73-Year-Old California Man Punches Black Bear In The Face To Save His Dogs

[jimmy olsen]

Badass!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/30/man-punches-bear-face-saves-dog-_n_7183344.html

73-Year-Old California Man Punches Black Bear In The Face To Save His Dogs

The Huffington Post  |  By Ryan Grenoble

Posted: 04/30/2015 4:51 pm EDT Updated: 04/30/2015 4:59 pm EDT

Bears of the world, beware: If he has to, Carl Moore will punch you in the face.

Moore, a 73-year-old man who hails from the foothills near Sacramento, California, says a black bear threatened his dogs outside his home last Monday. When yelling failed to scare the bear, he challenged it to a game of fisticuffs.

"The man or beast that I run from ain't been born," Moore told CBS Sacramento while clutching one of his dogs, Lacy.

In Moore's defense, his first choice wasn't a fistfight. "I raised both hands in the air and I cussed at him, 'Rrraaaaaaa! Get out of here you bastard," he said. But when the bear ignored him, Moore ran at the animal and landed a punch known as a "whirling haymaker."

The bear didn't appreciate Moore's knuckle sandwich, and ran off down the road.

Witnesses were happy to corroborate the story, and described the animal as being about 5 1/2 feet tall and 300 pounds.

"I know I'll never see that one again," Tyler Silva, an employee at Moore's contracting business, told the Auburn Journal. "He definitely connected. The bear took a breath out like it had been struck in the stomach and then it took off down the road."

Another employee, John Sargent, seemed somewhat less surprised.

"He has the hands and he's an old 1st Recon Marine," Sargent told the paper. "He's no joke and a tough old soul for 75."

In 2011, a 22-year-old woman in Alaska also punched a bear in the face to save her dog, in that case a dachshund named Fudge.

Anecdotal evidence aside, experts say the first reaction to encountering a black bear should not be to start throwing punches. The National Park Service recommends first trying to distance yourself from the animal by slowly backing away, or talking loudly and shouting at it aggressively if it attempts to follow you. Only fight back as a last resort if you are being physically attacked.

[lustindarkness]

Hoorah!

[The Brain]

I'm surprised a cop didn't shoot it in the back.

[KRonn]

"The man or beast that I run from ain't been born," 

Tough old goat, good for him.   

In 2011, a 22-year-old woman in Alaska also punched a bear in the face to save her dog,

And someone else, I assume a lot smaller, did the same, and apparently survived though the article doesn't mention the outcome.   

[Malthus]

Black Bears are unpredictable, but typically they turn away from confrontations with people. I've run into bears several times, as has my dad, and each and every time (so far), what happens is the same - I backed away, and the bear turned away as well.

Never, thankfully, had occasion to punch a bear, but I'd imagine the same holds true - generally the bear turns away.

Of course, they are unpredictable, so it could happen that they instead rip your arms off. 

Brown Bears are different, much larger and more aggressive. Punching a Brown Bear is ... not recommended. 

[Razgovory]

I've had just about enough of your bear racism.

[Malthus]

I've had just about enough of your bear racism.

Oh, I'll discriminate all right. 

[KRonn]

Brown Bears are different, much larger and more aggressive. Punching a Brown Bear is ... not recommended. 

Now that would be VERY interesting! And of course with a very different outcome, especially since if you're close enough to punch said bear then you would already be up to your arse in un-bearable trouble.

[DGuller]

Brown Bears are different, much larger and more aggressive. Punching a Brown Bear is ... not recommended. 

Now that would be VERY interesting! And of course with a very different outcome, especially since if you're close enough to punch said bear then you would already be up to your arse in un-bearable trouble.

[Malthus]

Brown Bears are different, much larger and more aggressive. Punching a Brown Bear is ... not recommended. 

Now that would be VERY interesting! And of course with a very different outcome, especially since if you're close enough to punch said bear then you would already be up to your arse in un-bearable trouble.

Just grin and bear it.

[Eddie Teach]

Pun-ching a Barrister Boy is not recommended either.

[Barrister]

[Caliga]

One time when I was a kid I was hiking with my dad in the woods in Central P.A. and we came across a bear cub.  I was like "aww cute" and my dad was like, in a cross between a growl and a whisper "SLOWLY.  BACK.  AWAY.  DOWN.  THE.  TRAIL."

I'm glad he did that because a minute or two later a bunch of bushes near there started moving and I would guess that was his mom coming on to the scene.  I never saw her directly.

[grumbler]

Bears should be ursine, not herd.

[garbon]

I've had just about enough of your bear racism.

Preach.