Angry Attacking Grizzly BearA big hat tip goes out to the reader who sent me this hot news tip!!

Vic Workman is a member of the Wildlife Commission for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. On Sunday during a big game hunt with a friend, Workman was charged by what he describes as a very big grizzly that exploded out of the brush screaming. Workman describes the event this way.

“He was screaming,” Workman said. “It was an incredible experience … It was just a monster bear.”

Workman is an experienced bear hunter, according to an article in the Daily Interlake online publication written by Jim Mann.

He killed the 1,200-pound Alaskan brown bear that is mounted and on display at Glacier Park International Airport. Workman also shot the seventh-largest black bear taken in Montana, a 450-pounder.

Workman used his .300 magnum to ward off the bear. He’s not sure if he wounded it or not but even after a search on Monday, the bear wasn’t found. When Workman investigated the area where the bear emerged from, he found a big-antlered buck dead and buried under a large pile of dirt, the head and antlers still intact. When searchers returned on Monday, either that grizzly or another had dug up what was left of the carcass and hauled it away.

Montana is one of those states whose fish and game department is advocating people to use pepper spray rather than a gun on an attacking grizzly. (Read this article I wrote just recently on the problems of pepper spray versus the gun of an experienced hunter.) Workman doesn’t think pepper spray would have done much good.

“People need to put bear spray on their belt and pretend that they have a bear coming at them … and be ready to use it in the amount of time it takes to say, “whoa bear, whoa bear, whoa,’” he said. “If I had dropped my rifle in time to pull out my bear spray, I would have been lunch.”

Here is one clear example of what I was trying to point out in my previous article. I’m hard pressed to be convinced that asking a hunter to take a loaded rifle from his hands, put it down and take out a can of pepper spray, is the best way to deal with a charging bear.

I am also glad to hear that Workman believes there are ample grizzly bears around and it’s time to delist them and control the population growth through limited hunting. I’m not sure if he felt that way before the incident and if he didn’t, I’m also glad he didn’t get hurt in order for him to change his mind.

I’m still thinking state officials should be rethinking their stated policy on dealing with grizzly bears.

Tom Remington

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