Sorry if any of these are reposts. Im not sure if the Grizzly is a fake or not. Looks like it could be real. I've seen these pictures a few times, and the height has been stated from anywhere between 12.5 to 15 ft. The cat is a Liger (male Lion, female Tiger I believe), which is the biggest cat on Earth. Pretty awesome I'd say. The last is a photo from the 40s or 50s of the worlds biggest shark ever caught (from what I found still hold that record). The source where I found it stated that this particula Great White may be up to 21 ft long, and over 7000 lbs, although it was nver officially weighed. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The first two of the grizzly are real. The man is an Air Force Sgt at Eielson AFB near Fairbanks. Happened a few years ago, and was all over the Alaska papers. The fur weighed 500 lbs. alone.
Thanks for the confirmation. That is incredible. It looks massive in the pictures, but even they cant convey how big the bear actually is. It would awesome to stand next to it, if it were also standing. Yikes.
He was bear hunting in Alaska. His choice. But he did mention that the "confrontation" became survival.
Holy Cow that is a big bear. The paw is the same size as the guys chest. The fur was 500 lbs alone. How many shots did it take to bring it down?
Corrections on some of my ealier posts: Giant bear grows on the Internet Alaskan's enormous brown bear was a record, but it wasn't as big as its legend By Natalie Phillips / Anchorage Daily News It was a big bear -- its front legs spanning 11 feet from claw tip to claw tip, its skull the size of a beer keg, its paws as big as a man's chest. An Eielson Air Force Base airman shot the record-book grizzly during an October 2001 deer hunt in Prince William Sound. ''It's an exceptional bear,'' said master guide Joe Want of Fairbanks, a 40-year veteran of Kodiak Island, home to the biggest brown bears in North America. ''It's an understatement to say that it is a trophy of a lifetime.'' Now it's an Internet legend But perhaps equally amazing is how much the bear has grown in size and legend in just a few weeks' time on the Internet. Hundreds of people around Alaska and across the country are circulating photographs of the bear and the hunter who shot it. With each missive, the tale and the bear seem to grow. By the time e-mail stories started reaching the Daily News in late November, the bear towered 12 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed more than 1,600 pounds. Another writer said the ferocious bear had charged the unsuspecting deer hunter, who emptied his gun, but shot the bear dead in the nick of time with his last shell. Though this was indeed a big bear, those numbers and that sequence of events aren't right. So how big was the bear, and what really happened? The hunter tells the story Here's the story as told by the hunter, Theodore Winnen, a 22-year-old crew member of the 18th Fighter Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. Winnen and three hunting buddies were dropped off on Hinchinbrook Island in the heart of Prince William Sound by an air taxi on a cool, rainy Oct. 14 morning. Hinchinbrook is a 165-square-mile island near Cordova with an estimated population of about 100 brown bears, giving it the distinction of harboring the highest density of bears of any island in the Sound, according to Dave Crowley, Cordova area wildlife biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Four to six bears are killed by hunters on the island every year, though rarely one of more than 400 pounds. Winnen wasn't there to hunt bear. Instead, he and his hunting buddies packed for a week of hunting for Sitka blacktail deer on the remote, wooded island. Winnen did, however, pick up a permit to shoot a bear just in case. Loaded for bear On day two of the group's hunt, the skies cleared at 8:30 a.m. Winnen and Eielson Staff Sgt. Jim Urban set out to follow a creek bed upstream looking for deer. Urban was carrying a .300-caliber Winchester Magnum. Winnen was carrying his significantly more powerful .338-caliber Winchester Magnum in case a bear crossed their path. In the creek, they spotted a deep pool with 20 salmon circling. ''By this time, the ... run was over and the salmon were looking pretty nasty,'' Winnen said. ''We started thinking that we were looking at a bear's dinner plate.'' That got Winnen in what he calls ''bear mode.'' The two men continued following the creek upstream until they came to a small island ringed with thick brush. Some end-of-season blueberries clung to the surrounding brush. In the middle of the island was a spruce tree larger than what Winnen could fit his arms around. At the base of the tree were signs that an animal had tried to dig a hole. About 9:30 a.m., Winnen glanced upstream. Getting ready Forty yards away was a big brown bear with all four paws in the creek, flipping over logs looking for salmon. ''He's a shooter,'' Urban said under his breath. ''So I started getting in the zone,'' Winnen said. ''When I am going to take an animal, I am really concentrating. We racked shells into our guns and took off our packs and left them by the tree.'' The hunters moved a few feet upstream. About halfway between them and the bear was a large fallen tree. ''I said, 'When the bear crawls over that log, he will present his vital areas and we'll take him,' '' Winnen recalled. ''I brought the rifle up to take a shot, but the bear moved over the log like it wasn't there. ''I thought, 'Oh c--p.' I didn't have a chance to get a shot off.'' Out of sight As the bear kept coming along the creek, the two hunters momentarily lost sight of him in a thicket, so they retreated back to the big spruce. ''We were sitting there concentrating when, a few seconds later, he pops up right in front of us, about 10 yards away and he was coming toward us,'' Winnen said. ''I don't know if the wind was in our favor or what. We were dressed in camouflage. He might not have seen us.'' ''I put the scope on him. I wanted to hit him in the chest, but all I seen was nothing but head. ''My partner said, 'Shoot! Shoot!' '' Winnen said. ''I aimed for his left eye, but the bullet