Grizzly bear attacks Idaho hunter, leaving him with a 'surprise' experience: 'It felt like playing tug of war with my dog'
Inside the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Island Park, a 20-year-old named Riley Hill was attacked.
The grizzly bear that attacked an Idaho hunter last week is now being described as a "tug of war opponent" that "ripped apart" the hunter's arm.
According to East Idaho News, doctors have estimated that it will take Riley Hill two months to recover from the attack that occurred inside the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Island Park on Sunday, Sept. 1.
The bear attacked Hill and his friend Braxton Meyers while they were archery hunting for elk. Officials from the Idaho Fish and Game revealed that the hunters acted in self-defense during a surprise encounter with the bear from a very close distance.
Meyers yelled "Oh crap, that’s a bear!" after a loud thud, according to Hill's account to East Idaho News.
The bear attacked the man, who was 20 years old, after he dropped his bow and fired off four shots with a handgun.
The bear was shot by Meyers using his own firearm.
"Riley's shoulders were between the bear's front feet and his legs were kicked out from his stomach, making it difficult for Meyers to see what Riley was doing. Meyers told East Idaho News that he had to pick his shots carefully."
""I could feel the repercussion from the bullets hitting the bear through my arm when Braxton hit it," Hill also said."
According to East Idaho News, 24 bullets were used to kill the bear. The website reports that Meyers applied a tourniquet around Hill's arm using his first aid skills he learned from Boy Scouts before Hill was airlifted to a local medical facility.
The "King of the Hill" was a bear that had a reputation among local ranchers for killing their livestock, according to the hunters who later shared this information with East Idaho News.
"Up there, this bear has consistently caused issues with cattle, but many farmers are content with our actions because we eliminated the bear that was harming their livestock," Hill stated.
"Meyers stated, "The bear that attacked us was a fighting bear. One of its ears had been torn off by another bear or an animal, which was facing up the hill and did not hear us coming until we were on the side with the good ear. At that point, it stood up and charged at us.""
The bear reportedly was startled as it was burrowing in a day bed.
Meyers is now preparing for an Oct. 12 wedding with his fiancé, and has asked Hill to be his best man.
"Many individuals claim they'd sacrifice a bullet for a friend. However, I was attacked by a bear and suffered injuries," Hill stated to East Idaho News.
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