Rankin Inlet (Sep 15/03) - The Maley family of Rankin Inlet survived a brush with death on Sept. 6 when a most unwanted guest visited their cabin near Upper Landing Lake.

Shawn Maley's wife, Chantel, was roused from her sleep around midnight by strange sounds at the cabin door.

Those sounds signalled the start of 30 minutes of terror.

Once awake, Maley recognized the sounds outside his door as an animal sniffing and snorting.

His dog wasn't barking, so he decided to open his cabin door and take a look outside.

The last thing he expected to see when the door opened was a six-foot grizzly in a very aggressive mood.

"It was just luck that I had both a shotgun and a rifle in the cabin," said Maley.

"I tried to scare the bear away first, by firing the shotgun over its head, but it just stood there staring at me."

The bear circled the cabin, staying out of sight for the next few tension-filled moments.

Suddenly, it was back at the cabin window. Maley grabbed a teapot full of water and threw it at the bear, striking it in the head.

Bear reared up

Angered by the blow, the bear reared up and tore the window right from its hinges.

"When it ripped the window off, I said the hell with this, got my rifle and shot it.

"Once it disappeared out of sight, I guarded my wife and son until we were all safely in the truck and then we headed for town."

The bear is suspected of having broken into a number of cabins in the area in search of food.

A grizzly is extremely rare in the Rankin area. It is believed to have moved down from Baker Lake, where they are more common.

"There's no doubt it was trying to get into our cabin. It was pushing at the front door and also clawing at the back window.

"It also tried to work the doorknob, so it knew its way around a cabin."

Maley let authorities know there might be a wounded bear in the area. Then he, Simon and Savik Kowmuk, and Ray Mercer Jr. went back to the cabin.

They used spotlights to find the bear, which was dead on the ground, only a short distance from where it was shot.

"We brought the carcass back to town and the local Hunters and Trappers Organization has the skin, although I'm writing a letter to try and get it back," said Maley.

"It wasn't an experience I'd want to go through again."