Bugford
Well-known member
I just happened to be planning a trip to West Yellowstone when I read this. 
Montana man attacked by grizzly bear has died
Montana man attacked by grizzly bear has died
Fatal Grizzly Attack
- Thread starter Bugford
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Very sad. He was fishing and most likely surprised the bear with its kill.
I think I read his bear spray hadn't been used and as he was a guide it makes it difficult to know how he was caught out.
Apparently he came through 2 surgeries but unfortunately had a stroke and didn't survive.
Also despite 7 people trying to get the bear to leave the area it wasn't moving away and I believe charged them, so was shot.
I think I read his bear spray hadn't been used and as he was a guide it makes it difficult to know how he was caught out.
Apparently he came through 2 surgeries but unfortunately had a stroke and didn't survive.
Also despite 7 people trying to get the bear to leave the area it wasn't moving away and I believe charged them, so was shot.
UTTransplant
Well-known member
Jackie, they found a carcass the bear had been feeding on just a short distance away. Hungry bear, just out of hibernation, and a person the bear felt was a threat to their food. So very sad.
Tom55555
Well-known member
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- Jan 1, 2018
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I carry a 12 gauge shot gun with 3 inch slug mags in bear country. Most guides in Alaska carry the same thing.
Yes that's what I meant in my first sentence. I believe it was a moose. Very sad for both.
We got a little too close but got a great picture. He is laying on an elk carcass. Thank God he didn't wake up.
We were about 2 miles into a hike and saw him downhill 50 yrds about 10 yards off the trail. Of course we immediately turned around and headed back bear spray in hand. The short hairs on the back of my neck crawling the whole way.
We were about 2 miles into a hike and saw him downhill 50 yrds about 10 yards off the trail. Of course we immediately turned around and headed back bear spray in hand. The short hairs on the back of my neck crawling the whole way.
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This was on the Yellowstone Tour Guides Facebook page, no photo, but I have highlighted something which I think important.
04/19/21: The bear mauling victim in West Yellowstone died a few days ago. We had decided to wait on this news so that it would not spread on facebook so fast. His name is Carl Mock, and we worked with him at Loomis during the winter seasons for many years.
It has been tough watching folks criticize Carl online after the bear attack. And we really appreciate our fans not doing that on our page and posts we had earlier.
Many folks out there have been making comments, spit shining their "bear aware halo" without knowing all of the facts. And we may never know all of the facts. It is easy to criticize from the computer desk, but one shouldn't unless they are a witness to the incident.
From the preliminary information we have gotten and from what we know of Carl's character, we do not believe Carl did anything wrong in this case.
Most bear maulings, including this one are surprise encounters. Bear Spray is a great option, and Carl was carrying it, and did get the safety off, but have to remember there is no way to stay 100% safe in grizzly country, just like avalanche terrain. It is a risk those of us take to live and work in prime grizzly habitat. Sometimes the bear is quicker than someone with bear spray or a gun.
All of us who live in Big Sky, West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Cooke City and Jackson all take a risk of being mauled by a bear just by stepping out of our front door in the morning. In fact, to this date the only bear I have ever sprayed was in my condo parking lot, just 20 feet from my front door in Big Sky.
It sounds like Carl went fishing after work. He went to and area that is fairly popular and close to the highway. He then had a surprise encounter with a grizzly bear protecting a moose carcass. The carcass was buried by the bear, making it much less odorous. It is likely the attack happened so quickly Carl did not have time to deploy his bear spray.
The investigators went to the scene the next day, and found a very aggressive grizzly bear, who would not run off with 7 investigators hazing him while trying to investigate the scene. I have never heard of a bear standing up to 7 people at once before. The investigators put down the bear who was only 20 yards away.
Nobody wants to see a bear removed from the ecosystem in this manner, but everyone needs to keep in mind that they were there to investigate the scene, not euthanize the bear. Contrary to popular belief, most bears are not euthanized after attacking humans unless they have fed on people or pose an obvious threat. This bear was an obvious threat to the investigators.
We have known Carl for over a decade. Carl was an avid outdoorsman, guide in Yellowstone, and lived life to the fullest. He is proof you can do everything right in bear country and still have an incident.
The thing many folks who don't live in bear country (and I am including some folks from Bozeman as well) don't realize is that surprise encounters with a grizzly can happen at anytime at any place.
