Minnesotan Mauled By Bears While Hiking In Wyoming
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities physician is now a patient at a Montana hospital.
Dr. Bradley Johnson and three friends were hiking in a desolate area when he was attacked by bears.
Johnson -- who works at Oakdale ENT in Plymouth, Maple Grove and Robbinsdale -- was rescued Sunday in the Granite Lake area of the Beartooth Mountains, located on the Wyoming-Montana border.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says Johnson was hiking ahead of his group on the Muddy Creek Trail when two bears mauled him.
Johnson had bear spray on him, but the attack happened so fast he was not able to pull it out. Another hiker found Johnson and his friends, and he was rescued by helicopter two hours later.
This story has the attention of avid hikers like Paul Jensen, who has also hiked that area.
"If you read the press report he had injuries to his shoulder, arm and back, so it kind of suggests that he was able to do the recommended defensive posture, which is lie down on your stomach, cover your neck with your hands and don't let the bear roll you over," Jensen said.
Wyoming officers confirmed to WCCO-TV that Dr. Johnson was found stomach down, appearing to be in that defense pose.
His friend who stayed with him was also rescued after a seven-hour hike out of the woods. Officers in the area say this is a rare situation, and they see about one attack like this a year.
