# Man kills a bear with a stick



## Ol Mucky (May 8, 2006)

What a story!

http://www.bclocalnews.com/video/30524704.html 

Walking softly in bear territory may not be a good idea, but carrying a big stick certainly is -- when you're as brave as Jim West, that is. 
West was out walking alone with his dogs in the forest behind the gymkhana grounds near Green Lake early Saturday afternoon when he was attacked by a black bear. 
"I was looking for moose signs because my stepson has a limited entry tag," he said in an interview shortly after the incident. 
As they strolled along facing into the wind, West was calling out to his black labs, Shadow and Chopper, who were happily flushing grouse and wagging their tails. 
"All of a sudden I heard a kind of a huff and a growl off to my right, and when I turned around there was a bear six feet away. I had no opportunity to hit the ground like I should, so I just started to kick it in the face. It jumped up and took a snap at my face, split my upper lip, and then I hit the ground, and it jumped on top of me, tore my scalp and bit my left arm." 
At this point the dogs came back and managed to distract the bear, so it proceeded to go after them. As soon as West moved, the bear attacked him again, putting him back on the ground a second time, and cutting his right arm. Then the dogs intervened again and West heard one of them yelp. 
"I just jumped up and grabbed a stick, and the bear turned around and came running right at me and I hit it once; it started to shake its head, and I just kept swinging like it was a sledgehammer and I ended up crushing it's skull." 
Once the conservation officer who attended the scene had confirmed the bear was indeed dead from blows to the head, he told West that he believed no one had ever done this before. 
"I don't know why, it was the easiest thing in the world to do -- when you have a choice of either living or dying. I felt that I'd been on the ground twice and, if I went down a third time, I wouldn't get up. I wasn't gonna go down, so I just starting swinging." 
Once West observed blood running from the bear's nose, he knew the job was done and the bear was dead or dying, so he dropped the stick and told his dogs it was time to go. After walking at least a kilometre back to his truck with his shirt wrapped around his head to stem the bleeding, West then drove himself and his dogs to nearby Little Horse Lodge, arriving at around 2 p.m. 
"Jim came in and said 'I just got attacked by a bear, so call 9-1-1,'" said Ellie Scott of Little Horse Lodge. "I helped with First Aid, and to patch him up and calm him down -- he was in shock." 
Luckily, although his home is in the area, West remained rational enough to stop at the lodge, in case emergency personnel had trouble finding his place. 
The conservation officers attending the scene went out immediately to search for the bear and subsequently found two cubs as well, which were put down. The conservation officers' Predator Attack Team will be investigating the incident, including a necropsy (animal autopsy) to be performed on the sow within the next couple of weeks. 
Ambulance and First Responders arrived approximately half hour after the 9-1-1 call and transported West to hospital, where he received 60 stitches to his scalp, face, left arm (in three places), right arm and lip. 
"I haven't been able to find any injuries on my dogs. I think one of them may have been cuffed with a paw, so I'm going to check them out again later -- right now they are pretty excited to see me," said West on Sunday, just shortly after returning home from picking up his large Labs, who were looked after by Scott and her family at the lodge while he was in hospital. 
The conservation officer told him he was very lucky to have survived such an attack. 
"In that sort of situation, you only one choice -- it's live or die." said West. "Most people are too scared to think about living." 
West doesn't think of himself as overly tough, however, and maintains the belief that for anyone placed in that situation, "it's just a matter of whether you want to live or not." 
It also doesn't hurt, though, to have strength, courage -- and carry a big stick.


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## jakeo (Sep 14, 2004)

Holy [email protected]#t!


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## oldrank (Dec 5, 2006)

wow


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## Fur and Feathers (Apr 11, 2007)

I want this guy on my side in a fight!!:tdo12:


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

Thats a baaddd man.


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## WALLEYE JUNKIE (Jul 12, 2008)

Dont leave home with out you stick!!!:evil: Thats one bad mother %#@&er!!!


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## Undertow (Apr 5, 2006)

Yes he's a bad man but he owes his life to his dogs. If they hadn't got that bear off him the first and second time he would have never gotten back up.

Good story and if you click on the link there's a video of the guy.

Undertow


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## Enigma (Jan 30, 2006)

I wrestled black bear two times its names was ceaser the wrestiling bear and no muzzle either it was 9 feet tall 975 pounds in the early 90's. I know they can throw you along way with one swipe ablack bear.When it was all said and done may pants were all riped and my arms were very sore. the new day I was black and blue all over my arm If that bear would of met busiess it would of probley rip my arms off that guy had a fight on his hands and that bear meant busiess.wow thats inpressive what that guy did.


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

> Yes he's a bad man but he owes his life to his dogs.


Watched the interview, pretty interesting guy. I had to chuckle, everything was fine till he heard his dog yelp, then he decides, nope you're not killing my dogs.........good looking dogs too.


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## Dmaxmike (Aug 20, 2007)

Undertow said:


> Yes he's a bad man but he owes his life to his dogs. If they hadn't got that bear off him the first and second time he would have never gotten back up.
> 
> Good story and if you click on the link there's a video of the guy.
> 
> Undertow


That's fer sure.


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

that is nuts.... its about time a man kicked a bears butt!... they are definitely winning the battle though


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

Its a shame they put down the cubs. I never understand decisions like that being made. Glad the man lived to tell about it.

Ganzer


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

Unreal!!!!!!


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

by the livin god that made ya, yer a better man then i am gunga din.


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## PaleRider (Oct 24, 2007)

I guess he did walk softly and found a big stick......best to make some noise in bear country. Here's to the MAN and a great pair of dogs.


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## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

Here is an Ontario man that stabbed a bear to death with a knife. He also had his trusty dog at his side. They say if a black bear with no cubs attacks it is for predatory reasons and you should fight for your life.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/07/22/bear.html

Quoting Tilley ...
"That's when I knew I had a serious problem.&#8230; I was lunch," he said. "The bear took a few steps down the trail and clamped its mouth on the back of my dog. It gave me the quick opportunity I needed to run around to the back of the bear, get on its back and with my knife start stabbing it."

In the spirit of ole Dan'al Boone himself!!!

Canoing in the canadian wilderness is different because the bears up there get very little exposure to humans so they are not "educated" like the bears in the UP. I asked a ranger at a Canadian National Park(no grizz) once if it was okay if I bring my dog backpacking in the park. She says it is allowed, but don't do it. It will piss off the bears. I felt like saying, lady you need to get your bears a "redbone education".


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

My question is did the bear get turned into a rug. I mean come on it attacked him. He should have the hide turned over to him to be made into a rug.


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## captjimtc (Aug 10, 2005)

Just reinforcement of why I carry an M7 pig sticker with me while I'm hunting...Glad he won over the bear..


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## 10pointsandnobucks (Oct 11, 2008)

This is one of them stories like "13 year old girl lifts car off her Dad". You know God had to be there! Labs are great but you know that guy was freaking out to beat a sow to death with cubs around.


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## mooney373 (Sep 30, 2008)

Almost unbelievable! Kudos to that man!!!! Gets ya thinkin a little doesnt it?


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## WinMag (Dec 19, 2004)

Most of the sticks I see in the woods are not heavy or solid enough to crush a bear's skull. I think he must have found a piece of fresh cut hardwood.


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