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Grizzly Bear Shot and Killed By Hikers In Denali National Park and Preserve

Jun 1st - 10:22am | Anonymous

Yep - lets just close everything to everybody. This will be a brilliant solution to man v. beast. Lets spend more resources and more worry and energy over this non-event than the death of people.

Jun 1st - 09:30am | Anonymous

It makes me sick that several posters seem to feel it would be better for hikers to die than to kill a bear. Bears do kill and seriously injure people each year. It is our right as humans to defend our lives from deadly threats. Given the choice between dead hikers and dead bears, I'll always pick the dead bears.

Jun 1st - 09:25am | Anonymous

The only relevant fact is how far the bear was from the backpackers at the time and how fast he was approaching them. Whether or not the bear was making a bluff charge is something the backpackers could not know unless they can read the mind of a bear.

Jun 1st - 07:36am | Anonymous

First mistake: the backcountry safety video in Denali is only required viewing for those who are camping overnight in the backcountry. Day hikers in the backcountry are not required to go through any awareness or safety training. Perhaps every single visitor going into the park should now be required to go through backcountry awareness training.

Jun 1st - 06:04am | JamesRobertSmith

If you're scared of hiking in griz country to the point that you feel the need to carry a loaded firearm, then stay the HELL out of griz country. [Ed: This comment was edited.]

Jun 1st - 02:06am | Anonymous

Shoot the bear! Big difference between a hiker with a 45ACP and a poacher with a long rifle. Know the difference boys.

Jun 1st - 00:23am | R Stefancik

I would defy an Alaskan jury to convict these individuals. I'm sure there will be plenty of wiggle room for reasonable doubt as to whether this was self defense. Even if it turns out to be a civil case, the preponderence of the evidence will be in favor of the hikers.

May 31st - 23:40pm | Anonymous

Since we're all playing arm chair quarterback. How or when would you propose deciding the difference between a bluff charge and a real threat? My guess is by the time you knew the difference it would be far too late. One shot from a 45 is very unlikely to stop a bear. Glad the hikers are OK, sorry a bear died in the process.

May 31st - 23:30pm | Anonymous

I doubt the hikers were trying to kill a grizzly, it would be foolish using only a .45 ACP. Grizzlies are know to run up to over 30 mph, I guess it boils down to kill or be killed. I believe human lives are worth more then a bear intent on killing. I hope we do not become so anti-gun that a person should not have the right to protect their life when endanger of death.

May 31st - 23:28pm | DM

I also have spent hours hiking in Denali Park and I too have encountered grizzlies on multiple occasions. I would never carry a weapon and wish the law allowing people to do so in our National Parks did not exist. When we go into the wilderness we knowingly enter a different situation. We are somewhat our of our element and comfort zone. We are not and should not be the dominant species.

May 31st - 22:39pm | Anonymous

A .45 Caliber semi-automatic pistol is actually a very low powered weapon for ecountering bears. I would have to assume that he bear was shot at point blank range in order for it to be killed. The .45 ACP would have neglible penetration on a grizzly bear even as close as 25 yards. That bear had to be close enough to pose a threat. In all reality, the couple is lucky to be alive.

May 31st - 22:27pm | Yank

Sure is a lot of second guessing goin' on here.. since no one else was there but them isnt it enough that they considered their lives in danger and acted.. or is it better that they should be in the morgue instead of the bear.. I havent seen one comment on the shooting skill that it took to accomplish this or the presence of mind to actually hit it considering the stress of the moment.

May 31st - 20:55pm | Anonymous

Perhaps there are areas where hikers should only be allowed when accompanied by a licensed guide well versed in the behavior of ill mannered beasties with great big teeth.I think that most people when being charged by a Grizzly,would feel a legitimate fear for their lives.I was not there so it would be wrong of me to condemn either the bear or the hikers.That being said I would much rather be

May 31st - 19:01pm | Anonymous

Hikers "rights" do not rule the law of wildlife management in Denali, and that is as it should be. We humans are guests in the bears' habitat. Those hikers were dangerously close to a permanent bear closure, and they had to have been aware of that reality.If they weren't, they shouldn't have been allowed to hike there.

