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

Jun 1st - 17:18pm | Anonymous

You chose to enter the National parks at your own risk and therefore you assume the risk of a bear encounter. Having worked at Yellowstone I dealt with bear encounters and even had a close call myself. I agree that it is nice to have a firearm in case of an emergency but carrying a firearm poses a great risk to our law enforcement in the park. Not everyone is responsible with their firearm.

Jun 1st - 16:20pm | MikeD

One Anonymous person wrote: "I've taken over 30 hours of live-fire training on a range with former Law Enforcement and Blackwater contractors in order to react to a bear threat.... In my training, I've practiced one handed and one eyed (non-dominant) self-defense shooting for just this situation.... I don't want to go to jail and lose my firearm.

Jun 1st - 15:14pm | Bill

Without a lot more info, no conclusion can be drawn. Worked for a few years in AK back country, several friends were maimed and 2 killed by bears. Have been up close and personal with bears, cats, and other animals many times in many places, have had to shoot some of them.

Jun 1st - 13:44pm | Josh

Perhaps the hiker here was justified in shooting the bear but the details needed to determine this are not public yet (and may never be). Speaking as an avid back packer and gun owner, I'm worried that peremptory, hasty or not fully justified use of firearms against wildlife in a place like Denali will deteriorate the wilderness experience for all of us.

Jun 1st - 13:37pm | Joenpb

If this would have happened elsewhere in the state there would be a small paragraph in the local paper, & the story would be over. Many residents carry for self defense when in the AK backcountry, fishing, hiking, etc. Incidents like this one happen a few times every year elsewhere in the state.

Jun 1st - 12:40pm | Gary

Hikers got lucky; 9 rounds from a .45 would have been effective against a brown bear only at very close range, probably less than 20 feet, and then only against a frontal attack by the bear. All nine rounds from a .45 with an extended magazine, fired into the backside of a bear, would only have made the bear very, very mad, and likely would not have been fatal to the bear.

Jun 1st - 11:46am | Anonymous

Shooting after the threat is no longer a threat, even in your own house, changes everything. I see 1 count of self-defense and 8 counts of reckless endangerment and whatever else the Federal authorities can charge this person with. He needs to be made a clear example of what NOT to do if NPS wants to prevent this in the future.

Jun 1st - 11:42am | Robert

I don't think anyone is really saying that we should prefer dead hikers over a dead bear. The question will always be was the intention of the bear to attack or scare? What bothers me is if you want to enjoy our forests and WILDlife, how do you justify carrying a weapon to kill the WILDlife you are there to enjoy?

Jun 1st - 11:22am | Anonymous

No one made the hikers choose Denali. There are plenty of National Parks that don't contain bears. Until now, no major injuries occurred where a bear had to be shot until May 2010 when fire arms are allowed. The hikers went to the bears habitat; the bear did not wonder in to the hikers neighborhood. If you don't want to take the risk, don't go.

Jun 1st - 11:21am | Anonymous

As an avid backpacker of Denali NP and one who just happened to be there when the helicopter landed at Igloo and brought out the carcass. I have just one point: If your afraid of bears, don't go into the back country. Period. No compromise. Denail NP is not Anchorage, Glacier NP, or like any other Park in the U.S. It is wild.

Jun 1st - 11:08am | Anonymous

I plan to carry a concealed handgun when I visit Yellowstone and Glacier Nat'l Parks this summer. I've taken over 30 hours of live-fire training on a range with former Law Enforcement and Blackwater contractors in order to react to a bear threat.

Jun 1st - 11:04am | Kurt Repanshek

For what it's worth, the folks at Denali say they have never had a hiker/backpacker killed by a grizzly. There have been instances of folks being injured by bears. The only serious mauling park officials can immediately call to mind was back in the 1970s and that one involved an NPS employee.

