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
One could use a gun to scare off the animal just as easily as kill it outright. After they do an autopsy on the animal they will know whether it was starving, wounded, recently pregnant or was protecting a kill site. In other words, they're going to figure out whether this person went up and blew away a healthy bear for fun or not. Last I checked rangers don't **** around when it comes to their wildlife stock. A bear charge may be a bluff 99% of the time, but if it isn't, I don't get why you should lay down and resign yourself to being bear chow. The rangers'll deal with stupid people and poachers the same way they always have.
I just saw this article about the Grizzly being shot in Denali this past summer and hit "reply" as I agreed with the person.
I'm so disappointed in the 2 backpackers who killed the bear. I travel to Denali to go backpacking with a few friends or my son, generally going every 2 years to the backcountry. This past year I went to the backcountry in a great unit and spent 2 weeks alone with plenty of bears around, moose, wolves, etc. Actually as soon as I was dropped off by the bus I walked about 40 yards up a dry creek bed into my unit. I came around the corner and within 35 yards was a Grizzly with her teenager. I respected the animals and acted as I was trained (required for backcountry hikers by Denali) prior to going into the units. I’m also an avid backpacker and know what to expect in the outdoors and how to responsibly handle the outdoor situations.
The 2 bears looked at me and then walked off into the brush. Yes it was close call, there was no bluff charge and, yes, I have been bluff charged before at Glacier. I never brought a gun nor would I think of bringing a gun as I'm at Denali to observe nature, enjoy the outdoors, take pictures and relax. You go to Denali and know what to expect. Oh yeah by the way I have my CPL (concealed weapons permit) and own a quite a few pistols and rifles that I could have brought.
This is the problem with some of our legislators as they ruin the experience for many of us. The bear is dead, people who probably have waited years to go to the park were evacuated and now other people will be looking for a reason to shoot a bear under the guise of self defense. I can only hope the guy is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to prevent this from happening again.
There was no way for the people to know if it was a bluff charge or for real, unless maybe they waited for it to mall them to death. I'm sick of tree huggers placing the lives of bears above humans. Bears don't own land, we do. Where do we draw the line between human and animal land that we can not set foot on? Humans do not give up there God given right to self defense for bears or any other animal. The "no discharge" part of the law is only for target practice and shooting for fun, it does not say it can't be used for self defense.
Bears and other animals do deserve protections from poaching. This does not mean one should let an animal be placed above the human.
Being a clerk at a local outfitter in Fairbanks Alaska, I've routinely talked to NPS and Alaskans about the grizzlies in Denali, and indeed the rest of the state. Bear spray and training only go so far, especially if you run into a bear that is 'used' to human contact.
You people who are talking about 'bluff charges' and how it was unjustified to shoot are morons. Unless you are in his shoes facing a raging thousand pound bear charging... Gee, are you going ask the bear 'are you bluffing?'. Maybe its faking looking hungry...
Knowing the bear safety is critical, however being able to legally carry firearms is an added plus knowing how often bear spray does indeed fail and cause injury to the user (along with the fact that bush pilots may not let you carry bear spray, but they'll have firearms no problem, something about how stable smokeless powder is compared to aerosol spray at altitude...). Firearms are indeed safer than bear spray, and shooting back beats getting mauled any day of the week.
Step outside, and into the food chain. Humans aren't at the top, and therefore need to be prepared, and no US Government agency should ever take away the legal right to carry a firearm in the wilds of Alaska. Save that kind of activity for the Courthouses.
Besides, as I write this, I've seen that the investigation was concluded and the man from my hometown was found to not be at fault at all, and completely justified in self defense. Perhaps, when animals and humans re-establish the predator/prey relationship, the bears will return to being nervous of humans leave them alone a bit more. Wait, never mind, too many folks from 'outside' come in and think these wild animals fuzzy and cute and decide to feed them... And wonder why the bear bell attracts the bear and the spray just makes its meal of hiker just a bit spicy.
BEAR vs HUMAN? If....I as a Human Being, a Mother, were to say....be picking logan berries from my garden in MY HOME to prepare a pie for my family, and suddenly....two 10 FT. Grizzlies appeared...with a gun...What would I do? Would I feign attack to frighten away my 'would be attackers'? Would I run, gather my children and hide...shaking in fear...hoping the intruders to MY HOME would just go away? Most likely....I would just be SHOCKED, as I lie there bleeding to Death, wondering about my children, my 'cubs'....to realize that these gun bearing Intruders....have filled me full of bullets...right there.....in my own backyard.
I could have cared less if they just killed the last Ursus Horriblus on the planet
Stuff it and put it in a natural history museaun. Human life is precious the Bear ain't.
For those ignorant, uninformed, careless outdoor types----stay home. You will be safe.
I haven't been in griz territory for quite some time, though surprisingly I was actually charged (false) by a black bear in Wyoming this past summer! My experience: The day after highschool graduation, at the tender age of 17, I jumped on a plane and flew from my coastal homeland of southern California to the Great White North - Whitehorse, Yuon, then on to norther British Columbia. My purpose for the 3-month journey was employment at a fishing camp, and later in the season, as a fisheries technician. Upon my arrival I was given a very lengthy and intense lecture by my employer (30+ years bear experience) on grizzly bear behavior. My logic, upon first thought, was to start gunnin' when a griz approached within 30 feet. My employer threatened to kill ME if I did so, therefore I decided to listen a bit more attentively. After apologizing (not sincerely) he explained to me in great length the likelihood of "bluff" charges, as well as the waste (bear) and risk (us) of firing my gun (12 ga.) when unnecessary. His simple technique was to withhold from firing until the bear touches the end of your barrel! Of course this sounded absurd at first, but following 3 seasons of bear-country work with numerous encounters, his advice proved absolutely correct. I was only charged 4 times over the course of 3 summers, but in each case I think an inexperienced individual may have pulled the trigger - I would estimate that 3 of the charges came within 30 feet, while one was inside of 10 feet. I was actually sprayed with gravel when that last one put on the brakes! In any case, my employer's lecture proved correct. I can't say if I'd be 100% comfortable with the "end of the gun" approach if I was alone, but with an armed partner I was fine with it (after the fact!). If I were to venture into griz country again, and was only armed with handgun, I'd wait until the bear was on top of me (or a companion) before firing to (1) be sure it was a real charge, (2) to increase the odds I wouldn't miss, (3) to avoid a wounded animal, which could be bad for all involved. Unfortunately, I don't think this rationale and/or technique would be implementable via a 30-minute video presentation. So what would I recommend to the inexperienced? A fire-extinguisher full of bear spray! Well, maybe one of those "mini" extinguishers to minimize weight...