DISASTER Montana Navy veteran had jaw torn off in horrifying grizzly attack, family says

[BigFootsCousin]

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Story by Chris Pandolfo •14h

A Navy veteran who was mauled in a vicious grizzly bear attack on Friday in Montana is in critical but stable condition, his family has shared.

Rudy Noorlander, the owner and operator of Alpine Adventures in Big Sky, was assisting a hunting party in tracking a deer when he encountered two grizzly bears near Yellow Mule Trail. Left with no choice but to fight with his bare hands, Noorlander was seriously injured in the attack and had his jaw torn off by a 10-feet-tall bear. Big Sky is a popular resort area about 55 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.

"My father is the bravest and strongest man I know," daughter KateLynn Davis wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for Noorlander's medical bills.

Davis said that her father was contracted by a group of hunters to rent out some of his ATVs. When Noorlander learned the hunters had killed a deer but were unable to find it, "Rudy being the Good Samaritan that he is decided to help them search for it," Davis recounted.



Rescue crews reached the injured hunter near Yellow Mule Trail and airlifted him to a hospital in Bozeman, Montana. Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue© Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue

Noorlander tracked a deer, but it turned out it was not the one the hunters shot. That was when he spotted an adult grizzly bear nearby.

"Instinctively, he pulled out his firearm in hopes of scaring away the grizzly," Davis wrote. However, before he had time to react, "a different 10 foot tall and far more aggressive bear was on him."

Noorlander attempted to shoot the larger bear, but his weapon misfired. He did not have time to retrieve his bear spray from his backpack, so he had to use his fists to fend off the massive beast. The bear lunged, and Noorlander threw a punch in an attempt to slow it down, but it was no use and the animal got on top of him.

"The Grizzly left a large scratch down his right chest, bit his arms, legs, and to top it all off, gave him as what Rudy describes as the most disgusting French kiss of his life before biting down and tearing off his lower jaw," Davis wrote.

Fortunately, Noorlander was not alone and the hunters in his party managed to scare the bear away and call for help. He remained conscious for two hours as rescue crews worked to airlift him to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center for further evaluation. Davis said her father displayed "an amazing feat of strength as he did not pass out from fear, pain or the blood loss."

Noorlander underwent initial surgery at Bozeman Deaconess, where doctors assessed his wounds and stabilized him. He was then taken to the University of Utah Hospital, where he remains in critical, but stable condition.

"Rudy is a Navy Veteran and has VA insurance but due to the surgeries and his time in the hospital he will need additional funding to help pay for his extensive medical bills," Davis wrote in the GoFundMe post.

She thanked those who have offered prayers or donated to the fundraiser, which has so far raised $16,410 toward its $25,000 goal.

"I wish that I could respond to every single person but I just want to express how grateful I am for all the love and support," Davis wrote on Facebook. "Thank you to every single person, the shares, the prayers and donations are all so so appreciated. My dad is doing better it’s going to be a long road, but he’s honestly the strongest and kindest person I know."

Fox News' Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Original article source: Montana Navy veteran had jaw torn off in horrifying grizzly attack, family says
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BFC- Note to Self: Never French Kiss a Grizzly..........

 

[Mark D]

 

[desertvet2]

One needs to carry a large combat knife in these here parts.

These woods and mountains were settled by HARD men and women.

Respect.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Noorlander attempted to shoot the larger bear, but his weapon misfired.

Shouldn’t be hunting with black powder single-shot weapons.

 

[psychgirl]

Good Lord

 

[ktrapper]

Im sure the bear looked 10 feet tall to those involved but if it was a 10 foot bear in MT I am guessing it looked like a NBA player, tall, brown and skinny. Its just my opinion but having lived 20 years in AK, and actually have been with friends who have taken 10 foot bears, one in King Salmon and one on Hitchenbrook Island, both were 10 footers in length, and having dealt with bears and seeing the food source available, and now living in Montana there just dont look like theres that much protein and fat available for a bear in Montana to reach 10 foot unless its been feeding on a regular diet of angus or buffalo. I realize the growing season is longer in MT but still, the food source is not the same.

And why does the gun always misfire in these stories?

The Largest Grizzly Bears Ever Recorded Were True Giants

As U.S. records show, the largest grizzly bear ever documented was a true behemoth, yet doesn't hold a candle to the brown bear record.

