Wildlife encounters

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Most Alaskan's that spend a fair amount of time in the wilderness realize that the time may, and probably will, come that they will come into contact with bears, moose, wolves,and other crittersat close range. Most of these encounters will go without incident, but occasionally, encounters do turn into life-threatening situations and cause us to at leastconsider that we don't only carry for self-preservation against two-legged scumbags but also the four-legged kind as well.

In the last five years I have personallynoticed increasedbear attack articles all over the state. Detaileddocumentation of these encounters is much more prevalent these daysas well. I'denjoythis thread beingan ongoing compilation of articles, news releases, and personal ecounter storiesthat are relavent to OC and/or life and death situations where a four-legged critter caused you or someone elseto think about or actually having to use a firearm or some other weaponin self-defense.

I'll start...

Last summer I hadfive encounters with Alaskan wildlife.

First, hiking with my brother on a trail call the Domeon the outskirts of Anchorage. Species was ablack bear that was heading up the trail from the river and veered a corner to our surprise about 30 feet away and coming our way. He was large for a blackie. My brother and I were unarmed. (that will never happen again). Bear turned and headed back the other way. Nothing bad happened, but we exited quickly after he was out-of-sight.

2nd, I was hiking alone on the Rainbow Peak Trail in July. I had a firearm in a chest holster, small pack, and trekking poles. About 300 yards up the trail, it was overgrown and difficult to see very far ahead ( not good). Suddenly through the vegetation I see a very large brown bear ahead of me quartering away at about 30 feet (he was massive). He was blocking the trail (I was concerned because bears have killed moose on the trails at McHugh Creek not far away and attacked visitors in the past)

I was very concerned as he didn't seem bothered by my presence. I clanked my poles and reversed course until I was far enough away to start scrambling back to the vehicle. I warned some would-behikers before I left.

Thirdwas a moose encounter. I was hiking alone on thePowerline PassTrail when a young bull came out of nowhere and startedgalloping towards me at50 feet away. I started taking backward steps, dropped my poles,and put my hand close to my Balckhawk Serpa and prepared to draw.At the last possible moment he veered away and continued up the hill toward Flat Top right when I was about to draw and fire. A little farther down the trail, I realized he had just been kicked out of a moose convention where about 8 bulls were hanging out near the trail and laying in the grass.

4th was another moose encounter.My friend and Iwere coming back from hiking the McHugh Creek Trail and a strange grey colored moose was standing in a small creek near the trail. As we tried to pass, he started stomping the ground as if to charge from 20 feet. I was unbuckling my chest holster and grabbing my weapon when my friend grabbed me and moved me behind a tree. We then made a quick exit to the parking lot.

Last was another moose encounter. I was hunting during the rut in September in the interior. Two bulls had just finished fighting asmy father and Iwere making our stalk. One was a legal bull, the other was not. As we got close, we could here one grunting and thrashing about (angry)and coming our way. We stopped, not knowing which one it was. As he crested a small hill about 10 yards away from us (he was the smaller one), I lifted my rifle and the moose sensed something was wrong and stopped. He was now less than 10 yards awayand could have driven us into the tundra if he wanted to. I clicked the safety offmy rifle and prepared to fire in defense of life and limb. He finally scented us and bolted the other direction. I was stunned.

The adrenaline was flowing on all these encounters and I feel lucky to have not gotten munched and/or stomped last year.I learned from all of them and am glad I didn't have to shoot any of them to survive. Had plenty of other encounters over the course of the yearbut none of them were even close to me thinking about drawing and defending myself.

Please share your stories and any news releases...

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Alaska bear attack data from 1900 to 2002. These are just the one's that are reported as the remote villages have most likely had many more encounters and maulings than we will ever imagine.

http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/brownbears/attacks/bear-human_conflicts.htm

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Information regarding approximately 60 brown bears and 250 black bears that livein or near the Anchorage bowl.

http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7342792p-7249123c.html

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Ok, it's apparentlystarting early this year. Here is the first documented mauling of the year that I have been able to find. Keep your eyes open in the outskirts and wooded areas, the bears are coming out and are looking for stuff to eat.

And the moose calves will be born around townin about a month as well...



http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8218275

Kenai man mauled by bear

by Maria Downey
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Kenai man is recovering from a bear mauling.

Officials say 43-year-old Mark Johnson was attacked by a brown bear sow with two cubs as he left his home Tuesday.

Johnson tried to run from the bear, but it caught him biting him several times.

