tdong wrote:
awesome and sad . next time buy a bear spray
He said he had spray -- but retreating worked. A firearm can certainly be helpful in a pinch, too, but the stats all point to spray being more effective (and obviously less destructive). Imprecise aim with a handgun (very common with 500-1000 pounds of cranky grizzly bearing down on you) is a good way to get yourself dead; imprecise aim with spray can still at least get you left alone.
The most effective tool, though, is a brain, which Kane clearly kept squarely on his shoulders.
Was the Grizzly swatting the ground, standing up at all, any of the other warning signs? I mean, I'd have RUN, too, instead of waiting til it did, but it's always nice to know what meeting a Grizzly close up is like.
Nice story! Glad the damage toll wasn't as bad as you expected. I love that the guys from Jersey and Oklahoma wanted you to open up on the bear with a handgun. I think its pretty obvious that retreat was the right choice. It is much more satisfying to hear a first person account of the encounter, than to read about it on the news.
what a great story and pix....you don't see that every day! i'm curious, how far off the beaten path were you when you had the encounter? personally i think the bear was interested because he thought it was a new d800 that he could take and then markup above msrp for resale....
glad it all worked out ok and let us know if nikon does anything, which they should. it would make a great story on why you buy a d4...
Wow.....I commend you for what you did however, if it were me, the gear would not have left my side. I would have died with it attached to my hip...the next person could have dealt with the insurance.
