A routine hunting trip in the Canadian Rockies turned into a brutal fight for survival for Jeremy Evans. On August 24, 2017, the experienced outdoorsman was tracking a Bighorn Ram when a sudden movement caught his eye. A grizzly bear cub ran past him, less than ten feet away. In that moment, Evans knew he was in grave danger, understanding that where there is a cub, a protective mother is never far behind.
His fears were instantly realized. Before he could retrieve the bear spray from his pack, the mother bear erupted from the bushes, charging at him from just a few feet away. Evans reacted quickly, throwing his bike at the bear to create a distraction before scrambling up a nearby tree. It was not enough. The enraged grizzly charged again, pulling him from the tree with her claws and launching a ferocious attack that would leave him on the brink of death.
The injuries Evans sustained were catastrophic. His left eye was dislodged from its socket, his jaw was broken and hanging open, exposing his teeth, and parts of his scalp were torn away. Believing he would slowly bleed to death, he made the desperate decision to end his own life with his rifle, but the gun failed to fire. This mechanical failure, he later stated, scared him into a new resolve: he would try to make it out alive.
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The journey back to civilization was a nightmare. Weak and disoriented, he stumbled and fell 200 feet into a rocky creek. Convinced he was taking his final steps, he used his phone to write heartbreaking messages to his wife, telling whoever might find his body that he had tried to make it, but the bear had “really messed him up.” Miraculously, he found his car and drove 22 kilometers to get help. His survival led to a long road of recovery involving five major surgeries and five weeks in the hospital, a testament to his incredible will to live.