He underwent surgery at Central Peninsula Hospital. State wildlife officials say they found several large buckets of garbage on Johnson's porch about 150 yards from where the mauling occurred.

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Bear spray stops charging sow in Peters Creek.

http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/147318.html

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Flintlock wrote:

Bear spray stops charging sow in Peters Creek.

http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/147318.html

Click to expand...

I have a friend who had an accidental discharge with his bear spray while climbing through a narrow crack with a large pack on. Most of it coated his forearm, which burned relentlessly for days. The bit that actually got airborne caused severe irritation of the eyes, lungs and throats of those present. The trigger apparently got caught on something, but we have tried to recreate the conditions (not with a live can) and we can't figure out how i happened exactly.

Nasty stuff, but effective. I have heard whispers that it is not nearly as effective against mountain lions, though I have not done any research to back that up...

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ScottyT wrote:

Flintlock wrote:

Bear spray stops charging sow in Peters Creek.

http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/147318.html

Click to expand...

I have a friend who had an accidental discharge with his bear spray while climbing through a narrow crack with a large pack on. Most of it coated his forearm, which burned relentlessly for days. The bit that actually got airborne caused severe irritation of the eyes, lungs and throats of those present. The trigger apparently got caught on something, but we have tried to recreate the conditions (not with a live can) and we can't figure out how i happened exactly.

Nasty stuff, but effective. I have heard whispers that it is not nearly as effective against mountain lions, though I have not done any research to back that up...

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's an ongoing debate here in Alaska over the reliability and usefulnessof spray. There are many documented cases of it working just fine and others where it had no effect at all. Some bears have pulled the canisters out of packs and bit into it and it exploded in their face tono effect.In fact, there are cases where some bears are actually attracted to the smell which is why they say to not spray it around your camp as it will attract critters that are curious.

I have debated the issue at length on several forums in the past and I have personally come to this conclusion... It's not for me. I feel much more comfortable with a handgun, shotgun, or riflein my hands that I have trained with than some canister of spray that I have never used. It can't be reloaded, the bear has to be really close, and I don't want it to blow back in my face. Alaska has severe weather issues at times, particularly windy conditions,and I don't want that to be the reason I go down in a bear charge.

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Flintlock wrote:

Yeah, it's an ongoing debate here in Alaska over the reliability and usefulnessof spray. There are many documented cases of it working just fine and others where it had no effect at all. Some bears have pulled the canisters out of packs and bit into it and it exploded in their face tono effect.In fact, there are cases where some bears are actually attracted to the smell which is why they say to not spray it around your camp as it will attract critters that are curious.

I have debated the issue at length on several forums in the past and I have personally come to this conclusion... It's not for me. I feel much more comfortable with a handgun, shotgun, or riflein my hands that I have trained with than some canister of spray that I have never used. It can't be reloaded, the bear has to be really close, and I don't want it to blow back in my face. Alaska has severe weather issues at times, particularly windy conditions,and I don't want that to be the reason I go down in a bear charge.

Click to expand...

Good points. I am not a fan of the spray either, so I carry a gun in the backcountry (my XD 45, no rifle, I know), I have been stalked by a mountain lion before and it scared me 5h1tless. This same friend also carries a gun, but says he would use his spray first. Seems to me that if the spray doesn't work you wouldn't have time to draw... (though I guess you could spray with your weak hand and have your firearm in your strong hand...)

off topic -- I also carry .45 acp shot shells in my survival kit for hunting small game. The penetration and spread is surprisingly adequate for game birds, squirells, rabbits, etc. at up to about 20-30 feet.

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Flintlock wrote:

ScottyT wrote:

Flintlock wrote:

Bear spray stops charging sow in Peters Creek.

http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/147318.html

Click to expand...

I have a friend who had an accidental discharge with his bear spray while climbing through a narrow crack with a large pack on. Most of it coated his forearm, which burned relentlessly for days. The bit that actually got airborne caused severe irritation of the eyes, lungs and throats of those present. The trigger apparently got caught on something, but we have tried to recreate the conditions (not with a live can) and we can't figure out how i happened exactly.

Nasty stuff, but effective. I have heard whispers that it is not nearly as effective against mountain lions, though I have not done any research to back that up...

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's an ongoing debate here in Alaska over the reliability and usefulnessof spray. There are many documented cases of it working just fine and others where it had no effect at all. Some bears have pulled the canisters out of packs and bit into it and it exploded in their face tono effect.In fact, there are cases where some bears are actually attracted to the smell which is why they say to not spray it around your camp as it will attract critters that are curious.

