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Survival
Bear attacks again
Uploaded on June 18, 2010Some of you might remember that I have said previously that every year in the Cody, WY area there is one or more human versus grizzly encounters. Here is the current one thanks to KULR 8 News television broadcasting from Billings, MT. This is my "backyard" and part of where I have hunted for the last 30 years.
(Story Updated: Jun 18, 2010 at 1:24 PM MDT )
Press Release from Park County Sheriff's Department:
At approximately 6:48 PM on June 17th the Park County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a subject had possibly been mauled and killed by a grizzly bear in the Kitty Creek Drainage located in the Shoshone National Forest west of Cody.
The victim, 70 year old Erwin Frank Evert of Cody was reported missing by his wife to Chad Dickinson, a member of the USGS Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) based out of Bozeman. Dickinson and his team were working within the Kitty Creek Drainage snaring grizzly bears for research. Dickinson rode back up Kitty Creek to an area where earlier they had caught a large adult male grizzly. Once at the capture sight, Dickinson found Evert dead as a result of fatal injuries caused by an encounter with the bear.
At approximately 8:30 PM Wardens of the Wyoming Game and Fish and a Park County Sheriff’s Deputy located Evert approximately 2 miles from the road in a remote rugged area. Park County Sheriff Search and Rescue was called in and Evert’s body was removed while Wardens provided armed security. The recovery was completed at approximately 12:18am on June 18th.
At this time it appears that members of IGBST had captured the bear and tranquilized the bear for research purposes, put a radio collar on the bear and then packed up their equipment and left the area. At some point Evert wandered into the capture area where he was fatally wounded. Evert was not armed nor was he carrying bear spray.
On June 18th The US Forest Service issued a closure order for the Kitty Creek Drainage. Game Wardens, US Fish and Wildlife Agents and USFS Law Enforcement Agents are diligently searching the area for the bear with the aid of an electronic tracking device. If located the fate of the bear will be determined by US Fish and Wildlife Agents.
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It seems to me ish, that the death of Mr. Evert was a cause/effect relationship due to the recklessness of the IGBST. Once tranqued, the bear's capture zone should have been wardened off by said authorities. These employees acted recklessly and should have had procedures in place, following said captures, to protect the wanderings of innocent Park users. The area, at least, should have been closed to the public. Bad form, IGBST.
Well Ish #1 he was alone #2 he was unarmed very foolish. I am sorry for his familys loss. You better stay safe out there. Speaking of bear did you have any luck on your hunt?
I'm with countitanddone on this one. The capture area should have been out of play for awhile and the posting of the area should have been obvious to all. I personally don't go into Black Bear areas with out a gun and would think it would be considered essential when Grizzly's encounters are possible. I feel for this man family.
I would be more inclined to blame the Wildlife people if they had transported the tranquilized animal to that area and released it. As it is, we have no way of knowing how the bear would have reacted to the presence of Mr Evert under normnal circumstances. Tough call to make.
I don't like forwarding unsubstanciated rumors but according to a nurse here who has a cabin next to Mr. Evert's on Kitty Creek, the man has walked the trails around his cabin for decades with apparently no problem. I share your opinions in that 1) he should have not been alone 2) he should have been armed or at least had a bear sprayer 3) no one knows if he took precautions of making noise or if he did was it actually an attractant to the offending bear? 4) he, or at least his neighbor, was aware that the Interagency Team was in the area but did not know where they were working 5) should a bear be druged in a somewhat populated location (read a dozen or so residents which is a lot for that area) and not be transported into the backcountry 6) hopefully the drugs utilized now are superior to those of a decade or two ago but more on that later. Today the officials closed the trail to travel and human visitors, but there are lots more trails, many visitors this time of the year, and more grizzlies than the feds admit. I feel certain that by now the bear is dead from a tax purchased bullet, we will most likely know by tomorrow. Mr. Everts is not well known locally as I am told he lives elsewhere and spends his summers on the North Fork of the Shoshone River, or did until yesterday. And admittedly we lose another bear which goes against the count of Wyoming ever having a grizzly season (fat chance anyway, not quite as likely as a wolf season since our bureaucrats lack the polish, insight, and vision of their coharts in Idaho and Montana and yes I am navigating away from the topic. Rest in peace Mr. Everts as you passed in the country you loved so well.
