Hunter Attacked by Injured Bear

Last Thursday, Alex Machado, a 22-year-old hunter from Medford, Ore., learned the hard way that you should always confirm an animal you shot is dead by checking it with the barrel of your gun. After shooting a bear, Machado and his hunting partner, Nathan Shinn, mistakenly believed the bear, which was lying on its side, was dead. When they approached it, the bear grabbed and began biting Machado on the right side of his body, injuring his right hand and arm. The bear and Machado rolled down a 50-foot embankment, while the bear continued to maul him. Shinn ran after them and managed to shoot the bear in the head, killing it for certain that time.

After killing the bear, Shinn and the injured Machado got separated as Shinn walked off in an attempt to get cell service. After just 10 minutes passed, a sheriff's office lieutenant found Machado walking down a road and quickly took him to an area where Mercy Flights had staged. He was then taken to Rogue Regional hospital by ground transportation. Shinn was located an hour later, uninjured. Neither hunter was able to recall the exact location of the dead bear at the time, but efforts were being made to locate it.

Most hunters know to always approach an animal they shoot from the front to determine if it's truly dead, but sometimes, even the most skilled hunters can be fooled. So, have you ever approached an animal you believed to be dead, only to discover it was still alive? If so, what happened?