I have debated the issue at length on several forums in the past and I have personally come to this conclusion... It's not for me. I feel much more comfortable with a handgun, shotgun, or riflein my hands that I have trained with than some canister of spray that I have never used. It can't be reloaded, the bear has to be really close, and I don't want it to blow back in my face. Alaska has severe weather issues at times, particularly windy conditions,and I don't want that to be the reason I go down in a bear charge.

Click to expand...

Bear Spray is much the same as mace in humans.

If you use it one of the following will happen;

1. Works as designed, all is well.

2. Has no affect....Very Bad

3. Angers the attacker....Very Bad

4. Cross contamination....(You shoot your self as well as the attacker, this is more common than you might think (see above story)due to winds and miss-direction of nozzle in time of stress, and accidents.)....Very Bad

5. You miss everybody. (Wind, improper application and so on)....Very Bad.



The way I see it, one out of five is.......Very Bad



In my research, on the net, I have found that most of the people who push bear spray, think more of the bears than they do of you. :banghead:

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I remember a story shortly before I left for my ill-fated move to Florida where a man was walking his dog on a trail in east Anchorage (if I recall) and was charged by an enraged bear. He heard a sound behind him and all of a sudden there's a wall of fur barreling down the trail at him and his dog. He pulled his .357 revolver from inside his jacket and started firing. It took five shots to make the damnable thing go down and the sixth didn't even kill it. Fish & Wildlife had to use a slug from a shotgun to finally put the bear out if its misery. Attacks can happen right around Anchorage, something to keep in mind. No one ever wished they had less gun in a fight.

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Schofield wrote:

I remember a story shortly before I left for my ill-fated move to Florida where a man was walking his dog on a trail in east Anchorage (if I recall) and was charged by an enraged bear. He heard a sound behind him and all of a sudden there's a wall of fur barreling down the trail at him and his dog. He pulled his .357 revolver from inside his jacket and started firing. It took five shots to make the damnable thing go down and the sixth didn't even kill it. Fish & Wildlife had to use a slug from a shotgun to finally put the bear out if its misery. Attacks can happen right around Anchorage, something to keep in mind. No one ever wished they had less gun in a fight.

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Without a doubt. They can beencountered near Muldoon, hillside, and on the Campbell Airstrip Trails. Not to mention Eagle River, etc.

Here is a post from today's AP:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A study finds that 1 of the busiest avenues for grizzly bears runs right through a popular summer destination along Campbell Creek in Anchorage. Biologists with the Department of Fish and Game say they knew the area was popular with bears, but were surprised to find out just how many were hanging out along the stream.


This is from today's ADN: Three dozen brown bears are hanging in andaround the Elmore road area during the summers..

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/bears/story/389904.html

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http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8247002



Dog kills Fort Yukon child


by Maria Downey
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Fort Yukon toddler was attacked and killed by a neighbor's dog. Fort Yukon Police say the boy wandered into a neighbor's dog lot Monday and was mauled to death.

Officer Chris Inderrieden says the boy, who would have been 2 next month, apparently approached the dog as it was eating.

The boy's father says he briefly left the boy outside to get something inside the house when he came out he found the baby lying dead in the dog lot.


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Flintlock wrote:

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8218275

Kenai man mauled by bear

by Maria Downey
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Kenai man is recovering from a bear mauling.

Officials say 43-year-old Mark Johnson was attacked by a brown bear sow with two cubs as he left his home Tuesday.

Johnson tried to run from the bear, but it caught him biting him several times.

He underwent surgery at Central Peninsula Hospital. State wildlife officials say they found several large buckets of garbage on Johnson's porch about 150 yards from where the mauling occurred.

Click to expand...

This is why we don't run from predators. Even if they weren't going to go after you before, they surewill when you act like they're supposed to...

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Flintlock wrote:

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8247002



Dog kills Fort Yukon child


by Maria Downey
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Fort Yukon toddler was attacked and killed by a neighbor's dog. Fort Yukon Police say the boy wandered into a neighbor's dog lot Monday and was mauled to death.

Officer Chris Inderrieden says the boy, who would have been 2 next month, apparently approached the dog as it was eating.

The boy's father says he briefly left the boy outside to get something inside the house when he came out he found the baby lying dead in the dog lot.

Click to expand...

That's a horrible story. I'd hate to be that guy, I couldn't live with myself after that. I'd probably go on a dog-killing spree, too.

In my research, on the net, I have found that most of the people who push bear spray, think more of the bears than they do of you.

Click to expand...

