My name is Caleb Jacques I am a Grizzly Bear safari guide in Alaska, and in this video I am guiding a group that is watching a sow with spring cubs from a safe distance, From behind us walking up the creek bed, heading in our direction comes this sub-adult bear. We let the bear know we are there from the get-go, and the bear chooses to approach us curiously. At this point, I remember I loaned my bear spray to our apprentice guide who has it in his coat pocket.
In a situation like this, there is no time to be scrambling to get bear spray out of a bag or to hand it off to someone else. It is in hand or it’s out of play. We did not have bear spray out and available. I made do with the two best bear deterrents available to me: my voice, and my body. It is important to recognize this bear’s behavior for what it is: a very curious approach to a previously unencountered stimulus. I say unencountered because of the incredibly remote location where this occurred, and the fact this is a young bear perhaps on its first or second summer away from its mother. Likely we are the first people it has ever encountered on its own, thus leading to a confrontation that because of proximity could have turned deadly for the bear and us in a split second.
So, while I would have loved to have had bear spray in my hand when this bear approached, I did not, and even if I had, I still would have had my gun out and in my hand in case the bear charges and goes through the cloud of spray, which is an unlikely scenario but still possible, and thus still something you should be prepared for. Had I had bear spray in my hand I would have been well within my rights to spray the bear on that first bluff charge 0:38 and that could possibly form a negative association with humans as a result, which for a young curious bear like this one might have been a good thing.
However, because of my experience with bears like this in the past, and over a decade of guiding experience, I knew based on the body language of this bear that the first charge was likely a bluff. I still would have liked to have bear spray, but again you can’t be prepared for everything and everyone makes mistakes. In these split seconds, I am thinking about all of these things and more, including what happens in a worst-case scenario and I have to make the best with what I have which is my voice, my body, my group, and my pistol.
At 0:50 you hear me tell everyone to, “get behind me and put your arms in the air“ this is pretty standard procedure for this situation and the only move left to discourage a real charge, short of firing my .44SW. The reason I placed the group behind me is that if that bear charges I am the only person with any hope of stopping it, meaning I need to be in front, facing that risk head-on with nothing and no one impeding my movements. If a bear charges with intent to kill, you only get one shot to stop it before it grabs someone at this distance.
The reason I didn’t fire my .44SW is twofold. First I honestly didn’t and still don’t KNOW how this bear would have reacted. It could have run off or the gunshot could have also CAUSED a real charge, and secondly because if the bear grabs ahold of me I want every bullet. In this video, I am carrying an S&W Model 29, 44 mag, with 305 Gr HSM Bear loads producing 1075 foot pounds energy.
My job as a guide is to keep my group safe and to avoid encounters like this. However, sometimes life and wild animals happen and in those situations, things aren’t going to be perfect and you have to be able to work with what you have. I have never had to shoot a bear, and in ten years of guiding bears, I have only had to use bear spray once in the field. The goal of a guide is to avoid situations where such tools become necessary and know what to do when they do. Here is a link from an article published on my father and me in our area,
5 views
206
33
3 months ago 00:10:18 1
The Largest Destruction of Animals in Modern History | The American Buffalo | A Film by Ken Burns
4 months ago 00:02:08 1
theHunter: Call of the Wild | Yukon Valley Trailer
4 months ago 00:23:05 1
2 Million Silver / Hr In Yellow Zone By Beating Up BOTS - Albion Online
4 months ago 01:56:22 1
Face to Face with a Grizzly at the Top of a Mountain: Backpacking Glacier National Park | 4K
4 months ago 00:08:03 1
Seven Years Bikepacking the World - What am I bringing for food, and how am I cooking it?
4 months ago 00:00:40 1
Photos show impressive size of grizzly bears
4 months ago 00:01:25 1
Bear Attack, Man is trying to run away from attacking Bear: GoPro
4 months ago 00:03:15 5
The Grizzly and the Tabby cat
4 months ago 00:00:48 1
Surviving the Unthinkable: The Incredible Journey of Hugh Glass #facts #history #crazy #factshorts
4 months ago 00:01:05 1
Cyber Grizzly Bear attacks Soldiers (4K) - Kill Team Kill - Love, Death & Robots Volume 3
4 months ago 00:03:52 1
The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Tuff Enuff (Video)
4 months ago 11:54:59 1
Wyoming 4K Drone Nature Film - Beautiful Relaxing Music - Amazing Nature
4 months ago 11:54:56 1
Discovering Untamed Kingdom 4K 🐾 Relaxation Amazing Wild Film with Calm Relax Piano Music & Nature
4 months ago 00:00:07 1
Rare White Grizzly Bear Sighting
4 months ago 00:44:25 1
Mortal Combat (Full Episode) | Animal Fight Night
4 months ago 00:19:12 1
Could You Defeat A GRIZZLY BEAR ???
4 months ago 00:08:16 1
Scariest Bear Encounters of All Time !!
4 months ago 00:11:02 1
Woodkid - Run Boy Run - Live at Montreux
5 months ago 00:00:26 1
Wild Grizzly Bear in Alaska
5 months ago 00:39:11 4
“That’s not how you draw Dinosaurs“
5 months ago 00:03:52 9
Hellroaring Mountain DLC Map Released!
5 months ago 01:00:27 1
Alaska 4K - Scenic Relaxation Film With Calming Music
5 months ago 00:25:34 10
#145 | Amigurumi Reversible Bear (2/4) | 2 In 1 Ice Bear And Grizzly | Free Pattern | @AmiSaigon