An archery hunter who was savagely attacked by a grizzly bear before he shot the enraged animal dead has survived the surprise attack.
The man and his friend were hunting elk near Henrys Lake in Island Park, Idaho, located approximately 15 miles west of Yellowstone National Park, on Sunday when they were attacked by an adult male grizzly bear.
One of the hunters was ‘knocked down and bitten by the bear’ during the encounter, according to the Idaho Fish and Game.
Officials said the pair were able to reach their sidearms and fire at the animal, ‘deterring the attack and killing the bear’.
They then called 911 and the injured elk hunter was helicoptered to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, where he was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. His current condition is unknown.
An elk hunter who was savagely attacked by a grizzly bear in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest on Sunday before shooting it dead has survived the surprise attack (stock photo)
The man and his friend were hunting elk near Henrys Lake in Island Park, Idaho – located approximately 15 miles west of Yellowstone National Park – on Sunday when they were attacked by an adult male grizzly bear. One of the hunters was ‘knocked down and bitten by the bear’ during the encounter
The duo were hunting in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near the Divide Creek Road Sunday when the bear attacked from a ‘very close distance’.
Fish and Game, along with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Emergency Medical Service teams, responded to the scene.
After a thorough investigation, conservation officers determined that the hunters acted in self-defense when they shot the grizzly. The species is protected under state and federal law.
‘I am extremely grateful that both of these individuals survived this encounter,’ Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Matt Pieron said in a press release Monday.
‘I have had the opportunity to speak with the injured hunter and his family and they are truly wonderful people. I wish him a speedy recovery from his injuries and the trauma these two hunters experienced.’
The duo were hunting in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near the Divide Creek Road Sunday when the bear attacked from a ‘very close distance’. After a thorough investigation, conservation officers determined that the hunters acted in self-defense when they shot the grizzly bear, a federally protected species (File photo of Caribou Targhee National Forest)
Federal law states it is illegal to kill a grizzly bear unless one is doing so in a situation of self-defense, according to US Fish and Wildlife.
‘Grizzly bears in the 48 contiguous states are currently protected as a threatened species. It is illegal to harm, harass or kill these bears, except in cases of self-defense or the defense of others,’ an US official told ABC News.
‘Grizzly bear conservation is complex and only made possible through a variety of partnerships with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, state wildlife agencies, Native American Tribes, federal agencies, universities and other organizations.’
