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Welcome back to Scary Bear Attacks! Today’s episode takes us to Tuscarora Overlook Trail in Douthat State Park near Millboro, Virginia. The hills here stretch about 3200 feet in elevation, which is high for the Appalachian range. They are covered in dense growths of oak, maple, and hickory trees that drop their leaves each fall. The evergreens here include pine, fir, spruce, and hemlock trees with paw paw, black willow, dogwood, and magnolia bushes displaying their brilliant flowers and fruits to keen observers from any species. Wild game animals here include White-Tailed Deer and turkeys, but raccoons and skunks are also common. Predators in this area include bobcats, coyotes, and black bears.
According to the Douthat Park trail guide linked below, The Tuscarora Overlook Trail runs several miles into the forest on the west side of the park. It executes hairpins in the trail whenever it climbs, granting hikers amazing views. The emerald greenery shimmers down the valley as the breezes rustle the leaves like they’re under some kind of magic spell.
Around 5:30 PM on Saturday, August 8th, 2015, 52-year-old Laurie Cooksey was hiking the trail and enjoying the outdoors with her family. Along with Laurie were her children. Ellis who was age 19, Hannah was age 16 and Blake was age 22, all enjoyed being active with their mother. It wasn’t long into the hike before energetic Ellis disappeared ahead of the other three group members.
The dips and turns in the trail created new sights and adventures for the hikers and the fresh air invigorated them. The family was close and had gone on several hiking adventures together in the past, but today’s events would cast a new light on the possibilities the forest presents.
Their plans had consisted of planned hiking treks mixed in with paddling a canoe in the reservoirs in the area. There was nothing in the sources that indicated that they had brought bear spray or a firearm on their hike that day, so it is accepted they had brought neither. Ellis was ahead of the group when a small black bear showed itself on the trail ahead of him. The bear was partially concealed behind a small pine tree but quickly began to slowly and steadily stalk toward the group. The hikers had already reached the peak in the trial and were on their descent when they ran into the bear. It was only 15 feet away from Ellis and suddenly rose to its hind legs as if it was comparing its size with the young man’s. With his mother arriving and standing beside him, Ellis was in a quandary about precisely how to handle the situation.
You see, Ellis has always held a deep-seated fear of bears. On each hike they have gone on, they had used three owl hoots as a universal alert of a bear sighting as an inside joke, more than anything serious.
As she looked at the bear, Laurie could see a strange look in the bear’s eyes. She stated that she and Ellis wouldn’t soon forget that look. I have seen this look in person and up close in run-ins with black bears in Idaho. That look is that of absolute indifference as the animal seemingly calculates the calories expended versus the calories spent or the risk of injury gathering those calories. The economy of calories that bears have to tally is one that pits a prey animal versus a predator and the reconciliation of an equation in which no person wants to be on the short side.
Ellis and Laurie couldn’t help but break formation and run for their lives. The look the bear had given them shook them to their core and instilled terror. As the duo fled, the bear seemed to anticipate their route and cut them off. It had spent its entire life either learning how to or practicing catching up to its prey, and this prey wasn’t fleet of foot.
Laurie was trailing Ellis as they ran from the bear, which put her first in line to be caught by it. The bear chuffed as it closed in on her and swatted her on the small of her back, opening up several gashes in her flesh. Seeing no other alternative, they flung themselves down the steep mountainside hoping that the bear would give up, and leave them alone.
That day had been a rainy one, and the mud and moist foliage helped the hikers as they slid downhill on their rear ends. Given gravity has her way with any body of mass, they were soon tumbling more than they were sliding.
This tactic didn’t confuse or discourage the bear as it immediately pursued them in their downhill escape. As the bear caught up to Laurie, it sank its teeth into the back of her knee and shook its head violently. The wounds it opened up are too graphic for YouTube standards, so I have posted them on my Patreon link, posted below.
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i like to advertise compact flame throwers on this channel.
Why does every video i see have like 704 views? It’s creepy af. Whats YT doing?
It’s 704 or 41 most every video lately.
Loved this episode and storytelling Atticus!! Bummer you weren't on live chat tonight 😢 wow wow wow!!!! Beautiful and bad ass family!!! That's for sure!!! Awwwww the cubs so sweet and cute!!🐻🐻🐻 Bear claw doughnuts!!! Yummyyyyyy 😋😋😋 Thanks Atticus!!!watched the video again and I'm so sorry I forgot to answer your question Atticus agreed 💯 I definitely would have been a mumbling mess too!!!
I'm afraid that a male bear got two cub snacks after the mother was put down. Glad that the the family survived to tell the tale!
Good for them got away with no one being severely mauled, way to go MOM. I agree Addicus I would have been a mumbling mess and scared out of my mind!!!!!! 🤣 thank you SBA ❤
No defense weapons in bear country?! Foolish!
Bear has tasted human flesh…not only will it attack again but it will teach the cubs to attack humans…needs to be removed…
We should ban bears….
2 cubs, she was starving, young and obviously desperate. Sad.
