CODY (RELEASE) – Last week, a hunter and her guide were injured by a grizzly bear in the backcountry while elk hunting on public land south of Cody. Both individuals were injured in the attack, but the injuries were not life threatening.
On the evening of October 26, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was notified by the Park County Sheriff’s Office that two individuals had been injured by a grizzly bear while hunting on the Shoshone National Forest in the Boulder Basin area. Game and Fish personnel immediately began an investigation that included interviews with the victims and examination of the site of the attack.
The investigation revealed that while both individuals were field dressing and quartering an elk, they were attacked without warning by a grizzly bear. After the attack, the bear took one of the elk quarters and left the area. The individuals were able to get back to camp, where they contacted 911.
When Game and Fish field investigators arrived at the site the following day, no bears were found in the immediate area of the attack, however there were other bears observed in the area between the Boulder Basin trailhead and the attack site.
“First of all, we wish these individuals a speedy and full recovery and are appreciative of their willingness to provide detailed information to the investigators,” said Cody Regional Wildlife Supervisor Dan Smith. “This incident happened extremely quickly; it appears this is a situation of a grizzly bear aggressively taking an elk carcass for food. Due to the remoteness of the area and the inability to identify the offending bear, no management action will be taken at this time.”