Eleven Year Old Alaska Boy Shoots Charging Bear to Save His Family

An eleven year old boy named Elliot Clark was walking through the woods in Alaska with three family members and three dogs.  That’s when they were taken by surprise, by a brown bear.  

Juneau Empire reported on what happened:

The bear ran through two of the men, pushing them to the side of the trail, leaving Elliot and his cousin left in its path, Elliot’s father, Lucas, said.

“There was four of them in a line. My son was third,” the father said. “The bear came down the trail at them, fella in the front, who was his uncle, the bear was on him so quickly that he didn’t have time to take his rifle off his shoulder.”

The boy then raised his pump action shotgun and shot the bear with birdshot.
His father said the first shot did nothing, but two more downed the bear and finishing shots by the boy and his uncle killed it.

“That first shot hit him in the shoulder and did absolutely nothing,” he said. “The next shot hit him in the nose and traveled down through the neck.”

His dad said he kept on meaning to put a sling on Elliot’s gun, but never got around to it.  However, that may have been what saved their lives, because he could get to his gun faster.

“He was carrying it in his hands rather than on his shoulder,” he said. “That was the problem with the other ones, when the bear came at his uncle, he had his rifle on his shoulder and the bear was very close, so he couldn’t get it off in time.”

So proud of this kid — for thinking on his feet in a very dangerous situation and being able to use his weapon well.

Image Credit: NPS.gov

h/t  Juneau Empire