Charged by a Grizzly - How the Bear, My Dog, and I Survived

Jorn-Vangoidtsenhoven-Vango-Photos-Grizzly-Bear-Grand-Teton-National-Park.jpg

A Report from Team Member, Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven

A Big Grizzly Bear Just Charged Me

Wow, where do I begin?

I just got back to my camper in the National Forest just outside of Grand Teton National Park.

A big grizzly bear just charged me.

So Much Goes Through Your Mind …

GRIZZLY BEARS HAVE VERY LITTLE SENSE OF HUMOR WHEN STARTLED, ESPECIALLY WITH A CUB. IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

This morning I went hiking with my dog in the National Forest, just outside of Grand Teton National Park and grizzly bear charged me - twice - !!

The adrenaline was pumping during the attack. So much goes through your mind when a 500-pound grizzly comes charging at you.

Don't run.

Make yourself look tall.

Shout to the bear.

Back away slowly.

Have a can of bear pepper spray ready to discharge on the charging bear.

Don’t Panic

It worked.

Right Now I'm Glad to Be Alive to be Typing This.

It started out as another ordinary day. Living full-time in our RV and staying busy as a wildlife photographer, I'm out almost daily searching for interesting things to photograph.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING. THIS WAS TAKEN ON JORN’S VISIT THIS SPRING. IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

When hiking in one of America's National Parks, I hike alone. In a National Forest, you're allowed to take a dog with you. So off I went with my dog in tow.

About a mile into the hike, I spotted grizzly bear footprints in the snow. Cool!

As I was taking some pictures of the prints, the dog barked at crows flying about 50 yards (or meters) away. I'm used to that: she doesn't seem to like big birds. Usually she barks and the birds fly away. This time however, they stayed put. Strange.

A BEAR WITH A CUB CAN BE A DANGEROUS ANIMAL. KNOW YOUR BEAR SAFETY BEST PRACTICES BEFORE YOU ENTER GRIZZLY COUNTRY IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

Let's go check it out, I said to the dog, perhaps the crows have some food there which would explain why they were ignoring the barking. I left the dense forest and walked into a field covered in sage brush: low plants about waist height.

The field sloped down over a ledge so that even though the crows were only about 30 yards away at this point, I couldn't see what kept them in their location in the tree.

But as soon as I peeked over the ledge, I was in for a shock!

Fifteen yards away lay the carcass of a dead moose in between the sage brush. A grizzly bear sow and her cub were eating.

The rest happened in a dream.

In a split second, the grizzly bear stood up in a panic, huffed and charged me.

USUALLY WHEN A GRIZZLY STANDS, IT IS CURIOUS. SOMETIMES THAT “CURIOSITY “CHANGES. IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

My heart went in overdrive and I knew I was in a world of trouble. I had stumbled upon a grizzly bear at very close-range feeding on that carcass. With a young cub. And I was alone, far away from any safe shelter.

Everything went through my mind in an instant.

This is bad.

Don't run.

Get the bear spray can out and remove the safety.

Get the hell out of here.

The bear charged onto the ledge.

I yelled at the top of my lungs, trying to sound dominant.

Hey bear, stop, get out of here, hey bear, STOP !

It worked.

The bear turned and ran back to the carcass where her cub was looking at me, all agitated.

SOPHIE, UNDER LESS STRESSFUL CONDITIONS. WHEN FACE-TO-FACE WITH A GRIZZLY BEAR, SHE TURNED AND RAN AS FAST AS SHE COULD. IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

I backed away as fast as I could through the sage brush trying not to fall and keeping my eyes in the direction of the bear. She was 30 yards away, just out of sight over the ledge.

IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR A GRIZZLY TO FEINT ATTACK, THEN DO IT A SECOND TIME. BUT DO NOT COUNT ON THE BEAR BLUFFING. IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

Then - a loud cracking sound.

She charged again.

Loudly huffing and puffing, she stormed my way like a tank through the sage brush.