We had a day hiking tour 3 years ago, who stopped to eat lunch in an open meadow. 20 minutes after sitting there, a sleeping grizzly stood up 20 yards away and walked off. Our guide kept everyone calm and had the bear spray ready, just in case the bear noticed them. Everyone was sitting there, talking an eating and no one knew there was a grizzly so close.
Encounters like Carl's can happen to anyone at anytime in the Yellowstone area, and he does not deserve the harsh criticism he has received online. It is one of the risks we take living here.
Carl's incident makes the second guide in a row to be fatally mauled in the GYE. Mark Uptain in from Jackson, WY was fatally mauled while retrieving an elk carcass on a guided elk hunting trip he was guiding a couple of years ago. Once again another surprise encounter.
Although Carl was not guiding during the incident, we do know Carl and Mark are both experienced area guides who both paid the ultimate price for a job and lifestyle they love.
Guiding is dangerous, I have been bluff charged by a bear on tour, and I know of a couple of other guides who have been as well. None of us did anything wrong, we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. With our jobs out in the field on a daily basis ups the odds for the guides, and most guides come out of incidents without a scratch like I did. It's just a crap shoot.
For the folks saying he shouldn't been there, etc., all I can say is he was fishing near the highway after work. Fishing is something thousands of people do every year here in the area without incident. I am sure he would of chosen another spot if he had known about the moose carcass.
Nobody is 100% safe in a car, nobody is 100% safe in bear country; You can wear a seatbelt, you can carry bear spray, those just improve your odds of survival. For all of those talking down to Carl about this bear mauling, all I have to say is remember, you have a better chance of dying in a car wreck than getting mauled by a bear in the GYE.
Carl's death marks only the 4th grizzly fatality on the Gallatin National Forest, and the 15th in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Please carry bear spray and know how to use it. The bear numbers have been exploding in the area, and the number of encounters and incidents are climbing, as predicted.
In closing, we want to remember Carl for who he was, not his last fishing trip. Carl was an awesome guide in Yellowstone, who loved everything about the outdoors, whether it was hiking, fishing, snowmobiling or more. He also loved to share these experiences with his clients.
Carl was a gentle giant. He kept to himself most of the time, and rarely made any enemies. Carl was a great person, and the world was a better place with him in it. We will miss bumping into you on tour Carl, and are thoughts are with all of your family and friends during this difficult time for all of us.
In closing, the photo is one of Carl's last photos he took while on a snowmobile tour last month. His sister graciously gave us permission to use it for this post.
Carl's last act, defines his character as he donated his organs to those in need. Carl was a class act to the very end.
As always, we want to thank everyone for keeping your comments civil on our page, thank you.
04/19/21: The bear mauling victim in West Yellowstone died a few days ago. We had decided to wait on this news so that it would not spread on facebook so fast. His name is Carl Mock, and we worked with him at Loomis during the winter seasons for many years.
It has been tough watching folks criticize Carl online after the bear attack. And we really appreciate our fans not doing that on our page and posts we had earlier.
Many folks out there have been making comments, spit shining their "bear aware halo" without knowing all of the facts. And we may never know all of the facts. It is easy to criticize from the computer desk, but one shouldn't unless they are a witness to the incident.
From the preliminary information we have gotten and from what we know of Carl's character, we do not believe Carl did anything wrong in this case.
Most bear maulings, including this one are surprise encounters. Bear Spray is a great option, and Carl was carrying it, and did get the safety off, but have to remember there is no way to stay 100% safe in grizzly country, just like avalanche terrain. It is a risk those of us take to live and work in prime grizzly habitat. Sometimes the bear is quicker than someone with bear spray or a gun.
All of us who live in Big Sky, West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Cooke City and Jackson all take a risk of being mauled by a bear just by stepping out of our front door in the morning. In fact, to this date the only bear I have ever sprayed was in my condo parking lot, just 20 feet from my front door in Big Sky.
It sounds like Carl went fishing after work. He went to and area that is fairly popular and close to the highway. He then had a surprise encounter with a grizzly bear protecting a moose carcass. The carcass was buried by the bear, making it much less odorous. It is likely the attack happened so quickly Carl did not have time to deploy his bear spray.
The investigators went to the scene the next day, and found a very aggressive grizzly bear, who would not run off with 7 investigators hazing him while trying to investigate the scene. I have never heard of a bear standing up to 7 people at once before. The investigators put down the bear who was only 20 yards away.
