Bear mauls Tucson man


By Dale Hajek
April 29, 2001 16:10:00


A black bear attacked a Tucson camper in Gardner Canyon early Sunday, biting his head, neck and back in what authorities say is the first reported mauling by a bear since the mid-1990s.


The camper, Cody Fickett, 23, was in satisfactory condition at Tucson Medical Center following the 3 a.m. attack.

Fickett and his brother, Jason, were camping on the ground at the campsite north of Sonoita when the black bear started biting, said Rory Aikens, Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman.

Jason Fickett was able to force the bear to back off by striking it and kicking it, Aikens said. The bear then wandered off.

Jason then drove Cody to the town of Sonoita, where he was transported by a Life Net helicopter to Tucson Medical Center.

Aiken said Cody Fickett suffered bites to his head, neck and back, and possibly suffered a spinal injury.

Cody Fickett, 23, still was treated in the emergency room Sunday afternoon, and nursing supervisor Cheri Schnepp would not release any details about Fickett's injuries at the request of family members.


Reach the reporter at [email protected] or (602) 444-8156.

I think you'd have to edit your title to say "Why you should never be without a 44 Magnum or 454 Casull revolver"...

CMOS [;)]

Good thing to have brothers around to beat the shit out of any attacking bears.

The thing about stuff happening to you is it always happens when your not looking for anything to happen to you....know what I mean?

So - yes it is a great idea to always be prepared - just in case.

[sniper]
The Sniper

The US Constitution say that you can keep and arm bears. If attacked by a bear the only defense is an armed bear. Remember tho' armed bears cannot be carried in a concealed manner without the apropriate permits.  [;)]

i should never be without a gun (firearm) because,,,,,,,
the world is mean!!!!
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
live to fight another day.

there's three good reasons to never be without a firearm.

colt

Wish they'd provided more details than "were camping"

It would be good to know if it was at night or if they'd left any food, greasy skillets, etc. out, had their food hung?  Or even if they were in a regular campground.

My only close encounter was in a developed campground where people hunting (we hunt but weren't at the time) had left all their unwashed cooking gear out at night.  I mean, I could smell it myself.

Looks like a few characters of the e-mail address got messed up - the "dale." part



[red][size=4] P.R.K.

Got a bit of a receding hairline there, don't ya Lumpy?  Just kidding.[;)]

They were probably in a State or National Park where you can't carry firearms... ridiculous.

The only time I was confronted with a black bear, I threw twigs at it, and it ran away. Luckily, this particular bear was not accustomed to dealing with people.

This guy was was probably being a dumbass, or camping in an area frequented by dumbasses, and therefore guilty by association.

The National Park Service recommends campers not carry handguns as protection against bears.  Human/bear interactions are rare, and avoidance and prevention are better options.  

In camp, do not leave out food or condiments.  Store everything securely to minimize scent, and dispose of paper plates and other items that carry food scents either in Park Service bear-proof waste cans, or bury well away from the camp site where applicable.

When hiking, the Park Service recommends that you attach small brass bells to your shoelaces.  This will warn bears of your approach, as bears have generally poor eyesight but excellent hearing.  If you feel you must carry some deterrent, the Park Service recommends oleoresin capsicum spray, often known as "pepper spray".

If you find bear spoor on the trail, the Park Service recommends that you inspect it to determine what kind of bear may be in the area.  Use a stick or other utensil to pick open the droppings.  Black bear spoor will generally contain undigested vegetable matter, insect remains, and berries.  Grizzly bear spoor will contain small brass bells and smell like pepper.

Gotcha!

Another clue: Such grizzly bear spoor are often found near large caliber revolvers, with one shot fired, and covered with blood.

I wonder what a 9mm would do to a bear, would it fend off an attack or just piss him off. Just another good reason not to have hi caps, NOT!
[img]http://www.animfactory.com/animations/flags_poles/us_state_flags/kentucky_md_clr.gif[/img]

1. Two thumbs up to the brother for wading in and attacking the bear. I wonder if my brother would do that for me, and if not, would that have anything to do with the noogies and wedgies I subjected him to as a child.

2. Concealed carry is just that. When I was a PRK inmate, I mean resident, my wife and I used to go to a park in the canyons of eastern Orange County that had a big red "Warning: Mountain Lions" sign just above the slightly smaller "No Firearms" sign. She always wore my little knapsack with the perfectly-sized zippered pocket on the outside, and I was fairly confident in the terminal ballistics of the 230gr Speer Gold Dot round.

Semper Fidelis
Jarhead out.

just got done watchin a show on Discovery about LAPD cops-they were talking to one-off duty at home-he said he never goes anywhere without his gun-says its too dangerous.  well thats all fine an dandy , but what about the rest of us 99%?