Ding! Ding! Ding! I think we have a winner! I've always thought this, but never been able to put it this way. Bear spray is always pushed by people who hate guns and hug trees and such, and now I know why.


I guess my only wildlife encounter stories are fairly benign. I've run across several poisonous snakes in the mountains over the years, mostly copperheads, but at least one timber rattler. The rattler scared the crap out of me, but once you realize you are out of striking range the danger has passed and you can relax and examine the critter from a safe distance. Once when I was like 12 I scared up a white tail buck out of some tall grass in the woods and he jumped out onto the trail almost right on top of me, but as soon as he saw where I was he turned and bolted in the other direction. No bears yet (knock on wood).

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http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8247002

Dog kills Fort Yukon child
The boy's father says he briefly left the boy outside to get something inside the house when he came out he found the baby lying dead in the dog lot.

Click to expand...

That's a horrible story.
I'd hate to be that guy, I couldn't live with myself after that. I'd probably go on a dog-killing spree, too.

Click to expand...

Yes, the dog killed the boy but it is the fathers fault, he left the boy/child unattended.
Before he kills any dog he should kill himself, it is his fault.

Children shouldn't be left unattended, they are curious and will wander off and could get into trouble.

As a parent of young children I feel for him.

:question:Substitute dog and gun.

The boy found a gun and shot himself.
Is it the guns fault or the Dads?

[line]
Quote, from Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson movie Death Hunt,
"Hurt my fightingdog and you'll be nothing but a sack of guts."

I would just remove the fighting part even thoughI own breeds of dogs typically used for fighting.


[line]

More on topic.

Once a had a Buck charge me,had to hop a chain link fence to escape.
Place Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

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Agent19 wrote:

Once a had a Buck charge me,had to hop a chain link fence to escape.
Place Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

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Some would laugh, but I have seen film where people got their ass wooped by deer. During the rut, they can be very aggressive and dangerous.

Here in Alaska, moose are a common sighting and it can be an issue(I have been charged myself). Just as many or more peopleare killed orstomped by them, than bears or anything else.

NATGEOHD is my source for that stat...

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Breaking news from KTUU Channel 2

Home invasion by bear on hillside

http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=8344175


by Leyla Santiago
May 18, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An Anchorage family had quite the fright Saturday night coming home to find a bear rummaging through their house.

"My leather couch is torn up," said Hillside homeowner David Tisch. "My kitchen is torn up."

Tisch said he left his house for about half an hour and found a bear -- and $500 to $1,000 in damages -- when he returned.

"My wife says, 'There's a bear in the house. There's a bear in the house,'" Tisch said. "And (my neighbor) Richard and I came from his place, grabbed the firearm and had opened the front door and had no other choice at the time other than to dispatch the barrel."

"It's an unfortunate circumstance that any animal has to be killed," he added.

Wildlife Trooper Joe Whitton says something like this is more likely to happen this time of year with limited food.

"Salmon aren't running yet and they're easily attracted to the scent of garbage," Whitton said.

A bear cane can break into a home and head straight to fridge, Whitton said, just because they're smart.

"Bears are probably one of the most diligent animals out there," he said. "They can figure out how to open up a small can of coffee take the lid off without destroying the whole can."

"Keep trash picked up until the last minute," Whitton recommended. "Keep it secured if you can." Those who negligently feed bears or other wildlife can be fined $310.

The Hillside family says they try to follow up all the tips.

"I don't put trash cans out, I take my garbage to the dump," Tisch said. "We don't have bird feeders. We don't have dog food outside."

And their dog wasn't even enough to deter the intruder.

Also worth mentioning: The family spotted another bear a few hours later. And Whitton saw another bear near Muldoon. It's a reminder that you may live in a city, but you're really in bear country.

Contact Leyla Santiago at lsantiago@ktuu.com

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i worry about that here where i live in peters creek also

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http://www.adn.com/kenai/story/410494.html

Two grizzlies shot, killed in Kenai area
[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]THREAT: Residents were protecting themselves, property in shootings.[/size][/font]

[font="VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF"][size=-1]The Associated Press

(05/19/08 00:28:23)