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The Largest Grizzly Bears Ever Recorded Were True Giants
The Largest Grizzly Bears Ever Recorded Were True Giants
written by Jon D. B.
March 7, 2023 6:15 pm
largest grizzly bear ever
Grizzly bear named Nakina is seen in an enclosure at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. (Photo by Natalie Behring for the Washington Post)
As U.S. records show, the largest grizzly bear ever documented was a true behemoth. Yet it doesn’t hold a candle to the brown bear record-holder.

First things first: When talking records or anything grizzlies, its important to know what makes a grizzly a grizzly as opposed to another brown bear. As Katmai National Park Ranger Cheryl Spencer explains, “All grizzly bears are brown bears. Grizzlies are simply a sub-species of brown bear. So they’re all Ursa arctos. The difference is basically where the bear lives.”

In short, a proper grizzly is a brown bear that lives in interior lands. “Whether that’s Alaska or other places, ‘grizzlies’ don’t have access to coastal resources. They live inland,” Ranger Spencer cites. Whereas brown bears, like the behemoths of Katmai’s Fat Bear Week, “do have access to these coastal resources.”

All of the above is pertinent information when looking up records online for the largest grizzly bear ever, because many brown bear records are attributed to grizzly bears when they shouldn’t be. Brown bears tend to be larger than inland grizzlies, too. You’ll find record-holding grizzlies and browns separate below as a result, each pulled from reputable documentation only.

The Largest Grizzly Bears Ever Recorded (Ursus arctos horribilis)

In total, there are only six entries to the state of Montana for grizzly bears, as the species has been protected since 1975 (two years after the introduction of the Endangered Species Act). Regardless, Montana provides official historic documentation of their brown bears, which are true inland grizzlies. For these reasons, the state is the most reliable source of record holding grizzly bears.

Largest grizzly bear ever recorded in Montana: 25 9/16 skull measurement
This grizzly was taken from the Missouri River Breaks in 1890 by E.S. Cameron. The skull of this bear currently resides at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. (source)
As the top record illustrates, grizzly bear records are documented by their skull measurements. These are denoted as points. While this allows for the scoring of older discoveries, it doesn’t provide official measurements for the largest grizzly bears. For this, we look to Montana’s third largest on record, as contenders for second place are disputed:

Third largest grizzly bear recorded in Montana: The Lincoln Grizzly
Montana’s “Lincoln Grizzly” is on permanent display at the Lincoln Ranger District office. In life, he was a healthy 12-year-old male weighing in at 830 pounds. He would would have stood approximately 8-feet-tall before he was killed by a vehicle on Highway 200 five miles west of Lincoln. (source)
While tall tales of 1,200 pound grizzly giants persist, the weight of the Lincoln Grizzly reveals a more realistic measurement. The brown bear species does reach far larger size, but the majority are coastal brown bears (which, again, are larger than grizzlies).

The Largest Alaska Brown Bear Ever Recorded (Ursos arctos middendorffi)

When it comes to brown bears at large, the biggest ever recorded come from Alaska. There, a unique, titanic bear population has grown through 12,000 years of genetic isolation in the state’s Kodiak region and islands. And as the record holder shows, the brown’s skull holds a whopping 5-inches over Montana’s largest documented grizzly:

World’s record Alaska brown bear: 30 12/16 skull measurement
This brown bear was taken near Kodiak’s Karluk Lake in late May 1952.
“The immense bear was shot by Roy R. Lindsley, who was a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee based in Kodiak. He worked in cooperation with a scientific expedition headed by Melville N. Lincoln, which was sponsored by a habitat group affiliated with the Los Angeles County Museum.” – Boone & Crocket Club
For an indication of overall size, we turn to Robert Steed’s April 2013 record holder. With a skull score of 28 4/16, “its hide squared over 9 feet, and biologists in Alaska estimated this gigantic bruin was more than 20 years old,” cites hunter and naturalist John McAdams of The Big Game Hunt.

In kind, Alaska’s all-time record holder probably stood between 9-and-10-feet on its hind legs in life. That is a true giant, and easily one of the largest bears – brown or grizzly – to ever live.

