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Mark of the Grizzly: Revised And Updated With More Stories Of Recent Bear Attacks And The Hard Lessons Learned
A must-read about these magnificent but sometimes deadly creatures—thoroughly revised, expanded, and updated
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
July 20, 2014
First, a relevant quote from Bill Bryson:
Black bears rarely attack. But here's the thing. Sometimes they do. All bears are agile, cunning and immensely strong, and they are always hungry. If they want to kill you and eat you, they can, and pretty much whenever they want. That doesn't happen often, but - and here is the absolutely salient point - once would be enough.
Insert "grizzly bears" for "black bears", and you have this book. Except grizzlies are angrier and even more prone to attack. Bigger, too.
This book is exclusively about bear attacks -- and the prevention of bear attacks -- in the wild. People's bodies are consumed, people are dragged from tents in the middle of the night while sleeping, people are charged within seconds of realizing "Oh shit! There's a bear!" on backcountry trails. (Meanwhile, there are a couple anecdotes of idiots who walk up and touch grizzlies like they're in a freaking petting zoo. All of those people live, btw.)
There is also a man who spends thousands and thousands of dollars to construct an indestructible grizzly-proof suit after surviving a grizzly charge (during which he admits, in print, that he both "pissed and shit [his] pants") and after seeing the film RoboCop. So...there's that.
I mean, you really can't make anything in this book up. It starts to get a bit samey and numb to the terror of what it probably feels like to encounter a grizzly in the wild, after a while -- person is hunting or hiking or running and sees bear, bear attacks and mauls them, it lasts seconds, park rangers wring hands, "do we kill the bear??" sometimes yes, sometimes no, importance of making noise and bear spray, etc. But like Mr. Bryson above says, all you'd really need to realize that this subject is anything but boring would be to be walking along in the wild and suddenly see a bear.
During my recent flight into Yellowstone, I sat next to a woman from Wyoming who had recently moved to Anchorage, AK. "You think the wildlife you're about to see here are big," she said. "Come out to Alaska. These animals here are nothing." As I learned from this book, the difference is that in Yellowstone Country there may be 600 grizzly bears but in concentrated parts of Alaska, there are 6,000 grizzly bears. Great for bear populations, somewhat terrifying to imagine the frequency with which you may come across them in nature preserves, I guess.
The thing is that even though animals in the wild are a majestic sight and pique curiosity and delight, the act of watching them as a person on vacation can feel as though you are infringing on their "wildness", wrecking it with your car or your human smell or your camera. Nowhere do you get the sense more that the earth does not belong to you than when you are in grizzly country, walking in the woods.
Black bears rarely attack. But here's the thing. Sometimes they do. All bears are agile, cunning and immensely strong, and they are always hungry. If they want to kill you and eat you, they can, and pretty much whenever they want. That doesn't happen often, but - and here is the absolutely salient point - once would be enough.
Insert "grizzly bears" for "black bears", and you have this book. Except grizzlies are angrier and even more prone to attack. Bigger, too.
This book is exclusively about bear attacks -- and the prevention of bear attacks -- in the wild. People's bodies are consumed, people are dragged from tents in the middle of the night while sleeping, people are charged within seconds of realizing "Oh shit! There's a bear!" on backcountry trails. (Meanwhile, there are a couple anecdotes of idiots who walk up and touch grizzlies like they're in a freaking petting zoo. All of those people live, btw.)
There is also a man who spends thousands and thousands of dollars to construct an indestructible grizzly-proof suit after surviving a grizzly charge (during which he admits, in print, that he both "pissed and shit [his] pants") and after seeing the film RoboCop. So...there's that.
I mean, you really can't make anything in this book up. It starts to get a bit samey and numb to the terror of what it probably feels like to encounter a grizzly in the wild, after a while -- person is hunting or hiking or running and sees bear, bear attacks and mauls them, it lasts seconds, park rangers wring hands, "do we kill the bear??" sometimes yes, sometimes no, importance of making noise and bear spray, etc. But like Mr. Bryson above says, all you'd really need to realize that this subject is anything but boring would be to be walking along in the wild and suddenly see a bear.
During my recent flight into Yellowstone, I sat next to a woman from Wyoming who had recently moved to Anchorage, AK. "You think the wildlife you're about to see here are big," she said. "Come out to Alaska. These animals here are nothing." As I learned from this book, the difference is that in Yellowstone Country there may be 600 grizzly bears but in concentrated parts of Alaska, there are 6,000 grizzly bears. Great for bear populations, somewhat terrifying to imagine the frequency with which you may come across them in nature preserves, I guess.
The thing is that even though animals in the wild are a majestic sight and pique curiosity and delight, the act of watching them as a person on vacation can feel as though you are infringing on their "wildness", wrecking it with your car or your human smell or your camera. Nowhere do you get the sense more that the earth does not belong to you than when you are in grizzly country, walking in the woods.
February 4, 2016
This is, as it says, a book about "recent" grizzly bear attacks and the author's appreciation of grizzlies in general.
On one hand, this book reveals a lot about grizzlies and their behavior, which makes for interesting reading. I appreciate that the author found and interviewed so many survivors, and his conclusion at the end, that most people who want bears dead have never been attacked by one themselves, is interesting, if unscientific. I certainly learned a lot about bears reading this book.
On the other, McMillion as a writer is mediocre at best and unprofessional at worst. The stories are all very samey, unnecessarily preachy, and follow the same exact formula: "Person went into the woods. Person did something stupid near a bear. Description of person's horrible injuries in excruciating detail after being attacked by a bear. Person's opinion of the whole experience. Author's heavy-handed opinion of conservation issues, often with an unnecessary political bent. Occasional bear puns throughout. Rinse, repeat". Quality control is also inconsistent; there are a couple of stories that are very badly written and look as though they were rushed to print without any editorial intervention at all, as well as a couple of stories that don't really fit the formula of the rest. The book is also badly dated (1998), and many of the issues discussed, while still relevant, aren't quite the same now as they were then. Worst, however, is the author's aforementioned tendency to go off on thin-skinned political rants about various Republican politicians who suck(ed) at nature. I don't disagree with his points in principle, but I still find his attempts to insert his political views into what should be a neutral and factual argument to be especially unprofessional.
Overall, I'd recommend this book if you want to read more about grizzlies,and especially about what they can do to you if you make them angry (hiking safety in bear country), but otherwise it's not really worth making an effort to track down this far after the fact.
On one hand, this book reveals a lot about grizzlies and their behavior, which makes for interesting reading. I appreciate that the author found and interviewed so many survivors, and his conclusion at the end, that most people who want bears dead have never been attacked by one themselves, is interesting, if unscientific. I certainly learned a lot about bears reading this book.
On the other, McMillion as a writer is mediocre at best and unprofessional at worst. The stories are all very samey, unnecessarily preachy, and follow the same exact formula: "Person went into the woods. Person did something stupid near a bear. Description of person's horrible injuries in excruciating detail after being attacked by a bear. Person's opinion of the whole experience. Author's heavy-handed opinion of conservation issues, often with an unnecessary political bent. Occasional bear puns throughout. Rinse, repeat". Quality control is also inconsistent; there are a couple of stories that are very badly written and look as though they were rushed to print without any editorial intervention at all, as well as a couple of stories that don't really fit the formula of the rest. The book is also badly dated (1998), and many of the issues discussed, while still relevant, aren't quite the same now as they were then. Worst, however, is the author's aforementioned tendency to go off on thin-skinned political rants about various Republican politicians who suck(ed) at nature. I don't disagree with his points in principle, but I still find his attempts to insert his political views into what should be a neutral and factual argument to be especially unprofessional.
Overall, I'd recommend this book if you want to read more about grizzlies,and especially about what they can do to you if you make them angry (hiking safety in bear country), but otherwise it's not really worth making an effort to track down this far after the fact.
January 10, 2018
3-3.5 stars.