KENAI -- Two Kenai Peninsula grizzly bears have died this spring at the hands of residents defending life or property.
The bear deaths follow a mauling of a jogger by a bear sow with two cubs April 18 in Kenai.
The first bear killed was a sub-adult female grizzly on May 4 at a home on Funny River Road. Jeff Selinger, area management wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said the bear was a repeat offender.
"It had gotten into a freezer on more than one occasion and the homeowner had taken a lot of precautions to keep bears out of the freezer, so it was justified," he said.
The second shooting took place Tuesday off Crooked Creek Road in Kasilof.
"A man was walking his dog when a bear came out and he felt threatened so he shot it," Selinger said. The incident is under review by the department.
Selinger said May seems to be a typical time of year for the first defense of life and property shootings on the Peninsula.
On May 1, 2006, a sub-adult male brown bear was shot at the Solid Rock Bible Camp. The first shooting last year took place during the first week of May when a grizzly charged a lone man hunting for moose antlers in Ninilchik.
"Bears come out and they're lethargic at first, but by now they're moving around," he said. "Moose calves haven't dropped yet though, so it's a lean time of year for bears. They go to where food is at, and often get shot."
Several other Kenai Peninsula bears have had contact with humans.
On May 9, a grizzly got into garbage at a home in the Mackey Lake Road area.
On Tuesday, a Ninilchik man shot at a bear getting into his chicken pen, which had no electric fencing. He hit the bear in the neck with bird shot from his .410 shotgun, Selinger said.
"We do not recommend doing that. If you're going to shoot at a bear, shoot to kill, not to wound," he said.
On Wednesday, a sow with one cub got into a freezer in Sterling. Selinger said the homeowner did not have measures in place to prevent the bears from gaining access to the food in the freezers, but planned to do so. [/size][/font]

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Flintlock wrote:

Agent19 wrote:

Once a had a Buck charge me,had to hop a chain link fence to escape.
Place Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

Click to expand...

Some would laugh, but I have seen film where people got their ass wooped by deer. During the rut, they can be very aggressive and dangerous.

Click to expand...

And in the same vein:





Rope a Deer?
By Unknown
Mar 28, 2007 - 8:07:18 AM


I had this idea that I was going to rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that since they congregated at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away) that it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.

I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, which had seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes my deer showed up, 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end, so I would have a good hold. The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it. It took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope and received an education.

The first thing that I learned is that while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope. That deer EXPLODED.

The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope with some dignity. A deer, no chance....That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I originally imagined. The only up side is that they do not have as much stamina as many animals. A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head.

At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope. I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in, so I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death. I managed to get it lined up to back in between my truck and the feeder, a little trap I had set beforehand. Kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and started moving forward, so I could get my rope back.

Did you know that deer bite? They do! I never in a million years would I have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head, almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts.

The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective. It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now) tricked it.

While I kept it busy tearing the hound out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.

That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day. Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp. I learned a long time ago that when an animal like a horse strikes at you with their hooves, and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape. This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously such trickery did not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like woman and
tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all. Besides being twice as strong and three times as evil, the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down.

Now when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it doesn't immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are lying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.

I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away.

Now for the local legend. I was pretty beat up. My scalp was split open, I had several large goose eggs, my wrist was bleeding pretty badly and felt broken (it turned out to be just badly bruised) and my back was bleeding in a few places, though my insulated canvas jacket had protected me from most of the worst of it. I drove to the nearest place, which was the co-op. I got out of the truck, covered in blood and dust and looking like I'd just come from a brawl. The guy who ran the place saw me through the window and came running out yelling "what happened!"

I have never seen any law in the state of Kansas that would prohibit an individual from roping a deer. I suspect that this is an area that they have overlooked entirely. Knowing, as I do, the lengths to which law enforcement personnel will go to exercise their power, I was concerned that they may find a way to twist the existing laws to paint my actions as criminal. I swear, not wanting to admit that I had done something monumentally stupid played no part in my response. I told him, "I was attacked by a deer." I did not mention that at the time I had a rope on it. The evidence of the attack was all over my body.

Deer prints on the back of my jacket where it had stomped all over me and a large deer print on my face where it had struck me there. I asked him to call somebody to come get me. I didn't think I could make it home on my own.

He did.

Later that afternoon, a game warden showed up at my house and wanted to know about the deer attack. Surprisingly, deer attacks are a rare thing and wildlife and parks was interested in the event. I tried to describe the attack as completely and accurately as I could. I was filling the grain hopper and this deer came out of nowhere and just started kicking me and BIT me. It was obviously rabid or insane or something. EVERYBODY for miles around knows about the deer attack (the guy at the co-op has a big mouth). For several weeks people dragged their kids in the house when they saw deer around and the local ranchers carried rifles when they filled their feeders. I have told several people the story, but NEVER anybody around here. I have to see these people everyday, and as an outsider, a "city folk," I have enough trouble fitting in without them snickering behind my back and whispering there's the ignoramus that tried to rope the deer.