MAKING NOISE WHEN YOU ARE HIKING ALERTS THE BEAR, AND USUALLY IT WILL SIMPLE LEAVE. DON’T STARTLE A BEAR. IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

This is it I thought: what the hell have I gotten myself into!?

She ran my way, all agitated with her cub safely behind her.

My trusty dog knew what was up: she had managed to get away from me and was running as fast and far away as could.

My dog is usually not impressed when we see a wild animal while hiking. Perhaps she doesn't instinctively know that even an elk or moose presents a dangerous situation for her since they see her as a predator.

But, she knew better than to mess with a grizzly bear.

The charging bear was loud. Destroying bushes and loudly huffing.

This is it I thought. I could be dead in a few seconds.

I yelled: STOP, HEY BEAR, STOP ! and had my finger ready on the bear spray can.

15 yards left between us… She kept coming.

10 yards... I have to discharge the bear spray if I have any chance of surviving this I thought.

But suddenly, she veered off to my right.

I backed away with my heart going as fast as humanly possible. She was running away from me through the sage brush with her cub.

A MAMA WILL DO ANYTHING SHE HAS TO TO PROTECT HER BABY. USE BEAR SAFETY PRACTICES SO YOU DON’T PUT HER TO THE TEST. IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

I walked as fast as I could, expecting her to charge again at any moment. I kept going straight but simultaneously looking over my shoulder and listening for any sound

.She didn't return. I arrived back at the camper after what seemed like an eternity. My throat hurts from shouting. I'm still on edge. But I made it.

⚠︎

Jorn’s Best Bear Advice

Avoid hiking alone.
Stay on the paths.
Make noise.
Carry bear spray.
If a bear charges, don't run.
Stand your ground. Make yourself look BIG by slowly waving your arms above your head.
Speak at the bear in a dominant voice (screaming in fear can have the opposite affect).
Back away slowly without losing sight of the bear.
Do NOT make eye contact, which can be taken as a sign of aggression.

Bear Safety Lessons Remembered -
But More Learned

I did a lot of things wrong today.

Never hike alone.

Always make noise to let animals know you're coming. Here I was, “sneaking” through the forest (in the hopes of getting a good picture of some unsuspecting animal) but ended up not just surprising a grizzly bear at close range, but a mom grizzly with cub AND a mom grizzly bear with a cub who was protecting a carcass for their food!

When hiking in bear country, be bear aware.

The Bear Didn't Do Anything Wrong.

Surprising them like I did at close range, I activated the bear's fight or flight response. Being with a small cub on a food source (with hibernation fast approaching, bears are fattening up now and eating whatever they can), she chose to fight. Was it a bluff charge or did my behavior during the charge make her reconsider physical contact, I'll never know.

I'm to blame for the situation I found myself in. I'm just lucky I made it out alive.

If a bear makes contact, fight back. Some say that it is better to play dead in the case of a grizzly. Having lived through an actual charge by a mama grizzly, I doubt I would have been able to play dead ... But then again, you never know how you'll react until it actually happens!

A Final Thought About Hiking and Dogs

A dog is a great hiking companion. While hiking in nature, it is always recommended (and usually required) to keep your dog on a leash. Ignoring this rule can spell trouble and even disaster for the wildlife and your dog. There is no “leash requirement” where I was. Even so, I will not make that mistake again. Keep you dog on a leash for its safety and yours.

THE GRIZZLY THAT ATTACKED DID NOTHING WRONG. SHE WAS DEFENDING HER CUB AND THEIR FOOD. WOULDN’T YOU? IMAGE: ©JORN VANGOIDTSENHOVEN

Editor’s Note:
You never know how you will react in a life and death situation. But you can increase your chances of doing the right thing with preparation. 1) Know what to do. 2) Practice in your mind before you hike in bear country. 3) Then practice again. Thankfully, Jorn was able to stay calm and allow a kind of “muscle memory” to take over. He was prepared.

Images: The images in this article are from previous hikes in the Grand Teton National Park. Taking pictures of the charging grizzly bear would not have been in anyone’s best interests.

Read Jorn’s follow-up: What I Learned After the Grizzly Charged Me