May 31st - 19:01pm | Anonymous

I have been living and working in Denali National Park for 8 years. I have encountered bears, been bluff charged, watched my friends be charged, had grizzlies come within 10 feet of my campsites. If you do what you are told in the video you have to watch in order to go backpacking here (back up, talk to the bear, stay calm, etc) there is no real threat.

May 31st - 18:02pm | Phil Briggs

I worked as a Backcountry Ranger at Denali for ten years. I was in charge of informing all backcountry visitors on what to do if they encountered a bear. We never had a problem. I was bluff charged quite regularly, especially along streams where brush exists. Sometimes you just can't make enough noise. However, I'm still alive... the bears never made contact.

May 31st - 18:02pm | HSR

Good I don't want to meet you in the "Forest" with your concealed handgun! So please don't come to Alaska and definately stay out of Denali if you can't hike with your gun

May 31st - 16:34pm | Michael

There has never been a human fatality caused by a bear in Denali National Park. There have been very few instances where bears have actually made physical contact with hikers in Denali, and never a really serious attack.

May 31st - 15:26pm | Al

VP, there are no "excepts" in the law. Had this conversation with a law enforcement ranger in Yellowstone.

May 31st - 15:10pm | BC dude

I'm with RP!!! I don't read the minds of bears and therefore if human life could be harmed I will do whatever is necessary to save it. MarkK bears are not rational animals. This is not your castle/my castle situation. Man and beast are instictly enemeies and grizzlies have the instinct many times to attack. This is not simply a young innocent black bear.

May 31st - 14:59pm | Kurt Repanshek

MarkK, My guess is that they were armed, and legally so. Not sure why that would be an interesting bit of info, though. If they're going to search for a grizzly that could be wounded, instead of dead, wouldn't it be foolhardy not to be armed?

May 31st - 14:59pm | Anonymous

Read the bear safety information on Denali's website: http://www.nps.gov/dena/bear-safety.htm ... It says that bears bluff charge. Then, think about their evolutionary history: Grizzlies evolved on open country -- the Great Plains, open tundra.

May 31st - 14:30pm | RP

I have to think that the words "illegal to discharge" mean illegal to target practice, shoot at animals or fire your weapon ever EXCEPT if attacked by an animal or human -- in other words, only for self-defense. If a bear is charging me, am I going to try and figure out it's intentions -- hell no !! Most bears are extremely fast over short distances.

May 31st - 14:25pm | MarkK

We certainly need to wait for the available facts to come in before making a judgement or conclusion. It used to be in many states that if your home was invaded you had show that you had fear for your life in order to use a firearm-in other words, you had a duty to retreat.

May 31st - 13:40pm | Anonymous

Unless the pistol was a rare .45 magnum auto (very unlikely), the range could not have that great to the animal.

May 31st - 12:29pm | dennis g

I agree with the comment submitted by Volpe. We cannot make a judgement until all the facts are known as to whether the hikers were really in danger or was it a case of shoot first/talk about it later. And, since the hikers are probably the only witnesses, a lot will depend upon their truthfulness.

May 31st - 11:58am | Volpe

Sorry the bear was killed. Sorry the backpackers were in that situation. Now turn the page and wait for the circumstances to come to light before making any judgements.

May 31st - 11:31am | Anonymous

People and bears have close encounters in Denali all the time. We hike the same drainages, go through the same brushy areas with limited visibility, climb up over the same passes. Personally, I have had two encounters when solo hiking.

May 31st - 11:26am | Kurt Repanshek

Much remains to be learned from the circumstances around the shooting before definitive conclusions can be reached. Among the questions: How far from the hikers was the bear when it was shot? Were there cubs nearby? Was there a carcass nearby? Was the bear healthy? Other points that can't be overlooked:

May 31st - 10:59am | Anonymous

Its about time someone was allowed top defend themselves. I hope this case does not degenerate into a get the hikers thing. It seems that they don't give a crap about human life anymore.

Tracking Crime in National Parks Is Not An Exact Science By Any Means

Jun 1st - 09:34am | Chief Ranger

The Naitonal Park Service has struggeled for years with reporting systems. Our Safety Reporting system is being over hauled and Maintanence has finally achieved it's goal with consecutive years of a system that is producing results for them. Lets look at the way parks report visitation, how about training, how about fleet managment...the list goes on.

