Bow Hunter Attacked by a Family of Bears

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Alaska444

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A bow hunter was attacked in his tree stand over the weekend by a family of black bears in Bear Creek Township, Michigan.

Chad Fortune, 21, did indeed have the good fortune to survive the bear attack after two of the four bears climbed the tree he was perched in on Saturday to bow hunt deer.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/298907

Not sure if having a handgun as a side arm is outlawed in Michigan while bow hunting but if I have a bear at the bottom of a tree stand, that is enough provocation for me to take him out. Ironically, once again, no one could figure out why a bear would do this. It's called being in their food chain, that's what it was.
 
If i was bow hunting and had a bear at the bottom of my tree eyeing me for food whether i had a side arm or not i'd draw up the old bow and shoot it straight down the tree at the bear. A strong compound bow would do a lot more damage to a bear than most side arms would. What the hunter clearly didn't realize was there was a bee's nest above him and he was just in the bears way :D
 
Given the account in the OP, even if Chad Fortune (the hunter) would have been armed with a handgun, I have to wonder if he would have used it in the most effective way.

Fortune yelled at them and threw his bow at them, to no avail.
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After all, instead of shooting the bears with his bow as they came up (at least one of which was cllimbing his ladder), he yelled at the bears and threw his bow at them.
Fortune yelled at them and threw his bow at them, to no avail.
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This account http://www.freep.com/article/201010...ff-black-bears-tells-his-story-of-survivalays he dropped his bow.


Ironically, once again, no one could figure out why a bear would do this. It's called being in their food chain, that's what it was.
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While possible, not necessarily true. The officer involved with the case noted that they bear might have been attracted by the smell of fried food, and out of cub curiosity. There have been several accounts of people being chased or attacked by bears and managing to get away by ditching their packs that contained food and the bear then went for the pack and not the humans.

Given that it was a sow and cubs, the sow might have seen Fortune as a threat to her cubs. It may be that Fortune may have been close to the bear's kill cache or simple having been in the sow's preferred area.

Also note that this story seems to indicate that the reason Fortune was attacked and suffered injuries is because he harmed/scared/threatened the sow's cubs...
http://www.citizen-times.com/articl...uthanize-aggressive-bear-that-attacked-hunter

Chad Fortune, 21, was near Petoskey when the bears appeared at dusk Saturday. Two cubs climbed up his ladder. He knocked both to the ground.

Their growls upset their mother, which climbed the tree and bit and clawed Fortune before he beat it away.
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So it very well may be that the cubs climbed up Fortune's stand out of curiosity, simply investigating something unusual in their environment. Such an act would not be out of character for bears.
 
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I agree that the bow at close range would have been very deadly and I would not throw it away. I would have a side arm which would have been better than beating the bear with your arm and kicking them. Interesting that we have had two cases of men warding off black bears by fighting for their life in the last month alone. Actually, didn't some lady beat off a bear with a zuchini recently as well? Won't work with that well with a grizzly, they are just too big in most instances.

As far as the food issue, the man denied having the smell of food on his clothes but that is certainly a possibility but it is ALL speculation on the part of the game warden. Not many people in their business want to admit that we are part of a bears food chain when we are in the woods with them. There are many accounts of predatory bear attacks especially with black bears more so than grizzly. To off handedly dismiss the possibility that they would have eaten this man if he had been a little less lucky misses the point that bears are predators and they do and have eaten quite a few of our kind. It may not happen often but how many people throw their only good weapon away in the face of danger as well.

It also sounds as if the bears became habituated to people food from some of the reports as well. The "cute" bears weren't so cute this time around.
 
FRENCHTOWN, Mont. — A Montana woman fended off a charging bear on her back porch early Thursday by using the first weapon she could reach -- a piece of zucchini.

http://www.latimes.com/features/odd-news/la-odd-bear-attack,0,5442064.story

These three stories in the last month illustrate well the issue of how to defend against a black bear. All three of these folks would likely be dead if they didn't fight back with all that they had. Grizzly is the exact opposite. Many folks can't tell the difference between them. I took a bear identification test and was shocked to miss a couple of the questions. However, making identification of these beasts is the first step in survival.

