A 68-year-old man was severely mauled by a grizzly bear in a remote area of Park County on Monday.
After a distress call came in on Monday afternoon from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, the Park County Sheriff’s Office initially believed that the emergency signal they had received was originating from a downed aircraft in the Franc’s Peak area It was the elevation that had first responders fooled momentarily as Park County Search and Rescue was initially deployed to assist with a possible rescue.
As more information became available, it was determined that the signal was actually a Personal Locator Beacon at a high altitude. Due to the location of the signal, a Search and Rescue helicopter and a Guardian Medical helicopter were launched. A helicopter on loan from Sublette County’s Tip Top Search and Rescue was also dispatched to assist in transporting a PCSAR ground team to the remote location.
When rescuers arrived at the beacon signal source, they found a 68-year-old male from Buffalo, New York, on a multi-day backpacking trip, who had encountered a grizzly bear and was severely mauled. The attack had happened too quickly to deploy bear spray, which he did have. The man was transferred to the helicopter and flown to a landing zone where he was transported to Billings, Montana for treatment. No information is available on his condition.
The incident is under investigation by Wyoming Game and Fish.
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