It’s starting to feel like if there’s not a bear attack to report on every day, something’s awry.
Thankfully, Wyoming skirmishes with bears this summer have not been fatal, including an incident reported Tuesday south of Cody.
The circumstances seem to follow a pattern.
An individual was hiking alone on Deer Creek Pass in Shoshone National Forest and surprised a grizzly bear.
Not surprisingly, the grizzly did not take kindly to the surprise and charged the hiker.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported the grizzly knocked the hiker to the ground and took off.
“The victim sustained injuries to his chest and arm, but was able to bandage his wounds and hike out,” the department said.
The hiker was picked up by Game and Fish personnel and taken to the hospital.
Another bit of good news: because of the remote location and the low probability of finding the bear, no management action is planned.
That means the bear will live and hopefully hikers will not surprise it in the future.
“Game and Fish always has the safety of outdoor recreationists at the forefront of our minds,” said Dan Smith, Cody Regional Wildlife Supervisor. “We will continue to make management decisions in the best interest of public safety.”
