Every day, people have encounters with animals, some wild and some domestic, whether out for a jog, hiking, or perhaps walking your dog. Sometimes these encounters can be peaceful, but if you’re not vigilant they can be deadly.

Here are a few stories of survival that illustrate the importance of being prepared to defend your life when animals attack.

Even a Cheap Gun Can Save Your Life

The NY Daily News reported the incredible tale of an unwanted guest.

In July 2014, Jim was at home in the Alaska wilderness with his young son, Montana, and the family dog when he heard loud banging outside around 3:30 in the morning. The pounding became so strong that it shook the two-story house, waking Montana and sending the dog into a barking frenzy. Montana peered out the curtains to only to come face to face with a nine-foot,  450-pound brown bear intent on making a meal out of the youngster.

Jim grabbed his $140 Hi-Point .45 caliber handgun and raced downstairs to the rescue. He cracked open the door and fired off a couple of warning shots to scare off the bear. It rambled off into the woods, so Jim, Montana, and the dog all went back to sleep.

But a couple of hours later the bear returned, even more determined this time to breach the door and get inside the house. Afterall, there were some tasty morsels inside.

Once again, Jim grabbed his handgun to protect his family. This time, however, he knew warning shots would not be enough as the bear was a real threat to break through the door. The last thing Jim wanted was to have a large, angry bear inside the house with him and his son.

He realized that he was going to have to put the bear down to save himself and son, so he went out onto a second-floor balcony where he had an elevated position that gave him a clear line of sight to the rampaging beast. Jim was hoping his Hi-Point would not fail him as he pumped seven rounds into the bear. Wounded, the bear became even more aggressive before running off about 50 feet where it collapsed and died.

Jim’s experience proved you don’t necessarily need a high-dollar firearm for protection, but you do need to have a gun for protection. You never know when a bear or some other intruder may attempt to invade your home.

But Make Sure it is Loaded

CBC News brings us the story of Jeff and Ken were on a hunting trip in Canada when a 7-foot-tall grizzly bear attacked them while they slept in their tent.

The bear jumped on the tent, landing on Ken, pinning him down while biting his leg and arm. Jeff, in a panic, grabbed his rifle to come to Ken’s defense, but the rifle was not loaded. Scared and excited, his adrenalin flowing, Jeff struggled to shove a round into the chamber while Ken was trying to fend off the bear.

Jeff got in position for a clear shot and squeezed the trigger, but only hear a “click.” In his excitement, he had failed to push the bullet all the way into position in the gun.

I just put gun to the side, trying to push the bear off [and] Ken is telling me, ‘shoot the bear, shoot the bear!'” Jeff said.

The bear continued its attack, biting, gouging, and tossing around the helpless hunters before finally giving up and running away.

In shock, Ken did not realize he was bleeding until he got out of the tent and felt it running down his arm, dripping all over the snow at his feet.

“I kind of always wondered what it felt like to be bit,” Ken said. “Luckily, it didn’t get a full upper and lower jaw-bite on me, but it didn’t feel as bad as I thought it was going to feel.”

Both men were treated in a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and released.

The hunters knew they were in bear country and had rifles that could have been used for self-defense, but they were not loaded-not even chambered with the safety on. An unloaded gun is just an expensive paperweight.

But if a Gun is Not Available

The Idaho State Journal reports the story of Gene, a deer hunter in Alaska. Gene shot a buck and had started field dressing the animal when out of the woods came a charging 750-pound grizzly bear.

Before Gene could grab his gun, the bear was upon him, viciously clawing and biting the helpless hunter.

Did I say helpless?

Not willing to go down without a fight, Gene began fighting back in bloody hand-to-claw combat. Gene saw an opening and punched the bear right in the face, knocking it unconscious. Knowing the bear’s condition was only temporary and that it could awaken at any minute to finish him off, Gene grabbed his gun and shot the bear, killing it.

It’s amazing enough that he was able to go toe-to-toe with the grizzly, but Gene was 68-years-old at the time of the attack!

You do what you have to do to survive. And in Gene’s case, he opened his own can of WhipA**.

These are just a few of the thousands of tales of animal attacks. Next issue we will explain the legal ramifications of defending yourself from these attacks. You might be surprised by what you read.