that time the grizzlies predatory instincts would have kicked in killing the man and dragging him away for later. Still if the bear was searching for food left by the campers it wouldn’t have attacked and drug the other sleeping campers from their tents. Unless, it had determined that people where easy prey.

You won’t find me sleeping in a tent in grizzly country. Even if I’m armed with my bear spray, gun and big bad dog you will find me sleeping in my car with doors locked and keys in the ignition. When your woken up in the middle of the night with a grizzly breathing down your neck like the 3 campers from Soda Butte, there is not much time to think or react. Better safe then sorry in grizzly country. Be prepared for anything in the wild, be it Yellowstone National Park or anywhere in rugged country that we all so love.

Remember happy campers, animals in the Yellowstone and surrounding region are wild and unpredictable creatures. Always take precaution and stay alert when venturing out.

Please read Bear Attacks Are Rare But They Do Happen for some ideas of what to do when in grizzly country, why grizzlies attack and what to do if one does.

The grizzly bear that attacked  the 3 campers in Soda Butte campground in Montana early Wednesday morning has been euthanized.  Her 3 cubs have been rounded up and will be sent to Zoo Montana.

Cody resident Laura Brown, original founder of Laptops For The Wounded  wrote this comment on an article written by Boston.com please read the comment at the site:

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http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/07/29/bear_attack_in_montana_leaves_1_dead_2_injured/?comments=all

Just hours after a grizzly was tranquilized, collared and left to wake up it mauled to death a 7o year old cabin owner in the Kitty Creek area of Wyoming. (Just 7 miles from the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park) 

Botanist Erwin Frank Evert of  Park Ridge, Ill, vacationed in his Kitty Creek cabin for nearly 40 years. One afternoon he went out for an afternoon hike and never returned. His wife reported him missing. Erwin was found shortly after at the bear capture site.

The grizzly responsible was left just hours earlier after being captured by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST)that was in the area researching grizzly bears.  The area is only 4 miles away from the  Wyoming Boy Scout Camp. At the time the researchers tranquilized the grizzly there where 150 boy scouts in the area.

Officials are not certain that this was the same bear that attacked and killed the 70 year old hiker. But it is no doubt a no brainer as Evert was found 20 yards from the capture site. The probability is that Erwin Frank Evert came upon the bear as the bear was waking up or shortly after. No doubt the bear was disoriented and in a bad mood.

The mauling occurred approximately 7 miles from the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park on Thursday. After wardens of the Wyoming Game and Fish, members of Park County Search and Rescue and Scott Steward, a Park County Sheriff,  recovered Erwin’s body they closed the area to protect the public from further attacks.

The U.S. Forest Service furthered issued a closure order for the Kitty Creek area and part of the Shoshone National Forest until the bear is found. Federal wildlife and law enforcement agents are searching for the bear using the electronic tracking equipment put on the grizzly Thursday.

Just another reminder, when hiking the back country, you are not in the zoo! These are free roaming wild animals living in their natural habitat. Bear attacks are rare but they do happen! When in bear country please be prepared. Carry bear spray, do not hike alone and do your hiking in the day time, the evening is hunting time for grizzlies.

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Update

The bear was tracked via the radio collar and shot.  

We would like to express our thoughts and prayers are with Erwin’s wife, family and friends at this tragic time. Erwin, a Botanist,  had just published a massive reference book, “Vascular Plants of the Greater Yellowstone Area” which was his life’s work and his passion.

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 Bear attack in Cooke City Montana July 2008

Another bear attack was in 2007 when a Montana wildlife photographer was hiking in the back country, something he did often. He was attacked by a female grizzly with a cub nearby. Female Grizzles will attack suddenly and without warning when they think their cubs may be in danger.

You are in prime grizzly country when in Yellowstone and although bear attacks are rare, they do happen. Grizzles naturally avoid people, but don’t think that will be to your advantage if you encounter a grizzly bear.

How to Survive a Grizzly (or Black) Bear Attack:

4 major causes of bear attacks:

* Going it alone. There have been no reported attacks of people in groups of 3 or more.

*Hiking or camping to close to a bears food – if you smell rotting carcass, back up, turn around and travel the other way. Bears are very protective of their food.

* Hiking or walking between a mama bear and her cubs.

* Surprising a bear.

Other bear facts from American Hunter Magazine (May 2007):

* 65 percent of people attacked were hiking

* 16 percent of people attacked were working

* 65 percent of the bears that attacked were alone

 * 33 percent of the bears attacked when they were startled
 
If you plan to hike, fish, backpack or camp in Yellowstone  (or anywhere that is considered Grizzly country),  take these precautions to avoid any encounters with a bear.

A bear is likely to advoid running into you if he knows that you are there.

*Make plenty of noise

*Travel in groups

*Carry bear spray

*Use a lens when taking photos

*Hike or walk in the day. Night is hunting time.

If you do encounter a bear:

* Don’t run! You will look like easy prey to the bear.

* Back away slowly.

* Talk softly don’t shout.

* Don’t drop or throw anything at the bear.

* Avoid making direct eye contact as bears will see this as a challenge.

* If you are charged freeze and: 

A) Use bear mace – if you don’t have bear mace go to B

B) Drop to the ground and lie on your stomach with hands clasped  tightly around your neck. You may have heard that dropping to the ground and rolling into a tight ball, legs to chest, hands behind neck, is the posture to take…. this is wrong! One swipe of a bears massive paw will take that arm protecting your head right off!

Watch this video:

Using Bear Spray

The best defense against a bear attack, especially when camping, backpacking, fishing or hiking alone is mace bear pepper spray. You can purchase bear spray in  any of the general stores in Yellowstone.  Always carry the bear spray on your person within easy reach and not in your backpack when in the back country.
 

FRONTIERSMAN Bear Attack Deterrent with Hip Holster

The best bear pepper spray that  has the strongest EPA approved animal repellent rating (2.0% Capsaicinoids) with an extreme blast range of 35-feet is Mace Bear Pepper Spray! Human pepper spray is not the same as bear pepper spray. Only EPA approved bear sprays may be sold as deterrents against bears and have specific minimum requirements that must be met.