A grizzly bear that emerged from a thicket and charged two backpackers in the backcountry of Denali National Park and Preserve was shot and killed by one of the two who was carrying a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, according to park officials.
The killing Friday is believed to be the first instance of a hiker killing a grizzly in the park's wilderness. The killing occurred in the original Mount McKinley National Park portion of the Denali, which was expanded by two-thirds in 1980.
Until February, when Congress changed the rules, it was illegal to carry a loaded firearm in that portion of Denali. While the rule change now allows hikers to carry firearms in all areas of Denali, it still is illegal to discharge them, park officials said.
Park officials did not speculate whether the killing was justified. This is believed to be the first instance of a visitor to a national park killing an animal with a firearm since the gun regulations were changed.
According to a release from the park, the two backpackers, a man and woman, were hiking in dense brush along the edge of Tattler Creek, which is at the west end of Igloo Canyon roughly 35 miles from the park headquarters.
"The man, who was in the lead, drew a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol when they heard a noise coming from the brush. When the bear emerged from the thicket and ran toward the other hiker, he fired approximately nine rounds in its general direction. The bear stopped, turned, and walked back into the brush, where it quickly disappeared from view," said the release.
The two then headed roughly 1.5 miles back to a road, where they encountered a park employee, who called in the incident and took the two backpackers to the Toklat Road Camp. A ranger there did a short preliminary interview with them at approximately 10:00 p.m. Because of the concern that a wounded bear was in the area, four backcountry units were immediately closed, and bus drivers were instructed to not drop off day hikers in the Igloo Canyon on Saturday.
"Early Saturday morning rangers and wildlife technicians flew to Toklat via helicopter to conduct a secondary interview with the two backpackers. Afterwards they flew over Tattler Creek and all of side tributaries, very low at times, to determine if there was an active, wounded bear," the park release said. "No bears were seen during the overflight, and late in the afternoon three rangers hiked into the site. The bear was found dead in a willow thicket approximately 100 feet from the pistol casings at approximately 6:00 p.m.
"The bear’s body was transported via helicopter to a landing site on the park road and brought back to headquarters on Sunday, where park wildlife biologists are assisting with the investigation of the bear carcass. The backcountry units have been reopened."
The case is still under investigation, and the names of the backpackers are not being released at this time. Park wildlife biologists and rangers are trying to determine if there was a justification for shooting the animal.
The estimated grizzly bear population in the park north of the Alaska Range north is 300-350 animals.
Comments
what about using bear spray first before using leathal force?
I agree, letting animals kill people is insane, we have the right to defend ourselves from anything.
You would be real stupid to let a killer bear run upon you without pulling the trigger.
If it isn't bluffing you are dead.
Grizzly bears and humans do not mix sooner or later you are going to be supper depending how hungry the bear is or if you're in between it and one of his Cubs.
People found this out years ago.
I have seen a lot of comments of a large bear and their bluff charges. I have also seen a lot of stories of sow bears attacking humans when they have cubs because they felt their cubs were in danger because of the human presence, even though, the humans did not intend to hurt the cubs. So, what is the difference if a bear is charging a loved one, and you have the ability to stop the charge? I mean, how are we supposed to determain if the charge is a bluff or not? The bear may be injured and hungry, it might be sick, it might be old and can't get enough to eat. So, in my opinion, if a bear is charging one of my family members or other humans, and I have my firearm with me (in which I always do) I would not hesitate to stop the animal. I have been in law enforcement for over 30 years and I am well trained in the use of firearms. If I had the chance I would rather use bear spray, but like a human, a bear can fight through the spray and continue the charge. That is why I carry both bear spray and a heavy mag. Revolver, (.454 Casull). Until faced with a deadly encounter with any animal, don't armchair quarterback on a self defense situation. Let the authorities determine if the circusmstance fit for a self defense shooting or not.
Buffalo bore 255grain case hardened lead. Smart choice I won't go where Grizzlies are without gun. Worked in plenty of parks and expert testimony is BS if a charging grizzly does not stop you are dead or fubar. Period. They can outrun a dog. So the decision time is zero. If it is running. No second chance of you wait.
Ive heard they make bluff charges, which is more or less equivalent to us drawing our weapons without actually firing.
If the bear was startled and made a bluff charge, it is sad that it died because it was surprised and tried to scare off the potential threat.
That would be like a human getting killed by the bear because he/she drew the gun because he/she was surprised by the bear.
if you hit the bear with the first shot in the chest and it turns to run away why not keep shooting ? He already has a bullet in the chest. Why not try to put him down so he doesn't suffer ?