takes an arc and I hit about two inches low in the side of his muzzle and into his brain. ''He buckled backwards and raised his head like he was going to howl at the moon, but nothing came out,'' Winnen said. ''I put two more rounds in the vital area, then three more after that. Six total." "It was amazing" ''We watched for a few minutes, I reloaded and Jim brought his gun up on him,'' Winnen said. ''I approached from the rear and poked him in the butt to see if he was going to jump, but he didn't move. He was dead.'' ''It was amazing when I got close to him,'' Winnen said. ''I picked up the paw and it was like, 'good God.' The thing was as wide as my chest.'' The two hunters spent a fair amount of time getting photos of the bruin. One photo shows his statement is no exaggeration. The paw is almost as wide as the hunter's chest and sports 3- to 4-inch-long claws. Six hours of skinning Master guide Want said he was impressed with Winnen's story. ''Sounds like he did everything perfectly,'' Want said. ''I can't overemphasize how many people screw that up, even after you explain it to them. After the bear drops, they stand up and pat themselves on the back, and the animal gets up and takes off while they are standing there.'' After the kill, Winnen and Urban spent six hours skinning the bear -- and trying to drag its hide and skull back to the Forest Service cabin they had rented. The meat was left behind because grizzly meat is generally considered inedible. Winnen guesses the bear's hide weighed more than 200 pounds. They took turns carrying it, but eventually put it on a tarp and tried dragging it together. When they were within a half-mile of the cabin, they summoned their hunting partners, Eielson Staff Specs. Ron Lutrell and Jim Scheu, a flight chief based at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. Winnen spent the next three days at the cabin working with his knife to scrape fat from the hide. He packed the hide with salt for the return trip to Fairbanks. Once back, Winnen took the hide and skull to the state Department of Fish and Game to get it sealed, as required by law. Bear records Unofficially, Fish and Game records show, the skull scored 28 and 8/16 inches. Skulls are scored for size by combining the width plus the length. The skull of Winnen's bear was 10 11/16 inches wide and 17 13/16 inches long. This is called a green score, which is the unofficial score until the skull dries and can be remeasured. The Boone and Crockett Club, which uses a 16th-of-an-inch measurement system to keep records on the biggest animals shot in the world, requires that bear skulls dry for 60 days before an official measurement is made. A tooth was pulled from the jaw of the skull by a state biologist so the bear can be aged. Biologist Crowley said he suspects the bear was 15 to 20 years old. He added that the bear was no stranger to guides who know the area. ''One of our local guides has been after it a couple of times,'' Crowley said. ''Its luck finally just ran out.'' Bears are hard to hunt on the brushy and heavily wooded island, Crowley said, because the season doesn't open until Oct. 15, after the salmon run is over. The bears have largely dispersed from salmon streams by then, making them harder to find. World-class brown bear The hide measures 10 feet, 6 inches from nose to tail. While it is impossible to know exactly how much the bear weighed, master guide Want has measured and weighed dozens of Kodiak brown bears over the years. Based on the measurements and information he got from Winnen, he suspects the bear weighed between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds. By any standards, that's a world-class brown bear. All brown bears taken with skulls that score over 28 inches are eligible for listing with Boone and Crockett, the official record keeper for North American trophy hunters. In Alaska, the biggest brown bears are found on Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula. The record Alaska brown bear -- killed on Kodiak Island in 1952 -- had a skull that scored 30 12/16. Only 19 bears have been shot with skulls that scored over 30 inches since the early 1900s, according to Boone and Crockett. ''Twenty-eight is the magic line,'' Want said. ''Anything over 28 inches has everyone sitting up and taking notice.'' The fact that Winnen's bear came from Prince William Sound makes it even more remarkable, Want added. ''His bear is exceptional. It's unbelievably unusual,'' the guide said. ''It's safe to say that it is more than double the average size of brown bear coming out of Prince William Sound.'' Between 1970 to 1999, about 600 male brown bears were killed in Prince William Sound, according to state Fish and Game records. Of those, only two had skulls that scored more than 28 inches, Want said. The vast majority had skulls that scored 22 to 23 inches. Bears with heads that size typically weigh 350 to 400 pounds, Want added. Hide will be hunter's rug Winnen is having the skull preserved and mounted on a plaque. The hide is with a taxidermist, being made into a rug. ''With the small rooms in base housing, it'll be more like wall-to-wall carpeting,'' Winnen said. Meanwhile, the e-mails keep circulating. The genesis appears to have been a radio talk show in Fairbanks on which Winnen appeared. Photos from his hunt showed up later on the radio show's Web site. And that appears to have been what got the Internet humming. Guide Want said, ''I can guarantee you, in a year or two, someone will tell him (Winnen) how big the bear was and it will be up to 1,800 pounds. And when he tries to correct them, they will call him a liar.'' The bear facts Statistics for Theodore Winnen's brown bear taken on Hinchinbrook Island in October 2001: 1,000-1,200 lbs. -- Estimated weight 15-20 years -- Estimated age 10' 6'' -- Hide measurement from nose to tail 10 11/16'' -- Skull width 17 13/16'' -- Skull length 28 8/16'' -- Skull score (length and width combined) 30 12/16'' -- North American record brown bear skull score 19 -- The number of bear skulls with a score above 30'' in Alaska since 1904 (This story first appeared in the Anchorage Daily News.)
