Colorado Black Bear Killed with Pellet gun in 2024

Image from Colorado Parks and Wildlife

The pellet appears to be .177 caliber, using the knife bolt head to scale the pellet size. The bolt head is assumed to be .25 inches, the size of a bolt head on Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite knives. The knife seems to be a Outdoor edge Razor-Lite variation, but the identification is not certain. The pellet could be distorted by impact forces, as well.

On September 1, 2024, in Willits, Colorado, a resident shot a black bear sow with a pellet rifle. The man said he was attempting to harass the sow to have it move away from his neighborhood, because children might encounter the sow and the two cubs.

According to the The pellet hit the bear in the side, penetrated a rib, hit at least one lung, and was lodged in the opposite rib cage.

The man who shot the bear was charged with the unlawfull killing of a black bear and unlawfull failing to comply with provisions of a license. The citations carry penalties of $100 plus $37 surcharges each, for a potential of $274.  He said he used the pellet gun only after attempts with a garden hose and ammonia failed to persuade the bear to leave. He said he made multiple attempts to obtain help from the authorities.

The sow appears to be about 200-250 lbs. 

Black bear sows with cubs have a reputation of being aggressive. Researchers say it is almost always a bluff.  The resolution, with the citations issued, seems reasonable for the accidental killing of a black bear. Black bears are common in Colorado and in the United States.

The death of the black bear sow illustrates how vulnerable bears are to punctures of the thoracic cavity. Most pellet rifles are much less powerful than the common .22 rimfire, even from a handgun. Other than a direct brain shot, the thoracic cavity is the most vulnerable target. Penetration of the thoracic cavity will usually cause death in a few minutes. Broadside shots are preferred because they are more likely to puncture both lungs, and to cause an exit wound as well. If only one lung is punctured, death may take longer. If the heart is punctured, death is usually quicker.

An attack by a bear is often over quickly, but can take many minutes. It is not uncommon for bears to attack, leave, and come back to attack again. If the bear’s thoracic cavity is punctured, the chances of a return attack are greatly diminished.

The thoracic cavity is a popular target for hunters. However, if only one lung is punctured, and the heart is not injured, large animals may not be seriously disabled for many minutes. This seems to have been the case on a bear hunt in Alaska where a .338 ultra mag was fired and a .454 Casull was used to stop the subsequent charge.  Bears shot often break off an attack or leave the area before they die.

A shot to the thoracic cavity will nearly always limit the time the bear has left before it is incapacitated. Some thoracic cavity shots cause immediate collapse of large animals. Such a collapse depends on numerous variable which are difficult to measure, such as the mental state of the animal. Animals in full “fight or flight” mode tend to take longer, or at least travel further before they collapse.

©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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