Black Bear Kills 11 Year Old Boy, Sam Ives

By Jim on June 19th, 2007

Terrible. My condolences to his family and friends. God rest the soul of Sam Ives.

Apparently this bear had actually harassed some other campers the day before. It should have been killed right then and there if that’s true.

Authorities said the bear, as much as 300 pounds, probably was the same one harassing another group of campers in the same spot before dawn Sunday. Kurt Francom said his son, Jake, was kicked in the head through a tent wall.

“It could have been my boy,” said Francom, a school custodian.

So clearly this freaking bear was a hunter of humans and had already had a dry run at taking a human child. It should have been tracked and killed immediately after it went after the first family.

I don’t know if anyone in either of these groups of campers was armed but it might have been better if they had been. Not to be nasty or insensitive here but it’s always better to be armed if you go into the woods. You simply never know what you’re going to encounter and you should always be prepared to protect yourself and your children. And you should never depend on “the authorities” to do it for you. If trouble happens, chances are “the authorities” won’t be anywhere near you to help out.

The grandfather of the boy who was killed is questioning why the authorities didn’t warn his group. I don’t blame him a bit for asking the question, it’s a legitimate one. And my heart goes out to him and to his grieving family. I think that the park service had an obligation to warn campers if they were aware of this bear’s previous behavior. Some kind of investigation needs to be launched to find out just what the hell happened and what the park service’s responsibility and/or failure was in this tragic loss.

There was a thread over at Nuge’s board about this, here’s Nuge’s comments on this sad incident:

“so very sad. I seem to be the only person on earth shouting out loud that there are more black bears today than every in recorded history, & the failure of everybody sharing this critical info is partially to blame for the underutilized hunting ops rampant in so many regions & more menacing bear numbers & attitude.

FACT-there should be a spring & fall hound & bait hunt in every bear state, harvest numbers increased due to oppulation growth & resultant danger factor. Be ultra alert when camping in bear areas. Put children inside between armed adults in tents & never let children wander alone w/o armed capable adult supervision. period”

All you folks out there that are against hunters controlling the number of bears via lawful hunts might do well to reconsider your position on that issue.

New Hampshire Hunters: Bear Hunting Information from New Hampshire Fish and Game.

You can also buy your hunting license online.

Edit: Some more details about who Sam Ives was. I’m posting them here as it’s important to give a full picture of who he was rather than just thinking of him as some anonymous victim. It underscores the real loss for his family and why safety in the woods and viable black bear hunting is so critical.

Trembling with emotion, Eldon Ives described Sam as an outgoing boy who recently stood at the front door of a family gathering and told visitors, “I’m Sam Ives. Welcome to our home.”
Sam was due to enter the Boy Scouts and sixth grade at Valley View Elementary School in Pleasant Grove, where he participated in the chess club. He had an inquisitive nature and enjoyed science and experimenting, Eldon Ives said. He was reading The Red Badge of Courage with his grandmother.
“We were looking forward to seeing what a special young man he would be when he grew up,” Eldon Ives said.
Joseph, who met Sam four years ago through Cub Scouts, recalled Sam using Legos to construct space stations, battle cruisers and watch towers. Sam once made a naval cruiser out of Legos that stretched the length of his yard, Joseph said. “I would have thought he’d make a great architect,” Joseph said.
Sam also loved war history and would share World War II trivia with friends.
Although teary-eye, Joseph happily reminisced about Sam – about the imagined space wars, the cushion fortresses, the special whistle he had to call his cat.
Joseph’s mother, Kelly Allen, described Sam as a thoughtful boy who forged a bond with her son and stood up when they were bullied.
“It was good for them to have each other,” she said. “They would support each other and be there for each other.”
Charles Penrod, who lives a few doors from Sam’s family, said Sam would keep other children from playing in the street.
“He was just the friendliest kid in the neighborhood. He’d always stop to talk to you,” Penrod said. “He really seemed to take care of his little brother and the little kid next door.”
Former neighbor Susan Escalante, who was Sam’s Webelos leader, brought flowers and a letter to the Ives’ doorstep Tuesday afternoon. “He befriended everyone in the [Webelos] group,” she said.
She described Sam as a meticulous worker who would spend lots of time on his Scouting projects. She used to tell him he could be a mechanical engineer.
Sam also enjoyed camping and the outdoors, Eldon Ives said.