www.newschannel9.com/engine.pl?station=wtvc&id=4069&template=breakout_story1.shtml&dateformat=%25M+%25e,%25Y

A black bear attacked a family of three in Polk County, Tennessee, killing a 6-year-old girl, and seriously injuring a 2-year-old boy and the children's mother. They have been airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center and are listed in critical condition. The attack happened late Thursday afternoon in the Cherokee National Forest, at the Chilhowee campground. The family was visiting from Ohio. According to Dan Hicks, a spokesperson with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, it was around 4 pm when the bear walked up to the family near Benton Falls. Everyone started throwing rocks and yelling at the bear to get it to go away. Instead the bear picked up the 2 year old boy and began to maul him. The boys mothers tried to help her son and she was attacked. During the confusion the 6 year old girl ran away. The bear ran away as well. A search began for the girl. She was found dead 100 yards away. Hicks said her injuries were consistant with a bear attack. The bear was still in the area and was fired on by officers. However it's not clear if they hit the animal or not and the hunt for the bear continues. Attacks on humans by black bears are extremely rare. In May of 2000 a 50-year-old woman was killed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "As far as we know, it's the first one (fatal attack) in the Southeast," said Nancy Gray, a spokesperson for the park at that time. "It's very rare for a black bear. They're just not as aggressive as grizzlies." In that case Park Rangers killed two black bears found near the body of Glenda Bradley after they were notified of the attack. There are only 52 known fatal black bear attacks in North America in the last 100 years..

Damn, just damn.  That's why I say if I go in the woods, there is always either an AR10 on M1 Garand with me.

Quoted: Quoted: Damn, just damn.  That's why I say if I go in the woods, there is always either an AR10 on M1 Garand with me. That is illegal in the  Cherokee National Forest.

Yeah, I know, but look at the alternative.

I have a 6-year old daughter and can't imagine this happening.  This just makes me sick to my stomach.

HH

Quoted: I have a 6-year old daughter and can't imagine this happening.  This just makes me sick to my stomach. HH

I have a 5 year old grandson.  IF, by some chance, I did not have a rifle, a bear after him would have an old fat white guy all over his ass.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Damn, just damn.  That's why I say if I go in the woods, there is always either an AR10 on M1 Garand with me. That is illegal in the  Cherokee National Forest. Yeah, I know, but look at the alternative. I don't disagree, but they do charge people over this nonsense, going for a hike there with an AR10 slung over your shoulder would probably result in your grandkids getting a chance to see you lugged off in cuffs. You would think that this would cause Congress to reconsider that stupid law...

One could only hope.  It was probably passed because some assholes were poaching in a National Forest.

Very sad.

Illegal or not, I don't go in the woods without a gun.

Quoted: Very sad. Illegal or not, I don't go in the woods without a gun.

My grandfather taught me the same thing.

Guys, there is a untold part of the story here.  I live in Chattanooga, and several years ago I went camping with some friends of mine at Chilhowee.  The place was trashed out from over-use by idiots, and ripe pickings for "trash" bears who became accustomed to a free meal.  I had to emphasize to my friends (newbies to camping) that we were not doing any favors to the wildlife (or ourselves) by throwing food scraps out around our campsite.

I sopke with a Park Ranger the next morning after we camped, and he informed me that the forest service had been capturing and relocating other "trash" bears from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Chilhowee.  The problem as he saw it, was "once a trash bear, always a trash bear".  I thoroughly agreed.  

I have been backpacking all  over TN and GA, and have never had a problem with bears, wild pigs, or any other wildlife as long as I applied a little knowledge and common sense.  But at Chilhowee, where car-camping is the norm, this was a disaster just waiting to happen.  Bears are not cute cuddly pets, but ignorant campers don't know this and do stupid things that make the bears lose their instinctive fear of humans and come looking for an easy meal.  The fact that campers are not allowed to carry weapons for self-defense only adds to the problem.

Don't get me wrong - I feel terrible for the family and their loss.  But I am not surprised it happened; in fact I am surprised it hasn't happened sooner.

Quoted: . . There are only 52 known fatal black bear attacks in North America in the last 100 years..

Damn, just damn.  That's why I say if I go in the woods, there is always either an AR10 on M1 Garand with me.
The news media is trying to downplay the significance of this attack by citing this statistic, true it is very small, but if it happened to your own child, then these statistics mean nothing.

KillRaven: And now they are going to kill the bear too.

Going into the woods unarmed is Darwin material right there.

A concealed hangun or even a trailmaster bowie could have been a life saver in this case.

Mother nature is a bitch.

Its sad that it happened to a child, but all of life is a risk.

Quoted: KillRaven: And now they are going to kill the bear too.

I think that is stupid.

I have no problem with killing any wild animal in defense of self or defense of a third person, but if nobody there killed it when they had the chance why kill it after the fact.

Its one think to execute a human animal who has murdered, but what purpose is there to kill a wild animal after the fact. Other wild animals arent going to think to themselves I probably shouldnt kill someone because they might execute me.

I have stood thousands of times right where this campground is. It is VERY remote from main roads, etc.

I would never go up there in the woods w/o a sidearm; not all predators are four legged.

Beautiful country up there too.

Quoted: Quoted: KillRaven: And now they are going to kill the bear too. I think that is stupid. I have no problem with killing any wild animal in defense of self or defense of a third person, but if nobody there killed it when they had the chance why kill it after the fact. Its one think to execute a human animal who has murdered, but what purpose is there to kill a wild animal after the fact. Other wild animals arent going to think to themselves I probably shouldnt kill someone because they might execute me.

Because Einstein, it might do it again.  Most wild animals won't touch a human.  If it has turned on a human, it's probably because it contracted a disease that makes it violent, developed a taste for human meat, or something else abnormal.  Thus it will likely do it again and needs to be put down.

.45 ACP, 9mm, .357 Magnum; any of the above would dispatch your average black bear.  Black bears are basically big raccoons.   I know a guy who killed one with a baseball bat; about 160lber, wrecking his apple trees; he went out to scare it and instead of it running away, it turned on him.  1 good whack (with a lot of adrenaline behind it) between the eyes and the sucker went down for good.  I couldn't believe it, but I've seen the photos.  But I digress...

That being said, grizzlies are a different deal.

Carry a gun.  I'd rather pay a fine than bury my kid.