Take the test for yourself and see how you do.

http://gf.state.wy.us/bearexam/frmBearExamQuestions.aspx
 
As far as the food issue, the man denied having the smell of food on his clothes but that is certainly a possibility but it is ALL speculation on the part of the game warden.
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Sure, and it was speculation by the hunter that he didn't smell of fried food, though he didn't say that he had showered and brushed his teeth before hunting. Smells don't just get on the clothing.

Bears can smell a candybar in the wrapper in a cooler inside of a closed car with the windows up and tear up the car getting to it. So Fortune may have had enough of the smell still on him to get their attention.

To off handedly dismiss the possibility that they would have eaten this man if he had been a little less lucky misses the point that bears are predators and they do and have eaten quite a few of our kind.
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Actually, bears eat very few of our kind. There are less than 80 known human deaths caused by bears in the US and Canada in the last 100 years and the vast majority of those deaths did not include the bears consuming their victims.

Yes, humans are in the food chain and bears can and sometimes do eat us, but it is very infrequent.

All three of these folks would likely be dead if they didn't fight back with all that they had.
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Most bear "attacks" do not result in human death. So to say that they would "most likely be dead" is a mischaracterization. They could have been killed, but since you are talking about likelihood, the stats don't support the claim.
 
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re:Alaska444

FRENCHTOWN, Mont. — A Montana woman fended off a charging bear on her back porch early Thursday by using the first weapon she could reach -- a piece of zucchini.
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Did she have a permit for that zuccchini? Never mind, it was in Montana. If it had been California she could have been in trouble.
 
Alaska444 said:
Not sure if having a handgun as a side arm is outlawed in Michigan while bow hunting but if I have a bear at the bottom of a tree stand, that is enough provocation for me to take him out. Ironically, once again, no one could figure out why a bear would do this. It's called being in their food chain, that's what it was.
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I don't know. The bow didn't really help. I don't see how throwing a sidearm at the bears is going to do this chump much good either. :p
 
Dear Double Naught Spy,

Thank you for your review of bear attacks. It is indeed true that it is very unlikely to be attacked and even more rare to die in a bear attack by statistics. However, as in many analysis, the simple fact that records of bear attacks are not accurate and often unreported underlies the fact that it is difficult to draw firm conclusions just based on the numbers alone.

If you are looking at the numbers, the number of attacks is increasing dramatically over the last 30 years. Many attribute this to increased encroachment on bear habitat as well as increasing numbers of people in the woods as well. In addition, a large number of the fatal black bear attacks documented are categorized as predatory, more so than with grizzly.

Bears are very intelligent creatures and as man promotes the gentle bear theory more and more, they lose their fear of us more and more. In such, the likelihood of attacks in the future will escalate. The point of my post is to not forget that bears CAN be very dangerous creatures and that we should consider that when we encounter any bear. If folks wish to adhere to the gentle bear theory, then so be it and good luck. On the other hand, I will gladly pack my side arm when out in the woods.
 
I plan on going on my first ever bowhunt for whitetail saturday morn.... I will however...also be carrying a S&W 500 mag.... IF i DO see a bear and am in danger...my bow isnt the first thing I will throw.... will try 440 grain bullets first.:eek:
 
Thank you for your review of bear attacks. It is indeed true that it is very unlikely to be attacked and even more rare to die in a bear attack by statistics. However, as in many analysis, the simple fact that records of bear attacks are not accurate and often unreported underlies the fact that it is difficult to draw firm conclusions just based on the numbers alone.
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So how is it that you can claim the records are not accurate and then make claims like the three people would likely have been killed by the bears? How would you know the probability of such without statistical data? How have you ascertained that the data are underreported?

If you are looking at the numbers, the number of attacks is increasing dramatically over the last 30 years.
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You said it yourself. These data are not accurate, but now you are making claims against the data you say is difficult to draw conclusions from.

