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Bear Attack Footage And Seven More Tales of Near-Death Experience in the Outdoors
Bear Attack Footage And Seven More Tales of Near-Death Experience in the Outdoors
Last April, Nevada turkey hunters Tom Bird, 54, and his son, Ryan, 35, were nodding off after four hours without a bird, when a 125-pound mountain lion passed within arm’s length, pounced on their decoys, then charged the hunters. Tom tells the story:
We were hunting on Mason Valley Wildlife Refuge, and we’d set up side-by-side against this huge cottonwood tree. It’s real brushy country. The only opening was ahead of us, where the turkeys crossed. We had decoys out and were wearing Scent-Lok, which is what we always hunt in. Ryan had a turkey tag, but I didn’t. Funny thing was that I actually had a lion tag in my pocket. I’d been hunting them hard this year but hadn’t gotten one. By 10 A.M. we were dozing off when Ryan saw movement. And I did, too. It was the flicker of an ear, 3 feet off Ryan’s left shoulder.
This lion launched into a dead run and got to the dekes, 30 feet away, in two leaps. I don’t think I even got the gun up to my shoulder. I fired, trying to scare it. As soon as I did, it turned and charged straight at us. You can’t believe how fast that cat moved. I fired again—I still probably didn’t have the gun up to my shoulder. I’ve run it through my mind a hundred times, but the whole thing was over in four seconds. I was looking right in his eyes, and I’m convinced he would have made short work of us. That second shot caught him in the left side of his throat and dropped him like a rock 8 feet away.
Now, we think we might have stumbled on a better way to hunt lions. We’ll use a blind, Scent-Lok, and some predator calls. But I tell you what: We’re gonna sit back-to-back from now on.
—As told to Bill Heavey
Photo by Field & Stream Online Editors
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Photo Gallery Comments (1)
First off I'll start with pointing out that I come from a family of hunters; I've seen and eaten and enjoyed my fair share of bear, among other game.
Now I'd like to ask what happened to the cub?
Did you allow it run off and die a slow miserable cold terrifying death.
If so... thats not nature thats cruelty.
The men and women in my family who hunt are respectful and compassionate, we hunt to eat not for sport.
No I do not think that anyone should have allowed the sow to maul and kill the sportsmen but like I said "what about the cub?"
If the cub was chased off to die then EVERY one of you who were there should be ashamed of your lack of respect for the animals.
If you hadn't been there then that cub would have had chance at survival, to live as a bear should.
But since you were there the sow did what sows do and you, as a person in fear for their life did what I would have done but would have done differently.
Post a Comment
First off I'll start with pointing out that I come from a family of hunters; I've seen and eaten and enjoyed my fair share of bear, among other game.
Now I'd like to ask what happened to the cub?
Did you allow it run off and die a slow miserable cold terrifying death.
If so... thats not nature thats cruelty.
The men and women in my family who hunt are respectful and compassionate, we hunt to eat not for sport.
No I do not think that anyone should have allowed the sow to maul and kill the sportsmen but like I said "what about the cub?"
If the cub was chased off to die then EVERY one of you who were there should be ashamed of your lack of respect for the animals.
If you hadn't been there then that cub would have had chance at survival, to live as a bear should.
But since you were there the sow did what sows do and you, as a person in fear for their life did what I would have done but would have done differently.
Post a Comment