Bear Tumbles Down A Tree And Attacks Hunter After Being Shot

In a hunting incident that went wrong, a bear ended up attacking a hunter after it was shot.

A group of at least three men with dogs were out hunting for bear on Saturday in Haywood County near Mount Sterling when the dogs found a bear sitting on a tree. One of the men rounded up the dogs while the other man shot the bear, hitting it three or four times, Capt. Andrew Helton, law enforcement officer for the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, told ABC News.

The injured bear tumbled out of the tree and attacked the person who was holding the dogs.

"Then the bear continued at him until the man and the bear rolled off a slight cliff," Helton said. After they reached the bottom, the bear walked away.

As the hunters were in a remote area, it took some time for the injured person and his companions to find their way out of the woods. Once they were out, they called the Haywood County Emergency services and directed them to their location. Paramedics, a couple of members from the emergency services and Fines Creek Fire Department responded to the incident.

The injured person was bitten by the bear in the stomach. He also had bite marks and scratches on his leg and a broken pelvic bone and some injuries on his back. He was treated at the Mission Hospital in Asheville and was later released from the hospital.

The bear, which weighed more than 350 pounds, was later found lying dead near a creek about 100 yards from where the hunter was injured by the bear.

“This is a very rare occurrence," Helton said. "What few (bear attacks) we have generally involve a dog or a mamma and cubs."

The remains of the bear are being tested for rabies and other diseases in a lab. According to Helton, no person has died in North Carolina due to a bear attack.