Grizzly bear attacks, injures antler hunters in Wyoming

CODY, Wyo. (AP) — A grizzly bear attacked and injured two men who apparently surprised the bruin while they were recreating in the Shoshone National Forest in northwestern Wyoming, state wildlife officials said Monday.

The encounter happened Saturday while the men were off a trail and searching for antlers shed by deer and elk in the forest southeast of Yellowstone National Park, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said.

The antlers can be sold for taxidermy and craft purposes and for dog chews.

The men were able to call 911 from near the scene and other recreationists in the area were able to get them to the trailhead, where they met search and rescue teams. One man was flown to the hospital by helicopter while the other was taken by ambulance.

State officials declined to release information about their conditions on Monday.

Reports from hunters and landowners in the area where the attack occurred indicate there may be six to 10 bears moving between agricultural fields and low elevation slopes, Dan Smith, a regional wildlife supervisor, said in a statement.

The agency does not plan to take any management action against the grizzly bear, such as relocating it or euthanizing it, Smith said Monday, because the attack was due to the bear being surprised and because wildlife managers would not be able to identify which of the bears in the area was involved.

Grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

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This story has been corrected to show the forest is southeast of Yellowstone National Park, not southwest.