Hunter dies in suspected bear attack in Hokkaido

Thursday 31st July, 09:55 AM JST

HOKKAIDO —

A 67-year-old hunter was found dead on a mountain in Mastue, Hokkaido, on Wednesday morning. Police said they believe he may have been attacked by a bear.

The body of Takeyoshi Okada was found by a rescue helicopter team around 10:20 a.m. after his family reported to local police that he had been missing since July 22. According to police, Okada went to the mountain alone to set a bear trap as part of a local government program to cull the bear population.

Police found his rifle and two empty cartridges beside his body and injuries all over his body which seem to have been caused by a bear. Neighbors heard two gunshots on July 22, police said.

Latest 15 of 30 Total Comments Show All

GW at 01:03 PM JST - 31st July

TJrandom

the traps yr talking about are hauled by trailers & used where bears etc are hanging in populated areas, they aint used in the mountains, the hunter(ed) wud have been setting leghold traps or some kind of snare, most likely the former.

Typical bear hunting in Jpn is mostly done in winter where the hunters know the dens, they go there & shoot them in their sleep, not what I wud call hunting but thats how its usually done.

but this time of year the bears are out & about so its not so easy
cleo at 01:25 PM JST - 31st July

let me tell you an enraged 400kg Hog after you is NO laughing matter.

Being a 400 kg hog quietly going about your daily business bothering no one and suddenly finding yourself staring at the wrong end of a loaded shotgun is even less of a laughing matter.

Moderator: Back on topic please.
TJrandom at 01:28 PM JST - 31st July

GW - not to argue of course... but the pen traps I have seen and been inside on occasion are built out of logs, cut from the area, wired together in a circle some 4 to 6 meters in diameter. It is set by lifting the log door and attaching bait to the wire that causes the door to drop.

More humane than clamps or snares. Bear is killed later, set free, or lives in a pen thereafter.
Zen_Builder at 01:43 PM JST - 31st July

Cleo.

I hunt with a crossbow(as stated), in order to get a good shot you need to get close to the prey (like within a few metres).

If you miss the shot(heart or spine), a hog/boar has a poor nervous system and thus don't know it got hurt badly it just gets ANGRY.

Not talking guys here that pot game with high-powered rifles and scopes, etc. Or use semi-automatic rifles.

I know you are a vegetarian and consider meat-eaters cruel, etc. But a good hunter feels for the game/prey and tries to minimize the suffering. We use the animal(Food, etc) and don't kill for the sport of it. What we kill we use/eat.

Let me tell you I spend hours in a tree waiting for a deer to show up in a clearing and waited longer for the right shot(and it was cold). I get upset with hunters that miss their shot and need to trail the animal often for hours.

Not all is black/white.

Moderator: Back on topic please.
Zen_Builder at 01:57 PM JST - 31st July

A bear is a worthy opponent wounded or not and most likely will beat any human in a 1on1 encounter. Same as a Puma, etc.

My point still stands a human trying to go 1on1 today with wildlife will get owned. Forget all the TV, etc achievements we did if you are caught in the wild without them you are toast, superior intelligence don't save you.
cleo at 02:10 PM JST - 31st July

The question of what the man was doing on the mountain has significant bearing on whether this was indeed a tragedy or simply nemesis. My vote is for the latter.

If the bear was hurt, or gets hunted down as a 'killer', then it's a tragedy.
kavikahi at 02:25 PM JST - 31st July

as part of a local government program to cull the bear population.

Perhaps it would be best to let this guy rest in peace, if possible
Zen_Builder at 02:34 PM JST - 31st July

cleo.

I fully agree. I hate for an animal to get killed because it did what is natural to it.

Same way I hate for an animal being put down as a killer because some idiot entered its territory/cage/whatever and it did what it is designed to do.

I feel for and love all animals(even the stuff that makes you feel yucky) but at the same time they have been food for millenia. Humans are omnivores and that is a fact.
nutsagain at 02:46 PM JST - 31st July

Hark....? I hear over yonder the call of the wild!
dennis0bauer at 03:14 PM JST - 31st July

i fought the bear and the bear won.

Are they sure it was a bear? maybe a japanese yeti or one of those criminals that are on those posters. ussualy bears eat a part of the victim. or am i wrong?
Icantbelieveit at 05:33 PM JST - 31st July

It never ceases to amaze me the way they report things like this..."which seem to have been caused by a bear"?

Perhaps it was just a really big dog?
bobxyzp at 10:16 PM JST - 31st July

guy with gun vs bear: bear wins. 12 year old girl in tent vs bear: 12 year old girl wins

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/12-year-old-girl-fights-off-bear-in-hokkaido
billabong031 at 10:42 PM JST - 31st July

That's a pretty grim way to die.
imagawa at 08:17 AM JST - 2nd August

I hope the bear got away without two holes in it, that would be cruel. The old guy was a hunter & failed, sorry, but he went where the bears live & got killed by one. I can't feel bad about that.

Zen builder. Are there no supermarkets where you come from, I mean, do you really NEED to go out killing things for food? Maybe it saves money, & maybe if that is true then I'm on the side of boar & I don't wish you luck next time you go out killing. It didn't come looking for you remember.
helloklitty at 05:07 AM JST - 3rd August

dennisObauer: Are they sure it was a bear?

Quote: Police found his rifle and two empty cartridges beside his body and injuries all over his body which* seem* to have been caused by a bear.

No, they aren't.