So far your posts have all leaned toward the sensationalized side of interpretation. First you claimed that the only reason for the bears to go up the tree was to eat Fortune...nobody wants to admit that we are in the food chain...that bears eat quite a few people...that the folks in the next stories would all likely be dead if they did not fight back with all they had...that the data aren't accurate but are underreported. Now you say that bear attacks have gone up dramatically in the last 30 years. Dramatically? Really?

Okay, convince me. What data are you basing these claims on?
 
Did she have a permit for that zuccchini? Never mind, it was in Montana. If it had been California she could have been in trouble.
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/sigh

When Zucchinis are outlawed, only OUTLAWS will HAVE Zucchinis....

aint no way i would have thrown my bow, shoot then shoot then shoot til out of arrows
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Apparently this gentleman has the intelligence of a Zucchini, and is lucky to be alive. I wonder how long it took for him to realize that throwing his bow away was NOT the proper course of action.

Life is hard.

It's harder when you're stupid.

It's even HARDER when you have to fight off a pair of angry bears with foul language and your bare hands.
 
So far your posts have all leaned toward the sensationalized side of interpretation. First you claimed that the only reason for the bears to go up the tree was to eat Fortune...nobody wants to admit that we are in the food chain...that bears eat quite a few people...that the folks in the next stories would all likely be dead if they did not fight back with all they had...that the data aren't accurate but are underreported. Now you say that bear attacks have gone up dramatically in the last 30 years. Dramatically? Really?
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Dear Double Naught Spy,

I have no doubt that I have a biased view of bear attacks, but that is in response to the new attitude towards bears that they are not dangerous and that we over exagerate or as you said "sensationalize" the attacks. One element that you are not commenting on is how bears learn from OUR behaviour. In the last 30 years, people have accepted the gentle bear theory of life and over look their dangers, often to the detriment of those that thought otherwise.

My own personal thoughts are that we kept bears away with much more adversive behaviour in the past than we do now. Bears in such are becoming more desensitized to our presence and are losing their fear of us. The report we are talking about documented this by another witness who talked about them on his porch and that they had no fear of man.

The data you are asking about is listed in several places. Wikipedia is not the greatest source, but check it our for yourself:

This is a list of known fatal bear attacks that occurred in North America by decade. In this list three species of bear are recognized: the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) and the Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus). For purposes of this list, Brown Bear includes the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), the Kodiak Bear and the Mexican Brown Bear.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

So, not really interested in disputing statistical analysis, my only point is that people do forget or want to forget that black bears are predators and the gentle bear theory is dangerous in that people are unprepared for the attack when it happens.

Lastly, this man, Fortune is quite lucky in that he had four adult or semi-adult bears attacking him for whatever reason they followed him. If the bears had pulled him from the tree, it is very unlikely he would have not survived and very likely he would have been consumed. The behaviour of these bears is in the fashion documented of predatory black bear attacks by approaching slowly and then attacking with ferocity. In addition, listening to his taped account, he only states that two bears came up the tree and two were down at the bottom. The other account of momma bear coming up the tree were not accounted for in his own words. Then all four bears waited for two hours for him to come down and only left after his girlfriend and father came in a jeep.

I don't know how you consider this event, but yes it is sensational indeed.
 
Double Naught Spy
I have no interest in bear hunting.When I was in Alaska,I was offered a bear hunt,and declined.
I knew I was going to be camping in Denali amongst grizzles.I bought a new tent to be sure we began with no food smells.I was diligent.
After the bear had taken a bite of my wife,I was not vengeful.I lightly bashed him across the face with my Win 97.That did back him up.he did not leave.Noise,commotion,warning shot,and a barking Chesapeake were not phasing him.He was very calm as he kept a blank stare on me and just walked toward me.We were 200 miles from the nearest road.It was time to kill him and I did.
I later watched a documentary on Nova or National Geographic on predatory black bears.It was a case study of black bears killing people.There was a couple on an island,the Yosemite boardwalk,and a guy who had a video camera in the woods as a bear stalked him.That bear had the same look mine did.
You might also read Kanut's "Bear Tales of Alaska",particularly the young woman's story about being a USGS surveyor.She was typing her story with a pencil between her teeth.both of her arms were chewed off by a 165 lb female black bear.
I am far more concerned about lightning and the dangers of living in town.
But I believe,sincerely,that bears do not read books and are not the least concerned about living up to the expectations we may place on them.
I reject the premise you present.
I believe in clean camp,leaving bears alone,avoiding cubs,backing away,staying out of berry patches,etc.Peace and love,bears!!
I also believe in having the means to slap one down.
Have you ever been close enough to touch a bear that had hurt someone in your family?
You ask for sources,etc,what is your expertise?
 
