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On the afternoon of Sunday, May 19th, 2024, a 35-year-old man, whom we will refer to as Matt was hiking up the Signal Mountain Summit Road to visit the scenic overlook. Based on descriptions of the overlook, the views are breathtaking and he looked forward to enjoying it. Matt was visiting from Massachusetts and was stepping into a world as different as possible from his home state.
As Matt trekked he had walked past numerous signs indicating that grizzly bears are in the area. The signs advise visitors to tread carefully and be alert for roaming bears. Certain parts of the mountain are very thick with plant life cutting visibility to very short distances in parts of the trail.
Climbing up the trail was undoubtedly straining given the altitude difference, but the crisp mountain air compelled Matt to reach his goal. Hiking along the trail, he glanced up to see a small grizzly scampering up the trail in front of him. That’s when he noticed in his peripheral vision an enormous brown mass rapidly approaching him from the side of the trail.
Now Matt wasn’t unprepared for hiking in the park and in bear country in general. He had had the forethought to purchase and pack bear spray with him and kept it secured on his backpack. He likely never imagined he would have to use it, or even see a grizzly bear, but today’s events would change his life, and not necessarily in a good way.
According to sources, it isn’t clear if the grizzly knocked Matt to the ground or he dropped facefirst to protect himself, but as he lay on the ground the grizzly bit and tore at him ferociously. He had managed to take his bear spray into his hand before covering his head to protect himself, but couldn’t dispense it before being attacked.
As Matt laid still, feigning death the bear bit him all over his body. During her frenzied attack, the sow somehow bit into Matt’s bear spray canister causing it to release its contents into the bear’s face. The fog of repellent sprayed into her nose, mouth, and eyes from close range, yielding a hyper dose of the irritant in the perfect spot for maximum effect.
Immediately affected by the bear spray, the sow undoubtedly gagged and coughed as her mucosal membranes burned in reaction to the spray. She turned and bolted back into the brush after rounding up her cub.
Now uncertain of the bear’s location, Matt remained on his stomach, waiting for the next painful bite, but it never came. Once he realized the bear had fled, Matt somehow managed to reach out for assistance.
Authorities were notified of his attack and Grand Teton National Park rangers as well as Teton County Search and Rescue responded to the attack location. After arriving at the attack site, they treated his injuries as best they could and prepared him for transportation via the medical helicopter that was en route.
The rugged terrain made Matt’s rescue difficult, but the helicopter was able to transport him off Signal Mountain. An ambulance waited near a road junction at the base of the mountain and rushed him to St. John’s Hospital in Jackson Hole. After initial treatment, Matt’s condition was stabilized. Despite serious injuries, after further medical treatment, he is expected to make a full recovery.
Park rangers and biologists initiated an investigation into the nature and cause of Matt’s grizzly bear attack. Given that the smaller bear was sighted just before he was attacked, they concluded that Matt’s attack was a case of a sow defending her cub from a potential threat. Since the cub had not participated in the attack, they deemed it a defensive attack and decided no action would be taken against the grizzly or her cub.
For those of you who may have heard the scuttlebutt that the sow that attacked Matt was bear 399 known as the Queen of The Tetons, she was found to be 6 or 7 miles away and was not involved in this attack. Following Matt’s attack, the road and trail leading to Signal Mountain and its overlook were all closed to visitors to allow the bears to calm down and leave the area. Of the several hundred bears tracked and observed in the Greater Yellowstone area, the bears involved in Matt’s attack had never been observed by researchers.
In the Grand Teton National Park only 6 bear attacks have been recorded since 1994 and none of these attacks were fatal. Researchers estimate that there are around 200 grizzlies roaming the park and their population is stable.