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Post by brobear on Mar 22, 2017 10:41:33 GMT -5
MAN MEETS GRIZZLY - Gathered by F.M.Young - 1980.
At this point the two giants of the North Country were not far apart, only two or three yards. The bear champed his jaws and made a whining-whoof and rose up upon his hind legs, a magnificent specimen of strength. But to our surprise and amazement, the moose took the challenge and sprang to the fray. As he came near to the bear he rose upon his hind feet for the charge, his great horns making a formidable spectacle. He was fully as tall as the Kodiak.
Then they both made the plunge to kill, simultaneously, but the bear's huge paw found its mark first and tore the moose's shoulder and side with such accuracy and force that it sent the animal whirling and slipping for thirty feet, and left a ragged, open cut a yard long in his flesh. Was this the end? Surely it would seem so, but it was not. To our surprise the moose gathered himself and with quick bounds was upon the furry beast with all his might, tearing into him with terrible sharp antlers. When the bear shook loose, it took him some time to recover and strike the moose again.
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Post by brobear on Mar 22, 2017 10:42:40 GMT -5
Continued....
They separated and sparred for an opening.Our pack animals had become excited at this point, so we took them back to our vantage point, we found the monsters in a fierce struggle again. This was repeated many times. We believed the bear would soon finish the moose, but the anger and strength of the bull was a fair match for the Kodiak.
Dad said, "How long do you think this thing can last?" We had been so interested we forgot about the time, and the sun was far in the west. The beasts would hit and gore and struggle for advantage and occasionally separate and move apart to get their wind. Neither would give up. At any minute we expected to see one or the other admit he had had enough and leave the arena.
It was a battle of champions. Since that day I have seen some fights by men and animals and have read of many, but never have I seen or heard of such a vicious struggle as my father and I witnessed from a ringside seat on the rim of Little White Horse Creek. I thrill to think of it even now.
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Post by brobear on Mar 22, 2017 10:43:49 GMT -5
Continued....
The combatants had moved away from each other, and it looked as though it might be a mutual agreement to postpone the decision. The moose stood off a few yards looking at the shaggy, torn Kodiak as he walked up the rocky slope toward the ledge. When the bear turned, with his back to a massive block of stone, he looked at the moose as though to say, "if you want me, come up and get me!" The moose shook his stack of broad, sharp-pointed horns, struck the ground with a strong hoof, and accepted the challenge. With a spring over the rocks, and head down, he struck old Kodiak in the side with those two spikes and drove them home. He heaved the bear up against the wall. The bear had no doubt looked to the wall for protection; it now served as a backstop. The moose's legs stiffened and he bored in on the bear, which gave forth a bellowing howl unworthy of such a boastful fighter. The bear struggled to free himself. He bit and struck with his front paws and clawed with his hind feet, but the moose never for a moment relaxed his determination to put an end to the struggle. For three quarters of an hour, by my father's watch, this gripping round went on. It was getting late, and we wanted to be on our way, but could not pull ourselves from such a contest. We had to know the outcome.
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Post by brobear on Mar 22, 2017 10:45:25 GMT -5
Continues....
The bear's moans and groans became fainter and died down. Then the moose withdrew those gory antlers, gave his head a shake, snorted to clear the blood from his nostrils and mouth, stepped aside, freeing the bear, and watched his vanquished enemy roll over three or four times to the level ground. The moose went to the carcass and looked at it a moment; then, being satisfied, proudly limped away up the canyon to the cows.
For eight hours we had been held spellbound. Now we rode down and examined the mutilated Kodiak. We measured him. Father said he was thirteen feet, six inches, from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail - and a bear's tail is not long. The skin was too much torn to be of any use, so we proceeded upon our journey.
Coming back a week later, we ran on to the carcass of a very large moose. His bones had been stripped by the wolves, but the antlers showed the effects of that gallant fight. Whether he had been attacked and killed by wolves or had died from the awful blows and bites of the bear we could not know. But his courage and tenacity had made him a worthy adversary against the great Kodiak. I wondered then how many such dramas are enacted in the wilderness when no man or even other animal is present to give testimony.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2018 12:32:28 GMT -5
Credits to Bonzerific.
This brown bear sow chased and caught an adult cow moose in our driveway May 6th '07. The bear was estimated to be about 500 lbs and the cow moose an older animal. After dragging the moose a ways the bear dug into the chest cavity and pulled the heart out and ate it. She then left but came back that night a few times looking for the moose which had been towed down the road by a state trooper and a fish and wildlife guy until the next in line on the moose kill list was notified to come salvage the meat.There is a lot of moose hair in the driveway you can see as it's being towed away.
