Johnson's Dilemma

Choteau, Mont. -

A bizarre, dramatic rescue of Eliga Johnson, age 78 took place late Friday afternoon in the mountains north of Choteau, MT. Johnson was rescued after being critically injured by two grizzly bears in a fight that took place on Wednesday morning just before dawn. The herder is recuperating in the Deaconess Hospital from multiple broken bones, cuts and puncture wounds.

The rescue was made by local searchers at a sheep camp located about 30 miles south of Dupuyer on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Searchers from Choteau, Fairfield and Dupuyer participated in locating Johnson and transporting him to Choteau and then, by ambulance, to the Great Falls hospital.

The story of the incident was pieced together by the rescuers and some information revealed in Johnson's own account.

The story began on Tuesday, October 14, when Charley Henderson, of the A.B.Norris Ranch, was in Johnson's camp and informed Johnson he would return on Friday to begin the move of the band of sheep and Johnson down to the main ranch for winter.

Johnson was awakened just before dawn, Wednesday, by barking dogs and sheep bells. In the dim light, Johnson saw two grizzlies and fired his rifle at them to run them off.

One of the bears apparently raised on his hind legs as Johnson fired, was hit in the chest and knocked to the ground. The second bear attacked Johnson and ran him two hundred yards from the camp where Johnson fell over a cutbank into a dry creek bed.

Firing his rifle repeatedly, the attacking bear was killed, falling on Johnson's leg, breaking it and pinning him to the ground.

The mortally wounded bear recovered enough to tear up the sheep wagon and then proceeded to where his companion and Johnson lay. Johnson was out of ammunition and had broken the stock off his rifle when he fell. As the bear began his attack Johnson's dogs did their best to detour the animal, with one of them losing his life.

Johnson grabbed his rifle by the barrel and swinging the "weapon" with all his strength, hit the bear. The trigger of the old thirty-thirty buried itself into the skull of the mortally wounded bear, stunning him. The thrashing bear fell forward onto Johnson, covering him and died.

The warm bodies of the dead foe reduced Johnson's risk of shock. When the rescuers rolled the four hundred pound bear off Johnson he was conscious long enough to ask "Tis Friday?" One of the rescuers answered, "yes, Johnson, tis Friday."

Foot Notes: unpublished accounts

When the camp tender arrived on Friday, the 17th of October, seeing the destroyed sheep camp, he knew there was trouble and immediately drove to Choteau for help and also called Dupuyer. Henderson remarked, "you don't go scouting around when grizzlies have been in camp."

Johnson's remaining dog had kept the sheep together east of the camp and had kept a close vigil on Johnson for those three days. She led us to where Johnson and the bears lay when we began our search. When we first saw the dead bears we were not aware Johnson was even there. It was a shock to find him at all, and to find him alive was a miracle.

Johnson recovered, roomed in Choteau that winter, ate two meals a day at the Blue Bird Cafe and returned to his job in the spring.