Staying Active In Congaree National Park

Jun 1st - 09:05am | loohire

Wow! Two portable toilets servicing 56 campers. That's going to be grim by day 3. FYI UK Health and Safety reg’s state 1 portable toilet will cope with 7 people on site for 40 hours. P.S. The pictures look amazing, what a fantastic place to camp.

Park History: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Jun 1st - 08:49am | Anonymous

haha i know, my parents go through there all the time, this summer we are taking a trip there and stopping to look at the views. :)

Ask A Ranger. Violence Is Nothing New To The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Jun 1st - 07:38am | Bruce W. Bytnar

"Rangers have no legal duty to protect anyone, and risk no liability should they fail to do so."

May 31st - 10:50am | haunted hiker

Lee, You can order Bytnar's book through Amazon. A Park Ranger’s Life: Thirty-Two Years of Protecting Our National Parks. http://www.amazon.com/Park-Rangers-Life-Thirty-two-Protecting/dp/1604943459

May 31st - 08:20am | Lee Dalton

Where can I buy this book?

May 30th - 11:04am | William L

Comparing per capita crime rates between cities and national parks without considering that the city statistics reference a 24 hr day resident while the average national park visit has been reported as 3 hours is misleading. Secondly a disproportionate amount of crime in a city occurs at night while the overwhelming majority of national park visits occur during daylight hours.

May 30th - 09:49am | David Codrea

"Mr. Bytnar says this new law makes protecting the public an increasingly tricky and dangerous business for park rangers." Rangers have no legal duty to protect anyone, and risk no liability should they fail to do so.

Ever See Fireflies All Blink In Unison? It Happens at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Jun 1st - 07:24am | Anonymous

I agree with the first comment. We have seen the synchronous fireflies in GSMNP as well, just not at Elkmont. It is very cool!

May 30th - 16:43pm | Anonymous

Elkmont isn't the only such location in the Smokies, just the most crowded.

Got Time to Volunteer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Great Opening At Clingmans Dome

Jun 1st - 07:12am | Danny Bernstein

Come and volunteer at Clingmans Dome Visitor Center. Great fun and you learn a lot about the park. And you'll be on top of Old Smoky. Danny Bernstein www.hikertohiker.com

Schedule For Denali National Park and Preserve Road Lottery Announced

Jun 1st - 03:15am | Suzanne

I tried to access the road lottery form at 12:04 AM.... It is now 12:15 AM on June 1st, and I still can't access the road lottery form. It's June 1st! I stayed up just so that I could make sure to be one of the first to sign up for the road lottery. Looks like somebody dropped the ball.....

With National Parks As the Draw, Luxury Railroad Plans 2011 Debut

May 31st - 15:29pm | Otis McCoy

Well it is a great step in the right direction, Now IF we can just get the price down some. Great Idea

May 30th - 16:36pm | Anonymous

their is nothing worth 900 - 1,500 dollars a day on a railroad trip

May 30th - 13:44pm | Chip

Holy bat quano - 900-1500 A DAY!!! ridiculous!!!

May 30th - 09:33am | Anonymous

Well hurray for the upper middle class and above. Another wonderfull thing for them to do.

Metal Detectors at Palo Alto Battlefield? These "Hunters" were on a Mission

May 31st - 11:51am | James

It is nice to see metal detectorists given a chance to use their skills to help archaeologists. Would have been fun to be a part of that project.

House Seals Deal To Allow Wide Range of Firearms into The National Park System

May 31st - 08:13am | justinh

Exactly the problem with allowing firearms in the parks. One wonders if bearspray and other precautions could have prevented this from happening: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iZAXtf6DCKaBSj3u7Y38fd...

Paintball Vandals Deface Petroglyphs at Lake Mead National Recreation Area

May 30th - 10:39am | Jerry

Oh my gosh, will you all please spare me!? Do any of you know what paintball goo is? It's not paint, it's chalk dust and water. Get a hose and spray off the goo; they're not vandals, they didn't deface anything, get over it! The only way that it would possibly affect the petroglyphs is if the park maintenance men don't spray it off within a month, then it will bleach the rock a little bit.

Glen Canyon NRA Releases EA on Castle Rock Cut Deepening

May 30th - 10:27am | George Hayduke

Blow up that f'ing damN and drain that cesspool of a back water!!! seriously? deepen the channel for boaters? RESTORE THE COLORADO NOW!!!

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