Blades and Blunt Objects in Bear Attacks

Firearms are not the only tool available to defend against bear attacks. Blades and blunt objects have been effective in a number of recorded cases. Unlike bear spray or firearms, when someone defends against a bear with a blade or a blunt object, it tends to make the news.

Traditionally, bears were hunted with spears and dogs. Humans with spears, partnered with dogs, are very difficult for a bear to successfully overcome. Some human and dog casualties result, with dog casualties much more common than humans. Spears give humans a necessary stand-off distance to keep them away from a bear’s teeth and claws.  Dangerous prey spears usually have a cross piece to keep the prey from reaching the human at the other end.

Two or more humans with spears are nearly as effective as a human and dog pack team.

There have been several cases of humans using hatchets/axes to successfully defend against bears.

• Bosnian Shepard uses Axe to kill Attacking Brown Bear in 2013
• Romanian Man uses Axe to Kill Bear attacking Wife  in 2018
• Canadian woodsman kills black bear with a hatchet in 2019

Several people have successfully defended against attacking bears by using knives. Even relatively small knives are better than bare hands. In Bear Attacks, the Deadly Truth, page 129, Bob Nickols killed a grizzly bear with a knife, as it badly mauled him. He survived. The bear died. Larger knives are better.  Tom Tilley gained fame for killing an aggressive black bear with a six-inch Buck knife. It seems likely sharp swords could work well.

Here is a humorous but likely true account where a black bear was driven off with a thrown knife. This technique is not recommended. Here is part of the tale of Florida resident Gary Carroll, a bear, and a steak knife.

I take the steak knife by the tip and threw it just like I would expect someone to throw it if they knew how to throw a knife and the knife was a “throwable” knife – neither of which are true.

Miraculously enough, it hit the bear in the face, almost directly on his nose, point first. It stuck him quite deeply on the muzzle. I mean “POING!!!” deep.

This is doubly miraculous since I was aiming rather vaguely at the other end of the bear. Throwing really hard is evidently for one’s aim.

He blatted like I imagine a sheep would sound, jumped in the air, swatted  the knife out, and fled at top speed. He cleared a four-foot chain link fence without slowing down and without touching it at all.

So, I introduce the story to the grandkids as “Did I ever tell you about the time I fought off a 450 pound bear that wanted my BBQ by stabbing it in the FACE with a steak knife?”

Blunt objects have been used effectively. Bears are routinely driven off with fusillades of rocks. The defenses referred to here are when the bears refused to be driven off. Blunt object defenses at contact range take strength, skill, and luck. These recorded lethal blunt object defenses were against black bears.

Bear killed with log:

“I threw about five rocks at the bear to keep him away,” Kyle Everhart said.

Realizing his sons could be killed, Everhart grabbed a log and threw it at the bear’s head, striking and killing him.

Bear killed with rock:

Logger Jesse Mengler was assessing a rural wooded area near Castlegar in August when he had to put his experience as a baseball pitcher to unexpected use.

He said he had clapped his hands over his head and yelled, but the bear did not stop its charge at him.

“It had one intention and that intention was me,” MLaengler told CBC News on Wednesday.

He said his truck was too far away for him to reach and the bear was too fast to outrun.

Mengler said he looked down and saw a rock the size of his hand.

“By this time, it was [10 metres] away. I reached down quick, I grab this rock. … By this time, he’s [three metres] away. [I] reached back and just threw the rock and struck it right between the eyes.

“It was like I shot it. Knocked it right out.”

Contact weapons can be used effectively against bears. This correspondent’s choice would be a spear. More distance is better. People using spears against bears often survive without injury.

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.