10/08/2026
This is just a reminder NOT to go adventuring without bear spray. YIKES
2026 BEAR ATTACKS UPDATE: ATTACKS CONTINUE
I have learned of a number attacks or attempted attacks since my last update. The first incident below contains new information on an attack in Idaho I recently reported on.
These lists, separated into attacks by black bears and attacks by brown/grizzly bears, contain verified attacks as well as a few failed attacks in which the bear was clearly going after a person and/or showing scientifically defined signs of a predatory bear approach, but injury was avoided by use of a deterrent or intervention by another person or dog.
NEW ATTACKS:
- Early in the morning of Oct 7, a juvenile black bear accompanied by a sow and another juvenile attempted to break into a home near Salmon, Idaho. A male resident was seriously injured when he tackled the bear through a door and outside to protect his daughters. His wife and family dog were also injured when they followed outside. The man had to be airlifted to a medical facility for treatment. Controversy surrounds this attack with authorities and locals telling different stories. A spokesperson for the family said the bears had been raiding their chicken coop for a week before the attack, and that the family contacted the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game and were told not to shoot the bears, which is justified under state law if a black bear is actively preying upon livestock. Idaho Fish & Game disputes this, stating in a news release (https://idfg.idaho.gov/article/two-salmon-residents-attacked-juvenile-black-bear-oct-2) that they were first notified of the bears by a neighbor the day before the attack, were not contacted by the owners of the chickens and that the bears had been feeding for several days on a substantial accumulation of unsecured household garbage outside the residence in addition to the chickens. The sow was shot and killed by a neighbor after the attack, and the juveniles were trapped and killed.
- On Sept 6, a 75-year-old trapper survived a black bear attack while picking blueberries near Bathurst, New Brunswick. The bear charged at him, leading to a struggle that resulted in serious injuries requiring emergency surgery.
- On Oct 5, A man and his dog were attacked by a bear in Solway Township, Minnesota, when the man let his dogs out of his house. The bear attacked one of the dogs and pinned it to the ground. The man kicked the bear off his dog, and was then attacked by the bear, which then ran off up a tree. It was gone when law enforcement arrived. The injuries were not described as serious.
- A woman was hospitalized after a suspected black bear attack near the Onion Lake Ski Trails on Highway 37 between Terrace and Kitimat, British Columbia, on Oct 3. Authorities said the attack was believed to be surprise and defensive, and that the bear likely reacted to the woman and then disengaged. Multiple bears, possibly a mother with cubs, were seen nearby.
- A man in Castlegar, B.C., was bitten by a black bear on the evening of Sept 28. The attack occurred around 8:30 p.m. while the man was sitting outside his home. The bite was not life‑threatening, and the man’s injuries were assessed as non‑serious. The bear was subsequently trapped and killed as a threat to public safety.
- A 15-year-old boy in Huson, Montana, shot and killed a grizzly bear in self-defense on June 5 after the animal charged him at his family’s chicken coop. The teen used a .270 r***e to stop the charge. Neither he nor any family members were injured.
UPDATED, PREVIOUSLY REPORTED 2026 GRIZZLY/BROWN BEAR ATTACKS
- In an apparent case of bear spray failure, a lone male hiker was killed by a grizzly in Glacier National Park May 3. A completely discharged can of bear spray was found near his body. A report states that the victim sustained extensive trauma to the left side of his head and face, and the damage exposed internal structures of the skull, indicating the force of the attack.
- Another hiker suffered severe arm injuries and was airlifted to a hospital after being attacked by a grizzly May 28 in Glacier National Park in a separate attack.
- Two brothers were mauled and seriously injured by a grizzly May 4 while they were hiking in Yellowstone National Park. A family member said they had deployed bear spray, but the National Park Service refuses to confirm or deny if pepper spray was used.
- On August 27, a Washington man was unexpectedly charged at close range and attacked by a brown bear while he was hunting caribou with his cousin about 100 miles southwest of Deadhorse, Alaska. He sustained severe facial lacerations and broken bones, and is facing multiple surgeries. During the attack, the cousin fired his handgun at the bear, causing the bear to turn it's attention to him. The bear knocked him to the ground and injured his arm and backside before retreating. The cousin, a doctor, was able to control the first victim's bleeding before the two used a satellite phone to send an SOS for airlift evacuation.
- A grizzly bear attacked a hunter near Augusta, Montana on Sept 14. It happened when an archery hunter after elk encountered the bear and was attacked, sustaining severe injuries. The attack happened on state land along Elk Creek southwest of Augusta. Investigators located the carcass of a domestic cow they suspect was killed by a bear about 150 yards from where the attack occurred.
