A hunter camping with a group of friends in Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness awoke in the middle of the night Friday to find a black bear biting his head.
Stephen Vouch, 29, didn't realize it was bear at first, and only felt something tugging at his hair. Out of curiosity, he reached behind his head and felt it was wet. He then yelled when he realized the source of his confusion was a bear that was gnawing on the back of his head.
"He got a hold of my head, and that's what woke me up," said Vouch Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. "That's when I kind of freaked out. That's when I could hear the bear breathing on me."
Startled by the scream, the bear jumped and hit the tarp where he and the rest of his friends were sleeping. During the commotion, the tarp fell entangling the animal and the hunters who were all awake by that point.
Vouch recalled, at that point, his friend fired a .45-caliber handgun, prompting the bear to climb into a tree after it was wounded by the shot, reported U.S. News & World Report. Vouch then shot and killed it.
The hunters were prepared with emergency medical supplies, but didn't have a satellite phone, so after receiving first aid, Vouch and his friends rafted downstream before flying out of the wilderness.
Vouch was treated Monday at a hospital for cuts to his head and promptly released, according to the Japan Times.
Idaho Fish and Game officials aren't sure why the bear entered the camp since the hunters had stored their food properly. They believe it was either due to the bear being accustomed to finding food from the rafters who frequent the area in the summer, or out of curiosity thinking Vouch's hair was fur.
Despite the encounter, Vouch says he intends to return to the area in the next several weeks to continue searching for bighorn sheep. In Idaho, hunters are only allowed to harvest a single Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in their lifetime.