No I did not get my black bear, in fact I didn't get to go after my last post on the subject. Too many end of school year activities to attend plus by wife's health continues to decline.
99explorer and others: I will have to look up current data on grizzly numbers on the North Fork but for now I can only say that of the 100-200 bears I have seen in that part of Wyoming I remember only 5-10 being black bears. The outfitters have constant problems with griz invading their hunting camps even with rigid and enforced regulations concerning management of such camps. This year I read that two problem bears were relocated into this area, one from Jackson, WY and one from Clark, WY. This is not an unusual occurance. Given that the hiker has spent years in that country I am puzzled at his past good luck and yesterday's bad encounter depending on how you perceive the matter.
One other oddity about this event is that Mr. Evert's nickname was.....Griz. I wonder if he spend his summer time studying the animals.
Here is an update from tonight's Billings Gazette published in Billings, MT.
Chris Servheen, grizzly bear coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the bear had not been captured before Thursday, and had not been relocated from another area.
Researchers drew blood from the captured bear and fitted it with a radio collar before releasing it, Servheen said, but it has not been determined yet whether the previously captured bear was the same one that killed Evert.
Servheen said that wildlife officials will work to match any DNA left by the bear, most likely in saliva, with blood drawn from the captured bear.
It is uncertain whether that difficult process of analysis will prove possible, he said.
Steward said that the U.S. Forest Service had issued a closure order for the Kitty Creek Drainage and that federal wildlife and law enforcement agents are searching for the bear using electronic tracking equipment.
But Servheen said there would not be an immediate effort to capture the previously caught bear.
"We are not going to trap this bear at this time," Servheen said.
He said that the investigation of the mauling is in its early stages, and that authorities will work to try and recreate what happened.
If it is determined that the trapped bear killed Evert, a decision will then be made about the fate of the bear, he said.
"We'll try to make a decision as to whether the actions of the bear were natural aggression," Servheen said.
"We will try to make that decision based on what we know after we put all the facts together," he said, adding that recreating an attack without additional witnesses can prove difficult.
Some cabin owners have said they were unaware of research work being done in the area, and questioned whether wildlife and land management agencies were communicating effectively with the public about such activities. The press is not routinely notified of study team research work.
Servheen said that interagency partners including the Wyoming Game and Fish and Shoshone National Forest personnel are aware of researchers' work in the area, and that signs are posted in areas where bears are being captured.
He said he was unaware of what other public notifications, if any, were routinely made about bear capture efforts.
"The people doing this are highly trained professionals who follow very detailed protocols. One of the most important protocols is public safety," he said.
"We want to make sure people don't walk into these places, so they place signs lower down on the trail" warning people to avoid the area, he said.
Servheen said "it would be impossible to enter this area" without noticing warning signs
Officials kill bear suspected in fatal mauling near Yellowstone
StoryDiscussionRUFFIN PREVOST Gazette Wyoming Bureau | Posted: Saturday, June 19, 2010 10:12 am | No Comments Posted
CODY, Wyo. - Wildlife officials are notifying guest lodge owners near the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park that they have killed a grizzly bear that is believed to have fatally mauled a man Thursday afternoon.
The adult male grizzly bear had been snared and tranquilized by federal researchers Thursday morning and fitted with a radio collar before being released.
Erwin Frank Evert, 70, of Park Ridge, Ill., was found dead at the capture site Thursday after the bear was released. Evert ignored warning signs posted advising hikers to avoid the area because of the likelihood of a dangerous bear encounter.
Wildlife officials used a helicopter to track and shoot the bear Saturday morning after making unsuccessful attempts Friday to catch it.
Authorities are conducting blood and DNA tests in an attempt to confirm that the bear shot Saturday is the one that killed Evert. Initial tests results are expected sometime Saturday, while more definitive tests should be completed by Monday.
As a public safety precaution, the U.S. Forest Service has closed the Kitty Creek area, about seven miles east of Yellowstone, where the attack occurred. The area will be reopened once definitive test results are received.
Authorities have said there is a very high likelihood that Evert was killed by the same bear that was trapped and released Thursday, which they also believe is the same bear that was shot Saturday.
