AK-74 bear kill, article

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Alaska man kills charging bear with assault rifle

Published July 30, 2013
Associated Press




ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A trail south of Anchorage has been closed after a man killed a brown bear that charged him.

Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist Jessy Coltrane tells the Anchorage Daily News that an unidentified man came across the bear Sunday morning while hiking alone. He told Coltrane the bear charged him, and he fired 13 rounds from an AK-74 assault rifle he was carrying on his hike.

Chugach State Park Ranger Tom Crockett said the bear ran off, but later died.

Officials say the bear was skinned and the head taken to Fish and Game. But a large portion of the carcass remains about 100 yards off the trail, and likely will attract other bears.

Rangers have closed the trail between McHugh Creek and the Rainbow trailhead.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/30...#ixzz2aYksc5Ky

 

Darn good thing the gentleman was carrying the “assault rifle.” It takes power and multiple rounds (as proven once again) to knock down bears.

Encountering bears (of different types) is so very common in Alaska. Spent time deployed there and was amazed by this in the back country by (now called joint base Elemendorf-Richardson). If you value your life and those with you while taking hikes in the back country in AK, you go armed with heavy caliber and multi-round capability.

 

5.45x39 is not a heavy caliber.

 

True. I knew a remark of that nature was coming.

The multipe rounds needed was not off.

 

I have a lot of respect for bears and almost got killed by one. I only had bear mace but Im glad I didn't have a rifle because I probably would have used it. Anyway, I took this picture about 30 seconds before it bluff charged me out in YellowStone

Was a little guy but scared the Shhhhhit out of me


7 by JosephCostanza, on Flickr

 

Yeah, I always carry bear spray in places like that.... .45 caliber bear spray, full jacket.

 

Bear spray works if the wind is right and Mr. Bear is in the correct direction. Some bears enjoy the spicy flavor imparted by the pepper spray.

Some folks wear little bells to warn bears of their approach, bad bears have bells in their scat.

 

I'm guessing that throwing the picnic basket at a bear is'nt an option?

 

Maybe with Yogi and Boo Boo.

 

I've seen zero bears this summer, plenty of moose out on the trails though. A lot more concerned about the moose, as they don't really care that you want to pass through and if you hang around they tend to get pretty aggressive. The bears are usually black bears and not all that interested in people, especially if they hear them coming from a ways off. The 13 rounds (and it didn't die right away, went away and died a ways off after being shot) sounds about right for such a small caliber that is going to fragment and it's the fragments that will penetrate somewhat. I don't worry too much about them, have a big can of bear-spray, if it's a more back-woods thing I'm doing I'll take a large caliber handgun, but otherwise it's not all that big of a deal in ANC. Some other places that have lots of brown bears are maybe different.