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
If you are carring a firearm while hiking then hopefully you have experience with it. What goes along with that is the hope that you can make a judgement as to if you or your partner have in a very short blink of the eye been able to consider if this bear is going to keep charging and do you harm or will stop, turn, and walk away.
That being said, a bear can run 30 mph in a very short distance. Do you wait to see if it stops or as you are now ten feet away and he is still coming do you shoot, this is the last chance you get! I am not going to take the chance and not shoot. How many shots were discharged and only one hit should tell you they didn't have the time to make any other choice than to shoot. I think it's sad that the bear is dead, however consider this; what would you be saying if the hiker held his fire and the bear killed the two hikers, Oh how sad they are dead, Why didn't the shoot they had a gun. I can hear it now. People now make judgements about people that are usually wrong! You weren't there and you weren't the one being charged by the bear. Get over it! You all can make your judgements when it happens to you. There is nothing written in stone that a bear always bluffs and if you find that stone let me know.
I think the park allows backpackers to arm themsleves to avoid being eaten by a bear, no need to wait and see what happens next once a big bear moves in danger close, thats just stuck on stupid, shot the damn thing!!
Bear spray!
The odds may be "excruciatingly rare" unless you or your family are attacked, then, and only then, will you understand.
I was charged by a neighbors bull that got on our property one time while out walking with my dog. I didn't ask the bull what was wrong or what he intended to do. I let 6 rounds of M855 fly from my AR when he started barreling towards me with all he had. It brought him to a skidding halt in the leaves where he thrashed for about 30 seconds before dying, his skid ending way to close to my boots. You can't try to predict a charging animal. Bluff or not, any animal full charge is too unpredictable to roll the dice. If I wanted to gamble my life I'd play Russian Roulette from the comfort of my couch, not wait to be mauled (or gored in my case).
Well stated. I had a solo encounter in Denali back 15yrs ago where it was a Grizzly and me coming head to head on the park road. There was no option for me to escape. I did exactly as the Rangers teach in the class, the bear bluff charged a couple times and then took off into the brush. I agree that most scared people with will shoot first at what "seems" to be real danger.
Actually, the Supreme Court overruled all state's and federal laws several times about 100 years ago, ruling that; 1. D. Beard V U.S., There is no duty to retreat before using deadly force; 2. I. Allen V U.S., Self defense decisions can be made in a hurry, there is not duty to retreat on public property; and each these decisions were backed others, namely, A. Gourko V U.S., B. Starr V U.S., C. Thompson V U.S. and F. Wallace V U.S.
Stand your ground laws are irrelevant as the Supreme Court has ruled them as so.
Uhhhhh.....it reads in the article that the bear came out of a bush and ran toward the female hiker. If that were my GF you better beleive I would unload my rounds into the bear. stupid tree hugger