For an in-depth look at the difference between grizzlies and browns, see our National Parks Journal: Katmai Ranger Cheryl Spencer Explains the Difference Between Brown and Grizzly Bears next.

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[bw]

And why does the gun always misfire in these stories?

Because if the gun had worked we wouldn't hear about it.

 

[ssonb]

Probably cause of hunting safety regs, no round in chamber.
Kinda like carrying a self defense pistol unloaded.

 

[desertvet2]

When you go into the woods to hunt in THEIR DOMAIN, you go ready for war.

Otherwise stay home.

 

[naegling62]

To think modern man makes up all kinds of scary movies to frighten ourselves. Our ancestors lived a movie where these things kill you at will.

It would be so interesting to interview someone from that time period and see their solutions for modern dilemmas.

 

[Dozdoats]

A 10mm Glock or a heavy caliber (.44Mag or better) revolver.... and the skillset to use it.

 

[summerthyme]

I'm betting there was a carcass nearby...

Summerthyme

 

[WalknTrot]

Yup. They said they found a deer, but it wasn't the one the hunters shot. The bears were protecting their dinner.

More or less an unlucky encounter, but really...don't go tracking around in grizzly country without heavy duty hardware that is up to the task. Even then...close up? And two of them? It's a difficult row to hoe.

 

[Dozdoats]

It would be so interesting to interview someone from that time period and see their solutions for modern dilemmas.

The Hawken plains rifle ...

 

[WalknTrot]

It would be so interesting to interview someone from that time period and see their solutions for modern dilemmas.

A lot of them died back then of their own modern dilemmas.

When I look back in my ancestry at all the misery and risk that my lineage lived long enough to reproduce through, it's amazing that I'm here.

 

[Blue 5]

I read the article, but didn't see the answer to the only question I had...

Were they able to reattach his lower jaw? Life would be rather difficult without it, one would think.

 

[forpetesake]

They probably have to reconstruct it with rib bones, although that's usually if half needs replacement.

 

[BigFootsCousin]

I read the article, but didn't see the answer to the only question I had...

Were they able to reattach his lower jaw? Life would be rather difficult without it, one would think.

Can you imagine the PTSD that this fella has after having this Bear savage him like that? Nightmares!

BFC

 

[Scrapman]

Montana has a navy.

 

[Scrapman]

Sorry

 

[Czechsix]

Kept the bear spray in his pack, eh? Good decision. Good luck to him, I hope he has a full recovery. Nasty injury.

 

[Thinwater]

Shouldn’t be hunting with black powder single-shot weapons.

I hunt with such guns, and while in bear country have my Ruger Alaskan in .454 on my hip and often a 10mm stuck in my belt with Buffalo bullets brand ammo. They are bad ass rounds

If I am feeling really froggy I carry my SW 500 and a pocket Sig 365 for back up

 

[BigFootsCousin]

I hunt with such guns, and while in bear country have my Ruger Alaskan in .454 on my hip and often a 10mm stuck in my belt with Buffalo bullets brand ammo. They are bad ass rounds

If I am feeling really froggy I carry my SW 500 and a pocket Sig 365 for back up

I owned a S&W 500 at one time. Whenever I shot it I felt like someone was smacking my wrists with a Big Damn Hammer. I traded it at one of my LGS's for a 30-06 and a 38 spl. I kinda wish that I still had it. It's a TRUE Hand cannon!

BFC

 

[Bubble Head]

He made several bad mistakes that has altered his life. He was suppose to be a guide but yet he went in after a wounded deer with his spray in his back pack. Don't know what his side arm was. Probably just haste to help out but you have to slow down and realize the surroundings. Bears are knocking down 20,000 calories plus per day to get ready for winter. He is in Griz country and tracking blood. Small but costly mistakes. I pray they can do constructive surgery for him.

 

[West]

I got to go bear hunting, near Kalispell Montana. Got off the beaten path, and into a hallow. There was a old growth of lodge pole pine along with heavy brush, but bear trails everywhere.

I walked up to a big pine that seemed to have been rubbed against it. Patches of hair was lodged into some of the bark almost rubbed smooth at least 8 feet high. Then looking up at about 9 feet I seen deep four + clawed scrapes that ran around and across the trunk of the tree.

Then felt someone/thing eyeing me. Got the heck out of there.

