Close Call for Jonkel

State media gave much coverage to passing of international bear expert, Dr. Charles Jonkel, earlier this month. Both Chris Peterson and Larry Wilson wrote fine articles last week, so it’s my turn. Don’t remember circumstances when our paths crossed 60-some years ago but certainly remember we liked each other because we were intrigued by bears … especially grizzlies.

When he was doing his first research in the North Fork, neither of us had much money but I managed to buy a six-pack now and then and visit his dilapidated little camper trailer up Big Creek. On the first of days when I made his rounds in the upper drainage. We did not have a bear in any of his jaw traps but we did see dozens of blacks and grizzlies. I should say, “Charlie saw them.” Out of our total count, I spotted only four before he did. He had the eyes of an eagle.

One of the grizzlies was up on the head of Skookoleel Creek near the top of Smoky Range. Took 15 minutes before he could get me to see him, then the biggest surprise was that even at great distance he recognized the beast. In those days, Charlie named the bears, and he despised people referring to females as “sows.” He emphatically said, “They are not pigs.”

The last time I talked to Charlie was at Swiftcurrent 10 years ago guiding a group of women on a “show me” bear excursion. Over the years I tried to talk him into writing a book about his adventures with bear studies that were not oriented to biology. There were many fascinating yarns and I’m going to tell one as best I can. I apologize for not being able to remember a couple of details which I’ll note later. This is probably Charlie’s closest call to being killed in his many years of bear studies.

While alone at his Big Creek camp in the late ‘50s, Charlie was surprised by the arrival of a complete stranger who said, “Down in Colorado I am know as “Grizzly Jackson.” The man had read about Jonkel’s bear studies and wanted badly to go with him. 

Charlie felt a little unsure of the guy but the man was so sincere in his desire to share some time, Charlie allowed him to go on that day’s check of his “live trapping” line.

As it happened, a big male grizzly had got caught in one of the drag sets which consisted of a large steel jawed spring trap attached by chain to a heavy piece of log. This enables the bear to move, but slowly with difficulty.

When the stranger and Charlie found the griz it had the log hung up and was mad as a hornet. Charlie saw he’d have to work fairly close to tranquilize the bear with a dart gun so he placed the stranger where he could observe the proceedings and gave him a loaded 12 gauge shotgun with orders to shoot the griz if Charlie got in danger. The man was nervous but said he could handle the responsibility.

Charlie maneuvered around to shoot the dart and the grizzly charged. Backing up in the brush and trees, Jonkel’s heel caught between roots and he fell over backwards lying behind a large old log. The grizzly somehow managed to get close to the other side of the log, reached over and tried to hit Charlie with its front paw, just missing by a couple of feet.

In telling me about this later, Charlie said, his heel was stuck but he felt he might have a chance if he shot the bear with the .22 pistol on his belt but when he reached for the gun, the holster had slipped around under him. While he was getting it out the bear made another appearance over the log and tried another missed swipe.

From there on it was a repeated action of the bear leaning above the log and Charlie shooting it in the face. When the last shot had been fired the bear stopped appearing and the roaring ceased. Charlie was able to get his heel out, obviously suffering trauma from the unreal and unexpected event.

In the aftermath, Charlie skinned out the dead griz and found one of those little slugs had penetrated a small natural skull opening near the eye and entered the brain.

A detail I can’t remember is what “Grizzly Jackson” did with the shotgun when he panicked and fled the scene of Charlie’s peril, never to be seen here again.

G. George Ostrom is a national award-winning columnist for Hungry Horse News. He lives in Kalispell.