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tele43 · Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 3 Location: Colorado

This happened last Sunday in Soldotna, Alaska
Quoting an email sent to me by a friend:

Subject: Fw: very, very lucky to be alive!

Have I got a story for you guys!

King season is over, and since i had a day off before silvers start, i thought i would go for a walk! this occurred at 11:16 am this morning (Sunday), just 2/10 of a mile from my house, ON OUR ROAD while walking my dogs (trying to get in shape for hunting season, ironically!) for the record, this is in a residential area-not back in the woods, no bowhunting, no stealth occurring...

I heard a twig snap, and looked back...full on charge-a huge brownie, ears back, head low and motorin' full speed! Came with zero warning; no woof, no popping of the teeth, no standing up, nothing like what you think or see on TV! It charged from less than 20 yards and was on me in about one-second! Totally surreal-I just started shooting in the general direction, and praise God that my second shot (or was it my third?) Rolled him at 5 feet and he skidded to a stop 10 feet BEYOND where I was shooting from-I actually sidestepped him and fell over backwards on the last shot, and his momentum carried him to a stop past where I fired my first shot!

It was a prehistoric old boar-no teeth, no fat-weighed between 900-1000 lbs and took five men to DRAG it onto a tilt-bed trailer! Big bear-its paw measured out at about a 9 1/2 footer!

never-ever-thought "it" would happen to me! its always some other smuck, right? well, no bull- i am still high on adrenaline, with my gut in a knot. feels like i did 10000 crunches without stopping! almost puked for an hour after, had the burps and couldn't even stand up as the troopers conducted their investigation! totally wiped me out-cant even put that feeling into words, by far the most emotion i have ever felt at once!

No doubt that God was with me, as I brought my Ruger .454 Casull (and some "hot" 350 grain solids) just for the heck of it, and managed to draw and snap shoot (pointed, never even aimed!) from the hip! Total luck shot!

All I can say is Praise God for my safety and for choosing to leave the wife and kids at home on this walk! Got a charter tomorrow, so gonna TRY to get some sleep now!

talk to ya soon, -greg

Greg & Sherri Brush
EZ Limit Guide Service
PO Box 4278
Soldotna, AK 99669
907-262-6169

Here's a link to the newspaper article:

http://www.peninsulaclarion.co.....9517.shtml

WesternHunter · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 1075 Location: Colorado

Fantastic story! Lucky and smart to have brought a powerful sidearm along eh?

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 2720 Location: Alaska

That bear's in sad shape -- you shouldn't be able to see ribs this late in the season. That charge may have been an act of desperation.

mlchris2 · Joined: 10 Sep 2009 Posts: 54

WOW!!! I would have probably instantly shat in my pants.

I'm curious... why do you think he charged you like that? I've only seen that happen when there is a sow and cub together and it's more of a protective situation on the sow's part.

expatriate · Joined: 26 Oct 2002 Posts: 2720 Location: Alaska

I wasn't there, but I've been around my share of brownies. As I said in my post, if a boar that big is that skinny at the beginning of August in Salmon country, something's wrong. He should be king of the river. But if he's in decline and can't compete for fishing rights (or can't catch fish), he's in trouble 'cause it takes a lot of calories to pack weight onto a frame that big and roots & berries won't do it. I imagine this put him into a state where he's either very cranky and desperate -- hence him being in a residential area. The dog might've had something to do with it, too -- I've known people that got charged by normally docile moose in the neighborhood because they had a dog along. Residential moose tend to mostly ignore people, but to them, dogs = wolves. So the dog might've played a role in setting the bear off.