Fnckwit ... other animals do not see a human and think, yep lets take it out ... you know just for fun. Why are we so fncked in the head? Pete
Liger....I thought that was just a Napolean Dynamite joke.... Probably still is, those pics look a little photochopped, anyone agree? Oh yea...that bear thing is quite amazing, Im not an animal rights activist or anything, but I think killing that bear was a little wrong, they approached it, so its not a matter of survival (to some extent) I know it charged them...but it was their choice too approach it in the first place.
I agree 100%, why kill it? I'm no activist either, but I say clench a bowie knife in your teeth and jump from a tree to even the odds.
A Liger is real. I know some have been raised in captivity, I'm not sure if there has ever been a wild one. I guess it's the same a breeding a mule.
I just don't see the point of killing animals, especially remarkable ones like this, for sport. There really is no sport to it and the hunters were proboably never in any danger. If someone wants to get a rush by killing a bear get airlifted onto the isalnd with a knife and a tent, do it like humans did centuries ago.
No. The Liger is real. They are bread in captivity. As said previously, they are the cross between a Male Lion and a female Tiger. They also breed Tigons (male Tiger, female lion), but the result is the opposite. Instead of being abnormally large, the Tigon is abnormally small and weak. More Liger Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
If you want to kill a bear than do it mano e mano, if not then just enjoy the view. If you need it for food go for it but it's for sport use a bow. Too bad the bear didn't have a rifle to shoot back. What's the fasination with killing things? What is it Penis envy? If it's for the rush then learn how to fight with your hands.
What's the weight on the Liger? Jaipur, a male Siberian Tiger, in his prime, weighed 1,000 pounds, and was over 11 feet long. years ago Guinness Book said he was the largest feline in captivity. Actually I don't know the current status of his keepers battles but her Tigers were all taken away and sent to allegedly terrible conditions in Texas to aid NJ developers. I sent some contributions to her a couple years ago but haven't kept updated on the situation Her site is here with some pics of her cats before they were taken and where they are currently in Texas. Much of the press said her cats were in poor health but they weren't when I saw them, and she has some pretty sad pics of where they are held now. http://www.tigersonly.org/index.html Chelle Image Unavailable, Please Login
This Reticulated Python is 49 feet long. It is the largest snake ever captured. It was found in a village in Indonesia where it was being worshiped as a god. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I see nothing wrong at all with killing the bear. Hunting is a fun sport enjoyed by millions. Those who condemn it have never done it.... very enlightened. It is also necessary for the population control of the animals. Who do you think pays for the park rangers and game wardens and environmental efforts in these areas? Hunters do. They pay through hunting permits and tag fees. It is hunters and fishermen who pay the cost of maintaining our wildlife and national park areas. What do you think happens to wildlife populations when there is no hunting? They grow too large, suffer malnutrition as the food base is unable to support the population and they die out in large numbers. The number of hunting permits and tags issued for a given geographic region is calculated to maintain the animal population at a level that is best for the animals. Years ago supposed "animal rights" activists got deer hunting on some of the coastal island national parks here in GA banned. The park rangers told the legislators that it was a huge mistake, but the ban was passed anyhow. Sure enough about 5 years later it was all in the news about the exploding deer population and how disease and malnutrition was killing them off. The state repealed the ban and hired hunters to go and immediatly cull the population back to a reasonable level. Man has always been the bears natural predator. It is what is natural. Personally I am not a hunter as I just dont really enjoy it. Too much sitting about. But my brother is a big hunter and has killed deer and bear with his bow. Of course nothing like a 1200lb brown bear! Amazing kill, one heck of a piece of hunting. Hunters can try for decades to get into position for a kill on an animal like that without success. The bear has fantastic smell and sense of presence. That they got so close either indicates great luck coupled with sharp hunting skills..... OR.... the bear was on their scent and doing some hunting of its own. Terry
