Student took picture of the bear that killed him

[Woody Williams]

nypost.com/2014/11/25/hiker-took-cell-phone-pictures-of-bear-before-deadly-attack/

[lawrencecountyhunter]

After snapping the shots, the four men tried to walk away, but the bear started to follow them and came within 15 feet of the group.

That’s when they split up and ran away in separate directions, they told police.

Dumb...

[swilk]

Reminds me of the note on Hatchet Jack in Jeremiah Johnson ....

It was a good camera and snapped a pic of the bear that kilt me.

[Russ Koon]

Or the old adage that "you don't have to outrun the bear, you just need to outrun your friends".

Not to make light of the young man's death. I'd have thought there would have been a more compelling urge to bunch together for defense against a single predator, as many herd animals do, notably the muskox in their circle of horns against the wolves, or water buffalo against lions. Maybe the stronger self-preservation instinct among humans is to let the bear eat the slower members of the herd, more like the wildebeest or zebra. Might depend on whether the people you're with are acquaintances or close relatives.

Hard to imagine a bear charging a coordinated defense by four humans advancing on him in an aggressive posture. Even much stronger predators usually are deterred by what they sense as a threat of significant harm. they can't afford any serious injury. This one may well have been encouraged by their initial reaction to his approach, walking away. Better than running and triggering the predatory chase instinct, but still a sign of weakness and submission that could invite further aggression.

A good really loud noisemaker would sure have been handy. My 3" barreled .357 comes to mind as being a good repellent, with four in reserve in case the audio is ineffective.