I’m a wanderer of the wild places as opposed to many of the traditional outdoorsman who love hunting and fishing. For me getting out there is about finding the unexpected, finding adventure and of course the ever present element of danger. These past few weeks I’ve seen some of my kindred spirits have found that last part in spades, and some of them didn’t live to tell the tale. Let’s remember them:
A Minnesota hunter killed a wounded 525 pound bear with a hunting knife while being mauled! The hunter sustained two broken arms but us expected to make a full recovery.
Jeff Thompson, host of the Predator Pursuit television show, caught a 809.5 pound Mako shark with a fishing bow. The catch is possibly a record.
Sadly 22-year-old Rutgers student Darsh Patel was killed in an unprovoked bear attack while hiking a trail on the Apshawa preserve in New Jersey. I only link to the loathsome Huffington Post story so you can see the comments by their disgusting readers who think the bear that killed and ate some kid should be left alone. For example here’s a nugget of wisdom from a woman named Kate Dougherty:
Kill the bear for being in it’s own space and the hikers did everything wrong
This is why I prefer the solitude of a long walk alone. Although I guess I’m asking for it according to Kate.
A man was killed in front of his son by a copperhead snake while camping in Missouri. The snake bit him three times and he was dead within a half hour. He had apparently picked up the snake to show his son. . .
Back in August German authorities launched a desperate search for the vicious beast that attacked young boy – an Alligator Snapping Turtle nicknamed Lotti. The boy’s Achilles tendon was severed in two places. Since the species isn’t native to Germany the theory is it was a pet released into a popular lake. Though no one can prove a turtle actually did it.
A drifter was bitten by a rabid skunk in Burlington, VT. He killed the skunk then must have turned it over to authorities for testing but promptly disappeared forcing authorities to search for him to give him treatment.
Be safe out there.