• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Bear Mauling and other Bear Stories

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,297
Location
Reno
For those of you who know Sibhusky, her husband and daughter were subjects of a bear attack while hiking with their dogs.

Husband came out with more serious injuries than daughter, but still....crazy!
Sending healing thoughts and shout out to be careful out there.

Man survives bear attack near Whitefish

Article with a bit of clarification
Whitefish man recovering from bear mauling
Snip from article:
The man’s wife said the initial report released by wildlife officials deviated some from her family’s recollection. She said the bear burst from the brush and immediately knocked her daughter to the ground. The FWP report said the bear ran past the daughter straight to the man.

“This is like a jack-in-the-box kind of event,” she said. “You’re walking along and you’re perfectly happy and then bam, all hell breaks loose.”

The man was a few feet behind his daughter, and reacting by instinct, he knew he had to deter the attack.

“They always tell you to lay down and play dead,” she said. “But his thought was ‘I have bear spray, that’s what this is for.’”

One sharp memory both her husband and daughter recalled from the event was that the daughter wasn’t able to reach her spray in its holster. The man’s spray, however, wasn’t holstered but tucked in his pants pocket where he was able to grab it immediately.
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
13,549
Location
Great White North
Yeah, that's crazy. Seems a big difference between black and grizzly bears, aggression level is next level. I've seen a dozen black bears and never had an inkling of worry.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
Skier
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Posts
4,804
Location
Whitefish, MT
FWP tells us that if a black bear goes for you, you'll be in worse shape because it's usually predation. I never knew that, we've always had them wander away from us.

We've replaced the can of bear spray with two new cans that have a bigger payload. 10 vs 8 oz. Looking for the gallon size.
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,325
Location
The Bull City
Wow, I didn't get the impression it was HER and her husband and daughter from the thread on her FB wall. She referred to the victims as "They" in her comments about the article and incident. I did get the impression that she knows them. Either makes sense since she prefers to keep a low profile and anonymity with most online interactions.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
The forces of nature are not just limited to avalanches in our world. :hug:to @Sibhusky.
 
Last edited:

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
Skier
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Posts
4,804
Location
Whitefish, MT
Wow, I didn't get the impression it was HER and her husband and daughter from the thread on her FB wall. She referred to the victims as "They" in her comments about the article and incident. I did get the impression that she knows them. Either makes sense since she prefers to keep a low profile and anonymity with most online interactions.
You thought I was overly consumed with the incident? ;)
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,325
Location
The Bull City
You thought I was overly consumed with the incident? ;)

Not at all. I though it was friends of yours that were ALMOST consumed.

We just got a copperheads warning on the news regarding our nature areas. We walk at NIGHT and see toads hopping across the trail all the time. Maybe night walks in the woods aren't such a good idea..
 

Core2

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 29, 2015
Posts
1,848
Location
AZ
Wow crazy. Glad they survived. Life does suck in bear country.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
Skier
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Posts
4,804
Location
Whitefish, MT
To anyone thinking about bear spray, let me tell you right now, the best bear deterrent is a 10mm Glock. Anything else is risking your life.
We would beg to disagree. With a daughter and two dogs and a bear appearing from bushes six feet from you at speed, how likely is it that you're going to slow him down with the first shot from your gun? Without hitting your hiking companions? My husband got the bear at a ONE FOOT range after he'd already been mauled, after the bear had slammed my daughter to the ground. Do you think his aim would have been good enough to STOP AND DROP the bear? As it was, the bear immediately left. The bear guys here will all tell you bear spray is FAR more effective.
https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/grizzly/bear spray.pdf

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150925-grizzly-bears-attacks-science-animals-bear-spray/

https://www.outsideonline.com/1899301/shoot-or-spray-best-way-stop-charging-bear
 
Last edited:

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,325
Location
The Bull City
To anyone thinking about bear spray, let me tell you right now, the best bear deterrent is a 10mm Glock. Anything else is risking your life.
+1 on the disagree. Unless you hit a griz right.between the eye with a 45 slug you will just piss her off more. Good wicked strong pepper spray to their face does more to send them running the other way than a few bullets. Most.park rangers and actual bear hunters agree with this strategy for close up defense.
 

Core2

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 29, 2015
Posts
1,848
Location
AZ
For all you guys disagreeing with me, ask the guy in MT who had his scalp half ripped off as the bear ran right through his bear spray and attacked him if he would've rather had a 10mm. For anyone who has no gun training, get bear spray. If you know how to use a gun, get a gun and one that can kill a bear, not a .22, 9mm, .45. I had a friend attacked in NM last year and he wouldn't have been saved by either unfortunately as he woke up a sleeping bear in deep brush who was on him within 5 secs. Bears suck.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
Skier
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Posts
4,804
Location
Whitefish, MT
The guy doesn't know that the gun would have worked, either. Or that he would have hit a charging grizzly at close range. He just thinks he could have stopped it. And I think we know about scalps here.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top