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Post by tom on Sept 10, 2018 12:09:55 GMT -5
Boy... I've haven't seen this much activity on the site since I joined.. That's great. Wish we could get even more active posters.
I'm sure you've all seen this vid of a sow Grizzly who killed this bull Caribou. A Caribou is no Bison when it comes to raw power, but yet this sow did eventually kill it mainly because she was able to bring the fight to the water to her advantage, but it wasn't easy and she spent a lot of energy to do so. Once the Caribou was off it's feet it was all but done. It was very risky on her part, but she did so anyway to feed her cubs. Hunger or not she would not have attempted to do the same on an adult Bison. I think most if not all Grizzlies would likely try to separate a calf from the herd or it's mother rather than take on an adult. As has been stated in this discussion a large boar grizzly in excess of 700 lbs who has developed a successful technique thru experience might be successful on an adult bison, but it would be very risky. IMO a Grizzly would somehow have to get the Bison off it's feet to ensure a kill and that wouldn't be easy. Even "Preacher" i would think, would think twice before an attempt.
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Post by brobear on Sept 10, 2018 14:38:08 GMT -5
This is one of two video's I've seen of two different events, both of which a grizzly places himself ( in this particular case herself ) right between the caribou's sharp antlers. In the arena of bull vs bear fights, grizzlies fought massive bulls in this same manner.
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Post by tom on Sept 10, 2018 15:00:17 GMT -5
Yes those antlers as deadly as they can be, can also be used as leverage for the bear if he or she can grab on to them. I liken it to steer wrestling in the Rodeo events. The Cowboy rides in close to the steer , then grabs the steer by the horns and twists the head/neck to flop the steer over on his side. Leverage.....
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Post by King Kodiak on Sept 10, 2018 15:45:42 GMT -5
That is probably the best video there is of a bear killing a larger animal.
The caribou looked much larger.
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Post by brobear on Sept 13, 2018 3:26:49 GMT -5
On the arctic tundra, barren ground grizzlies in the 300 pound range, among the smallest grizzlies in the world, go head-to-head with 900 pound musk ox. www.bearbiology.org/fileadmin/tpl/Downloads/URSUS/Vol_13/Reynolds_13.pdf shaggygod.proboards.com/ Multiple Hunting Strategy In the Thelon Game Sanctuary, grizzlies and muskox coexist, but the relationship is not always copasetic. Near the Thelon River, bears may use thick willow stands along the waterway to ambush muskox feeding on sedge in nearby clearings. Willows also attract muskox, as it is a preferred food of this beast. Gunn and Miller (1982) report finding a bear on a freshly killed, bull O. moschatus. They were able to scare the adult bear off and examine its kill and concluded that the bear had dispatched the big ungulate by first grasping its nose (crushing the nasal turbine bones and tearing off the nose in the process) and then inflicting a crippling bite to its skull. By grasping the nose, the bear may have prevented the muskox from bringing its horns to bear and also may have been more effective at throwing the animal to the ground. In another study carried out in the northeastern Arctic slopes of Alaska, 92 grizzly-muskox interactions were observed (Reynolds et al. 2002). Fifty percent of these were known kills, 40 % were possible kills or scavenging events, and 10 % were incidents where a grizzly was seen chasing muskox. It was estimated that 16-39 % of muskox mortality was the result of bear predation. During the study period (1982-2001) the number of muskox killed by grizzly bears was zero to two deaths per year before 1993, one to four musk ox per year from 1994-1997 and five to ten deaths per year from 1998-2001. This increase in kill numbers was a function of an increase in the size of musk ox herds. An increase in kills may also be indicative of the bears learning how to better attack and take down these big, formidable animals. While solitary adult bears were most often seen attacking muskox (69 occasions), pairs or trios of adult bears were seen chasing, killing or eating these animals (three episodes). Sows with cubs or yearlings were seen interacting with muskox on three occasions. Surplus Killing Grizzly bears sometimes engage in surplus killing of muskox. In the study carried out by Reynolds et al. (2002) there were ten episodes where one to three bears killed from two to four adult muskox. On several occasions even more muskox were dispatched during a single hunting bout. For example, in one case five individuals (two adult females, a yearling and unsexed adult