Grizzly bears are just built different.
You don’t ever want to find yourself face to face with one of these apex predators. Even if you have a weapon, like the guy in this video, it doesn’t mean that you’re in control of the situation. If a grizzly bear is involved, the big bruin will always be the one in charge.
This father in British Columbia was trying his best to protect his dog and his home from an aggressive grizzly. He went out into his yard armed with a shotgun, obviously hoping that he wouldn’t have to use it. But you can’t blame him for wanting to have some sort of defense.
The man first fired a warning shot into the air in an attempt to deter the big bear from coming any closer. That proved to be ineffective, as the mother grizzly continued to barrel through the woods and into the yard. At one point, it was clear that the bear had honed in on the man, and he had to make a very difficult decision to save his own life.
There was zero chance in this circumstance of the father outrunning the bear, so he stood his ground and fired the only shot he had left into the back hip of the sprinting grizzly. Props to him for still trying to preserve the bear’s life, even though the wild animal clearly wasn’t worried about doing the same for the shotgun-wielding-dad.
Firing the shotgun at the bear in desperation somewhat worked out for the man. The grizzly tumbled down to the ground in pain, though it didn’t stop for long. The shotgun blast really only stalled it for a moment, but it allowed for the man to run into the safety of his own home.
Luckily for him, he got into his house just in time, because the bear kept charging and even ran right up to the door he used to get inside. The video, which one can presume was filmed by the wife from just inside the house, continued after the man made it indoors. Both individuals can be heard breathing heavily and asking one another if they’re okay after the scary incident.
According to CBC News, Lawrence Michalchuk says he did what he had to do:
“What are your choices? You leave a bear in the yard who thinks it owns your yard … and then your kids go out there? By leaving them on the property, you’re playing Russian roulette, and I’m not doing that with my kids or my family.
The last thing I remember is that she was coming at me with her mouth open. I didn’t want to shoot her in the face so I clipped her in the right leg. Thank God when I shot, it did exactly what I hoped it would do. It tripped her.”
The grizzly bear eventually left the area, and for some reason, the man decided to track it to see if it was okay. The mother bear was with her cubs (probably why she attacked in the first place) and was perfectly fine. And though there’s no way of knowing if this is true, the man claimed that there was no blood along the bear’s path, even though it had been hit in the side with a shotgun shot.
Just a fair warning, the video is rather intense, so watch at your own discretion:
