U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Ken Ledeau is a semi-retired trucker who rented a cabin near Dupuyer, Montana. He loved the area, the views, and the wildlife he would see while walking for exercise. He would walk up and down a finger ridge on one side of Dupuyer Creek drainage. The land was mostly open on the ridge, while the creek had dense stands of willow trees and other vegetation.
Ken was 59 years old when the bear attacked him.
Neighbors in the Dupuyer area had warned him about the dangers of grizzly bears in the area. He had taken their advice and was carrying a Smith & Wesson 629 stainless steel .44 magnum revolver. The revolver was loaded with 305 grain HSM cartridges. He had a can of bear spray.
On 8 April 2020, Ken was walking in the evening. It was cool and clear, in the low 40’s Fahrenheit. Ken wore an old backpacking windbreaker over his holstered pistol, gloves, and carried a walking stick. His 629 Smith has a six-inch barrel and was carried in an Uncle Mike’s nylon belt holster with a thumb break retainer.
Ken hiked the ridge about a half-mile south of his rented cabin. He was returning down the ridge. Lower on the ridge, on the right, toward the Dupuyer drainage, there was a patch of snow and a brush patch. As he passed the brush patch below him, he heard a noise. He stopped and looked around, but did not see any animals. He continued walking. For some reason, he looked back. A grizzly bear was emerging from the brush onto the snow and was charging up the slope toward him. The bear was 50-60 feet from him.
