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Bear encounter
Friday, July 30, 2010 at 9:24PM Well, Ben's Dad got tangled up with a bear. Again. This is the third time he's been stepped on by a bear... one more story to verify his mountain man status. Of course, one of those times was just a bear that happened to step on him in the middle of the night- so I guess that doesn't really count, right?
Ed is 80 years old this summer. He's been living in the Alaskan bush for 49 years, I think. He's pretty amazing stuff... still living back there year round with few modern commodities, and loving every minute of it. His dogs and horses free range up and down the river, taking care of themselves and living to tell about it.
Many years ago, he had a bear chew on his leg down in Prince William Sound. I don't believe I've heard him tell that story, but isn't that kind of the normal pattern of human nature? To avoid telling the big ones?
This time he was walking next to a brushy salmon stream in his big backyard in the ruggedest part of the Talkeetna Mountains. He had the dogs with him and noted large black bear tracks all about... nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year.
Suddenly all hell broke loose, and a bear came barreling out of the bushes and knocked him down. He got a shot off with the short barreled 45-70 he was carrying. That changed the bear's attention from eating Ed to quarreling with the dogs. But the bear was still standing on Ed's chest, so he popped another round in him.
Then it all ended as quickly as it started, with the bear running back into the bushes- leaving Ed to pick himself up, brush himself off and ascertain the condition of his dogs and his health. Just another day in the record books for the legendary Ed Stevenson...
Reader Comments (4)
that must have been exciting! lol
I used to live out in the 'bush' and loved every minute of it, lots of bears but luckily no near death experiences!!
Wow. My cousins tell stories about bears coming to sniff around (and try to break into) their cabin on the rez and a few (my "wild" cousin, in particular- he's a bush man, commercial fisherman lives without running water and such like my great-uncle Victor... amazing men) tell stories of encountering bears. I'm glad your father in law is okay and hope his dogs are as well.
wow! way to go oldtimer! (and yes, it counts! it counts!)
Aw, no bear meat? Darn :)