- A man hunting black bears in Idaho shot and killed a charging grizzly at close range May 16 when it charged the man and his son in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The hunters were sitting on the edge of a meadow when a grizzly began crossing it and seemed to pick up their scent. The grizzly then changed direction and headed directly toward the two hunters. As the hunters attempted to alert the grizzly to their presence, it began to charge directly toward them. The man fired at the charging bear with his sidearm before quickly switching to his hunting r***e, killing it within 5 yards of where he was standing.
- On Aug 31, a woman suffered "life-altering" severe injuries when she was attacked by a sow grizzly bear with at least one cub as the woman was walking her dog on the Cedar Flats trail complex north of Columbia Falls, Montana. Investigators located a cached whitetail deer carcass about 100 yards off the trail.
- A Kenai, Alaska woman was seriously injured by an attacking brown bear July 9 on the deck of her home, despite firing warning shots with a sh***un.
- A 72-year-old female hiker was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries after she was attacked by a sow grizzly with a cub near Tyaughton Lake in British Columbia on Aug 2. The woman sustained a C1 vertebra neck fracture along with multiple wounds to her face, arms, and neck.
- A woman was attacked by a brown bear Sept 21 while hiking in Haines, Alaska. It was the second such attack in that area this year. Alaska Wildlife officials said the attack occurred on the Jones Point Trail. The bear is believed to be a sow with a cub. The woman was able to rescue herself and was receiving medical treatment for her injuries.
- In Haines, Alaska, a woman was attacked and seriously injured by a brown bear Aug 29 while the woman was walking her dog on Mt. Riley Road. Reports indicate the woman was hospitalized and underwent surgery, and more surgeries may be needed.
- On Aug 13, a brown bear attacked and injured a female runner on a popular Chugach State Park trail in Anchorage. The woman deployed bear spray, but apparently not in time to prevent her from being injured. The woman self-evacuated to a hospital.
- A brown bear attacked and inflicted serious injuries on a man biking the Dome Trail in Anchorage. This is the second aggressive bear encounter on the Dome Trail in less than a year. A brown bear mauled and seriously injured a woman hiking there last July.
- A woman hiking with a friend and three dogs suffered non-life-threatening injuries when she was attacked by a brown bear near Chugach State Park in south Anchorage, Alaska.
-Two soldiers were seriously injured in April by a brown bear near Anchorage on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The Army did not provide many details about the encounter but said that the soldiers were equipped with bear spray and that they had deployed it, but they were not able to escape serious injury.
-A man was injured in a grizzly bear attack in the Malakwa area near Sicamous on Sept 1, according to B.C. conservation officers. The hiker was walking with his off-leash dog along the Queest Mountain Forest Service Road when a grizzly bear approached. The bear chased the dog and then attacked the man, lashing out at him. The man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
- On August 18, an adult female was attacked by a brown bear near Bells Flats on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The woman was walking her dog near a salmon stream when she encountered a sow with cubs. The bear bit the victim several times on the legs, but the dog’s barking diverted the bear’s attention. The victim was able to crawl away and play dead. Once the sow and cubs left, the victim called 911 and walked to the nearest residence. She sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
- A man was injured and hospitalized following a grizzly bear attack on his private farm property near Vanderhoof, BC. on April 13. During the attack, the man scrambled under a barbed wire fence to escape.
- A grizzly injured a man in what authorities said was a close-range surprise encounter in the Rutherford Creek drainage near Pemberton, British Columbia. The man was able to get himself to safety and seek medical attention.
- A man jogging with his dog in Henrys Lake State Park near Island Park, Idaho was attacked and injured by a bear identified as a grizzly. The man, who was able to walk out of the park, was hospitalized. The extent of his injuries was not released.
- A moose hunter from Soldotna, Alaska was injured by a brown bear on Sept 2 in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The hunter was moving through trees when he heard a noise and saw a brown bear charging him from 10 feet away, leaving him no time to respond. The hunter was struck in the shoulder and blacked out. His companion fired two shots from his pistol, possibly wounding the bear, which ran away. The hunter's coat was shredded, but the claws did not break the skin. Even so, the hunter will require six weeks of physical therapy for his bruised and battered shoulder.
- Parks Canada said one of two hikers in Jasper National Park sustained minor injuries, despite deploying bear spray, after encountering a female grizzly with cubs. Authorities said the bear spray likely prevented more serious injuries.
- In an attempted attack reported directly to me by a reader, a hunter and his companion were surprised and charged by a female brown bear at close range on Aug 19. The hunters were charged while they were hunting near Kasilof, Alaska, on the Kenai Peninsula. The hunter shot the bear in self defense and it dropped at a distance of six yards. "When she saw us, she attacked," he said. No cubs were seen.
