Hiker shoots bear in Park

A hiker shot a grizzly bear inside Denali National Park, marking it the first bear fatality since a new law took effect in February that allows guns within National Park boundaries.Two backpackers, a man and woman, ran into a grizzly bear Friday evening while hiking in the dense brush along the edge of Tattler Creek at the west end of the Igloo Canyon. The man drew a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol when they heard a noise coming from the brush.  When the bear emerged from the thicket and ran toward the other hiker, he fired approximately nine rounds in its general direction. The bear turned around and walked back into the brush. The backpackers ran the short distance of a mile and a half to the Park Road where they notified a National Park Service employee. Rangers were concerned that a wounded bear was in the area and closed  four backcountry units. Also day hikers were not allowed to be dropped of at Igloo Canyon.

Rangers found the dead bear about 100 feet away from the pistol casings. They took the dead animal to the park’s headquarters where park wildlife biologists are assisting with the investigation of the bear carcass. Park officials are trying to determine if there was a justification for shooting the animal.

It is legal to carry a firearm in the former Mt. McKinley National Park portion of the park, but it is not legal to discharge it.

This is the first known instance of a grizzly bear being shot by a visitor in the wilderness portion of the park.