Editor’s Observe: A model of this story was initially printed in native Michigan publications in 2007. We’re republishing it right here to function a reminder: Always remember the backup gun.
Black bear assaults are uncommon, however they do sometimes occur. Many reported assaults contain mom bears defending their younger. Nonetheless, wounded bears will also be unpredictable and harmful, as a gaggle of hound hunters came upon in 2007 when a 400-pound bruin charged down a tree to maul a canine and a hunter.
Shane Main was main a hunt with household and associates within the Michigan’s Higher Peninsula when his Walker hound Scout and one other hound named JB treed a big bear. The large bruin made his stand in a hemlock tree on an island of excessive floor in a swamp.
Main’s nephew, Allen Main, who was one of many members of the celebration with a bear tag, arrived on the tree together with his 12-gauge shotgun. Steve Remsing, who additionally had a bear tag, arrived later together with his brother alongside for the journey.
Nonetheless, Remsing had left his gun behind. Three different unarmed members of the celebration finally made it to the tree as properly — two of which, providentially, have been educated nurses.
Bother on the Tree
There’s usually a couple of gun current when a gaggle of hunters collect close to a treed bear. Nonetheless amid the thrill of the hunt, miscommunication can occur, and backup weapons can get left behind.
Nonetheless, Main wasn’t overly involved when he assessed the scenario on the tree. Main had been bear looking with hounds for greater than 12 years and he adopted a cautious plan to soundly and effectively kill treed bears.
“When a bear bushes, we by no means have hunters and hounds on all sides of the tree,” he says. “We work out the place the bear would possibly go, if it’s alive, when it comes out of the tree, and we place ourselves in the other way.
“Treed bears often have an escape plan, too. They usually come down on the other aspect of the tree from the place we’re and take off away from us.”
In all his earlier years of bear looking, Remsing had by no means had an in depth name with a bear, wounded or in any other case.
Since Allen was the primary particular person with a tag to get to the tree — and he was the one particular person with a gun — the bear was his to shoot, if he needed to. Nonetheless he gave up that chance with a view to let Remsing fill his tag — a tremendous gesture contemplating the bear was a trophy class animal. Allen figured that as a younger man he would have way more probabilities to take bears sooner or later.
So Allen handed Remsing his shotgun, which was loaded with 4 3-inch slugs.
Nicely earlier than Remsing bought able to shoot, the 2 hounds have been tied to bushes a good way away from the hemlock that the bear was in. This was to make sure that the bear wouldn’t tangle with the canine when it hit the bottom. Different members of the celebration positioned themselves in the identical space because the canine, giving the bear loads of room to flee if it was alive when it got here down.
A Wounded Boar
Often 4 shells are greater than sufficient to dispatch a treed bear. One well-placed shot will kill a bear shortly. Nonetheless, as an inexperienced bear hunter, Remsing emptied the gun on the bear. Earlier than the bruin hit the bottom, Remsing was utterly out of ammo. It’s unclear how most of the rounds had linked.
“The bear’s dimension was exhausting to evaluate when it was within the tree,” Main says. “We figured it was at the very least 300 kilos [when it was in the tree]. When the bear fell out of the tree, he got here out on the aspect we have been on. As he got here down, these huge hemlock limbs pushed him nearer to us.
“When the bear hit the bottom, he grew 100 kilos. At that time, it was apparent he was greater than we thought. He hit the bottom on all 4 ft like a cat and got here at my canine together with his mouth open. ‘Oh no. We’re in bother,’ I believed.
“The bear piled on high of Scout, grabbing him by the pinnacle. My knife was the one factor I needed to attempt to get the bear off my canine, so I attempted to chop his jugular. His neck was enormous. I additionally stabbed him within the ribs, however he simply wouldn’t let go.”
The knife wounds did finally get the bear’s consideration. The bruin let go of the canine, whirled round, and took a swing at Main with a entrance paw. Fortuitously, Main was in a position to dodge the blow.
Because the bear turned towards Main, Allen pulled Scout out of hurt’s approach. The bear turned again towards the place the hound had been and as a substitute discovered Remsing, standing there with the gun however no hundreds. The hunter couldn’t get out of the way in which quick sufficient and the bear grabbed him on a downhill slope, mauling his arm.
“Steve was hollering, ‘Bear get off me,’” Main mentioned. That’s when he put his knife again into motion. “I simply saved engaged on the bear’s left shoulder.”
As soon as once more, the bear turned towards Main to retaliate for the knife wounds. This time, the hunter was uphill from the bear. Main mentioned the bear took one step towards him, then began staggering to the left and died.
“It appeared prefer it took endlessly,” Main mentioned, “however all the episode in all probability solely took about 30 seconds. It’s a very good factor the bear went for the canine first. He may have taken any certainly one of us. The bear used most of his remaining power to chew Scout. The identical chew would have damaged Steve’s arm or leg.”
The Aftermath
The 2 hunters who have been educated as nurses set to work on Remsing’s shredded arm whereas Allen raced out of the woods and again to his truck. Allen discovered an outdated logging highway that he was in a position to drive a four-wheeler right down to get inside a pair hundred yards of the place the incident befell.
They hustled Remsing out of the woods, and he was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Ontonagon, the place his wounds have been cleaned. He was then transferred to Marquette Basic Hospital the place he underwent surgical procedure to restore his torn arm muscle. He was additionally placed on antibiotics to cut back the possibility of an infection and he began on a collection of rabies photographs.
Once I spoke to Remsing in his Marquette hospital room, he advised me he was given two selections. He may both flip the bear’s head over to the well being division so it might be examined for rabies, or he may bear the rabies photographs himself. When he was advised the bear’s cranium could be broken within the strategy of accessing the mind, he determined to bear the photographs as a substitute.
“I wish to hold that cranium,” Remsing mentioned. “It would rating as a lot as 20 inches.”
The enormous bear had a dressed weight of 373 kilos and an estimated stay weight of 430 kilos.
Scout was taken to a clinic in Appleton, Wisconsin for surgical procedure. It was profitable, however the invoice was substantial.
“Scout now has three metal plates, pins, and wires in his jaw, however he’s doing wonderful,” Main mentioned. “I’m considering of retiring him from bear looking. Lots of people wish to use him for breeding.”
Learn Subsequent: Best Bear Defense Guns
Main picked Remsing up from the hospital on October 10, and he joined the crew on one other hunt the following day. This time, nonetheless, Remsing stayed within the car.
“That was one of many scariest issues I’ve ever seen,” Main says of the bear mauling Remsing. “I by no means wish to see that once more.”