麻豆视频

Note: This story was reprinted with permission from the Powell Tribune in Cody, Wyoming May 7, 2020 edition.

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A Cody antler hunter who was severely mauled by a grizzly bear in Sunlight Basin on Friday apparently surprised the animal in its daybed. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department said this week that it was a quick encounter, which ended when the grizzly bit into a can of bear spray and left the area.

听听听听听听听听 Spencer Smith, 41, suffered injuries in the attack, including severe bites to his head and neck. He walked 1.5 miles to get help afterwards, before being airlifted to a Billings hospital for treatment.

听听听听听听听听 Smith had been hiking by himself 鈥渋n steep, moderately heavy timber鈥� when he was attacked, the Game and Fish said in a Tuesday news release. The department said Smith 鈥渨as unaware of the bear until it made contact with him.鈥�

听听听听听听听听 The adult male bear ultimately bit into a bottle of bear spray 鈥� still in its holster on the antler hunter鈥檚 hip 鈥� and it exploded in the bear鈥檚 mouth. The grizzly then disappeared into the thick woods.

听听听听听听听听 鈥淭his is an unfortunate example of just how quickly these things happen. He [Spencer Smith] wasn鈥檛 able to get his bear spray out of his holster because it just happened so fast. He didn鈥檛 have any warning that it was coming,鈥� Cody Region Wildlife Supervisor Dan Smith said in a Tuesday interview. He added in a statement that, 鈥渢he bear was likely behaving in a defensive manner resulting from an unexpected, close encounter.鈥�

听听听听听听听听 The experienced backcountry hiker was near the East Painter Creek drainage, said Game Warden Chris Queen, and had done everything right leading up to the attack. Spencer Smith contacted Queen prior to heading out on his hike, asking about bear activity in the area and relaying his plans to the game warden. Smith was carrying bear spray and a Garmin inReach satellite communication device, allowing him to signal for help after the attack.

听听听听听听听听 Queen responded to the scene, finding Smith鈥檚 ATV parked near the drainage. Soon after, Smith walked out of the woods to Queen.

听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 tried to not let my eyes tell him how bad it was,鈥� Queen said in a Tuesday interview.

听听听听听听听听 He said it was Spencer Smith鈥檚 resilience that got him back to safety.

听听听听听听听听 鈥淭he most significant factor to him making it out was his toughness,鈥� Queen said.

听听听听听听听听 The game warden tended to Smith until a helicopter from Guardian Flight arrived. It took him to St. Vincent鈥檚 Hospital in Billings around noon 鈥� only about an hour and 15 minutes after he signaled for help. Smith was released from the hospital on Saturday.

听听听听听听听听 鈥淭his is a very traumatic experience for a person to go through,鈥� Dan Smith said in Tuesday鈥檚 release. 鈥淲e wish Spencer the very best for a full and speedy recovery.鈥�

听听听听听听听听 The Game and Fish found a bear daybed 鈥渋n heavy cover,鈥� about 30 yards from the attack. Evidence at the scene indicated that the bear was either in or near that daybed at the time of the incident. Game and Fish personnel were unable to locate the animal.

听听听听听听听听 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way for us to identify the bear,鈥� Dan Smith said. 鈥淥bviously, there鈥檚 more than one bear in the area.鈥�

听听听听听听听听 With the incident apparently involving a surprise encounter and the department unable to find the bear, 鈥淕ame and Fish does not plan to take management action at this time, and no area closures have been implemented,鈥� the department said in its release. 鈥淕ame and Fish will continue to monitor bear activity in the area and will make management decisions in the best interest of public safety.鈥�

听听听听听听听听 Queen said you never know what a bear will do in these situations and it鈥檚 hard to be prepared for an attack that happens so quickly.

听听听听听听听听 In 2010, Queen was riding his horse in the Sunlight district when a thunderstorm rolled in. He waited out the storm under a spruce tree with the horse and his red heeler. After the storm passed, he headed up Blacktail creek, north of Crandall, and saw a sow and her cub at a distance moving toward him.

听听听听听听听听 鈥淭here were no bluff charges, the bear just kept coming. At about 25 yards she rounded a big root ball of a spruce that had tipped over. She turned and came at me like a cutting horse,鈥� Queen recounted. 鈥淚 let her get within 30 feet before I let her have it with my spray.鈥�

听听听听听听听听 A cloud of orange went out, hanging long enough for the bear to run into it. She dropped her back legs and slid to a stop.

听听听听听听听听 鈥淚f you spend enough time out in that country, eventually you鈥檙e going to have an encounter,鈥� the game warden said. 鈥淭hat encounter could be good or it could be bad.鈥�

听听听听听听听听 After the encounter Queen began drawing his can of bear spray if he couldn鈥檛 see more than 50 yards ahead. He also likes to carry two cans of spray if he鈥檚 out for more than a day hike. 鈥淲hat if you see two bears?鈥� he asked rhetorically.

听听听听听听听听 In 2018, Queen was forced to shoot a charging grizzly in self-defense. With a strong wind in his face, bear spray wasn鈥檛 a viable option. In those conditions, an investigator said, Queen could have incapacitated himself or died if he鈥檇 tried to use the spray.

听听听听听听听听 In Spencer Smith鈥檚 case, 鈥渢here may have been nothing he could have done to ward off the attack. Even if he was with a half-dozen people, you never know the frame of mind of a bear,鈥� Queen said. 鈥淯ntil you are confronted with something like that 鈥� with a bear coming at you 鈥� you have no comprehension of how fast they truly are.鈥�

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Editor鈥檚 note: Spencer Smith is the son of Dave Smith of Manor, SK.