 

[cat killer]

I got to go bear hunting, near Kalispell Montana. Got off the beaten path, and into a hallow. There was a old growth of lodge pole pine along with heavy brush, but bear trails everywhere.

I walked up to a big pine that seemed to have been rubbed against it. Patches of hair was lodged into some of the bark almost rubbed smooth at least 8 feet high. Then looking up at about 9 feet I seen deep four + clawed scrapes that ran around and across the trunk of the tree.

Then felt someone/thing eyeing me. Got the heck out

 

[Squib]

I got to go bear hunting, near Kalispell Montana. Got off the beaten path, and into a hallow. There was a old growth of lodge pole pine along with heavy brush, but bear trails everywhere.

I walked up to a big pine that seemed to have been rubbed against it. Patches of hair was lodged into some of the bark almost rubbed smooth at least 8 feet high. Then looking up at about 9 feet I seen deep four + clawed scrapes that ran around and across the trunk of the tree.

Then felt someone/thing eyeing me. Got the heck out of there.

Black bear I take it?

I only ask because many of the old timers here did hunt griz in their younger years…

Had an old guy born and raised here tell me years ago, he and his pappy went hunting griz when he got back from Vietnam in the 60’s.

He grew up with his dad and grandad all having hunted them and having had accidental encounters with them.

 

[cat killer]

BIL lived in Bigfork and hunted bear in that area, carried a 4570 loaded with I think Buffalo Bore.
He had the rifle in his hands at all times and said if he was charged the most shots he would get off was 2 and probably 1.
If he was asked about bear spray his answer was mostly swear works.
There was a cute saying how to tell the difference between black and grizzly scat, can't remember it but little bells and bear spray was in it.

 

[Dennis Olson]

I hunt with such guns, and while in bear country have my Ruger Alaskan in .454 on my hip and often a 10mm stuck in my belt with Buffalo bullets brand ammo. They are bad ass rounds

If I am feeling really froggy I carry my SW 500 and a pocket Sig 365 for back up

I only have a Taurus Raging Bull in .454. The .500 is just too much gun for me these days.

 

[West]

Black bear I take it?

I only ask because many of the old timers here did hunt griz in their younger years…

Had an old guy born and raised here tell me years ago, he and his pappy went hunting griz when he got back from Vietnam in the 60’s.

He grew up with his dad and grandad all having hunted them and having had accidental encounters with them.

I don't know, but the AO was really close to the boarder of Canada. And I have never seen a black bear tall enough to mark a tree about 9 feet up.

Thinking it wasn't a black bear. It was in 1982 and as I recall north east of Kalispell. A well known area for the local bear hunters. But the area gave me the creeps. It could have been a elaborate fake, doesn't matter I got the heck out of there.

Also seen two big white wolves that day.

 

[cat killer]

BIL lived on 40 A. of woods and had a trail cam on his driveway, he would send me pictures every week or so and according to the season there would be a lot of grizzles.
His biggest scare was going to work at dark 30 one morning and when he opened the door there was a black bear sitting on his porch looking at him, I'am sure from then on he looked before he opened it.
Puter ate his pictures plus a lot more I hated to lose.

 

[West]

My experience with Grizzly bear hunting in 1982 was really close to this area....

Video shows grizzly bear walking toward Montana hikers at Glacier National Park

A wildlife photographer captured the terrifying moment when hikers at Glacier National Park in Montana crossed paths (literally) with a grizzly bear.

www.usatoday.com

But I chickend out. And from then on out I only hunted and bagged several beautiful black bears. Screw those grizzlies!

 

[Thinwater]

I only have a Taurus Raging Bull in .454. The .500 is just too much gun for me these days.

Me too, my wrist swells up after two shots and I can't move my hand. I don't even shoot my .44 mags anymore. I will carry them , but not shoot them. I ended up with an excess of AR15's (Imagine that) and went on a binge a couple of years ago trading AR's for magnum revolvers. I ended up with a pile of cool stuff.

 

[BUBBAHOTEPT]

At a minimum, the bear spray needs to be on something like a simple chest rig and whatever you carry needs Buffalo Bore bullets. At a minimum….
I might miss, but hell if I’m going to die/get mauled because of a misfire… Just Sayin..