Double Naught Spy
I have no interest in bear hunting.When I was in Alaska,I was offered a bear hunt,and declined.
I knew I was going to be camping in Denali amongst grizzles.I bought a new tent to be sure we began with no food smells.I was diligent.
After the bear had taken a bite of my wife,I was not vengeful.I lightly bashed him across the face with my Win 97.That did back him up.he did not leave.Noise,commotion,warning shot,and a barking Chesapeake were not phasing him.He was very calm as he kept a blank stare on me and just walked toward me.We were 200 miles from the nearest road.It was time to kill him and I did.
I later watched a documentary on Nova or National Geographic on predatory black bears.It was a case study of black bears killing people.There was a couple on an island,the Yosemite boardwalk,and a guy who had a video camera in the woods as a bear stalked him.That bear had the same look mine did.
You might also read Kanut's "Bear Tales of Alaska",particularly the young woman's story about being a USGS surveyor.She was typing her story with a pencil between her teeth.both of her arms were chewed off by a 165 lb female black bear.
I am far more concerned about lightning and the dangers of living in town.
But I believe,sincerely,that bears do not read books and are not the least concerned about living up to the expectations we may place on them.
I reject the premise you present.
I believe in clean camp,leaving bears alone,avoiding cubs,backing away,staying out of berry patches,etc.Peace and love,bears!!
I also believe in having the means to slap one down.
Have you ever been close enough to touch a bear that had hurt someone in your family?
You ask for sources,etc,what is your expertise?
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Dear HIBC,

What a great post. I am most happy that along with all of your other bear precautions you brought a weapon to take care of the critter. When I was three years old, my father took us rabbit hunting outside of Fairbanks with another family. We slept in a large umbrella tent and they slept in a station wagon. Early in the morning a black bear entered our camp and began banging around the pots and pans. At first my father thought it was the couple in the station wagon getting up early. A couple of minutes later, the bear came over and put a paw on our tent and came down just a foot away from my father's head.

He had been told by many an old salt to make loud noises to scare the bear away. When he shouted, I woke up, and in the early sunshine at two in the morning, as a three year old boy, I clearly STILL see the silhouette of that bear standing sideways to me casting his shadow upon the tent wall. The bear wandered away. My dad got up armed with his SINGLE shot 410 for rabbits. The bear came back into camp as my dad struggled to pull up his pants, load the 410 and shoot a warning shot in the air that did scare the bear away.

Perhaps my fascination with bears is because of this incident. So, I have not been attacked, but I have been within 3 feet of a bear checking us out and not at all scared of us. That was in 1961. It appears to me that since that time, bears are becoming more bold and aggressive towards people as they lose their fear of us. Bears learn from our behavior and the point of my post above is that we need to be prepared at all times we are in the woods. Is it likely that I will ever encounter a bear? Up in Idaho, yes. Is it likely that I will be attacked. Almost no chance of that statistically, but for those that counted on those statistics to save them and didn't prepare for the unlikely event, good luck.
 
Golly, gee, whiz,

Another bear attack where the victim actually recorded pictures on his cell phone of the bear stalking him. Sadly, at the end, this brain washed man says don't blame all the "good" bears for the "bad" bear. Sorry, I won't give the bear a chance to bite my leg if they are circling me like this bear did. What a great documentation of what a predatory attack looks like. Sensationalism? Perhaps, but maybe they are just documenting NORMAl bear behavior.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4269102/hiker-survives-black-bear-attack/
 
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