# AK hiker shoots grizzly



## Sully2 (Mar 9, 2010)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A backpacker shot and killed a grizzly bear with his handgun in Alaska's Denali National Park, officials said.

A man and woman reported that they were hiking Friday evening when the bear emerged from trailside brush and charged the woman, park spokeswoman Kris Fister said in a statement.

The man fired nine rounds from his .45 caliber, semiautomatic pistol at the animal, which then stopped and walked into the brush.

The two reported the shooting to rangers, who restricted access to the Igloo Canyon area for fear that the bear was wounded and dangerous.

On Saturday, rangers found the dead bear about 100 feet from the shooting site.

Park officials are determining the justification for the shooting. It's legal to carry firearms in that area of the park but illegal to discharge them.

Rangers said it was the first known instance of a grizzly bear being shot by a visitor in the wilderness portion of Denali, formerly called Mount McKinley National Park.


----------



## js (Jun 29, 2006)

Sully2 said:


> Park officials are determining the justification for the shooting.


:smt104:smt017


----------



## Gunners_Mate (Feb 17, 2010)

js said:


> :smt104:smt017


stupid people always have to nitpick everything in attempt of not looking stupid


----------



## BearValley (May 25, 2009)

Sully2 said:


> It's legal to carry firearms in that area of the park but illegal to discharge them.


:smt017

Okay, y'alls sacrifice yourselves to the bears to avoid an illegal discharge ticket...man I wish that I'd stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night!


----------



## RightTurnClyde (Oct 24, 2007)

Wow. So I guess a .45 can stop a Grizzly. You just need to shoot it 9 times and hope it decides not to take you with him as a last meal! That guy should buy a lottery ticket.


----------



## Alaskan_Viking (Jun 13, 2006)

Sully2 said:


> Park officials are determining the justification for the shooting. It's legal to carry firearms in that area of the park but illegal to discharge them.


I highly doubt that any charges will be pressed against this man; any elected official up here, even Democrats, seen to be involved in charging him, for using a gun in self defense, may as well kiss their jobs goodbye. :smt1099


----------