Friends and wildlife officials have said that Evert, a botanist who owned a cabin at Kitty Creek, was well aware of the risks of entering the capture area, but that he was curious about work being done there and ignored verbal and posted warnings.
The incident is the first fatal mauling by a grizzly bear in the area in 25 years, and the first such fatal attack to take place at a site where researchers had recently trapped and released a bear.
Federal wildlife officials in charge of grizzly bear management have kept tight control over releasing specific details about the incident, frustrating local officials anxious to share what they say is important public safety information.
Chris Servheen, grizzly bear coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initially said Friday morning that there would be no attempt made to trap the bear. He later said Friday evening that wildlife workers would trap the bear if such an opportunity arose.
Local officials were telling a different story Friday. A statement released midday by Park County Sheriff Scott Steward said that state and federal wildlife and law enforcement workers were actively tracking the bear.
Other local officials also confirmed that their plan Friday was to trap or kill the bear.
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It seems to me ish, that the death of Mr. Evert was a cause/effect relationship due to the recklessness of the IGBST. Once tranqued, the bear's capture zone should have been wardened off by said authorities. These employees acted recklessly and should have had procedures in place, following said captures, to protect the wanderings of innocent Park users. The area, at least, should have been closed to the public. Bad form, IGBST.
Well Ish #1 he was alone #2 he was unarmed very foolish. I am sorry for his familys loss. You better stay safe out there. Speaking of bear did you have any luck on your hunt?
I'm with countitanddone on this one. The capture area should have been out of play for awhile and the posting of the area should have been obvious to all. I personally don't go into Black Bear areas with out a gun and would think it would be considered essential when Grizzly's encounters are possible. I feel for this man family.
I don't like forwarding unsubstanciated rumors but according to a nurse here who has a cabin next to Mr. Evert's on Kitty Creek, the man has walked the trails around his cabin for decades with apparently no problem. I share your opinions in that 1) he should have not been alone 2) he should have been armed or at least had a bear sprayer 3) no one knows if he took precautions of making noise or if he did was it actually an attractant to the offending bear? 4) he, or at least his neighbor, was aware that the Interagency Team was in the area but did not know where they were working 5) should a bear be druged in a somewhat populated location (read a dozen or so residents which is a lot for that area) and not be transported into the backcountry 6) hopefully the drugs utilized now are superior to those of a decade or two ago but more on that later. Today the officials closed the trail to travel and human visitors, but there are lots more trails, many visitors this time of the year, and more grizzlies than the feds admit. I feel certain that by now the bear is dead from a tax purchased bullet, we will most likely know by tomorrow. Mr. Everts is not well known locally as I am told he lives elsewhere and spends his summers on the North Fork of the Shoshone River, or did until yesterday. And admittedly we lose another bear which goes against the count of Wyoming ever having a grizzly season (fat chance anyway, not quite as likely as a wolf season since our bureaucrats lack the polish, insight, and vision of their coharts in Idaho and Montana and yes I am navigating away from the topic. Rest in peace Mr. Everts as you passed in the country you loved so well.
No I did not get my black bear, in fact I didn't get to go after my last post on the subject. Too many end of school year activities to attend plus by wife's health continues to decline.
Here is an update from tonight's Billings Gazette published in Billings, MT.
Chris Servheen, grizzly bear coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the bear had not been captured before Thursday, and had not been relocated from another area.
Researchers drew blood from the captured bear and fitted it with a radio collar before releasing it, Servheen said, but it has not been determined yet whether the previously captured bear was the same one that killed Evert.
Servheen said that wildlife officials will work to match any DNA left by the bear, most likely in saliva, with blood drawn from the captured bear.
It is uncertain whether that difficult process of analysis will prove possible, he said.
Steward said that the U.S. Forest Service had issued a closure order for the Kitty Creek Drainage and that federal wildlife and law enforcement agents are searching for the bear using electronic tracking equipment.
But Servheen said there would not be an immediate effort to capture the previously caught bear.
"We are not going to trap this bear at this time," Servheen said.
He said that the investigation of the mauling is in its early stages, and that authorities will work to try and recreate what happened.
