Grizzly fatal attack at glacier and another attack at Yellowstone

[RockAndSage]

Flying in, so we have to buy new spray anyway, but now considering bringing my Glock 23 as well.

100% for certain, if you do encounter a bear, you'll never wish you hadn't brought it.

 

[Turkeytider]

Just one guy’s opinion, but going into big bear country unarmed ( and I’m not referring to spray ) borders on a death wish IMHO.

 

[Bannedinshortorder!]

Can't you just wipe some of the ooze on your fingers and poke the bear in the eye?

 

[DuckDawg22]

The perennial hypothetical of being judged by 12 or carried, I'll go with judged 10 times out of 10 especially if my family is with me. I'm carrying 17 rounds of buffalo bore 9mm ready to roll in a Glock 17 that try as I might, still shoot better than anything new I pick up.

It's like the libs who get murdered by illegals, "I'm on your side" doesn't work when an animal decides to reevaluate their position in the food chain. Mountain Lions, illegal growers, and tweakers are more of a concern where I'm at but the same logic applies.

 

[BLJ]

Does anyone, maybe a lawyer, know the repercussions of discharging a firearm and killing a grizzly, even in self-defense, in a NP? Obviously the positive outcome is you or your loved ones live but what are the legal repercussions? I remember hearing a few years back you can be in deep deep legal trouble if you end up shooting your gun, even in self defense. Is that true?

When I was looking into it last summer, Yellowstone was the only place that stated it was illegal to “discharge” a firearm.

Not illegal to carry (if the person was legally allowed to carry) but illegal to “use”.
No exceptions or other wording in regard to self defense.

I found no wording like this for Grand Teton or Glacier.

I’m not a lawyer and the info was obtained through Google searches with a preference to anything .gov.
Assuming that would be the closest thing “information”.

 

[MTBlazer89]

My neighbor killed a Griz last year that was tearing up his chicken coop (no fence or hot wire). I thought he was going to end up with way more legal mumbo jumbo than he did. State called it clean and as far as I heard nothing beyond that. Personally I think there was negligence on his part. We have chickens, goats, pigs, etc and all of our feed and animals are in sturdy buildings with electric fence around everything. We know we live in a very dense Griz area. I carry both spray and a 10mil in the park and everywhere else

 

[Huckelfin]

After having been to these national parks several times, its honestly amazing tragic events like this aren't more common. People get really really dumb when there's an opportunity for a photo op of an animal. Especially yellowstone, wow you see some absolutely ignorant people on those trails.

 

[CMP70306]

After having been to these national parks several times, its honestly amazing tragic events like this aren't more common. People get really really dumb when there's an opportunity for a photo op of an animal. Especially yellowstone, wow you see some absolutely ignorant people on those trails.

When we were in Yellowstone in 2023 we came across dozens of cars parked on both sides of the road with some blocking traffic. As we got up I asked someone walking what the delay was and they said a sow and cubs were seen crossing the road so everybody piled out of their cars to go get pictures. There were literally people running into the woods to get a picture of them like they were a completely harmless animal.

I got a couple pictures from the sunroof when they popped out on the hillside but I was absolutely not getting out of the car anywhere near a sow with cubs.

 

[mt terry d]

Just one guy’s opinion, but going into big bear country unarmed ( and I’m not referring to spray ) borders on a death wish IMHO.

Wild bears and tourist-acclimated/handled/Park bears are two different creatures.

I bowhunted for years in better griz country than YNP without gun/spray. A few encounters. No maulings or shots fired.
I have no death wish. Never have.

IF you have time for either spray or gun response to an actual attack, not a near miss bluff charge, either would be better than nothing. I think the most likely encounter that
would end up with actual mauling you wouldn't have a chance to execute with either;
you'd be within that bear's personal "strike first figure out what it is later" space of a female with offspring or an old boar on a kill/gut pile.

Outside of that range just not being stupid will probably be all you need.

 

[grfox92]

It'd be interesting to know how many had eyes on you, or winded you.

I feel like I would have found more tracks or seen their ass end running away, or heard them crashing through the timber. I honestly feel like ive just been really lucky this year. Not lucky like Im glad I havent really run into any, just lucky in terms of probability that I should have run into quite a few. I know everyone else has been.

The one I think about often is how many big cats I have walked directly under or have watched me from a short distance. We have a lot of lions and I have yet to lay eyes on one. Plenty of tracks, including discovering their tracks on my tracks on my way back out, and following their tracks to the tree they watched me walk by from.

Bear tracks on our tracks is a very regular thing. They are very curious creatures and will follow us a long way. Kind of sketchy to think about but its the norm.

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

After having been to these national parks several times, its honestly amazing tragic events like this aren't more common. People get really really dumb when there's an opportunity for a photo op of an animal. Especially yellowstone, wow you see some absolutely ignorant people on those trails.

