COMMENTARY — Repelling a black bear attack

Prospecting is a unique career as it requires definite survival skills. This is especially true in Canada, where prospecting stories are manifold.

I was recently staking claims in Skead Twp., about 5 miles south of Larder Lake in northeastern Ontario. My boss, Carl Forbes, of Strike Minerals, is a demanding employer. He expects a good job done for an honest day’s pay, which is fair considering that prospecting is a rough life.

Early in July, I was cutting a claim post when I heard a noise behind me. As I turned, I saw a huge black bear about 50 ft. away, with its claws dug into the ground and its head bent down. In a split second, it charged at me. A black bear can move faster than most people can blink. I had almost no time to sidestep and hit the bear with my axe as it lunged at the middle portion of my body.

I’m in good physical condition, but my first defensive swing against the creature’s head only knocked it sideways a bit, enabling the bear to bite into my thigh and flip me down to the ground. I immediately put my left arm up as a procedure of defence, which the bear ignored. It proceeded to bite through my hand.

As all this was happening (it seemed like hours), I kept swinging and hitting the beast with my axe. I got in a few good shots and it backed off. I was back on my feet instantly for defence. The bear quickly lunged again, grabbing me by the genitals. I kept hitting back with my axe, but an axe against a black bear is a David-versus-Goliath story. I did, however, inflict enough damage so that the animal backed off. I wasn’t a regular meal, I guess. I was pretty shaken and frightened as I walked out of the bush to return to my boat and partner. I immediately went to the Kirkland Lake Hospital to have my wounds attended to. My fending off the bear attack with an axe has since become nation-wide news.

Although I’ll be off work for several months because of the injuries inflicted by the bear, there is one humorous aspect to the story. My boss expects an all-out effort on every job, but I told him fighting bears with an axe demands a little more of a paycheque.

— Patrick Harrington is a prospector based in Kirkland Lake, Ont.