Black Bear Mauls California Hunter Who Shot It With Bow And Arrow

David Moye
Updated

A California man who was hunting bear ended up being the hunted when he was mauled by the animal.

The unidentified man was bow hunting with two other men in Riverside County’s Banning Canyon last Friday and shot a black bear with an arrow, according to The Yucaipa News Mirror.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Capt. Charles Foy said the hunter waited before attempting to recover the animal’s carcass — but apparently not long enough.

It turns out the 300-pound bear wasn’t dead, and it lashed out, causing serious injuries.

“He was in bad shape with pretty severe injuries. Not fit to be interviewed,” Foy told the paper. The man is reportedly still at a local hospital recovering from his injuries.

One of the other hunters told Los Angeles station KABC that the victim is an experienced hunter who just didn’t wait long enough after striking the bear to get a closer look.

Foy told the station that was a mistake. “Approaching an animal that’s injured can be dangerous or can at least put that animal in a position where it’s going to forcibly defend itself thinking it’s under threat,” he said.

The bear has since died and was removed from the area and taken to a lab for study, according to The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

It is bear-hunting season in California for those with a proper license and a bear tag. The Fish and Game Department is investigating the incident.

Bear attacks “are really, really rare,” Foy told KABC. “We’ve had incidents ― even recent incidents ― where a bear did come into physical contact with a young guy who was camping. We’ve had a few cases over the last few years of bears but nothing to this degree.”

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Other common name: Grizzly bear. Sometimes classified as sub-species Ursus arctos horribilis. Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA. Native: Northwest America, Alaska, Canada and Russia, isolated populations in Europe. Habitat: mixed woodland and open areas.
Other common name: Grizzly bear. Sometimes classified as sub-species Ursus arctos horribilis. Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA. Native: Northwest America, Alaska, Canada and Russia, isolated populations in Europe. Habitat: mixed woodland and open areas.
Two black bear cubs strike a pose for the camera in the Smoky Mountains.
Two black bear cubs strike a pose for the camera in the Smoky Mountains.
POLAR BEAR PAW. CLOSE-UP. CHURCHILL. MANITOBA, CANADA
POLAR BEAR PAW. CLOSE-UP. CHURCHILL. MANITOBA, CANADA
Wild, male American black bear (Ursus americanus) laying down or resting in summer grasses. Near Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada
Wild, male American black bear (Ursus americanus) laying down or resting in summer grasses. Near Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada
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China, Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Giant Panda Bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) feeding on bamboo shoots at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
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Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos horriblis)
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Photo, Two polar bear cubs sitting on the ground
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USA, Alaska, Katmai National Park, Coastal Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) leaping after salmon in spawning stream
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Wolong, China
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Canada, Alberta, Banff National Park, black bear, ursus americanu
a polar bear mom and cub walking across the edge of the sea ice in Churchill, Canada
a polar bear mom and cub walking across the edge of the sea ice in Churchill, Canada
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Finland, Ruhtinansalmi, near Suomussalmi, Brown bear. Ursus arctos.
Black bear (Ursus americanus) captive, Florida, USA
Black bear (Ursus americanus) captive, Florida, USA
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Polar bear (Thalarctos maritimus) in snowscape
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China, Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Giant Panda Bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) eating bamboo shoots at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
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Spitsbergen, Norway
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Alaska, United States, North America
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Tam Dao, Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, South-East Asia, Asia
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Polar Bears Playing, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
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Polar bear on floating ice

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