Originally Posted by Rastoff

The adjective "bad" doesn't grasp the enormity of this failure.

In the Army, they teach you never to put your rifle down. I wasn't in the Army, but my friend was and told me this story:
"We were on [insert training exercise name] and had stopped for lunch. We were in the middle of the woods and had to eat on the ground. I found a log to sit on and leaned my rifle on the log next to me. My sergeant lit me up. He said that I was never to set the rifle down and should always have it slung."

When I asked why, he said, "Because if we get attacked at that moment, your first instinct is to dive for cover. Imagine how stupid you'd feel if you dove for cover only to realize that you left your one defensive tool back where you were sitting."

That's exactly what happened here. He put the gun down, but off his body. It may even have been in reach, but that was far enough when the bear attacked.


What I can't figure out is why he would take the gun off anyway. I mean, I do all kinds of stuff while wearing my gun. I've never cleaned an elk, but I don't see how my gun would prevent me from doing that.