As a result, I was one of the few rangers available when tragedy befell the two 19-year old girls. In 1967 I was a road patrol ranger and though I wanted to be out fighting fire-and had asked for such consideration-the powers to be felt road patrol work was critical to visitor safety, and so my request was denied. I was involved essentially because all permanent rangers were out fighting fires. To catch up on previous Pictures from History, click on over to our History Category.1967 Killer Bear, created by backcountry neglect This is a new style of article for Pew Pew Tactical, if you liked it - let us know in the comments! If you didn’t enjoy it…well phooey. Want to read more about the night of the grizzlies? I highly recommend checking out Jack Olsen’s book of the same title. (Photo: npapaioannou)Īs a result, the grizzlies learned to associate humans with food.Īnd this is why parks now insist campers store food, trash, toiletries, and other things to prevent attracting bears. Bears frequently try to scavenge for snacks in trash cans. The chalet fed food scraps to bears and the campgrounds were noted for being covered in human-created garbage. Regular trash “bear feeds” were used by rangers to attract tourists. Immediately following the attacks, people began questioning why the bears attacked.Īnd it didn’t take long for the answer to appear. Bert Gildart with the bear he shot after the “Night of the Grizzlies” (Photo: Bert Gildart) Don’t Feed the Bears 300 H&H Magnum and 11 shots later, the grizzly was dead. Meanwhile, back at the chalet, Ranger Dave Shea spots another grizzly.
A less than ideal sight the day after not one, but two bear attacks. Retreating to the station, the duo grabbed their rifles. A New HuntĪfter they examined the attack site, Glacier National Park Ranger Bert Gildart and a fellow ranger stood outside their ranger station…when a grizzly approached them. Unfortunately, she died before the medivac arrived. Grizzly bear in a clearing (Photo: Zdeněk Macháček) And when rescuers arrived, they found Hegelson 400-feet away in the woods suffering from shock and severe blood loss. (Photo: BarbaraJackson)Īnd apparently, it worked for Ducat…but the bear then pounced on his girlfriend.ĭucat sprinted back to the chalet for help. Ducat laid as still as possible throughout the entire attack in an attempt to play dead.
The grizzly pounced on Ducat, tearing into the teenage boy with claws and teeth. Roy Ducat and Julie Hegelson fell asleep near the chalet but were woken by a bear rummaging nearby. (Photo: MargSkogland) The Attack at the Chalet
Bears are serious when it comes to finding their next meal. The campers spent the night in the trees until dawn arrived and then went looking for help. Her friends watched in horror as the grizzly ripped her arm off then dragged her into the woods. But Koons couldn’t follow because her sleeping bag zipper was stuck. Her screaming soon woke everybody else who darted in different directions. Something so deadly shouldn’t be so cute. Startled by the bear’s presence, Koons woke up screaming. That camper laid motionless and the bear moved on, stopping at Koons.
One camper was awakened to the feeling of a bear snout sniffing their scalp. But, the group fell asleep, and with the fire left untended, it died out. They hoped the fire would keep the bear away. It stole some food but the group headed towards the shore to set up a campfire. Shortly after setting up camp at the lake, an emaciated grizzly bear approached Koons and her fellow campers. Granite Park Chalet The Attack at Trout Lake But decided to continue with their camping plans anyway. Similar to Koons and her friends, the couple received warnings from a passerby about the threat of bears. Miles away Roy Ducat and Julie Hegelson camped near the Granite Park Chalet, a hotel within Glacier National. No wonder Glacier National Park is so popular among campers. Trout Lake (Photo: Colin dm)Īs the group headed out to the lake they passed hikers going the opposite direction who warned them about bears in the area.īut within Glacier National Park, there hadn’t ever been a bear attack. Koons was a 19-year-old from San Diego, California, and worked in the park’s gift shop during the summer. Michele Koons and a small group of friends decided to go camping at Trout Lake in Glacier National Park.
0 kommentar(er)