This^^^. I was having a conversation about the recent attacks with some non-hunter/city born and raised family members this week. Amazing how little appreciation the average person has for how powerful, fast, and ruthless these bears can be under the wrong circumstances. Even more so, how little understanding people have about how to act in environments where the people and bears crossover.

 

[grfox92]

Just one guy’s opinion, but going into big bear country unarmed ( and I’m not referring to spray ) borders on a death wish IMHO.

I know of multiple Thorofare guides who have been at it for 30+ years who carry no pistol and no spray who would disagree.

I used to be very worried about bears when I first moved to WY. I dont worry about them at all anymore.

Not to say I am not still diligent and prepared, there just isn't any fear regarding them anymore.

 

[MTBlazer89]

This^^^. I was having a conversation about the recent attacks with some non-hunter/city born and raised family members this week. Amazing how little appreciation the average person has for how powerful, fast, and ruthless these bears can be under the wrong circumstances. Even more so, how little understanding people have about how to act in environments where the people and bears crossover.

It's not limited to wildlife either. So many of these people don't understand how unforgiving this part of the country is. Last year a young man fell in the canyon on avalanche creek in GNP. It's ice cold water in a narrow rock canyon moving at roaring speed.,..Why get so close to the edge?! The carelessness deaths happen every year and so many are water related. Much of NW MT has little to no cell service.

 

[wesfromky]

I probably have 60+ days in Yellowstone and the GYE in the last year. I have never felt unprepared with just spray, but people should do whatever makes them feel comfortable. Honestly, I am way more worried about getting clipped by someone not paying attention driving an RV/vanlife van/truck camper then I am about bears.

 

[kpk]

Cheap 10mm is $45 a box of 50 around me. 9mm on sale is as low as $9 a box of 50. Its a no brainer which gun you will practice more with and shoot better.

Thats actually what drove me to get my G19. The 20 was my first Glock and then the realization that the cheapest ammo I could source at the time was around $40/box here. I bought the 19 just to practice with a Glock as I was always a Sig guy prior. I've been buying 9mm buy the thousand when I find it for about 220. Shoot the snot outta my G19 now and shoot it better than anything else I've had.

 

[kpk]

It's not limited to wildlife either. So many of these people don't understand how unforgiving this part of the country is. Last year a young man fell in the canyon on avalanche creek in GNP. It's ice cold water in a narrow rock canyon moving at roaring speed.,..Why get so close to the edge?! The carelessness deaths happen every year and so many are water related. Much of NW MT has little to no cell service.

Daughter and I drove past a pretty good sized sink hole the other day that must've just opened up. She asked if we could go look at it and I said absolutely hell no. There are some MASSIVE cave systems in the area and not worth the risk of getting close.

 

[grfox92]

Daughter and I drove past a pretty good sized sink hole the other day that must've just opened up. She asked if we could go look at it and I said absolutely hell no. There are some MASSIVE cave systems in the area and not worth the risk of getting close.

The near vertical, crumbley shale and lava rock Im constantly side hilling is probably more dangerous than grizzly bears.

 

[jesco88]

My wife, 12 year old daughter and I are hitting Glacier this summer and camping out for 5 nights. We did the same three years ago in Yellowstone and the Tetons, and did see one smaller Grizzly on the backside of Jenny Lake off the horse trail. Flying in, so we have to buy new spray anyway, but now considering bringing my Glock 23 as well. I carried that when archery elk hunting in MT, loaded with Underwood 200gr hardcast.

Yep, I saw a Grizzly on the back side of Jenny Lake back in October of 2025. I hike there often, as I'm only about 1.5hrs away, and there's a bunch of deadfall back there. I always carry concealed no matter where I'm at.

Big fan of using what you train with. I never understood people feeling like they should up-gun to a gun that they rarely shoot just because they're in bear country. I'd rather hit a bear in the face with a 124gr GD two or three times over maybe once with a 10mm hard cast. Not to mention once you get past the 9mm/40 frame guns, they become much lest comfortable to carry 24/7.

 

[Skerhunter]

I feel like I would have found more tracks or seen their ass end running away, or heard them crashing through the timber. I honestly feel like ive just been really lucky this year. Not lucky like Im glad I havent really run into any, just lucky in terms of probability that I should have run into quite a few. I know everyone else has been.

The one I think about often is how many big cats I have walked directly under or have watched me from a short distance. We have a lot of lions and I have yet to lay eyes on one. Plenty of tracks, including discovering their tracks on my tracks on my way back out, and following their tracks to the tree they watched me walk by from.

Bear tracks on our tracks is a very regular thing. They are very curious creatures and will follow us a long way. Kind of sketchy to think about but its the norm.

Watched a guy last year ride right up on a sow with 3 cubs. He had no idea. Got into a bit of a wreck and just thought it was because the horses were green.

Probably best to not know how close you are to them sometimes!

 

[midger]

I never understood why people hike solo in bear country. I always made it a point to at least hike with someone I could outrun if we ever came across a bear.