Fighting Off Grizzly Bear, Hunter Shoots Himself

A Wyoming hunter managed to scare off an attacking grizzly bear Friday night in an area south of Grand Teton National Park—but in the process, he shot himself in the leg. Lee Francis, 65, was hunting with his 40-year-old son in Rock Creek, along the Sawtooth mountains, when the bear attacked around 6pm, NBC News reports. The Sublette County Sheriff's Office says Francis "was able to draw his handgun and fired several rounds, which caused the bear to disengage and flee; however, one of the rounds struck Francis in the lower leg." His son called for help using a satellite phone, USA Today reports.

Francis' son provided first aid and, after coordinating with rescuers, he got Francis, on horseback, to a rendezvous spot near Water Dog Lake. More than three hours after the attack, Francis was taken via helicopter from there to a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was discharged Monday. Authorities are searching for the bear involved in the incident. Days prior, a grizzly attacked two college wrestlers in Wyoming, and the state said there has been "an abundance of bear activity" in the national forest where they were attacked. "Game and Fish will continue to monitor bear activity in the area and work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to make management decisions in the best interest of public safety," a supervisor at the state agency said. (More Wyoming stories.)