New Mexico
New Mexico man explains how he survived a bear attack

https://www.kxan.com/news/new-...ar-attack/1368735613

NM fish and game finally got back to me, pistol used to kill bear was a 10mm Glock, didn't say what model.


RATON, N.M. (KRQE) - A New Mexico man is sharing his story of survival after he was attacked by a bear while walking his dogs.
He killed the bear while its jaw was clamped around his leg, and the jaw stayed that way for a while.
From making their way through Angel Fire Resort to dumpster diving in Ruidoso, bear sightings and encounters across the state are pretty common. But one Raton man had a very uncommon encounter with a bear back a couple weeks ago.
"I got way too close, the bear was overly aggressive," said Bridger Petrini.
Petrini is a rancher and a big-game hunter. Last month, he was exercising his hunting dogs near his home just outside the small city of Raton.
"When he saw me, he pinned his ears down and immediately made a big charge at me," said Petrini. 
That's when the struggle began.
"Down the hill, we went again rolling and he had bit me a time or two but he was never able to get on my upper body, so my legs took most of it," said Petrini. 
Petrini says he was armed with a pistol and shot the bear as he was being mauled.
"Somehow or another, he had bitten down on my calf muscle it had basically twisted it over his bottom jaw so he died with his teeth locked and so I wasn't able to get away from him," Petrini said.
Raton Fire Department, along with Game and Fish, responded to the scene, but moving the nearly 400-pound animal proved challenging so they eventually sawed the bear's head off, leaving it attached to Petrini's leg. 
"When they cut the bear's head off then they were able to maneuver to where the could get it off my leg," Petrini said. 
He was flown to UNM Hospital where they deal with injuries from bear attacks from time to time.
"Bears are huge so you can see all kinds of different injuries from bites to scratch marks from the claws to blunt force trauma," said Steve Mclaughlin.
But they had never heard a story like this.
"I've never seen this before this is extremely unusual," Mclaughlin said.
Petrini says he spent a week in the hospital. He got more than 200 stitches and suffered extensive nerve and tissue damage in his right leg. 

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Greymann,

I think he dropped his wallet wrestling the bear

I wander what he shot it with and how many times, very lucky dude for sure

I think there more to this story as it reads very glorified

"Got way too close". says it all to me

Black bears are timid by nature

there are no Griz in NM

How does he pass through airport security with such large brass balls?

Holy moly!

They had to cut the bear's head off while it was still clamping down on his leg?

There is a movie lying here somewhere.

a 400lb black bear is on the large side for sure. I know they can get bigger. But that is a big sumbich.

He needs to have children with the lady that choked to death the bobcat a few months ago!
Can you imagine the level of bad-assery those kids would be?!?

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:
I think there more to this story as it reads very glorified

"Got way too close". says it all to me

Black bears are timid by nature

there are no Griz in NM

The average blackie is timid; when they get really big, they become alpha predators. There are plenty of stories of black bears predating on humans but this sounds like a case of instinctively protecting a food source.

Most likely, like a lot of bear attack’s, this is probably a case of close proximinity. The bear reacted to his sudden appearance near his food.

Google “400 black bear” they are big animals.

I see bears quite often while in the woods hunting. I sit very still and hope they go their way with me unnoticed. Even a small bear, say 200 pounds is very large. And they are very fast. All of them. If you've never seen a bear fight, it's something to see. Gives you an idea of just how fast, strong and aggressive these things can be. I've had a few patients who were attacked by bears. Each of them had shot a bear and then went to blood trail it. They all said the bear circled around and attacked them from behind. So they are smart too. But to kill one while it is attacking you is definitely bad ass and keeping your wits about you.

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:
Black bears are timid by nature

Black bears have killed more people in North America than brown bears. Doest matter how "timid" some of them are.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:
Black bears are timid by nature

Black bears have killed more people in North America than brown bears. Doest matter how "timid" some of them are.

61 people in 118 yrs by black bears

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:
Black bears are timid by nature

Black bears have killed more people in North America than brown bears. Doest matter how "timid" some of them are.

61 people in 118 yrs by black bears

Yeah, it's a pretty small number and you can bet that most of those deaths could been avoided by just using common sense.

Jim

“but moving the nearly 400-pound animal proved challenging so they eventually sawed the bear's head off, leaving it attached to Petrini's leg“

Pics or it didn’t happen

[quote]Pics or it didn’t happen


YEP. Could be Davy Crockett relative or Brian Williams maybe.

Mike Fink or Paul Bunyan type

https://www.kxan.com/news/new-...ar-attack/1368735613 here's link to story watch the video, has pictures

OK Thanks for video. Was he named after Jim Bridger??

Probably so, his father was a hunting guide. The family runs a hunting guide service, Tri States outfitters.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Greymann,

I camp in a very removed rural location in eastern Oregon and it’s full of black bears. I see them every time I go out there and every single time I’ve bumped into one it runs off at about a million miles an hour. Every single time they beat feet in the opposite direction. I’ve never jumped one really up close but they al always head the other direction in a hurry. I do hike with two blue healers that don’t give two shits about bears, if they think I’m in danger they go straight after the threat and 100% of the time black bears run. I wonder what his dogs were doing when he was attacked.