So I have this weird obsession with bears. I absolutely love them - I could (and have) watch them for hours. I'm also terrified of them. The only nightmares that I continue to have from childhood are ones where I am running from bears. On trips to Yellowstone, Glacier, or any national park with bears, I am both thrilled and horrified at the idea of seeing a bear. Its definitely a mixed relationship.
So of course, I had to pick up this book.
In each chapter, Scott McMillion begins by describing the circumstances surrounding a bear mauling. The who, the when, the where and (most times) the why are all discussed. He then attempts to address the larger issue, whether it has to do with human error (i.e., hiking quietly and alone) or controversial practices (i.e., does a bear develop a "grudge" if it is constantly trapped and relocated?). Although he attempts to be somewhat neutral, he clearly wishes his readers to have an understanding about why bear attacks happen, and what practices should be used to make the chances of a mauling significantly smaller.
The writing is very good. It was definitely a book I enjoyed reading. I would have rated the book higher if he spent a little more time discussing grizzly behavior, policies, and arguments - at times it felt like we were spending a lot of time discussing what the victims' bodies looked like - but I realize that many people are drawn to the gory details, and this may be a good way for McMillion to get more readers and thus promote his message to a wider audience. It's definitely not for the weak minded - I don't consider myself a squeamish reader, and I had trouble at a few parts. Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone interested in why grizzly attacks happen.
And for the love of god people, don't feed the bears!
So I have this weird obsession with bears. I absolutely love them - I could (and have) watch them for hours. I'm also terrified of them. The only nightmares that I continue to have from childhood are ones where I am running from bears. On trips to Yellowstone, Glacier, or any national park with bears, I am both thrilled and horrified at the idea of seeing a bear. Its definitely a mixed relationship.
So of course, I had to pick up this book.
In each chapter, Scott McMillion begins by describing the circumstances surrounding a bear mauling. The who, the when, the where and (most times) the why are all discussed. He then attempts to address the larger issue, whether it has to do with human error (i.e., hiking quietly and alone) or controversial practices (i.e., does a bear develop a "grudge" if it is constantly trapped and relocated?). Although he attempts to be somewhat neutral, he clearly wishes his readers to have an understanding about why bear attacks happen, and what practices should be used to make the chances of a mauling significantly smaller.
The writing is very good. It was definitely a book I enjoyed reading. I would have rated the book higher if he spent a little more time discussing grizzly behavior, policies, and arguments - at times it felt like we were spending a lot of time discussing what the victims' bodies looked like - but I realize that many people are drawn to the gory details, and this may be a good way for McMillion to get more readers and thus promote his message to a wider audience. It's definitely not for the weak minded - I don't consider myself a squeamish reader, and I had trouble at a few parts. Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone interested in why grizzly attacks happen.
And for the love of god people, don't feed the bears!
June 16, 2023
Shoutout to Captain Chip for the recommendation.
Mark of the Grizzly is one of those books that bites. As someone who was about as clueless as they come about grizzlies, Mark of the Grizzly asks its reader to consider two things: How to protect grizzlies, and what to do when they attack. Each story/chapter within the book was eye-opening and thought-provoking. It made me consider what I would have done in each situation--and how much luck is involved when a bear does decide to attack.
Excellent book! Hopefully this prepares me for Glacier National Park.
Mark of the Grizzly is one of those books that bites. As someone who was about as clueless as they come about grizzlies, Mark of the Grizzly asks its reader to consider two things: How to protect grizzlies, and what to do when they attack. Each story/chapter within the book was eye-opening and thought-provoking. It made me consider what I would have done in each situation--and how much luck is involved when a bear does decide to attack.
Excellent book! Hopefully this prepares me for Glacier National Park.
February 16, 2020
Bears are scary. Camping might be after you read this. Great little book. Stories of people falling victim to the largest predator in North America. A bit tough at parts. If you're not fan of reading about people getting tore up, it may be tough to read. It will put a deep respect for the power of the grizzly in you.
