Some of the posts here are surprising and lot of arm chair quarter backing. Until you live here and deal with the bears here it is easy to say "should have, would have and could have". We have one grizzly in town here in Cody within the city limits that the game and fish are trying to trap. There has been 3 maulings so far this year and every year for the past several there are at least that many. The bears can come so quickly you don't have a chance to use your pistol or bear spray or what ever. Who ever said the guide didn't do his job doesn't have a clue. Especially for not being there, you don't know if he had a pistol on his hip or not or any other circumstance. I am sure he had a sidearm and if not bear spray.

There are so many bears now it is crazy. A guy at work drew a sheep tag this year and filled it opening day. He went scouting at least 6 times and every time but one he saw at least 5 grizzlies. He went to a different drainage every time till he found the sheep he was looking for. A large percentage of the time you encounter a bear it runs off or at the least ignores you. This story is one of the time they didn't. Animals are conditioned to be scared of humans. In the past week there have been two people in Mammoth in Yellowstone that have gotten attacked by the bull elk. People are all around watching them and this one elk is so aggresive that he attacks people. Granted people in the park are really stupid but if you are hunting elk in the wild and calling them in to archery range I have never heard of one attacking a hunter. Ever one I have seen splits so fast it is amazing if they see, smell or hear you.

The story sounds a little fishy to me with the hunter leaving him and throwing a pistol to the guide, then getting flown out meanwhile leaving the guide and then flying back to Florida before the guy is even found. I don't know if his flight was scheduled for that day or what but it just seems strange to me. I wouldn't be surprised if more comes out of this story.