DENVER — Officials continue to search Monday for a bear that attacked a man in his backyard in New Castle on Saturday night, giving him injuries that put the man in the hospital overnight.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the incident happened around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, when the man heard a noise in his backyard and went outside to check it out.
CPW said the man startled the bear, which pinned him to the ground. The man was able to protect his face and grab a gun he was carrying, then fired three shots at the bear, which ran away.
The man suffered injuries to his hand and arm and bruises to his chest and was taken to a hospital by a family member. The man was released from the hospital early Sunday and his home recovering, CPW said.
CPW was notified of the attack around 1 a.m. Sunday and had wildlife officers at the scene around 2 a.m. The man said he was not sure if he hit the bear with the shots he had fired.
Rain at the time made finding a possible blood trail difficult, according to Rachael Gonzales, the Northwest Region Public Information Officer for CPW. Deputies from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office brought in a drone with infrared sensors to try to find the bear, and crews worked through Sunday in the search effort.
As of Sunday night, they had not found the bear. CPW said the search continues Monday, and the agency is asking anyone in the New Castle area who sees an injured or dead bear to contact Colorado State Patrol.
According to Gonzales, the man told CPW he had seen a bear in his yard the past two nights.
This is the second time in about a month a bear has attacked someone in New Castle. The previous one happened Aug. 31 around 2 a.m. in the Castle Valley Ranch neighborhood and involved a woman who had serious injuries to her arm and scratches on her back. One sow and one cub were euthanized.
“We continue to see a lot of bear activity during the overnight hours as bear prepare for hibernation. Easy access to food sources, such as trash and fruit from trees that have fallen to the ground, will attract bears,” said Area Wildlife Manager Kirk Oldham. “Simple steps like picking up fruit and removing any attractants around your home are important in preventing incidents like this.”
New Castle is off Interstate 70 about 12 miles west of Glenwood Springs.
