By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
An Idaho hunter looking for black bear fatally shot a charging grizzly May 16 in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest outside of Ashton, and following an investigation by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, it was determined the hunter acted in self-defense.
According to an IDFG news release, the hunter, who was accompanied by his young son, called the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department as soon as he was able, to report the incident. IDFG was notified and immediately responded.
According to Outdoor Life, this was the second incident of a grizzly attack in the Yellowstone region. On May 4, a grizzly attacked two brothers, ages 15 and 28, who were hiking inside the national park boundary on “a well-known trail near Old Faithful.”
The latest incident saw the hunter initially open fire with a sidearm before switching to his hunting rifle. The bear was stopped about five yards from where the hunter was standing, the IDFG report noted.
Bear attacks are nothing new, or even out of the ordinary, especially in the spring. One man who has been writing about human-bear encounters involving self-defense, primarily with a handgun, is Dean Weingarten, who has been covering the phenomenon for at least 20 years. He currently writes about self-defense with handguns against bears at Ammoland News. Weingarten’s most recent report was published May 17, and it involved a fatal bear attack May 32 on the Mount Brown trail in Glacier National Park. The victim in that case, 33-year-old Anthony Pollio, may have tried to defend himself with bear spray.
TGM spoke with Weingarten via telephone Thursday, and he said covering bears became a serious endeavor because some people dispelled the usefulness of handguns in such instances, while he remains skeptical about the effectiveness of bear spray.
According to IDFG, people hunting in grizzly country should consider the following:
- Carry bear spray and keep it accessible.
- Hunt with partners and make each other aware of plans.
- Look for grizzly bear sign, including fresh tracks. Let partners know if you do see sign.
- Retrieve meat as quickly as possible.
- Hang meat, food, and garbage at least 200 yards from camp and at least 10 feet off the ground.
- Make noise, especially around creeks and thick vegetation. Most attacks occur by inadvertently surprising a bear at close range.
However, according to published reports, the hunters attempted to alert the grizzly to their presence.
Weingarten has written extensively on suitable handguns for bear defense, and TGM has also looked into the subject. Among the top calibers are the 10mm Auto, .357, .41 and .44 magnums, the Smith & Wesson .460 and .500 magnums, the .475 Linebaugh and the .480 Ruger.
