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An hunter from Montana who narrowly escaped death during a grizzly bear attack has disclosed that one split-second decision saved his life.
Chase Dellwo, then 26, was hunting with his brother in the Montana backcountry when he inadvertently stumbled upon a 400lb sleeping male grizzly.
Local reports indicate that Dellwo was moving up a creek bed on a Saturday morning, attempting to herd a group of elk towards a ridge where his brother was stationed, when the bear woke up abruptly just three feet away.
Poor weather conditions, including snow, rain, and winds reaching 40mph, appear to have concealed Dellwo's approach, meaning the bear didn't see him coming and was thus taken by surprise.
He barely had time to retreat before the creature knocked him to the ground and bit his head, reports the Mirror.
"He let go but he was still on top of me, roaring the loudest roar I have ever heard," Dellwo said.
The bear then clamped down hard onto his leg, shaking him violently and tossing him into the air. As it lunged again, Dellwo says that he didn't succumb to panic, a factor that may have made all the difference.
"I remembered an article that my grandmother gave me a long time ago that said large animals have bad gag reflexes," he said. "So I shoved my right arm down his throat."
Incredibly, it worked. The bear immediately released the quick-thinking hunter and fled, leaving Dellwo severely wounded but, importantly, alive.
Despite bleeding profusely, he managed to reunite with his brother who quickly took him to the hospital. Doctors treated him for hundreds of stitches and staples in his head, a swollen and bruised eye, and deep puncture wounds on his leg.
However, despite the terrifying encounter, Dellwo has been adamant about one thing - he doesn't hold the bear responsible.
"I want everyone to know that it wasn't the bear's fault," he stated from his hospital bed while recuperating from his injuries. "He was as scared as I was."
Chase Dellwo, then 26, was hunting with his brother in the Montana backcountry when he inadvertently stumbled upon a 400lb sleeping male grizzly.
Local reports indicate that Dellwo was moving up a creek bed on a Saturday morning, attempting to herd a group of elk towards a ridge where his brother was stationed, when the bear woke up abruptly just three feet away.
Poor weather conditions, including snow, rain, and winds reaching 40mph, appear to have concealed Dellwo's approach, meaning the bear didn't see him coming and was thus taken by surprise.
He barely had time to retreat before the creature knocked him to the ground and bit his head, reports the Mirror.
"He let go but he was still on top of me, roaring the loudest roar I have ever heard," Dellwo said.
The bear then clamped down hard onto his leg, shaking him violently and tossing him into the air. As it lunged again, Dellwo says that he didn't succumb to panic, a factor that may have made all the difference.
"I remembered an article that my grandmother gave me a long time ago that said large animals have bad gag reflexes," he said. "So I shoved my right arm down his throat."
Incredibly, it worked. The bear immediately released the quick-thinking hunter and fled, leaving Dellwo severely wounded but, importantly, alive.
Despite bleeding profusely, he managed to reunite with his brother who quickly took him to the hospital. Doctors treated him for hundreds of stitches and staples in his head, a swollen and bruised eye, and deep puncture wounds on his leg.
However, despite the terrifying encounter, Dellwo has been adamant about one thing - he doesn't hold the bear responsible.
"I want everyone to know that it wasn't the bear's fault," he stated from his hospital bed while recuperating from his injuries. "He was as scared as I was."
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