Bear shot, killed after attacking two people in Galena
Published Saturday, June 14, 2008
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Stumble It!A black bear that charged a man and young woman in the Yukon River village of Galena was shot and killed early Saturday morning, only about 12 hours after another black bear was chased off by a St. Bernard in the Interior Bush village.
Howard Beasley shot and killed the bear at about 1:30 a.m., a few minutes after receiving a call from his neighbor, Christopher Kriska, that the bear had charged him and was trying to get into houses.
“I went over there and happened to hear the neighbor’s dog barking and walked over and sure enough, here he comes walking out,” Beasley said of the bear. “He was only about 30 feet away. He looked me straight in the eye with his head down and shoulders hunched up. He was not going away.
“So I threw down on him and shot him,” said Beasley, who used a slug from a 12-gauge shotgun to kill the bear.
Galena Police Chief John Millan praised Beasley’s quick actions.
“If Howard hadn’t shot that bear when he did and as fast as he did, we could have had a young woman, a man or a dog seriously injured or perhaps even killed,” he said.
It was the first recorded report of an attack by a black bear on humans in at least 30 years in Galena, according to Millan.
Neither Beasley nor Millan think the bear is the same one that tangled with a St. Bernard early on Friday afternoon in another part of the village. In that incident, the dog chased the bear into the woods after a brief scuffle and a search for the bear came up empty.
“That bear was a lot smaller than the one I shot,” Beasley said.
He estimated the bear he shot weighed 200 to 250 pounds and its front paw measured about 5 inches across.
“He was pretty good size,” Beasley said of the dead bear. “By this fall he would be 400-500 pounds easy. He was that size of a bear.”
The bear had hardly any fat on it and the meat was not salvageable, Beasley said.
“He was pretty lean,” Beasley said. “This time of year they don’t have much fat on them.”
In addition, the bear that was killed Saturday morning appeared to be much more aggressive and habituated to humans than the bear that fought with the St. Bernard on Friday, said Millan.
According to Millan, the police chief, the bear charged Kriska and his dog, Scooby, a pit bull and Labrador mix, before charging a 14-year-old girl when some residents went outside to investigate noises they head in the neighborhood. The dog charged the bear, drawing its attention away so that both Kriska and the girl could get to safety, the chief said.
Beasley, 51, suspects the bear is the same one that is responsible for killing several moose calves at a lake near the village.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of moose in town and they raise their young here because it’s safe,” he said. “We’ve had one bear discover there’s a smorgasboard in town.”
The bear has been seen around town the past two weeks “rummaging around in peoples’ back yards and digging around in garbage,” Beasley said.
Beasley skinned out the bear and delivered the hide and skull to state wildlife troopers in Galena.
Community Discussion
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We are very proud of Howard Beasley for shooting the bear and saving the life of a young girl who went to see what the commotion was about when the neighbors were all screaming.
Walt wilcox, City Manager Galena 656-1301
Way to go Howard!! When bears like this one and the one we saw last week show NO aprehension to humans, they have to be either watched closely, or better yet disposed of. Many people do not understand how deadly a bear like this can be. Good comment also Walt.
John Greene
Way to go sir that is the way to handle agressive bears.
Pat
I agree, good, clean kill. Enjoy it while it lasts, the tree huggers should be here any minute to explain why a bear would have more rights to live than people and pets. Mark my words.
Excellant!
Nice Shootin', Howard! But you know what? I just eyeballed about how far 30 feet is, and it's too darn close for me even shootin' slugs.
I agree, 30 feet is way too close for my comfort. It's good he had a clear head to do the job.
AKLOWN: "the tree huggers should be here any minute to explain why a bear would have more rights to live than people and pets."
I hugged a tree once. Got my shirt all mucked up with sap and black spruce debris. So I cut it down. That'll teach those trees.
In one Summer alone, we had to get rid of 7 down in Koyukuk.Too close for young kids outside enjoying the sun. Way to go Howard.
So far this year we have had to also shoot 3 up here by Central, most have been about 2 year old males. Also a slug from a 12 seems to work well for Bears up to about 5o yards.
The bear has been seen around town the past two weeks “rummaging around in peoples’ back yards and digging around in garbage,” Beasley said.
Sounds like the folks in Galena need to learn the "ounce of prevention" rule.
Great job Cousin
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