musk ox) were incapacitated by a single bear. In another case, a grizzly killed four calves and in another incident the victims were one adult female, one two-year old male and one yearling. In most cases, solitary bears were involved in these killing sprees, but in one case three grizzlies instigated the melee. Clarkson et al. (1993) reported a fascinating case of surplus killing of muskox calves by a heterosexual pair of adult grizzlies. Within a distance of about two km, the two bears took down five young musk ox. By doing a little forensic work, the researchers were able to put together a likely picture of what had happened. Rather than form a defensive circle to try and parry the bear attacks, this herd of musk ox tried to out run the grizzlies. The researchers postulated that the calves trailed behind the adults and, therefore, were more vulnerable. The two bears chased the herd, which consisted of 40 to 50 muskox (with a minimum of eight calves). They killed the first calf and ate 90 % of the carcass. They then chased the herd down again and about 1.5-2.0 km from the first kill dispatched a second young musk ox. They ate 60 % of this second calve and began the hunt again. They killed the third calf about 300 m from the second. The third calf was about 30 % consumed by the bears and a wolverine (Gulo gulo) that was feeding on the carcass when the researchers arrived on the scene. The fourth calve was killed 400 m from the third. A golden eagle had just begun to feed on calf four when the researchers arrived. The final calf was killed about 200 m from the fourth – this last young muskox was not eaten either. |
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Post by brobear on Nov 20, 2018 15:42:30 GMT -5
Muskox Bull Killed by
Barren-Ground Grizzly Bear,
Thelon Game Sanctuary,
W. T.
ANNE GUNN’ and FRANK L. MILLER2
INTRODUCTION
Muskoxen and barren-ground grizzly bears are relatively common along the banks of the Thelon River in the Thelon Game Sanctuary. In June 1981 we were flying a helicopter search of the Thelon River area during a study of water crossings used by barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). In the early afternoon of 23 June we were flying eastward when we spotted a grizzly bear standing on its hind legs among willow (Sulix spp.) bushes in a clearing surrounded by black spruce (Picea mariana) on the north shore. As there were two gulls (Larus spp.) in attendance, indicating the possibility of a kill, we circled closer and could then see a dead muskox on the ground near the bear. The grizzly bear alternately reared up and dropped onto all fours as we came close and when the helicopter was about 100-150 m away, the bear galloped away.
We landed near the carcass of an adult muskox bull lying on its left side. The carcass was intact except for some exposed flesh and head wounds. The nose was tom away and the nasal turbinal bones were crushed and the cartilage torn. The right ear was split and torn away at the base where there was a penetrating wound into the skull. Traumatized areas were hemorrhagic, indicating that the wounds were inflicted on a living animal. The hide and musculature had been removed in the lumbar and thoracic areas, exposing the vertebrae and the right scapula. The internal organs were still intact and warm to touch. Subsequent histological examination of the dental annuli of a first incisor indicated that the muskox bull was 9-10 years old.
The greening sedges (Carex spp.) immediately around the carcass were trampled and we backtracked along a disturbed path to a heavily trampled area of 5 m in diameter about 15 m away. The willow bushes peripheral to that trampled area were flecked with blood clots and clumps of blood-stained muskox wool.
The ground cover was beaten down and the ground surface disturbed in many places with footprints pushed 10-15 cm or more into wet soil. We suggest that the grizzly bear surprised the muskox bull while it was grazing on sedge (indicated by rumen contents). The bear most likely grabbed the bull above the muzzle. In response, the bull must have braced its front legs and tried to dislodge the bear, suggested by front-foot hoof prints driven deep (15 cm) into the churned-up ground. Either the bull collapsed or the bear swung him off balance. At that point, the bear probably transferred its bite to just below the back of the bull’s horn boss. After making the kill, the bear dragged the carcass to where we found it, and had begun feeding when we interrupted. We returned about 48 hours later and found a light grey wolf (Canis lupus) and a grizzly bear whose colouring suggested it was not the bear that had made the kill. The carcass was dismembered and had settled into the wet ground. Most of the muscle masses and the internal organs had been consumed and the limb bones were scattered around the hide. The rumen had been pulled from the carcass but had not been fed on.
