Рет қаралды 27,854
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @scarybearattacks
View pictures and Support us at Patreon
www.patreon.co...
Related Videos:
Connect with Addicus:
Find us on Twitter at ScaryBearAttax
Connect on TikTok with us at scarybearattacks
Connect on Instagram with us at ScaryBearAttack
Check out our Merch Store
scarybearattac...
Welcome back to Scary Bear Attacks! Today’s episode takes us to the area around mile marker 68 along the Denali Highway and the hunting territory around the Alpine Creek Lodge, in Alaska. The highway was constructed to connect the town of Paxson and Cantwell and run through well preserved tundra and primitive territory. Denali National Park is about 60 miles to the west as the crow flies and other than that, there isn’t much of anything but wilderness around. The Nelchina Public Use Area is about 25 miles to the southwest of our location in the Clearwater Mountains in The Hayes Range. The climate here is classified as a subarctic climate which means the winters are long, cold and snowy and summers are mild. According to UCLA’s research Boreal Forests and tundra dominate alongside an abundance of berry bushes. The usual Alaska cast of animals are found here including moose and caribou with the occasional Dall Sheep hiding amongst the crags. Predators include wolves, lynx, black bears and brown bears.
On April 15th, 2016, father and son, Bret and Glenn Bohn were ripping along on their snowmobiles up a hill in hopes of catching a giant brown bear as it emerged from its winter den. Bret was a 35 year old hunting guide and resided in Wasilla a few hours to the south. Glenn was an active 77 year old retiree from education and guiding and enjoyed anything outdoors, especially with his son.
Spring bear hunting tends to be controversial to people who don’t understand bear management. It can be viewed as unfair to the bears, given they are just waking from hibernation and may not be aware of what awaits them outside the confines of their dens. It is certainly not without its dangers as surprising a hungry brown bear isn’t the safest of pursuits.
The men had decided to take snowmobiles to aid in getting back to ben denning locations. The basic strategy was to glass snowbanks for tracks or den openings and wait for the bears inside to emerge. The weather was cooperating for the most part as the skies were clear and temperatures were manageable.
Bret knew that his father wouldn’t be able to go on many more hunting trips, and memories of prior hunting trips flashed through his mind as the men buzzed up slopes. Bret took his first caribou when he was 7 years old and his dad was right beside him the entire trip. This hunting trip would mean much more to both of the men than what they expected.
The Bohn’s were both very experienced woodsmen and trained in wilderness and emergency medicine. Bret had completed a medical program called Learn to Return, which relayed wilderness medical strategies. They had had a handful of tangles with various bears through the decades, but had always managed to avoid an attack somehow.
It wasn’t long before Bret spotted an opening in the snow about 24 miles into their ride. He could see bear tracks around the opening but none leading away from it. This typically means the bear is awake from its slumber but isn’t quite adjusted to the bright and stimulating surroundings outside of its den enough to venture out permanently.
Parking their machines a short distance away the men slowly approached the den opening and observed the evidence around it to confirm their suspicions. After several minutes of analysis Bret announced he had followed each of the bear's paths around the opening and it hadn’t left the snowbank, opting to return to its den.
Now the men knew they would need to find a place that gave them a good view of the area surrounding the den opening. They sneaked up to within 36 yards of the den entrance and set Glenn up with his gun loaded and ready.
Bret decided to sneak around to a vantage point above the den to view the tracks the bear had left. He managed to get within 10 yards of the opening and started looking at the tracks the bear had left before returning to the den for more rest. Bret’s observations were interrupted by his father yelling, “He’s coming out Bret!”
At first, Glenn was concerned that the bear may be headed toward his son. He fired a round from his rifle hoping to drop the bear before it could pose a threat to his son. Upon hearing Glenn’s cries to Bret, the bear made it certain just which one of the men had drawn its full attention. As the bear approached him, Glenn managed to get to his knees from his prone shooting position.
Bret watched as the enormous bear covered ground toward his father so quickly that its speed seemed surreal.