UPDATED, PREVIOUSLY REPORTED 2026 BLACK BEAR ATTACKS
- On July 15, a retired couple from Regina, Canada were killed by a black bear near their cabin at Lake McTavish where they had gone to fish. A bear suspected in the attack was killed by authorities.
- A black bear killed a 27-year-old male worker from India at uranium mining company's facility in northern Saskatchewan on May 8.
- A disabled 67-year-old man was killed by a black bear that broke into his home Aug. 20, near Crystal, New Mexico, a small community located near the Arizona border. Navajo police said the bear was later located and neutralized. Family members described the scene of the attack at "horrific." This attack was the THIRD black bear attack in New Mexico so far this year.
- A Northern California couple was seriously injured Sept 19 when a black bear attacked them outside their home in Trinity County. The man let his dog outside after the dog woke him, and when he went back outside to let the dog in, the bear attacked him, biting and clawing and breaking two ribs. That's when the dog went after the bear and was attacked. The man's wife awoke to the sound of screaming and fighting, went outside and found her dog in the bear's mouth. She struck the bear with a piece of patio furniture. The bear knocked her down and grabbed her by the head, inflicting wounds before fleeing. The dog did not survive.
- On Sept 4, three hikers encountered two bears near Whistler, British Columbia. One bear attacked a woman before disengaging. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said the woman suffered a severely lacerated leg and was transported to a hospital by helicopter. Conservation officers found an adult male black bear at the site, which was euthanized due to public safety concerns, and authorities later confirmed the attack was by a black bear.
- A man sustained non-life-threatening injuries Aug. 21 after he was bitten by a black bear while camping near Red River, New Mexico.
- A man was injured by a black bear near Cedar Crest, New Mexico. Cedar Crest is part of the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
- BC Conservation officers issued a warning after the FOURTH bear attack in metro Vancouver. On Aug 24, a man was attacked by a black bear that followed him for some time and injured his leg while the man was walking on the Richard Juryn trail network.
- On Aug 17, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service responded to an attack on a woman in her backyard of her Anmore home by a black bear. The woman, who was on the back deck of her home with her dog, received medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries.
- A 3-year-old girl was attacked by a black bear while the girl was playing on the back deck of her home in Maple Ridge near Vancouver, British Columbia. The girl was airlifted to a hospital with non-life-altering injuries. A parent chased the bear away, but it kept returning to the scene and was eventually killed by authorities.
- In another metro Vancouver attack this year, a man was bitten by a black bear outside his apartment complex in Port Coquitlam, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
- A black bear attacked a man and a child at a home north of Lake Whatcom near Bellingham, Washington Sept. 13. They were treated at a hospital for injuries and released. The attack came a month after a bear chased a hiker near Lake Whatcom. She suffered minor injuries after falling into blackberry bushes.
- In an 11th attack or attempted attack this year in Colorado, a Steamboat Springs resident was forced to shoot a black bear Aug 28 when the bear charged him inside his home. The shooting and wounding of the bear occurred after the resident tried to haze the bear out of his home, resulting in the bear charging instead. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers responded and euthanized the injured bear.
- Colorado recorded its TENTH bear attack this year on Sept 13 when a black bear attacked a 17-year-old girl in Durango, Colorado, while she was asleep in her home. The bear ripped the window screen off and was able to open a cracked window and entered the room. The girl pulled blankets up and tried to hide when she saw the bear enter the room. The bear swiped at her and she felt the bear's paw hit her stomach. The bear left the room after the teenager screamed, then re-entered the room and exited after the teen continued to yell. Wildlife managers said the teenager had scratch marks and bruising on her stomach, and was "very lucky she had multiple blankets covering her when the bear swiped her,”
- On Sept 11, Colorado recorded its NINTH bear attack when a black bear attacked a woman at 5:30 a.m., biting a woman's arm while she was inside a tent at Park Creek Campground. The woman reported she felt something hit the tent and growl before it bit her. EMS treated her injuries, and she received follow-up treatment.
- Colorado recorded its EIGHTH black bear attack this year in Steamboat Springs on Sept 3 when a bear entered a backyard where an adult was napping in a patio chair. The bear popped its jaws and scratched the victim's leg, inflicting minor injuries before the bear was driven off by a neighbor using bear spray.
- Also in Colorado, a woman in her 80s sustained abdominal injuries from an attack by a black bear that broke into her Estes Park home on Aug 27.
