Ammoland.com Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- – On 16 September 2019, Chris Gregersen and Donivan Cambell were bow hunting elk in Montana, in the Gravelly Mountains, when they were attacked by a grizzly bear. They had gone out for an afternoon hunt, and had hunted up steep drainage, climbed the opposite slope, and had been calling for elk on the opposite side of the ridge with a bugle call.
They were returning to their truck and camp. They stopped calling on the top of the ridge, crested the ridge, and were on a steep downward slope, moving toward the creek at the bottom, on an old game trail. There was no cell service in the area.
The weather was clear, in the 50s, with a slight breeze. It was 6:30 p.m. The sun was low in the sky. They wanted to get back before dark.
In addition to their archery equipment, both men had 9 mm pistols. Chris Gregersen had a Glock 43. Donivan Campbell had a Sig Sauer P320. Both guns were loaded with full metal jacketed (FMJ) cartridges.
Chris said he carried the Glock 43 because it was small enough to be taken every day.Both men are professional biologists, with degrees in wildlife ecology, working in their chosen field. They are familiar with bears and bear behavior. They live and work in Washington State. They are both longtime hunters and fishermen. They are proficient woodsmen.
As they crossed a small bench, they heard an animal jump up, downwind, in the brush to their left (West). It was close, within 20 yards. Their first thought was: elk! As they turned to look, the grizzly bear erupted from the brush, charging at them, woofing and breathing heavily, only feet away. Chris ran and jumped downhill. Donivan attempted to dodge uphill, but the bear veered and grabbed him by the thigh, shaking him like a dog shaking a rat. The initial attack happened in seconds.
Chris said, even if he had a deterrent in hand, he would not have been able to deploy it fast enough.
Chris had just landed when he heard Donivan scream. He immediately drew his pistol and ran uphill toward Donivan and the bear. The bear had shaken Donivan again. Donivan was on his belly, the bear holding him down by standing on his back. The bear had let go of Donivan's leg and was attempting to bite Donivan's head. Donivan had both hands behind his head, trying to protect his neck. His thumbs were in the bear's mouth, trying to hold the bear's teeth away from his head. He could feel the bear's teeth on his hands. To this point, the action had taken about fifteen seconds.
Chris said he had no choice. He had to fire. If he did not fire, Donivan would be killed or injured more severely. He had run to within 15 feet of the bear and Donivan, the bear facing away from him, on top of Donivan. He took a snap sight picture and fired at the bear's rear. It was probably 16 seconds into the attack. The point of aim was the bear's hind quarters. There was no other choice. The bear and Donivan were up slope with brush on either side. There was no time to flank the bear, on a steep hill side, with considerable brush, when fractions of a second could make the difference between life and death. Chris had a clear shot. He has considerable experience shooting under stress while hunting. He says he has “shot a lot.” He had a brief worry about hitting his friend, so he had to do it right.
Chris believes he hit the bear in one of the hind quarters, from the rear. The searchers reported finding a little blood, but it might have been Donivan's. From the back, a 9mm FMJ would be unlikely to reach the bear's vitals or penetrate far enough to reach Donivan. On a large bear, with lots of fat in the fall, a significant blood trail was unlikely.
ROSAL
