Grizzly Attack in Colorado: The Ed Wiseman Story

by Deb Carpenter Nolting

On September 23, 1979, Ed Wiseman was attacked by a grizzly bear in a remote area of Colorado. He tried curling up and playing dead, but when that did not deter the bear, he stabbed it with a hand-held arrow, mortally wounding it. He then spent the night on this hillside, waiting for a rescue helicopter. His story does not end there. Author Deb Carpenter-Nolting was a college student at the time of the attack. Ed was a family friend and she decided his story should be more widely known. The book has been a work in progress for 34 years. The detailed account of this harrowing battle with the last grizzly in Colorado is now available in print.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy story. This book was given to me by the son-in-law of the author. He used to bartend at a local watering hole I frequent and thought I'd be interested in the story. He was right.

As a Colorado native and outdoorsman I had heard of this story before. At the time it happened it was very controversial. Grizzly bears were thought to be extinct in Colorado since 1951 when a government trapper killed the last one. They were wrong.

Wiseman was attacked by a Ursus arctos horribilis on September 23rd, 1979. He fought for his life and managed to kill it. The rescue was plagued by and rugged terrain and all sorts of mishaps in a very remote part of the state. That the man survived is amazing.

The writing is pretty average - the story amazing. What gripes me is how Ed Wiseman was handled by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and US Fish and Wildlife service. Certainly not DOW's finest hour. Wiseman was continually harangued by the DOW until it was proven that the Grizzly was killed in self defense by an aluminum Fred Bear arrow called the Bear Razor. The hide was deposited at the Denver Museum of natural history.

Odd that I finished this book the day after a trail runner was attacked by a mountain lion near Horsetooth Mountain Open Space and with his bear hands killed the juvenile catamount with a choke hold.

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the Kimball, Nebraska, rest area on I-80 I asked the attendant for recommendations regarding the books for sale. Unbeknownst to me, she is the daughter of the author, so naturally she recommended this book, along with some of the others. I'm so glad she did!

The author, whose father was a personal friend of Ed Wiseman, did her homework with interviews and other research, fully grasping the subject and writing a page-turner book describing the heroic efforts to save Ed, as well as his determination to survive. Riveting! Well done!

[David Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well told story of what happened to Ed and how each man in the hunting party worked together Ed out and to the hospital. With out each man’s expertise and a great deal of luck Ed was able to survive. The story shows what can happen when determination prevails.

[Fay Risner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book very much. Lots of adventure, excitement and mishaps that made the story

[Deanna Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, suspenseful, and short!

[Nicole Cyr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense