Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Black Bear Mauls Bowhunter

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HAYFORK, CA - A bowhunter was mauled Saturday by the 400-pound black bear he thought he'd killed.

Eric Huff, 35, of Hayfork had shot the bear with an arrow after spotting it while deer hunting on opening day of deer and bear season, said DeWayne Little, a state Department of Fish and Game warden. Huff had tags for both animals and a hunting license.

Having missed the bear's heart, Little said Huff let the animal walk down a creek near Hayfork, hoping it would die from its wound.

Huff and some friends tracked the bear, found it and Huff shot at it twice more with arrows, Little said. He missed both shots and they followed the bear farther down the creek.

Huff again shot at the bear, this time hitting it with his last arrow at the base of the animal's neck, Little said. The bear then pulled the arrow out with a paw and ran off. Huff and his friends again tracked the bear and found its big, cinnamon-colored body lying paws up on its back.

"They thought it was dead, but as they approached, it sprang up," Little said.

The bear went after Huff, who jumped behind a bush, Little said. The bear went for Huff's neck but sunk its teeth into his left bicep as he put his arm up to block the bite.

Huff pushed the weakened bear off him with his feet, Little said. While Huff was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding, DFG Warden Paul Cardova and one of his friends found the bear dead near where the attack occurred.

Little interviewed Huff at the hospital. He was released from the hospital Sunday. Little said the investigation into the attack is still ongoing.

The bear has been sent to a butcher shop to be processed into meat, but its head and paws have been kept as evidence, Little said.

DFG Lt. Scott Willems said the incident is a reminder that wounded animals can be dangerous. He said a similar bear mauling occurred in Igo three years ago.

William Pinole, then 61, shot a bear three times with a shotgun as it raided his chicken coop. The bear charged Pinole and clawed the man's face and left arm and punctured his bladder with a bite to the abdomen. Pinole survived the attack.

"It's the same type of situation, where the bear was shot but only wounded," Willems said.

Reporter Dylan Darling can be reached at 225-8266 or at ddarlingredding.com.


Lucky the bear did not grab his throat. Frigging liberals leaving stupid comments at the end.

MtnHtr

A lawn dart would have kept it down.

Something about that story....I'm almost pulling for the bear. I mean WTF.

He must have been watching those TV shows and poked him in the eye when he came up on him. Pizzed him off. miles

Typical government intervention. They confiscate the head and paws for evidence, basically ruining a trohpy the bowhunter could have bragged about for years. He should've left the officials out of the picture completely. Sound's like an exciting hunting success story to me. He's alive and the bear's dead. Some people pay thousand's of dollars for dangerous game hunts. He got one for peanuts (provided he has health insurance).

How many shots does it take to kill a bear? The guy had 3 swings for cryin out loud. Yea, Im rooting for the bear too.

I'm a little confused about them keeping head/hide for their investigation.

What [bleep] investigation, if they can't figure out why a bear with quiver of arrows stuck in it attacked they should go back to working Starbucks.

Clowns who can't shoot a Bow should stick to hunting stuff with no teeth or better yet, practice...

Too bad the cops didn't cut off his arm and keep that for evidence as well.

That would have been a proper end to this whole Fiasco...

JM

This was not the first bowhunter who has been munched, this one did not report his wrestling match to the fish cops:


I'll stick to weapons that go boom!

MtnHtr

+1

+2

I have no problem with what they did, how they did it shows a lack of prudence.

They ran it too hard and obviously didn't wait for it to die.

Wondering the confiscation has anything to do with running dogs at night or hunting off an illigal bait? Not saying, just wondering.

John Moses I must agree 100% with your statement!