Mark of the Grizzly: True Stories of Recent Bear Attacks and the Hard Lessons Learned [Paperback]

Scott McMillion (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Must read for anyone interested in these magnificant creatures - filled with the true stories of recent bear attacks.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

People too often portray the grizzly as a vicious killer or as Winnie the Pooh when neither case is true. Sometimes grizzlies kill people, and in exceptionally rare cases they even eat them. Those incidents are the focus of this book because that's what makes bears so interesting, such a huge part of our culture and our collective imagination.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: FalconGuides; 1st edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560446366
• ISBN-13: 978-1560446361
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Bears

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read and balanced treatment, August 2, 2004

By 

Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mark of the Grizzly: True Stories of Recent Bear Attacks and the Hard Lessons Learned (Paperback)

This book is a great read. It is well written, though the style is sometimes a bit too "breathless" for my tastes. McMillion doesn't shy away from the blood and gore of the injuries, which some people will like and some people will not.

His stories concern a nice mix of people. Grizzlies attack some smart people who ended up in a bad situation, and some dumb people who brought on the attacks by making poor choices. Even the smart people would probably do a few things differently in hindsight, but the stories are told very sympathetically.

McMillion's treatment of these attacks is balanced, and he doesn't really side with humans or grizzlies. He also dispassionately reports park management decisions to kill or not kill the bear, and provides enough information for readers to make up their own minds. He generally seems supportive of rangers' decisions, though. He is most critical of Banff NP, rightfully so based on the facts that he provides.

One Amazon reviewer claims that this book is anti-people and anti-gun. This claim isn't reasonable. McMillion tells us of some people who saved their lives with guns, and he clearly values human life. He also values the grizzlies. He doesn't think that either guns or pepper spray will solve all your problems in grizzly country.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very well written book that has an eye for accuracy., September 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mark of the Grizzly: True Stories of Recent Bear Attacks and the Hard Lessons Learned (Paperback)

I have not only read this book I am one of the people whose story is contained within its pages. Scott has written an informative and honest and accurate book. My story has been published many times and this version is the one I like the best. He keeps true to the facts and at the same time gives a whole pespective of each person. It is an entertaining and informative read. I was riveted by all the other stories in the book as well as my own. I find Stephen Herrero's book Bear Attacks to be better for technical information however I prefer Scott's book for it's readability and giving a fuller picture of each attack.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Read, June 26, 2005

By 

P. Jessen (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mark of the Grizzly: True Stories of Recent Bear Attacks and the Hard Lessons Learned (Paperback)

This is one of those books that when people see it lying around, they can't help but pick it up and start browsing. The format is perfect for this, in that it is separated into different stories, so you can either read one chapter or the entire book. Some stories were better than others, but all were well-told and unique.

I thought the author did an excellent job of making each story interesting, providing details of what happened - what COULD'VE happened - and why it might have happened. No one can ever say for sure why a bear attacks when others in the same situation would not... but he offers sensible theories, usually from the attack victim and/or park officials. He also manages to weave in advice for readers, should they ever find themselves in similar situations.

I wouldn't consider myself an environmentalist (I'm more pro-human than pro-bear), but I do love animals and bears in particular have always fascinated me. I never got the sense from this author that he is a fanatic, or that he's trying to keep people from carrying guns. Rather, he explains that guns aren't as effective as people might think. By the time people even realize a bear's charging, there simply isn't time to pull out a gun, take aim, and shoot. The author discusses this so people can understand how to better fend off an attack, not merely to prevent bears from being shot. A lot of the victims he wrote about had been carrying guns... in some cases, it saved them. In most cases, it did not.

This book both entertained and educated me... and that's all I ask of any book.