Terry, Can you not see the difference between necessary culling and just picking off an animal to get your rocks off? Come on, that bear was not endangering anybody, obviously healthy and obviously had plenty of food. There is no justifiable reason for this person killing this animal other than to make himself feel better about himself. Now personally, I cannot understand how killing something can make you feel better about yourself. There are better ways to prove you are a good shot ... or a man. Try stopping to assist a weaker, or less mechanically minded person with their broken down car or something ... you do not have to thump your chest to be a man. Heck I feel more a man when my 4 year old daughter feels safe and comfortable enough in my lap to fall asleep in the evenings ... than when pumping weights at the gym (and yes I do go to the gym). In the end the want to end somethings life is worrying to me ... and yes I have killed an animal or 2 in the past. One was not accidentally but we thought necessary to cull ... I killed one, and have never ever forgotten the look in the animals eyes, the confusion and helplessness. I have never intentionally killed an animal since. Now I have absolutely nothing against killing for survival, being that for food or because you were endangered ... but this was not the case. In the end it just shows a disturbing view of LIFE (and contradictory) that some people have ... they need to end somebody elses to make their LIFE feel whole. Well, as others have pointed out, what a gutless, small penised whimp. About as much courage as beating a dog to death ... pathetic. Was this view on his life what motivated Hitler? ... same difference, both killed defenseless animals for no justifiable reason. Pete
That looks like the Python that swallowed that human a while back ago. Heres the Article and Pictures: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa061101a.htm (CAUTION: Could be classified as gory and disturbing)
Terry, I have no problems if you hunt. I have some of my students that have their own hunting show in Indiana. When they hunt they use a bow. That's real hunting. Any idiot can pull a trigger. Granted it's harder than just pulling a trigger but easy just the same. If they hunt with rifles, they do it for food. They eat what they kill. Have you ever seen a buffalo? How many were killed off a train just for fun? I have no problems with killing for hunt/food. If you eat what you kill. I'm no heartbleeding libral but To kill a bear because it's there is sad. That is a beautiful creature that show be able to live and do it's thing.
[Puts on flame suit] I totally agree. I still cannot see how hiding out in a brown metal box with a hole to put your barrel through can be considered a sport. I really dont see anything too demanding except for patience. The basic logic that jptyke explained is what I concur with. Now back in the ancient greek times when they held those events in the collesuem (sp) where they pitted a human and a tiger, THATS what I call a real sport.
I don't get the thrill of hunting either. I remember going bird hunting a few years back, and when I finally hit one I felt more guilt than any sense of pride or accomplishment. This guy I work with is over-the-top into it, the type of guy who took a bite out of his first elk's heart. That type of stuff. It's almost comical how any time he sees an animal his first thoughts are about killing it!
Jeeeez do you folks really not get it? This bear WAS so giant and healthy because his habitat was capable of allowing him and others like him to thrive. If hunting was not allowed there, the bear population would over time grow beyond what the habitat could support. The bear population would then become malnourished, sick and ultimatly far more would die than do through regulated hunting. That is not politics, that is simple reality. The number of bear permits issued for hunting is calculated to maintain the optimum population. The hunting is aimed at helping the bears thrive. Without the hunting they would suffer and die. So in reality..... you tree hugging anti-bear hunting activists who think killing a bear is wrong would support policies that in the long run would result in far more bears dying horrible deaths from starvation and disease simply so you can feel better about no bears getting shot for sport. I see that as not only asinine but amazingly selfish. You can also say that shooting a bear like this is not sport and anyone could do it and all that other nonesense.... but thats what it is. Getting to a position of having a kill shot on such a beast is not easy. The wilderness is his habitat, not ours. He can smell you upwind a mile away. He can sense your presence before you see him from tiny changes in the environment like birds flight patterns and such. He knows the terrain and instinctively knows paths of escape..... or attack. A bear like that can also run at up to 35 miles per hour. Shooting one is no guaranty of stopping it. A bear like that, even when fatally shot, can live long enough to cover 50 yards seperating you in an instant and maul you to death before it dies. IT may take many shots to actually bring it down as its vital organs are protected by much muscle and gristle and its skull is thick enough to stop many rifle bullets. This bear was over 11' tall and weighed 1200lb. It would crush you to death instantly with one swipe of its paw. It could knock down medium sized trees. If you shoot and only wound it, it may be the last thing you ever do. These guys spotted this bear originally from only 40 yards away. It is amazing that they got that close to begin with and probably very lucky. They then lost sight of the bear only to have it reappear only 10 yards away! They had an instant to get off a killing shot. If he had missed, it is very likely he would have been bear snack. Terry