The Historic Grizzly

[brotherbear]

Continued...
Bowhunter Eric Burge hiked up the trail toward the top of the mountain, spurred on by the musical bugling of rutting bull elk up ahead. As he approached a saddle, he spotted the top of a tan-colored animal coming over the crest. Elk! A jolt of adrenalin scorched his veins, but the excitement turned to shock when, instead of a bull elk, an enormous tan-colored sow grizzly with two large cubs ambled into view and started down the trail toward him. Burge stepped off the path and pulled the can of bear spray from its belt holster. The sow's head jerked up, eyes wide with surprise. The next instant she was in full charge with head down and ears laid back. 
"This stuff better work," Burge thought as he raised the can of bear spray, "because she's not going to stop." 
The onrushing sow was almost upon him when Burge shot an orange burst of bear spray into the bear's face. The sow skidded to a halt, flailed at the air and spun around twice before galloping down the trail with her two confused cubs trailing behind.
When I interviewed Burge six months later, he punctuated his story with the epithet, "That bear spray saved my life." 
"Actually," I corrected him, "Dr. Chuck Jonkel and Bill Pounds saved your life." Reply