Startled bear pins man to ground after he hears noise in yard, Colorado officials say

A man who went to check on a noise in his backyard was pinned to the ground by a startled bear, Colorado officials said.

The man investigated the noise around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, in New Castle, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in a news release.

He startled a bear that was outside his home, and the animal knocked him to the ground and held him down, officials said.

The man used one hand to shield his face while using his free hand to pull out his gun and fire three times at the bear, officials said.

He was taken to a hospital for minor injuries to his hand, arm and chest.

He told wildlife officials that he wasn’t sure if any bullets struck the bear, officials said. But wildlife officers couldn’t find the bear or any blood trails because of heavy rain.

The man had seen the bear in his yard for two days before the attack, officials said.

“This is an unfortunate reminder that we need to be vigilant and ‘bear aware’ at all times,” area wildlife manager Kirk Oldham sad in the release. “We continue to see a lot of bear activity during the overnight hours as bears prepare for hibernation.”

Oldham said to yell, make noise or throw things at a bear if it’s around a home so it does not become comfortable in the area. This bear attack is the second one to happen in New Castle this year.

New Castle is about 170 miles west of Denver.

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