Bear Eats Alaskan Woman's Kayak, Ignores Her Protests

by
posted on October 2, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Bears have made their way into many a "Wilder World Outdoors" entry—the furry little guys just have a knack for getting into trouble. They fight each other in people's lawns, get their heads stuck in cookie jars, interrupt baseball games...there's no end to their shenanigans. So long as you're not in the crosshairs of a hunter's optic, the world's your playground when you're a big ol' bruin. An Alaskan woman found that out the hard way earlier this week.

In a video posted to YouTube, a black bear confronts a woman who's purportedly on a small island in Berg Bay, Alaska, before ultimately chowing down on her only means of transportation: the kayak she paddled in on.

Posted on Sept. 29, the footage is shot from the perspective of a concerned kayaker, who allegedly parked her boat on the shore before heading into a nearby cabin for lunch. Upon investigation, she found a black bear milling around the entryway. Prepared for just such an occasion, she makes a racket and ultimately the bear—which visibly tries to approach her—with her bear spray or, as she describes it "pepper spray." The canned defense does the trick, to an extent, and the bear retreats a bit.

Much to her horror, though, the furred menace turns its attention to her kayak, putting tooth and claw alike to work on the boat's frame. As the video continues, the kayak's owner vehemently protests this, screaming "Stop bear, please stop!" and other objections in an increasingly shrill tone. She threatens to spray the bear a second time, but doesn't follow through—and, as a result, Boo-Boo continues to put a hurting on her ride. Fortunately, the bruin never does turn its attention back to whoever was behind the camera. Must have been a tasty kayak.

Or, hey, as a colleague put it earlier today, maybe the guy's name wasn't "Bear." It's a fair point.

Latest

Ruger American Gen 2 Lede
Ruger American Gen 2 Lede

Top 10 New Hunting Rifles for 2025

As the year draws to its inevitable close, we asked Philip Massaro to select his top 10 favorite rifles that debuted in 2025. Without any further adieu, let’s dive into the list.

The 4 Classic Hunting Platforms

Andi Bogard takes a look at the classic actions and platforms that laid the foundation for today’s hunting rifles.

Conservation Partners Launch Novel Turkey Nesting Research

Predator populations—nest raiders and full-feathered turkey killers alike—are growing across the United States. To determine if their increasing numbers are a leading cause of wild turkey population declines, Turkeys For Tomorrow (TFT) has announced a groundbreaking study on predator impacts on nesting and poult-rearing success.

Muleys The Old Way: Traditional Muzzleloading

Aram von Benedikt and his son took part in one of the oldest American traditions there is: muzzleloading for deer with a traditional smokepole. Read on for more about their adventure.

MSU Deer Lab Celebrates 50 Years

For 50 years the Mississippi State University (MSU) Deer Lab—a partnership between the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center (FWRC) and MSU Extension Service in Starkville, Miss.—has delivered nationally recognized research on deer biology, habitat management and land stewardship.

#SundayGunday: Our Top 5 in 2025

Sitting on your couch in an eggnog stupor, wrapping paper still draped off every chair in sight? Still procrastinating getting up, cleaning, up or any sort of behavior that could be remotely described as productive? Here's something to keep you further occupied in your sedentary state. Read on, to check out our Top 5 #SundayGundays of 2025, as selected by you, our audience.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.