‘I was mauled by a 400lb grizzly bear and I shoved my own arm down his throat’
BY Herschel Smith
2 hours, 25 minutes ago
A hunter from Montana who narrowly escaped death during a grizzly bear attack has disclosed that one split-second decision saved his life.
Chase Dellwo, then 26, was hunting with his brother in the Montana backcountry when he inadvertently stumbled upon a 400lb sleeping male grizzly.
Local reports indicate that Dellwo was moving up a creek bed on a Saturday morning, attempting to herd a group of elk towards a ridge where his brother was stationed, when the bear woke up abruptly just three feet away.
Poor weather conditions, including snow, rain, and winds reaching 40mph, appear to have concealed Dellwo’s approach, meaning the bear didn’t see him coming and was thus taken by surprise.
He barely had time to retreat before the creature knocked him to the ground and bit his head, reports the Mirror.
“He let go but he was still on top of me, roaring the loudest roar I have ever heard,” Dellwo said.
The bear then clamped down hard onto his leg, shaking him violently and tossing him into the air. As it lunged again, Dellwo says that he didn’t succumb to panic, a factor that may have made all the difference.
“I remembered an article that my grandmother gave me a long time ago that said large animals have bad gag reflexes,” he said. “So I shoved my right arm down his throat.”
Incredibly, it worked. The bear immediately released the quick-thinking hunter and fled, leaving Dellwo severely wounded but, importantly, alive.
Despite bleeding profusely, he managed to reunite with his brother who quickly took him to the hospital. Doctors treated him for hundreds of stitches and staples in his head, a swollen and bruised eye, and deep puncture wounds on his leg.
The article says he was a hunter. I don’t know if he could reach his weapons in time, but I think I’d rather shoot the predator with a large bore handgun (.44 Mag, .454 Casull, or 450 SMC).
On January 25, 2026 at 9:03 pm, Dan said:
Even if you are properly armed a grizzly can move so fast you don’t have time to lay hands on a gun. He survived. Means he reacted correctly.
On January 25, 2026 at 10:41 pm, X said:
Well, as Col. Jeff Cooper wrote: “If you are attacked by a dog, shove your pistol down his throat.”
Probably good advice for a bear, too.
On January 25, 2026 at 11:03 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
This incident makes me wonder what the correct placement of a defensive handgun ought to be in case of such sudden deadly encounters. I now better understand why so many guys wear their pistols slung in holsters across their chests.
@ Dan
You are correct. Bears can move so quickly that you may not have a chance to grab whatever weapon you are carrying. Especially in built-up, heavily forested terrain or other cover, you may right on top of a bear and not realize it, like the protagonist in this saga. It speaks to why experienced hikers and old hands make as much noise as possible when moving through heavy cover, in order not to surprise any dangerous wildlife therein.
On January 25, 2026 at 11:17 pm, Arnie said:
Works on dogs too.