The destruction of the facial area was also the mode of attack of a barren-ground grizzly bear killing a caribou cow whose carcass we found on the Beverly caribou herd’s calving ground, northeast of the Thelon Game Sanctuary, in June 1981. Griffel and Basile (1981) described puncture wounds in the frontal or jugal bones of 109 of 332 bear- killed sheep (Ovis aires) in Idaho. The facial area is richly innervated, and Mystervd (1975) in Griffel and Basile (1981) suggested that unconsciousness and hypoxic asphyxiation would follow severe and sudden injury to that area. Also, the seizing of the muskox bull’s muzzle would reduce chances of the muskox using its horns to gore the bear and increase the bear’s chances of throwing the muskox offits feet.
Solitary muskox bulls usually seem particularly alert, and their speed of response, size, strength, thick coat and horns must combine to make them a formidable quarry even for a grizzly bear. The location of this kill, at the edge of a small clearing where ambush by rushing from nearby cover was possible, suggests that the kill was opportunistic. The muskox bull was probably so intent on foraging on the new growth of sedges 10-20 cm high that he was not aware of his attacker until it was too late. The femoral marrow fat was pinkish-white and firm, suggesting good nutritional status, and we did not observe any obvious infirmities that would have made the bull particularly vulnerable.
Tener (1965) summarized predation on muskoxen and noted that Pederson’s report of a possible kill by a polar bear (Ursus rnaririrnus) may be the only reported instance of bear predation. He further commented that predation by barren-ground grizzly bears is rare, since up to 1965 only Hornby (1934, in Tener, 1965) had observed bears feeding on muskoxen on the banks of the Thelon River. In the late 1970s A.M. Hall (pers. comm.) observed grizzly bears feeding on muskox carcasses along the banks of the Thelon River (see photograph of grizzly bear sleeping near partially- eaten bull muskox in Hall, 1980). In 1978, on the banks of the Thelon, Hall observed three muskox carcasses on which grizzlies had fed, but he could not determine whether the bears had killed or were scavenging the muskoxen. Hall (pers. comm.) believes that grizzly bear predation on muskoxen is high, especially on solitary bulls along the Thelon River, probably because the dense willow stands favour surprise ambushes. In June and July 1981, we saw only solitary bull muskoxen feeding in the willow stands, which leads us to the same supposition. Within 40 km of the carcass described in this paper, during the same flight, we observed five other grizzlies on the north shore. Pegau (1973) briefly described an apparent kill of a 2- or 3-year- old muskox by a bear but the carcass was almost com- pletely consumed, so scavenging could not be ruled out. The carcass was found on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, where Grauvogel (1979) speculated that the slow rate of increase of the transplanted muskox herd might be par- tially attributed to grizzly bear predation on muskox calves, though no evidence was cited. Our account of an apparently healthy, prime adult muskox bull that was killed by a grizzly bear is the first documentation of such an event.
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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 20, 2018 16:55:26 GMT -5
Very nice reports about bears predating on bison and musk ox, even some full grown specimens.
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 27, 2018 21:23:43 GMT -5
Grizzly bear attacks herd of Musk-ox, finally catches the little ones.
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 26, 2019 18:38:02 GMT -5
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Post by brobear on Nov 14, 2019 11:04:33 GMT -5
The Bear Almanac - Second Edition:
Bison - The American buffalo ( or bison ) shares much of it's range with grizzly bears, but there is minimal conflict between them. A grizzly bear normally does not attack an adult bison, for it may be the loser.
Musk Ox - These shaggy animals of the arctic tundra, with their sharp, hooked horns, are formidable opponents when circled as a group. A grizzly bear will kill an individual musk ox by attacking from behind, grasping its neck, placing a foreleg over its shoulder, and pulling it to the ground. However, bears are sometimes killed or seriously injured during an encounter.
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Post by brobear on Mar 30, 2020 11:41:49 GMT -5
Bear vs Moose
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Post by brobear on Mar 30, 2020 12:23:18 GMT -5
If the event actually took place as told in the first 3 posts from the book, "MAN MEETS GRIZZLY" the bear was not a Kodiak. But some hunters consider any coastal brown bear as a Kodiak bear. So maybe...
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Post by tom on Mar 30, 2020 12:43:59 GMT -5
That is a small bear. ??
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Post by brobear on Mar 30, 2020 12:53:52 GMT -5
Yes; appears to be a sub-adult Russian brown bear killing a full-grown moose.  Edit and add: Just a thought as I was closing here; could be this moose was injured before the bear discovered him. Possibly. |
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Post by King Kodiak on Mar 30, 2020 18:03:25 GMT -5
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