Lost hunter found dead possible Grizzly kill

[powderburn]

Grizzly killed hunter, autopsy shows
Sherri Zickefoose, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2007
An autopsy has confirmed a Calgary hunter was killed by a grizzly bear attack.

Don Allan Peters, 51, was found Wednesday by a party of searchers in the deep brush after being missing for three days.

His remains were found partially buried just 200 metres from his pickup truck. His rifle was nearby.

Peters was hunting in the area 50 kilometres west of Sundre when he went missing Sunday. He was an experienced outdoorsman.


The deceased was found, along with his equipment, in a densely covered bush area Wednesday at the conclusion of a three day search by Search and Rescue units, Volunteers, Fish and Wildlife, Conservation Officers and RCMP members.

The Calgary medical examiner is expected to make a determination of the cause of death.

Fish and Wildlife officers have cordoned off the area and if they find the animal in the area will set traps.

"We have culvert traps out there and that's how we will capture the bear," said Dave Ealey, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development spokesman. "We need to be able to identify if there is any connection with evidence that we have recovered in the vicinity of where the body was found. We know there was a bear at the body.

"We have identified the main access points and people are not allowed past there. It's a no go area," he said.

He declined to say whether the bear will be put down if it is captured.

 

[Spitz]

Too bad we'll probably never know exactly what happened.

 

[Jaeger22]

Wow. Of course, the unknown and adventure is part of the overall experience, but this type of tragedy brings the realities of life into focus. For whatever it's worth, my family wishes his family all the comfort their faith and friends can provide.

 

[powderburn]

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Authorities said yesterday a Calgary hunter killed by a grizzly went down fighting, firing his weapon before dying.

An autopsy conducted on Calgarian Don Peters yesterday confirmed the 51-year-old hunter died as a result of a grizzly bear attack and an investigation at the scene concluded Peters fired his hunting rifle before being killed, said RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb.

His weapon was not on him, "but it was relatively nearby," said Webb, adding that although Peters set up an elevated platform -- or blind -- in the woods from which to hunt, the Calgary man was found some distance from the structure.

"He may have been searching for a different location for his blind, or he may have been checking something out in the woods ... but what ultimately drew him away is just speculation," he said.

Peters was out hunting big game over the weekend in a heavily wooded area near Mountain Aire Lodge west of Sundre, about 90 km northwest of Calgary, when he failed to return home Sunday afternoon.

He was found on Wednesday after a three-day search.

Signs at the scene show Peters was likely killed on Sunday, but that the hunter, despite having fired his high-powered rifle before the attack, likely didn't hit the bear that killed him, said Alberta resources spokesman Dave Ealey.

"There is no evidence of a blood trail from the bear, or any other signs that the bear is wounded," he said.

Fish and wildlife officers yesterday cast a massive net over the area in the hopes of catching the bear, and made the area where Peters died a no-go zone, said Ealey.

"We believe that right now this could be a dangerous situation for people, so we closed off the entire area," he said.

"Key access points have been shut down."

After searching the immediate area where the attack took place, searchers expanded their air and ground search yesterday and set up culvert traps in the hopes of catching the grizzly.

Upon capture, the bear may be shot, moved to another area or let go, depending on an evaluation of the bear, said Ealey.

"Once we capture him, we need to establish the condition of the bear, what the circumstances were when the incident happened and what role the bear played," he said.

The bear could be a marauding beast, or may have simply been startled or starving, said Ealey.

Hair samples will help positively identify the bear if it's caught, he said.

While most bears are hibernating, warm weather or hunger can easily shake them from slumber, said Ealey.
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