DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Grizzly bear kills backpacker in Alaska's Denali National Park

(CNN) -- A lone backpacker was killed in a grizzly bear attack while hiking in Alaska's Denali National Park, the National Park Service said Saturday.
The first sign of trouble came Friday afternoon, when three hikers noticed an abandoned backpack and signs of a struggle -- including torn clothing and blood -- along the Toklat River, the park service said in a news release.
The hikers went back to a rest area, about three miles to the south, and alerted authorities around 5:30 p.m. Friday.
About two and a half hours later, park rangers conducting an aerial search spotted at least one grizzly bear and, after touching down, the unidentified victim's remains.
The body remained at the site Friday night after rangers decided to wait until Saturday morning to remove the remains because of the waning light and the number of bears in the area.
The park service said that, based on "initial evidence," authorities believe a bear attacked the backpacker by the river and dragged his body to a more sheltered, bushy area.
The area of the Denali backcountry where the attack occurred has been closed -- prohibiting all hiking and camping in that area -- "until further notice," the park service said.
About 12 grizzly bears have been living this summer around where Friday's attack occurred, the park said, citing wildlife biologists.
Grizzly bear attacks are not common, though they are not unprecedented. Last September, a grizzly attacked and killed a hunter in northwestern Montana within sight of another hunter. Earlier that year, grizzly bears killed two men in Yellowstone National Park, according to the park's superintendent.
This week's attack is the "first known bear mauling fatality" recorded in Denali National Park and Preserve, according to the park service. By the CNN Wire Staff

According to this story the guy was photographing the bear from about 50 yards and even though he'd received training when he took out his hiking permit that says to stay at least a quarter of mile away from any bear, he apparently ignored that advice.

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meh, it happens

In Grizzly country without bear spray?

$40 could have saved his life. I've only had to pull it once in my life and didn't end up needing it, however you just don't mess around with grizzlies. Ironically that was just a month and a half ago in Glacier National Park. Was headed down to a lake where some moose were spotted the day before (across the lake) and saw it on our side WAY less than the recommended distance because it was around a blind corner. Luckily since we were making noise, we didn't startle it and were able to just slowly back away.

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In Grizzly country without bear spray?

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Hikes alone in grizzly country without bear spray.... and then intentionally approaches a bear? If it were a sow with cubs at a carcass site, he'd have broken every rule of bear safety.

Is anybody certain this wasn't a suicide attempt?

Ironically, I know someone there right now. Glad to hear it wasn't him. However, he had no idea what bear spray was before going. I gave him my can to take with him. I've never visited Denali but considering it is a National Park, I'm sure there are more than enough Bear Spray signs just like at Glacier. In fact, I'd be shocked if the park didn't talk about it in the bear safety class that this person had to take. Just pure stupidity.

At a range of 50 yards??

Heck, he gave the bear a head start. Just dumb as hell.

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In Grizzly country without bear spray?

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Not sure here...but isn't carrying a gun a preferred choice when in Bear territory ?

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Not sure here...but isn't carrying a gun a preferred choice when in Bear territory ?

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If you're such a good shot under stress that you can place a bullet in the eyeball or ear canal....because that's the only way to guarantee incapacitation of a bear with a firearm. Bear spray is much more effective.

Never thought I could wait for the bear to get close enough to spray....just seems ballsy either way

J/C

The Law of the Wild Prevails.

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because that's the only way to guarantee incapacitation of a bear with a firearm.

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Bears are carrying guns now? Crap I'm staying out of the woods......

I gotta confess that I haven't hiked in Grizzly Country. The closest Momz and Me have ever come to an encounter was here in the East, with an adult black bear. Even then, we were at least 150 yards away, floating in a canoe, with the bear preoccupied with fishing for lunch.

I pulled out the Canon, snapped on my longest telephoto, and snapped off a few poorly-framed shots just to capture the moment.

Even at that distance, I got a good sense of the power and agility of the animal... and I can only project what a Brown or Grizzly might present to a lone hiker, face-to-face.

Not something I'm in a hurry to experience, for sure.

I'm not a 'gun guy,' so I don't know if I'd ever venture into the backcountry with a sidearm. From jfan's and arch's accounts (along with hundreds of other accountings I've read over the years in publications like Field & Stream, Backpacker, Outside, etc.) all I'd do is torque-off a charging Griz, even if I was able to hit it like a marksman. If I'd ever consider carrying, it would be to protect myself from Human goons like those hit & run thugs on the AppTrail. Them, I could stop.

When we hiked the 70-mi loop trail a couple years before, we had bear bells for our packs, but never felt the need to use them. We always hiked about 10-20 feet apart, and kept up a running dialogue... which is more than enough noise to usually ward off any surprise encounters. During that trip, we saw ample evidence of bears, but never saw one outright.

This dude seems to have (by choice or by colossal stupidity) placed himself in a 'perfect storm of Grizzmayhem"... and reaped the results of his choices. I feel for his family, but at the same time, I hate to think that this animal might be hunted down and killed, just for doing what animals do. JHMO, but it shouldn't have to be put down just because 'one of ours' was stupid enough to break 80% of the common-sense rules that everyone should know.

Well since we're talking about bears, can you tell the difference between black bear scat and grizzly bear scat?

Black bear scat is full of berries and fur, and grizzly bear scat is full of bells and smells like pepper.

Just another reminder that the term "bear country" does have meaning.

While we visit the great outdoors, we don't live there...bears do and they are at the top of the food chain.

If we visit "bear country"...best to be prepared for a worst case scenario to avoid becoming part of a bear's food chain.

It kept melting the containers they tried to store it in

Faster than a guy caught in bed with the bosses wife.

More powerful than a dead skunk in the middle of the road.

Able to leap tall buildings after a single burrito.

Look, up in the sky, it's a cloud, no it's a fog, no it's...

Methane Man!

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I always carry my own spray with me every where I go.

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But isn't it activated by a pull of a finger ? You gonna let that bear pull your finger ?

I can pull my own finger 24/7 bro