Hunter killed by grizzly in Alaska identified, incident called 'surprise attack'

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hunter-killed-grizzly-alaska-identified-incident-called-surprise-attack-n1241037

An Ohio man who was killed by a grizzly bear in an Alaska national park was alone at the time because his hunting partner had gone back to camp to take meat from a moose they had killed, a park official said.

Austin Pfeiffer, 22, was killed Sunday by a grizzly bear in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in what the park called a "surprise attack."

It was the first known fatal bear attack since the national park and preserve was established in 1980. The park covers more than 13 million acres in the eastern part of the state, next to the Yukon in Canada.

Park spokeswoman Jan Maslen said Pfeiffer and his hunting partner killed a moose Saturday evening, and they went back to salvage the meat Sunday.

Sad news.

[BannonsLiver]

1. Well there's one less Trump vote in Ohio

Hopefully the bear wasn’t seriously wounded.

[CanonRay]

18. You are correct. I checked out his Facebook profile

Communism is the virus infecting America etc, etc

[BannonsLiver]

20. Yeah I did the same.

Sad that he went through life so angry and hateful.

[CanonRay]

21. He worked for a taxidermist and a tree service

I have never in my life met a taxidermist who wasn't as right wing as Atilla the Hun. It must be an occupational hazard. The one in our town has two big Trump signs in front of his business. Weird.

[Drahthaardogs]

26. Really?

I am acquainted with some of the top guys like Yox and Valentine. They never struck me that way.

[CanonRay]

29. Can't say I ever met a top guy,

but locals in Colorado and Oregon, totally.

[Sneederbunk]

2. Bears should be required to wear bells.

[Wicked Blue]

5. Who is going to put them on?

Sounds like the old fable, belling the cat

[Sneederbunk]

7. NRA members.

[Wicked Blue]

8. LOL

[SWBTATTReg]

3. I'd say it was a 'surprise attack', especially for Mr. Pfeiffer!

[lame54]

27. I bet the moose was surprised too

[Dial H For Hero]

6. I don't know. It certainly doesn't make me happy to hear that a young man was killed in a horrible

manner while engaging in a perfectly legal and ethical activity (hunting moose and harvesting the meat).

[maxsolomon]

22. I wish I understood how it was legal to hunt in a National Park.

You can't even take a leashed dog on a trail in the ones near me.

I guess everything's different in Alaska.

[Dial H For Hero]

23. It varies from park to park. Hunting is allowed in roughly 1/3 of them.

[BannonsLiver]

9. I'm sort of with you

He was in their habitat. You buy the ticket you take the ride, and the associated risks. It is what it is. I do hope the bear wasn’t seriously wounded, though. And if it was, that it didn’t suffer before it passed.

[sarisataka]

10. I hope you are not expecting much sadness

if history holds true there will be far more celebration...

[Codeine]

11. He knows precisely what he's doing.

Some folks are more transparent than others.

[greenjar_01]

14. Ayup

I'm annoyed even to be kicking this gah-bage.

Oh well, they get you coming and going.

[onethatcares]

12. I just finished reading a book about

Alaska bear attacks and the grizzly attacking someone that is packing out a kill is quite normal for the grizzly. Especially after the kill has marinated in the wilderness overnight.

Geez, it should be getting close to hibernation time and these bears are stocking up carbs to get through the winter. Blueberries don't quite cut it.

I had a very lucky outcome to an encounter with black bears in the spring of 1973 near Kings Mountain in Alaska. I would not go into that wilderness without a large caliber rifle and at least one other person. Nope, no friggin way. NEVER!

One thing in the book I read that stands out. A lot of the bears harvested suffer from absessed wounds, teeth, cuts, broken bones and hunger. I would never want to cross paths with a pissed off 1200 lb 9 foot tall grizzly bear looking for a dentist. Uh UH.

[BannonsLiver]

13. Was about to post this

Field dressing a moose in late September in grizzly country just seems like something that is inherently dangerous.

[Dial H For Hero]

17. I read in another account of the story that he didn't have a firearm close at hand when he was

attacked. Your comment about staying armed and not splitting up was spot on.

[Norbert]

19. It may not matter

Unless you are a very good shot you will only piss off a grizzly.

[Dial H For Hero]

24. It depends very much upon the circumstances, of course.

But given that the vast majority (99%+) of those who hunt grizzlies aren't killed, it's safe to presume that his chances would have been considerably better had he been armed.

[Aristus]

15. Well, yeah.

A grizzly bear ain't going to give you no warning...

[jeffreyi]

16. Don't worry, we'll get our revenge on the bears.

All we have to do is continue business as usual. First step: trash the Tongass NF. Today, 30 days "comment" on removing roadless designations and opening the whole shitaree to roads and logging. I doubt my "comment" will mean much, but maybe my donation to NRDC will mean something, even if it's a micro pinprick on the giant ass of the destoyers.

[LuvLoogie]

25. Sneaky-ass Antifa bear.

[Maru Kitteh]

28. I'm not really sad about it, and calling it a "surprise attack" is fucking idiotic.

Should we also try the bear for "murder? Maybe we should check his old social media posts for anti-human activity.


If you go out into a park to kill and maim things, and end up dead or maimed, I got nothin' for ya. I'd call it fair.

[jcgoldie]

30. The way the story reads...

Sounds like the bear attacked him after his buddy shot it up the path, which would explain why it was pissed.

Pfieffer’s partner was returning from their camp when the bear charged at him, prompting him to squeeze off several rounds at the animal, which got as close to him as 20 feet at one point, Maslen said.

The bear appeared to have been shot before running off, the newspaper reports.

Pfieffer’s partner then found Pfieffer dead when he returned to the moose carcass, Maslen said.

[kairos12]

31. When his partner left he should have known

trouble was bruin.

[Codeine]

32. Oh fur the love of god that was bad. nt