June 12, 2021
Collection of stories of bear attacks, lessons learned, and why bears are so important. This isn't normally a book I would have picked up on my own but a friend recommended and I'm so glad he did! I love the outdoors and have intentions of visiting some of the parks mentioned in this book. Will definitely be aware of my surroundings and bring bear spray!
Bears are such awesome creatures.
Bears are such awesome creatures.
January 12, 2021
Interesting subject, not well written.
March 31, 2016
This book is a collection of stories of people's real life encounters with grizzly bears in the wild. The stories hold a wide variety of different outcomes. In some, people die, and in others, they survive. Each story portrays a different type of encounter. It holds stories of people hiking or biking and seeing a bear that attacks them, people that are trying to pet a bear and are attacked, people sleeping in tents that are pulled out, and other scenarios. Each story also holds advice and lessons for you on grizzly bears. This book teaches you respect for bears and an understanding of how dangerous they can be. It provides you with information on what you should do and not do if you encounter a bear.
Scott McMillion is a great writer. You can feel his respect and care for bears in the way he writes. His writing makes you as a reader understand bears better. He clearly researched all stories very thoroughly. They are in depth, detailed, and in some cases gruesome. His stories scare you, but you still feel safe and respect nature in a new way and perspective. My one complaint would be a little less in depth details on the deadly attacks. Could be a real belly turner for some readers.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys bears and nature. It provides a new perspective and understanding on bears and the places they live. This would also be a good book for anyone traveling to bear country in the future. It may scare you, but you will have a better understanding and knowledge on what to do if you encounter a bear.
Scott McMillion is a great writer. You can feel his respect and care for bears in the way he writes. His writing makes you as a reader understand bears better. He clearly researched all stories very thoroughly. They are in depth, detailed, and in some cases gruesome. His stories scare you, but you still feel safe and respect nature in a new way and perspective. My one complaint would be a little less in depth details on the deadly attacks. Could be a real belly turner for some readers.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys bears and nature. It provides a new perspective and understanding on bears and the places they live. This would also be a good book for anyone traveling to bear country in the future. It may scare you, but you will have a better understanding and knowledge on what to do if you encounter a bear.
January 7, 2016
I loved the stories, the survivors' takeaway feelings and all the information. But if you are going hiking, hunting or fishing in Yellowstone, Alaska or Montana or anyplace in bear country-you should read this as good advice!
March 23, 2016
Really good introduction to grizzlies and what to do in bear country. Combines thrilling (and sometimes heartbreaking) personal accounts with tangible lessons to avoid the most common deadly mistakes. Very entertaining.
September 7, 2025
I read the new version with more about the victims at the end of the chapters. Very interesting to see where their lives have gone since their grizzly attacks. This book is detailed and leaves you with more respect for the grizzly.
January 8, 2022
Had the chance to see two grizzly bears at our campsite in the backwoods of Glacier NP. Reading this book helped me realize what an incredible opportunity it was to see this powerful, amazing creature. Africa has lions. Asia has tigers. America has grizzlies.
March 24, 2025
Pretty much everyone who knows me well knows that I love bears. So, naturally, I love reading books about bears – like this one.
This was a very interesting but disturbing read. I hate that my favorite animal sometimes injures and kills other humans. But one thing I hate even worse is how badly, ignorantly, and unnecessarily humans have killed and harmed bears.
The several stories in this book are about people who have been attacked by grizzly bears. What did they do wrong? In most of the cases they did nothing or very little wrong. Most of the victims survived the attacks. All of the survivors hold no grudges against the bears.
There is a lot to learn from these stories. In my opinion, the most important lesson is that even being as careful and proactive as reasonably possible, there is no guarantee in bear country. And that is exactly what makes bears and bear country so hauntingly alluring.
This was a very interesting but disturbing read. I hate that my favorite animal sometimes injures and kills other humans. But one thing I hate even worse is how badly, ignorantly, and unnecessarily humans have killed and harmed bears.
