An Incomplete Kill Almost Gets a Hunter Killed after
Bear “Rises from the Dead”
The black bear appeared dead, so 22-year-old Alex Machavo of
Medford, Oregon approached it thinking it was. Machavo and his hunting buddy,
Nathan Shinn, 24, of Phoenix were actually hunting deer Thursday afternoon near
Elk Creek Road in Jackson County when the pair spotted the bear.
The men had bear hunting tags and so they fired at the bear,
hitting it in the abdomen. Perhaps it was only shock that caused the bear to
lie down in the meadow, but when Machavo and Shinn got close enough, they
realized they surely did not finish the job.
The bear startled awake and grabbed at Machavo. A tussle
ensued; the bear bit Machavo on the right side of his body injuring his arm and
hand, then he pulled him into a bear hug. The two rolled down a 50-foot
embankment with Shinn in hot pursuit. If it weren’t for Shinn, who finally
killed the bear with a shot to the head, this story may have ended much
differently for Machavo.
“To make sure something is dead, confirm it with the
barrel,” Senior Trooper Jim Collom of the Oregon State Police Division of Fish
and Wildlife told the local Newspaper.
Shinn and Machavo separated in an attempt to get cell phone
reception to call for help. Within 10 minutes of placing the call, a sheriff’s
lieutenant located Machavo, while Shinn was located an hour later. Machavo was
transported over ground to the Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford and
treated for his injuries.
The hunters’ next task will be to return to the site to
locate the bear. Initially, they could not remember the bear’s location, but
Collom said that by law, “they have to salvage everything and they have to
check in the bear to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.”
Thanks to the Outdoor Hub/WCoyote Outdoors
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