Close Escape: Hunters Shoot Attacking Brown Bear Just Before he Reaches Them

In a Russian wilderness, a group of hunters was caught unawares by a brown bear that tore out of the bush and towards the men.

In a shaky but relatively clear video, you can see the bear clambering over logs as it picks up speed.  Gunshots ring out as the hunters fire desperately to save their own lives.

Luckily for the hunters, but not so lucky for the bear, they managed to kill it before it reached them.  In their fright, the men continued to fire at the animal until they realized it was dead.

Viewers of the video have argued back and forth about what the hunters should have done.  It is hard to put yourself in their situation and imagine what it must be like to have a huge carnivore, an apex predator, heading your way when it’s not looking friendly.  It’s possible that at the time there was nothing else they could have done.

The brown bear is common in Russia, and its habitat spreads across into North America.  They are very quick on their feet, and their speed has been recorded as fast as 30 mph.  This bear has a diet predominately of fruit, berries, nuts, and roots.  When starving, they will attack elk and moose for food.

The brown bear is a similar species to the one that appears around North American homes scavenging for food that has been left out.

The one time they will most definitely attack is when protecting their cubs.  It is not known at this time if the bear attacking the Russians had cubs or not, Mail Online reported.

There are four types of brown bear in Russia – the Eurasian brown bear, Siberian brown bear, Kamchatka brown bear, and Amur brown bear.

It is quite alarming to discover that all four of these bears are actively hunted in the Russian wilderness.  The Kamchatka bear is the most popular bear to hunt, and this is done year round.  No licenses are needed or limits put on bear hunting in Russia.

Hunters are not the only danger for the brown bears of Russia; poachers are also killing these fierce animals for their gall bladders.  It could be very likely that soon there will be very few bears to see.

It does make you look at the video in another light – if the hunters were actively hunting bears at the time it could explain the behavior of the bear itself.  Without the hunters sharing more of their story, all we can do is speculate.