The several stories in this book are about people who have been attacked by grizzly bears. What did they do wrong? In most of the cases they did nothing or very little wrong. Most of the victims survived the attacks. All of the survivors hold no grudges against the bears.
There is a lot to learn from these stories. In my opinion, the most important lesson is that even being as careful and proactive as reasonably possible, there is no guarantee in bear country. And that is exactly what makes bears and bear country so hauntingly alluring.
May 28, 2023
Not a read that will take you away into the bliss and adventure of the wilderness. It is a second printing though the stories still feel a bit dated. Most of the stories happened in the 1980’s or 1990’s with maybe one in the early 2000’s this can been seem as a great achievement. That society has “culled” the stupid and and what we have left are those who respect nature. The National Park Service and other educators for the survival of the grizzly are making great strides in protecting all who wander within the Parks. May the bears continue to thrive and the people respect their habitat, giving them the space and distance they deserve.
July 15, 2023
I found this book incredibly interesting and informational. Yes, it was gruesome and not appropriate for young readers. I felt like the author did a great job at honoring the people who told their stories, trying to get details straight, and giving a well-told narrative in each situation. There was a lot of discussion about how things went well or wrong and how victims, rangers, families, etc felt in the aftermath. I read a newer edition and there were post-scripts giving updates on many of the survivors - not necessary, but interesting.
March 26, 2024
I was going to write a brief review after finishing this book today, but I saw Nathaniel's review of November 4th, 2016, and realized he'd pretty much said it all. I gave the book 4 stars (to Daniel's 3), but that's because I really enjoy reading the subject matter, despite this book's shortcomings. And as far as accounting the facts of the attack(s), I think the author does a fine job.
December 19, 2019
A great read! What I liked was the entire book wasn't just about bear attacks. Scott McMillion added information about the ecology, bear behavior, and wildlife management. I think all of these combined made this a much better book than if it had only focused on the attacks and what happened after.
June 6, 2020
An interesting account of a dozen or so grizzly bear encounters. Bottom line: people in grizzly territory need to do a lot of things to decrease their odds of being attacked. Grizzlies are very smart.
March 21, 2022
I can't say I've ever spent much time thinking about grizzly bears before. I found this book pretty informative & educational, although I thought the stories of the actual attacks felt repetitive after a while.
October 16, 2023
I really liked this. Some of the data is no doubt dated now and we've learned more about grizzlies since this was written but it was a heavy but good read. Hearing the care many of these folks still have for bears was really impactful.
February 23, 2018
Terrifying. I might never go outside again.
May 2, 2021
As a wildlife and nature lover, I found this book to be VERY informative. I felt the compassion in every story of these individuals. I'm thankful for the bears.
October 7, 2022
Basically - don't hike alone in grizzly country, use bear spray, and educate yourself.
March 24, 2024
I enjoyed the book. Great stories. I disagree with the author's repeated efforts to claim that a firearm isn't a good tool for self-defense.
May 12, 2024
4.25 stars
July 4, 2025
Great read when visiting Yellowstone.
September 23, 2025
Excellent!! Super stories of bear attacks!!!! A must read if you are into Bear Attacks!!! Lot of insights.
February 18, 2013
Scott McMillion's collection of fairly recent Grizzly attacks gave me more than I expected. I've read several books during the past year about various encounters with bears. This book not only gave detailed accounts of many such events--but it also detailed a lot of information about the evolution of the National Park System (including Canada) and the impact society has had on the Grizzly Bear population and the future of the species.
I was not expecting to come away with such a widened understanding of this topic. I also have a new-found knowledge of the reasons why many attacks occur and why those who love and respect these bears, often rally to protect them--even after they have lived through such events.
I did find some of the descriptions of such horrific attacks to be unusually "matter of fact" in their descriptions. For example, I had to read one line over and over to make sure I was reading it correctly (a description of a bear gnawing on the foot of a man).
This topic continues to intrigue me and "Mark of the Grizzly" is one of the best reads I have found so far.