I believe she was correct and protecting her babies, they shouldn’t be killed for doing something that’s in their instinct. However, I do believe a life for a life. sometimes I wonder if they say they kill them and they just move them to another area of mountain
Mama Bear was protecting her cubs , the hikers were in Bear Country. Why didn't they just relocate all three Bears , instead of leaving the cubs orphaned. The Bear claw desserts were dumb and tacky.
Atticus my friend…right on time with our video…Thx buddy
Yes,yes,no
Firearms and bear spray are mandatory. Why throw your life away for nothing?
the bear stop to go eat food didnt go kill people it was guarding cubs fish and game should have lit her live bell hey bear = gun = bear spray dont run i bet off oven cleaner would work
People just a reminder… Bear spray costs less than a Big Mac meal at McDonald's and it will save your life
Afraid of bears, and they go hiking in woods??? And no bearspray or other means of protection??
This was 100% a preditorial attack. Never run from any bear. I also know that look when a bear is thinking about how to kill you. Remember this saying because it could save your life. If it's brown lay down, if it's black fight back, if it's white good night
They had no choice but to put her down. Unfortunately. Bears will repeat their attacks on humans and if her cubs witnessed the attack chances are they would too. I bet they put the cubs down too but didn't specify because of the backlash. Great story pal. You make us feel like we're in the story. Thank you. Till next time
👍👍
I jus moved to bear country and I’m starting to have a little more sympathy/empathy for those that have encounters. I bet even with protection, it may be pretty unnerving to deal with an encounter with a bear. I wonder if I had a good dagger, if I stood a chance. I have a 9mm but sometimes I don’t want to carry.
Post Send: After I heard they put the bear down, I completely disagree with it. And then I heard you ask your viewers that question and that confirmed my belief. The bear didn’t kill anybody, AND had cubs. Like.. what? Sleep it and relocate it with the cubs… 🙄:
Seems a well aimed can of bear spray could have avoided this attack 😔
I honestly do not understand people wondering around in bear country without bear spray.
I think it’s possible that the sow bear attacked the four people in the interest of protecting her cubs, in this instance it may not have been ethical or necessary to euthanize the sow. But here we have again people venturing into Bear country without a firearm, when will people wake up? This is America, you can carry a firearm to protect yourself when you’re in the woods.
Bears are a apex predator, so yes…..they will 100% target and kill a person with the intent to consume, if the situation favorable…..it's nature.
Hi seriously, do not believe that they should have put the Bear down. She had cubs to take care of she was only taking care of them.
Why do they always 'humanely dispatch' a bear who waa protecri g her cubs? Now three beara are lost for no lefgitmate reason…its cruel, those cubs probably starved.
These bear attacks are now closer to many of us, Atticus!! I can understand why Laurie decided to not hike anymore but she's a strong, fearless woman! The sow clearly wanted to make Laurie her dinner!! But Laurie fought back not only for her own survival, but her kid's as well! I'm happy about the ending. It could've been a worse scene on that trail. They should've carried bear spray so nobody would suffer from an attack.
There seems to be no end to foolish people willing to put themselves into potentially dangerous situations without any means of defense. Relying on animals' innate fear of humans is only effective until it isn't. Then you better have a backup plan, or you have no one to blame but yourself.
They should have let the sow live, he let the woman live; she had cubs.😂
Odds are this was a defensive attack. Especially where cubs involved.
Just because you dont see them, doesnt mean theyre not there.
Actual predatory attacks, usually involve older males in ill health, or a rare occasional rogue bear.
As bear and human populations grow, and territories overlap more and more.
Negative interactions are inevitable.
We're supposed to be the smart ones.
When in bear country, bear spray and firearm if allowed. Make your presence known.
Dont sneak up or startle them.
Keep food, trash away from sleeping quarters and secured.
A shame they put her down.
Perhaps if they had bear spray, it would have been a good training for both.
Also this is why well regulated hunting is a good idea. It controls populations, but more importantly, trains bears to avoid humans.
I don't think this was a predatory attack because she was defending her cubs
yet another great episode! thanks!
She was really lucky; thanks to her family smart thinking.
Another group of otherwise intelligent people showing their ignorance of wildlife which lead to the death of three bears,
Another dummy with no gun or bear spray.
You don't mess around with Black Bears. If it attacks a human you destroy it.
Booked it, haven't heard that outta anyone besides myself for awhile ✌️😊🐻GRRRR
Hmmm….if cubs were present then maybe not a predatory attack. But would rather be safe then sorry.
Bye, bye mama bear!
Laurie is one tough lady, a real life Sarah Connor (the main character of most in the Terminator movies). Unfortunately for a bear that attempts to prey on humans, it will try again. Thus it's a threat to human safety. I think they made the right call to put it down.
Human Mama is like a bear mama. Don’t F##k with my children ‼️👵🏻👩🌾❣️
In a case like this where the humans are stupid and didn’t bring weapons to defend themselves, I think the bear should get the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t eat this woman, and she had cubs to protect. In other cases where the bear eats the human in a predatory attack, I can see euthanizing the bear.
So scarry.there lucky they all started yelling .
This is for all the dumbsh*ts in Wisconsin that mistakenly believe black bears are gentle and cute lol
Oh wow, no way would I go hiking without a firearm. They might be 2 legged dangers out there also 🤔