The risks of grizzly country

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 4/29/21

On April 16, Charles “Carl” Mock was mauled by a grizzly near West Yellowstone and later succumbed to his injuries. The West Yellowstone resident was a well-known backcountry snowmobile guide was aware of the risks of recreating in bear country, his friends told AP News, and accepted those risks. After the attack, Mock was able to call 911, and was discovered propped against a tree with a deployed can of bear spray in one hand and the other chewed off from attempts to protect himself. “I’ve held my bear spray 100 times but never had to use it,” said Scott Riley, a friend of Mocks. “What happened to Carl could happen to anybody that walks into these forests at any given time … I would say if the forest kills me, the forest kills me.”