Nobody wants to see a bear removed from the ecosystem in this manner, but everyone needs to keep in mind that they were there to investigate the scene, not euthanize the bear. Contrary to popular belief, most bears are not euthanized after attacking humans unless they have fed on people or pose an obvious threat. This bear was an obvious threat to the investigators.
We have known Carl for over a decade. Carl was an avid outdoorsman, guide in Yellowstone, and lived life to the fullest. He is proof you can do everything right in bear country and still have an incident.
The thing many folks who don't live in bear country (and I am including some folks from Bozeman as well) don't realize is that surprise encounters with a grizzly can happen at anytime at any place.
We had a day hiking tour 3 years ago, who stopped to eat lunch in an open meadow. 20 minutes after sitting there, a sleeping grizzly stood up 20 yards away and walked off. Our guide kept everyone calm and had the bear spray ready, just in case the bear noticed them. Everyone was sitting there, talking an eating and no one knew there was a grizzly so close.
Encounters like Carl's can happen to anyone at anytime in the Yellowstone area, and he does not deserve the harsh criticism he has received online. It is one of the risks we take living here.
Carl's incident makes the second guide in a row to be fatally mauled in the GYE. Mark Uptain in from Jackson, WY was fatally mauled while retrieving an elk carcass on a guided elk hunting trip he was guiding a couple of years ago. Once again another surprise encounter.
Although Carl was not guiding during the incident, we do know Carl and Mark are both experienced area guides who both paid the ultimate price for a job and lifestyle they love.
Guiding is dangerous, I have been bluff charged by a bear on tour, and I know of a couple of other guides who have been as well. None of us did anything wrong, we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. With our jobs out in the field on a daily basis ups the odds for the guides, and most guides come out of incidents without a scratch like I did. It's just a crap shoot.
For the folks saying he shouldn't been there, etc., all I can say is he was fishing near the highway after work. Fishing is something thousands of people do every year here in the area without incident. I am sure he would of chosen another spot if he had known about the moose carcass.
Nobody is 100% safe in a car, nobody is 100% safe in bear country; You can wear a seatbelt, you can carry bear spray, those just improve your odds of survival. For all of those talking down to Carl about this bear mauling, all I have to say is remember, you have a better chance of dying in a car wreck than getting mauled by a bear in the GYE.
Carl's death marks only the 4th grizzly fatality on the Gallatin National Forest, and the 15th in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Please carry bear spray and know how to use it. The bear numbers have been exploding in the area, and the number of encounters and incidents are climbing, as predicted.
In closing, we want to remember Carl for who he was, not his last fishing trip. Carl was an awesome guide in Yellowstone, who loved everything about the outdoors, whether it was hiking, fishing, snowmobiling or more. He also loved to share these experiences with his clients.
Carl was a gentle giant. He kept to himself most of the time, and rarely made any enemies. Carl was a great person, and the world was a better place with him in it. We will miss bumping into you on tour Carl, and are thoughts are with all of your family and friends during this difficult time for all of us.
In closing, the photo is one of Carl's last photos he took while on a snowmobile tour last month. His sister graciously gave us permission to use it for this post.
Carl's last act, defines his character as he donated his organs to those in need. Carl was a class act to the very end.
As always, we want to thank everyone for keeping your comments civil on our page, thank you.
I agree Carl did nothing wrong. Just a sad and tragic event for all involved. At least he died doing something he loved in one of the most unique and beautiful places in America.
This could have easily happened to me or anyone else that fishes the yellowstone ecosystem. I know I love fishing the Shoshone between the east gate and the lake. Numerous times I have seen grizzlies while fishing. Always lucky enough to see them far enough away to vacate the area.
Stumbling up on a grizzly on a kill is the absolute worst scenario. I have watched them protecting a kill from wolves in the Haden Valley. Super aggressive and fast. That bear would be on you so quick you have no chance for bear spray and I doubt if it would stop him.
This could have easily happened to me or anyone else that fishes the yellowstone ecosystem. I know I love fishing the Shoshone between the east gate and the lake. Numerous times I have seen grizzlies while fishing. Always lucky enough to see them far enough away to vacate the area.
Stumbling up on a grizzly on a kill is the absolute worst scenario. I have watched them protecting a kill from wolves in the Haden Valley. Super aggressive and fast. That bear would be on you so quick you have no chance for bear spray and I doubt if it would stop him.
Rene T
Site Team
According to a bear spray ad, Ibears can run 30 MPH. That’s 44’ per second.
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