- The poor fella, Steven Jackson, 66, was sittin’ down for his mornin’ joe in the heart of Groom Creek in Yavapai County, where he was puttin’ together a cabin, when a bear decided to drop by uninvited.
- This wasn’t no gentle tussle. That bear wrestled Jackson down an embankment, haulin’ him 75 feet while the man hollered for help.
- The local folks did their best to get that bear to quit its assault, but no amount of horn honkin’ or hollerin’ could stop the beast.
- One of the neighbors fetched a rifle and put an end to the bear’s rampage, but it was too late for Jackson. The bear had already claimed his life.
Well, partner, let me tell you a tale that’s liable to curdle your coffee. Picture this: our man, Steven Jackson, 66, just sittin’ down for his mornin’ cup of joe, surrounded by the whisperin’ pines of Groom Creek in Yavapai County. He was there buildin’ himself a cabin, a place to hang his hat, when out of the blue, a grizzly bear decided to drop in for a visit. And this wasn’t no friendly visit neither. This bear decided it was time for a tussle, and it dragged Jackson down an embankment, a good 75 feet, while the man was hollerin’ for all he was worth.
Now, the good folks of Yavapai County aren’t the kind to stand by when there’s trouble. They heard the commotion and came runnin’, tryin’ every trick in the book to get that bear to back off. Honkin’ their horns, makin’ a ruckus, but that bear wasn’t listenin’ to reason.
Finally, a neighbor with a bit of sense fetched his rifle and put a bullet in that bear. But it was too late for our friend Jackson. The bear had claimed his life before the cavalry could arrive.
Now, I’ve faced off with more than a few ornery critters in my time, both two-legged and four-legged. But this here is a tragedy that shakes a man to his core. To think a man can’t enjoy his mornin’ coffee on his own property without fear of somethin’ like this…it ain’t right.
I reckon we’ve all got a part to play in makin’ sure somethin’ like this don’t happen again. We gotta remember that we’re sharin’ this land with all sorts of wild critters, and we need to give ’em the respect they’re due. That don’t mean lettin’ them run roughshod over us, but it does mean bein’ aware, bein’ prepared, and doin’ what we can to avoid trouble before it finds us.