If it is determined that the trapped bear killed Evert, a decision will then be made about the fate of the bear, he said.
"We'll try to make a decision as to whether the actions of the bear were natural aggression," Servheen said.
"We will try to make that decision based on what we know after we put all the facts together," he said, adding that recreating an attack without additional witnesses can prove difficult.
Some cabin owners have said they were unaware of research work being done in the area, and questioned whether wildlife and land management agencies were communicating effectively with the public about such activities. The press is not routinely notified of study team research work.
Servheen said that interagency partners including the Wyoming Game and Fish and Shoshone National Forest personnel are aware of researchers' work in the area, and that signs are posted in areas where bears are being captured.
He said he was unaware of what other public notifications, if any, were routinely made about bear capture efforts.
"The people doing this are highly trained professionals who follow very detailed protocols. One of the most important protocols is public safety," he said.
"We want to make sure people don't walk into these places, so they place signs lower down on the trail" warning people to avoid the area, he said.
Servheen said "it would be impossible to enter this area" without noticing warning signs
Officials kill bear suspected in fatal mauling near Yellowstone
StoryDiscussionRUFFIN PREVOST Gazette Wyoming Bureau | Posted: Saturday, June 19, 2010 10:12 am | No Comments Posted
CODY, Wyo. - Wildlife officials are notifying guest lodge owners near the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park that they have killed a grizzly bear that is believed to have fatally mauled a man Thursday afternoon.
The adult male grizzly bear had been snared and tranquilized by federal researchers Thursday morning and fitted with a radio collar before being released.
Erwin Frank Evert, 70, of Park Ridge, Ill., was found dead at the capture site Thursday after the bear was released. Evert ignored warning signs posted advising hikers to avoid the area because of the likelihood of a dangerous bear encounter.
Wildlife officials used a helicopter to track and shoot the bear Saturday morning after making unsuccessful attempts Friday to catch it.
Authorities are conducting blood and DNA tests in an attempt to confirm that the bear shot Saturday is the one that killed Evert. Initial tests results are expected sometime Saturday, while more definitive tests should be completed by Monday.
As a public safety precaution, the U.S. Forest Service has closed the Kitty Creek area, about seven miles east of Yellowstone, where the attack occurred. The area will be reopened once definitive test results are received.
Authorities have said there is a very high likelihood that Evert was killed by the same bear that was trapped and released Thursday, which they also believe is the same bear that was shot Saturday.
Friends and wildlife officials have said that Evert, a botanist who owned a cabin at Kitty Creek, was well aware of the risks of entering the capture area, but that he was curious about work being done there and ignored verbal and posted warnings.
The incident is the first fatal mauling by a grizzly bear in the area in 25 years, and the first such fatal attack to take place at a site where researchers had recently trapped and released a bear.
Federal wildlife officials in charge of grizzly bear management have kept tight control over releasing specific details about the incident, frustrating local officials anxious to share what they say is important public safety information.
Chris Servheen, grizzly bear coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initially said Friday morning that there would be no attempt made to trap the bear. He later said Friday evening that wildlife workers would trap the bear if such an opportunity arose.
Local officials were telling a different story Friday. A statement released midday by Park County Sheriff Scott Steward said that state and federal wildlife and law enforcement workers were actively tracking the bear.
Other local officials also confirmed that their plan Friday was to trap or kill the bear.
I would be more inclined to blame the Wildlife people if they had transported the tranquilized animal to that area and released it. As it is, we have no way of knowing how the bear would have reacted to the presence of Mr Evert under normnal circumstances. Tough call to make.
99explorer and others: I will have to look up current data on grizzly numbers on the North Fork but for now I can only say that of the 100-200 bears I have seen in that part of Wyoming I remember only 5-10 being black bears. The outfitters have constant problems with griz invading their hunting camps even with rigid and enforced regulations concerning management of such camps. This year I read that two problem bears were relocated into this area, one from Jackson, WY and one from Clark, WY. This is not an unusual occurance. Given that the hiker has spent years in that country I am puzzled at his past good luck and yesterday's bad encounter depending on how you perceive the matter.
One other oddity about this event is that Mr. Evert's nickname was.....Griz. I wonder if he spend his summer time studying the animals.
I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!!
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