Jun 1st - 10:48am | Yank

It would be interesting to see the IP's of all the posters here and show how many really live in cities and suburbia and only have a political motive for posting.. Its a shame so many ideologues will attempt to make this a statement on Civil Rights issues they want revoked rather than what it is, a man saving his wife's life and being forced to kill a bear in the process..

Jun 1st - 10:44am | mtpocket

A quote by Richard 'Dick' Proeneke fits this situation perfectly. "Is it proper that the wilderness and its' creatures should suffer because we came?"

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.

Vandalism Leads to Closure of Ramp at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Jun 1st - 17:09pm | RangerLady

So the people get mad about the closures and retaliate by doing something that will expand the closure. Is it me or does their thinking not make sense?

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

Jun 1st - 16:58pm | RangerLady

Chief, I was threatened as well when I was interp. All I did was ask them to move from a handicapped parking spot to the one right next to it and they came after me. All the people at my program were scared and they scattered. Even though I called LE to come 'rescue' me, no one ever showed and that incident was never reported.

Jun 1st - 14:32pm | Chief of Interp...

Its not just limited to LE Rangers-It's amazing how many times one can be verbally assaulted as an Interp Ranger. Several times I've been threatened or come to the defense of another ranger who has been verbally threatened by park visitors-and the vast majority of that stuff is never reported-I know that in 10 years I've only actually reported one incident out of at least a dozen serious ones.

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.

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

Jun 1st - 16:02pm | Rick Smith

I worked with Bruce and concur he is/was a good ranger. On his blog, he cites an LA Times article that he says supports his contention that anti-government rhetoric is fueling the incrrease in incidents of violence against NPS protection personnel. The article goes on to state that there were no reported incidents in Yellowstone or Grand Canyon and a few in parks like Yosemite.

Jun 1st - 14:08pm | Benjamin Lord

Bruce Bytnar's book is a masterpiece of behind-the-scenes life in the National Park Service. He has written a fun and compelling work that best reveals a perspectice from the field. I bought the book on the Blue Ridge Parkway and enjoyed his experience and commentary. If I ran a park area I would insist every park employee read this book.

Jun 1st - 12:14pm | Tanna Baumgardner

You can also purchase Bruce's Book from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Store (and support the Foundation!) by visiting: http://www.blueridgeparkwaystore.com/prods/82943450_1888_a-park-rangers-...

Jun 1st - 10:25am | Badge529

NPS protection rangers are federal law enforcement officers and have the same responsibilities to protect the public that any police officer has.

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."

Jon Jarvis Finally Nominated to be Next Director of the National Park Service

Jun 1st - 15:31pm | Racism in the NPS

Jon Jarvis, in my opinion, appears to be supporting racism via his appointment of Gerard Baker as the new Assistant Director for American Indian Relations.

Traveler’s Checklist: Congaree National Park

Jun 1st - 15:19pm | Lisa

This is an excellent park. We've hiked twice, and canoed once. I highly recommend a strong bug spray as the SC summer heat/ humidity prove to draw every mosquito for miles around. If you're physically able, take one of the loops that adventure further into the forest ... away from the boarkwalk. An easy pace can bring you back to the Visitor's Center in a matter of hours.

Work Continuing On Restoration of Bodie Island Lighthouse At Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Jun 1st - 13:54pm | Theresa G

Stopped at the Bodie Lighthouse today on my way back home to Va. I took some pics and will try to send them to you..... looking good!!!!!! I am so glad they are finally doing the work that has been long overdue!! They are also working on the outer buildings.

Reader Participation Day: Has Arizona's Approach To Controlling Illegal Immigrants Led You To Cancel a Grand Canyon Trip?

Jun 1st - 13:29pm | SoonerGirl1064

I am sure you have your reasons for cancelling your travel but I can not imagine why any tax-paying American citizen would protest the new legislation when it is protecting the people of Arizona and the millions of tax dollars they pay, many of which go to support ILLEGAL immigrants who are here taking full advantage of our taxpayer-sponsored government programs and their children are receiving

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. :)

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!

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.....

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