Backpacker vs grizzly bear in Denali Natl Park

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UpstateGlocker

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Backpacker shoots, kills grizzly bear in Denali National Park

Last Updated: 6:33 AM, May 31, 2010

Posted: 6:28 AM, May 31, 2010

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A backpacker shot and killed a grizzly bear with his handgun in Alaska’s Denali National Park, officials said.

A man and woman reported that they were hiking Friday evening when the bear emerged from trailside brush and charged the woman, park spokeswoman Kris Fister said in a statement.

The man fired nine rounds from his .45 caliber, semiautomatic pistol at the animal, which then stopped and walked into the brush.

The two reported the shooting to rangers, who restricted access to the Igloo Canyon area for fear that the bear was wounded and dangerous.

On Saturday, rangers found the dead bear about 100 feet from the shooting site.

Park officials are determining the justification for the shooting. It’s legal to carry firearms in that area of the park, but illegal to discharge them.

Rangers said it was the first known instance of a grizzly bear being shot by a visitor in the wilderness portion of Denali, formerly called Mount McKinley National Park.
 
Alaska-man kills grizzly with .45, 9 rounds

I've carried a Glock 30 for several years as my main woods gun. Many people claim it just isn't enough against black bear let alone grizzly. For me it works when I don't want to lug my .44 around. This is an interesting story and gives me a little peace of mind. Although I have zero delusions that the .45 will stop a bear in all situations.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100531/ap_on_re_us/us_hiker_kills_grizzly
 
Damn...likely 45ACP unless he had something exotic. In fact, nine rounds would match a 1911 with an eight-shot mag plus one up the pipe :).

Appears to be a RARE case where the bear gave up once shot, much like a fair number of humans do.

Interesting! Not something I'd rely on happening...
 
"legal to carry, but illegal to discharge in that section of the park"...

I hope they mean UNLESS NEEDED....or that's the stupidest law I've ever heard of.

Anyway, great to hear about, although...I dunno if .45acp would be my first choice.
 
My son made a two week hike thru Denali a couple of years ago. Afterwards I asked him about the bears. He said that the moose were much more aggressive and concerned him more than the bears that they saw.
 
My son made a two week hike thru Denali a couple of years ago. Afterwards I asked him about the bears. He said that the moose were much more aggressive and concerned him more than the bears that they saw.
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Yeah, I did it myself in my younger days and saw enough brown bear too, at ranges from 20-100 yards, and beyond a little curiosity from juveniles, they ignored us. I wondered if the bear in the story was actually attacking the people in the first place, or maybe they just panicked.
 
wonder what ammo he was using ... seems like HPs would not penetrate sufficiently to hurt the bear much, but nine rounds of anything would have to do some damage ... probably be better off with FMJs for penetration ...
 
9 rounds Rapid Fire at a charging Bear:

Sounds like the dude has been shooting lots of Pistol Rattle Battle Matches, Formally known as the "Patten Team Match".

You'd be supprised how many Mags a good Rattle Battle Shooter can go through in 50 seconds using a 1911a1, and get some good hits.

I guess there is something to be said for the old saying THEY ALL FALL TO HARD BALL

I cant find the article mentioned above but you want to see current bear stories, here is the link

http://www.adn.com/bears/
 
The story says he shot "at" the animal 9 times. For all we know he only hit it once or twice and with a 3" barrel and panic shooting at a moving target that would likely be the case.
I have full confidence that a .45 could kill a grizzly at close range, though it would certainly not be my first choice if I was out looking for one.

On a side note, this particular bear most likely died from asphyxiation from the noxious gas emitting from the hikers pants.;)
 
i wouldnt be out looking for one with less than a 50 bmg but a 45 is better than a sharp stick if thats all you have
 
Quote by ZeSpectre: "I seriously hope we can get more details on this story."

I agree. I'm hungry for more details too.

So far, it sounds like very good shooting by the backpacker.
 
What I posted was the entire text of the article in the newspaper here in NY. Sorry I don't have more -- maybe one of the Alaska newspapers will have it.
 
Very interesting story indeed...

Was the shoot justified or did the hiker panic and fire? Since the bear can't tell it's side of the story, and I doubt they're going to bring forensics out to collect physical evidence, I think everyone is going to have to satisfy themselves with the hiker's version of events. I'd say they're lucky to be alive as the outcome could have been very different if the bear had felt inclined to advance despite the hiker's response.

.45 ACP wouldn't be my first choice as a wilderness defense round. For penetration, I would think .357 SIG (with ballistics close to .357 magnum) would give a greater tactical advantage over .45 ACP. I would almost prefer to carry .44 magnum in a Redhawk with a lot of trigger time behind it than a micro-1911 or whatever it was he was carrying.

I, also, am interested to hear more details of this story.
 
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.
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From this link. http://www.nationalparkstraveler.co...-hikers-denali-national-park-and-preserve5943
 
I have a hard time reading stories like this on yahoo due to the ignorant comments that follow.

Anyway, I feel that even though he was able to shoot the bear with his .45 it was able to run away 100 more feet from where it had happened before dying. This tells me that the bear had more than enough energy in him to continue the charge and possibly kill the individuals. Scary thought.

Those two are pretty lucky to be alive.
 
Yeah...I'm thinking *maybe* the bear was doing a "bluff charge" and didn't actually intend to follow through. Then it got a whole bunch of lead and pain in a fight it wasn't really committed to.

If it WAS fully committed, it would have killed one or both of these folks. If this had been a mama with cubs nearby, she'd have kept coming, I guarandamntee you.

I am NOT saying this to criticize the shooter. Mr. Bear fully intended to scare them and gee, it succeeded, here's your prize Mr. Bear, a buncha lead.

This IS however a serious condemnation of the 45ACP in this role, assuming that's what the gun was. (Could possibly have been a Wildley 45 automag?)
 
Was the shoot justified or did the hiker panic and fire? Since the bear can't tell it's side of the story, and I doubt they're going to bring forensics out to collect physical evidence, I think everyone is going to have to satisfy themselves with the hiker's version of events. I'd say they're lucky to be alive as the outcome could have been very different if the bear had felt inclined to advance despite the hiker's response.

.45 ACP wouldn't be my first choice as a wilderness defense round. For penetration, I would think .357 SIG (with ballistics close to .357 magnum) would give a greater tactical advantage over .45 ACP. I would almost prefer to carry .44 magnum in a Redhawk with a lot of trigger time behind it than a micro-1911 or whatever it was he was carrying.

I, also, am interested to hear more details of this story.
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Not me.. ...lightweight bullets with thin jackets? A .45acp slug with twice the mass would pose a better option against thick skinned, heavier boned, critters. With grizz's and other mean big critters you want deep penetration than a short depth expansion.
 
Anyway, I feel that even though he was able to shoot the bear with his .45 it was able to run away 100 more feet from where it had happened before dying.
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Even that's a big assumption. More likely the bear just went back to his bed and bled out. This is pretty typical - bears sleep during the day and hikers wake them up. Usually the bear grunts a few times and makes a display until the people leave, then goes back to bed. Except this time, he got shot.
 
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