Attack by a Black Bear in Yellowstone Park!

What did you think was going to happen when you are camping and hiking at 7000 feet in the Bear Tooth Mountains at the entrance to Yellowstone Park?

Each year, since the 1880’s, the Appalachian Mountain Club has organized a wilderness hiking and camping trip. This year it was at the North East entrance to the historic Yellowstone Park in Montana. I was with my New York friend Dave, and part of a group of 50 adventurous campers who arrived in the Wild West town of Billings to enjoy the outdoors for a week.

Soon after the overloaded van left the Billings airport for the scenic three hour drive to the picturesque campsite, there were whispers and rumors of a gruesome bear attack at a nearby campsite to our home base.  We had been warned that we would be guests in the brown and black bears natural habitat and that it would be very likely that we will encounter one during our week long stay.  Each of the hike leaders was equipped with a crippling bear pepper spray which could shoot about twenty five feet. We were warned not to use it accidently or get in the way!

Soon after our arrival, and after we had settled into the army issued tents we were called around the glowing camp fire which had the surrounding snow capped mountains as a background. It was a cool evening, frost was expected and an icy wind was picking up as the glowing sun was being consumed behind the jiggered saw tooth peaks around us.

A burly, but friendly park ranger dressed like Smokey the Bear with his peaked felt hat addressed us. “There has been a vicious bear mauling in the next campsite over and all sites, except this one, have been closed in a 25 mile radius until the human seeking bear can be captured and dealt with.”  There were gasps and “I want out of here NOW” statements.  He went on to describe the nature of the attack. A sleeping camper heard rustling and scratching against his tent and he inquisitively unzipped the opening, which was right near the bears head!  The angry bear bit his hand and would not let go, but the camper’s agonizing screams brought help and scared the huge black bear off. 

The mauled camper was taken to nearest hospital where his hand was repaired during a two hour operation and forensic evidence of the shape and size of the bear teeth marks was taken.  A local tells us during the week that the hospital staff has a betting system as to how many “city folks” will be injured and brought in to be repaired each summer!

The concerned ranger went on to say “make sure that you do not have ANY food, candy, toothpaste, deodorant or items that may attract the bear’s nose to YOUR tent”.  A locked up van was used to place all of these kinds of articles in, and the kitchen tent and stoves were set up a long way from the campers sleeping tents. All of the staff and camper tents were set closer together.  It was a night when every little sound was magnified into an inquisitive bear rustling in the bushes!

The next morning one of our guide leaders took us over to a muddy area of the campsite and pointed out bear tracks. He said bears would definitely come by, it is just a matter of time and hopefully they will not be interested in one of our tents!

We were always thinking about the possibility of a bear encounter, and in fact some of the hikers did startle a bear, but he ran away. I took pictures of one beside the highway when we were on our way to a hike, but he seemed only to be interested in picking colorful berries in the grass. We had experienced Yellowstone guides and I had confidence that they would be able to handle the situation if one arose.

We had arrived on a Saturday morning in the park and on the following Tuesday the bear was found, identified and shot.  We heard this as we were buying groceries in the nearby town of Cook City, which had a claim to fame that Clark Gable and Ernest Hemmingway used to hole up in a motel there to go fly fishing and cause all kinds of drunken hell making!

Even though the outlaw bear had been captured we still remained on high alert for the rest of our outdoor adventure and were pleased that we did not end up as news in the local paper obituary column.