There is nothing quite like bowhunting for elk out West. While the prize of harvesting a big bull elk is a dream for any outdoorsmen, it doesn't come without its challenges. Which is also why it is incredibly rewarding. You're hiking deep into some of the harshest terrain in North America, battling the elevation, the temperature, the rugged landscape... which just so happens to also be the kitchen of America's most ferocious predators. We're talking wolves, mountain lions, and of course, grizzly bears. A hunter's worst fear when they're out in bear country is exactly that... stumbling across a big and aggressive grizzly. And this group of young hunters experienced that first hand... and it was the longest and most terrifying 30 seconds of their lives. 20 year old Riley Hill was hunting elk in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest of Eastern Idaho, just west of Yellowstone National Park, when a grizzly burst into their group out of nowhere. Riley was able to pick up his gun and fire off a shot at the bear who was headed for his friend, and which point, the bear turned its attention towards him. Insert that Michael Jordan meme.... "And I took that personally."
"I put one shot in the side of the bear, and grizzly bears usually don't get off their target, and this one turned and looked at me and he was charging fast. So I put 3 more shots into the face and shoulder area and then I squatted down to try and move into the trees a little bit and he grabbed my arm and started throwing me around everywhere." He said it felt like the bear was playing tug-of-war with his arm:
"When that bear grabbed ahold of me, it made a 200-pound man feel like he was nothing. It was like playing tug of war with your dog, but he was playing it with my arm and ripping it apart. When Braxton hit it, I could feel the bullets hitting the bear through my arm... when I finally felt that bear loosen up, I took this hand and ripped open that jaw and ripped by arm out. I see my gun on the ground, grabbed it and gave it 3 more shots... I didn't know I was injured yet." Riley's buddy Braxton Meyers was able to put a few shots into the bear while it was on top of Riley:
"Riley's shoulders were between his front feet and his legs were kinda kicked out from his stomach... so I ran over, right on top the bear, and it looked up and me and I saw its eyes and I just started going. It put its head back down and I shot some more and it did the trick." Riley's buddies were able to get his shirt and belt off and fashioned a torniquet to help stop the bleeding. All-in-all, the pair of hunters put 24 rounds into the bear, and were able to hike back to their side by side-and-get Riley the medical attention he needed. He said he called his dad and, with a great sense of humor, said it was about to get expensive:
"I called my dad, and I said 'I'm sorry... this is about to get expensive. I'm getting a ride in the helicopter.'" I was like 'how am I gonna pay for this... I'm gonna have to work the rest of my life.' But once I got in that helicopter, the second they gave me that medicine it was a big relief. I didn't realize how much pain I was in until it went away." He was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Hospital where he received a whopping 40 staples and many stitches. Thankfully, the near didn't lacerate any major arteries and Riley should make a full recovery, but it's expected to take a couple of months to fully heal. A once in a lifetime encounter, that luckily didn't turn out any worse than it did. Head on a swivel in bear country, folks. https://youtu.be/BFoU25oLNh8?si=j9Zev6XgXOMdmHRx
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