Bear Attack In Beartooth Mountains And Teton Wilderness Of Wyoming
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 3 months ago
WYOMING – A backpacker was injured after a surprise encounter with two bears resulted in his being flown to an area hospital where he is receiving medical treatment.
Park County Sheriff’s Office notified Wyoming Game and Fish Department Sunday that a man had been injured by a bear while backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains near the Wyoming-Montana border. The injured male was flown by helicopter to an area hospital where he is receiving treatment.
Upon notification, Game and Fish immediately responded to the area to provide assistance to the victim and other party members. WGFD began an investigation on the attack that included interviews with the victim and members of his party.
The investigation is ongoing—WGFD personnel are still on-scene gathering further details today—but based on the initial investigation, it appears to be a surprise encounter between the individual and two bears.
The injured man is described only as an out-of-state recreationist. He was backpacking with three other people on the Shoshone National Forest near Granite Lake. The victim was apparently hiking ahead of the group when he encountered two bears at close range. The encounter happened too suddenly for him to deploy bear spray he was carrying.
Here is an update. Most encounters like this are going to be “surprise encounters at close range.” Be prepared. Carry guns, easily accessible. Forget about deploying spray.
In the Tetons, there is this worse outcome.
Two hunters were involved in a bear attack Friday, September 14, in the Teton Wilderness while field dressing an elk near Terrace Mountain, approximately 5.8 miles northeast of the Turpin Meadow Trailhead.
Florida resident Corey Chubon shot an elk during a guided bow hunt late Thursday afternoon. He and his guide, Mark Uptain of Martin Outfitters, were unable to locate the wounded animal before nightfall. The pair returned Friday morning to locate and remove the elk. They found the undisturbed carcass in the early afternoon and were preparing to pack out the elk when they were aggressively charged by two large bears.
Chubon was able to run to his pack a few yards away and retrieve a pistol but was unable to safely fire a shot at the bear that had pounced upon Uptain. The attacking bear then spun, charged Chubon, grabbed his foot and dragged him to the ground. He sustained injuries to his leg, chest, and arm, but was able to throw the gun to Uptain and get loose before running from the scene to phone for help.
[ … ]
An interagency helicopter was dispatched to the scene to assist with transport of the injured hunters. Chubon was taken to St. John’s Medical Center for treatment to his wounds. Search and Rescue personnel were unable to locate Uptain before the search was suspended for the evening.
What a shame he didn’t have a pistol on his belt.
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On September 17, 2018 at 8:48 am, Furminator said:
Last week I had an archery hunter in my store looking for a bear gun because he thought they are getting a little too thick outside the Park. I showed him a Glock 20 since 10mm is the bear gun du jour. He scoffed that it was too big and heavy and asked to see a 5-shot 357 snubby, to which I replied “Well, if you’re looking for something to make yourself feel better”. He bought it and it’s undoubtedly right in his pack too.
FWIW the G&F says if you shoot a grizzly the autopsy had better reveal a lungful of bear spray or else.
Cheers
On September 17, 2018 at 9:09 am, Quietus said:
The guide’s body was recovered Saturday. The bears, believed to be a sow and her grown cub, have been trapped and killed.
Maybe that Florida hunter and his Wyoming guide hadn’t bonded well earlier on the hunt. Regardless, this story is a reinforcement of the old saying that “a person is interviewing for his next gig, every day.”
I haven’t heard that bit about how a shot bear needs to have pepper spray in it on autopsy. In my mind, if a person is in reasonable fear of his life during an attack by any species, then it is not required for the person to incrementally adjust his use of force as he responds to the threat.
On September 17, 2018 at 11:51 am, TheAlaskan said:
The guide didn’t have a gun? Going in after downed game…a day later..!..and you’re not loaded for bear, in big bear country? I must be missing something here, but if it were me, it wouldn’t be my bear gun attached to my body.
On September 18, 2018 at 11:59 pm, Stealth Spaniel said:
Good grief-these sad bear stories, plus the the idiot bicyclist and the backpacker are all related. Rule number one: wildlife is NOT your friend! They don’t want cuddled, treated as an equal, or talked to like bambi in a Disney movie. Hollyweird deals in FANTASY!! These are friggin’ wild animals, who are alpha predators, and bring cunning to the table in spades. Always, always, always carry a gun. Never ever hesitate to use it. It’s all well and good to like Nature. We all want to experience the Great Beyond. Just don’t be a damned fool about it. I love the citidiots who always bloviate; “well it is natural and they were here first.” Diarrhea and acne is all natural too and the God gave man dominion over the earth.
On September 23, 2018 at 4:46 pm, Pat Hines said:
What a shame they didn’t have at least a side arm in a caliber sufficient to kill a 250 pound Grizzly, instead of a Glock sitting in a back pack. My choice would have been a S&W revolver in .45 Colt (aka long Colt), others might have chosen a .44 Magnum. I know of no caliber chambered in a Glock that would have been sufficient. Further, the hunter apparently didn’t know how to operate the Glock.
My actual weapon of choice for bear defense would have been my Remington Model 673 in 350 Remington Magnum, slung over my shoulder. I don’t know Wyoming’s hunting laws for bow season, but my guess is as long as you didn’t use a rifle on the game animal, you can have anything you want for defense.
https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/big-game-hunting/bear/hunting-guide-dead-grizzly-bear-attacks-elk-hunt/