Judy Herzanek, Co-Author:
Why Don't They Just Quit? What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery
90-Minute DVD: Why Don't They Just QUIT? DVD Roundtable Discussion: What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery.
I was not expecting to come away with such a widened understanding of this topic. I also have a new-found knowledge of the reasons why many attacks occur and why those who love and respect these bears, often rally to protect them--even after they have lived through such events.
I did find some of the descriptions of such horrific attacks to be unusually "matter of fact" in their descriptions. For example, I had to read one line over and over to make sure I was reading it correctly (a description of a bear gnawing on the foot of a man).
This topic continues to intrigue me and "Mark of the Grizzly" is one of the best reads I have found so far.
Judy Herzanek, Co-Author:
Why Don't They Just Quit? What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery
90-Minute DVD: Why Don't They Just QUIT? DVD Roundtable Discussion: What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery.
September 10, 2013
Words cannot express how glad I am that I waited until AFTER visiting Yellowstone that I read this book.
The author has created a book which is precisely about what the title implies - grizzly attacks. But McMillion also explores the deeper issues - deforestation, human encroachment and (most valuable of all) things NOT to do if you bump into a half-ton predator in the woods.
Several of the chapters are simply brutal yet fascinating. Surprisingly most victims do survive these attacks and virtually none of them "bear" any ill will towards the predators. While I do think the author steps too closely into his own work from time to time, I could not help but turn page after page. Don't get me wrong. It is not a "gore-a-palooza" shocker work, but it does detail the inevitable outcome of man vs bear; the results are seldom pleasant.
As a writer I actually found a great deal of value in some of the in-depth descriptions of how these attacks occur, what the victims felt/thought and how they survived. If I every have to include a bear attack in any of my writing, I have 100% confidence I'll be able to accurately depict such an event.
The author has created a book which is precisely about what the title implies - grizzly attacks. But McMillion also explores the deeper issues - deforestation, human encroachment and (most valuable of all) things NOT to do if you bump into a half-ton predator in the woods.
Several of the chapters are simply brutal yet fascinating. Surprisingly most victims do survive these attacks and virtually none of them "bear" any ill will towards the predators. While I do think the author steps too closely into his own work from time to time, I could not help but turn page after page. Don't get me wrong. It is not a "gore-a-palooza" shocker work, but it does detail the inevitable outcome of man vs bear; the results are seldom pleasant.
As a writer I actually found a great deal of value in some of the in-depth descriptions of how these attacks occur, what the victims felt/thought and how they survived. If I every have to include a bear attack in any of my writing, I have 100% confidence I'll be able to accurately depict such an event.
June 22, 2015
This book is an excellent read, although the "true stories of recent bear attacks" were written in the 90s. Have there been more bear attacks in the 21st century? Perhaps humans have gotten better at staying away from bears, so the frequency of bear attacks has decreased.
What I like most about this book is the writing style of author Scott McMillion. McMillion knows just how to grab the reader's attention, then draw him/her into the story.
Each chapter is its own little story, almost like a magazine article, self-contained and complete. Some of the chapters include references to events explained in other chapters, but any chapter would be totally understandable without having read any other part of the book.
The stories of bear attacks are chilling (and graphic). The scariest are the ones where there's no good reason for the bear to attack. Wild animals are, well, wild, and we can't expect our human logic to be able to explain everything they do.
In any case, I read this book quickly, in a couple of days, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I have to see if Scott McMillion wrote a sequel.
What I like most about this book is the writing style of author Scott McMillion. McMillion knows just how to grab the reader's attention, then draw him/her into the story.
Each chapter is its own little story, almost like a magazine article, self-contained and complete. Some of the chapters include references to events explained in other chapters, but any chapter would be totally understandable without having read any other part of the book.
The stories of bear attacks are chilling (and graphic). The scariest are the ones where there's no good reason for the bear to attack. Wild animals are, well, wild, and we can't expect our human logic to be able to explain everything they do.
In any case, I read this book quickly, in a couple of days, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I have to see if Scott McMillion wrote a sequel.
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