- On Aug 21, a fisherman was walking towards a parking lot near the South Platte river in Colorado when he was attacked by a sub-adult black bear. Although the man wasn't carrying any fish, witnesses say the sow knocked him to the ground and bit his legs. It took several minutes for the man's friends to scare the bear away.
- On Aug. 17, a man was injured after encountering a black bear at an apartment complex near Eagle-Vail, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The man was leaving a building laundry room when he encountered a female black bear.
- On Aug 19, a black bear injured a homeless man sleeping in an Aspen, Colorado park. The man was sleeping in Rio Grande Park when a bear bit him on the head. He was treated for head and facial injuries and later released from the hospital. An adult female bear, which did not have cubs, was euthanized in accordance with CPW policy.
- On Aug 17, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a woman was injured after a bear forced its way into her home. The woman suffered cuts to her face when she tried to scare the bear outside. She was treated at a hospital and released.
- In early August, a minor who was out scouting for hunting season was followed by a black bear that followed him and chased him up a tree near Snowmass, Colorado. The minor eventually was able to fight the bear off, according to published reports.
- In June, near Golden, Colorado, a black bear scratched a woman’s leg, ripped off her backpack and followed the woman for about 30 minutes, despite her shouting and throwing rocks and sticks.
- On Aug. 18, a female black bear entered a home in Asheville, North Carolina, and injured a woman on its way out. The NCWRC said the bear continues to break into homes which have no unsecured trash or other unsecured attractants. Officials say the bear poses a threat to human safety and efforts are being made to find and dispatch the bear.
- In the third week of August, a black bear attempted to attack a person walking near Roosevelt Middle School in Red Lodge, Montana. A good Samaritan intervened and was able to prevent the attack. Officials said the incident was predatory in nature because the black bear was approached the person slowly, purposefully and methodically.
- On Sept 6, a woman was injured when a black bear attacked her outside her home in Pend Oreille County, Washington. The woman retreated inside her house, and the bear left. The woman was treated for her injuries at a local hospital. Later that day, WDFW officers located and lethally removed a black bear near the attack scene.
- A woman was hiking with her leashed dog in a forested area of Whatcom County, Washington, Aug 15. when they encountered a black bear. The bear charged the woman, then followed her and continued to charge at her, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). She was not injured by the bear, but suffered cuts from falling and retreating into a blackberry bush. The bear displayed classic predatory black bear behavior.
- On March 16, when a woman was hospitalized after being attacked by a black bear while the woman was walking her dogs in Monrovia, California. Authorities later captured a female bear with two cubs that had been living beneath a house in the area.
- In Catskill, New York, a 70-year-old woman sustained minor injuries when she was attacked by a black bear in her yard.
- A California couple sustained "significant" injuries this after they were attacked by a black bear outside the door of their Mammoth Lakes home, according to officials. The woman opened her door in Mammoth Lakes to find one of her dogs fighting with a black bear. She was injured when she tried to save her dog, as was her husband when he went outside. The man reportedly fought the bear off with a hatchet. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife euthanized the bear after determining it was a threat to public safety.
- In the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Abrams Falls Trail was temporarily closed after three incidents involving an aggressive bear, including one in which a black bear bit a person who entered a closed area. (Per news reports, rangers also responded to three incidents at Ramsey Cascades Trail, including one in which a bear displayed aggressive behavior and briefly chased a group).
- In Connecticut, a young boy was playing outside his home when a large black bear suddenly sprinted toward him. Home security cameras captured the scene as the bear closed in fast, leaving the child with no time to run or find cover. Just before the bear reached the boy, the family’s husky rushed in to confront the bear and drive it away.
- The first of two black bear attacks on Vancouver Island this year occurred July 19 when two hikers walking with a dog encountered a female black bear with cubs. One hiker was hospitalized for treatment of injuries.
- A park was closed and a woman was hospitalized following an attack by a black bear Aug 14 near Duncan on Vancouver Island, BC.
- A woman was injured by a black bear Aug 10 while she was hiking with her dogs near Teton Pass in Wyoming. Authorities attributed the attack to a sow with at least one cub, and categorized it as defensive. The use of bear spray did not prevent injury, but authorities believe it lessened injuries, and the woman was able to walk back to the trailhead and seek medical attention.
- On June 16, a teenager was injured when a black bear charged and attacked a group of hikers on a trail on Washington's Mount Si.
- A black bear invaded a home in Crestline, California on June 15 and mauled an autistic 19-year-old boy while he was sleeping.
- A man running on a trail was attacked and injured by a black bear May 25 near Squamish, B.C., after he came upon a sow with two cubs.
- A black bear charged a man outside his Lake Tahoe home, but was repelled by bear spray.
