Champlin man recovers from grizzly attack

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Champlin man recovers from grizzly attackJill Burcum Star Tribune Published Oct 28 2001It's not surprising what Conrad (C.J.) Smith of Champlin remembers most clearly about being mauled by a grizzly bear in Wyoming last Tuesday."The teeth. I just remember seeing the teeth and the fangs, and the wide-open mouth," said Smith, 40, who was elk hunting with a friend near Moran Junction in Grand Teton National Park. Smith was released from Regions Hospital in St. Paul on Saturday. He was flown there Wednesday from a Wyoming hospital.He was bitten on his right arm, shoulders, back, leg and buttock and extensively on his head, but no bones were broken. On Thursday, doctors replaced a baseball-sized piece of skin torn from his scalp with a skin graft from his thigh. Though he is sore, bruised and still shaken, Smith is counting his blessings. "It could have been a lot worse," he said in an interview at his home.Smith was on top of a small foothill when the bear attacked. He and Mark Roy of Grand Rapids, Minn., had climbed the hill after passing another group of hunters. They hoped the other hunters would drive animals their way.In retrospect, he said, the hunters probably frightened the bear, which was with her cub, sending them toward him."I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Smith said.He and Roy had been separated for some time when he heard violent crashing in nearby underbrush. He saw a cub flash by.The crashing became louder. An angry bear that Smith immediately knew was a grizzly emerged about 15 yards away. In two strides, he said, the bear covered the ground between them.He yelled at the bear, trying to scare it away. At some point, his loaded rifle went off. The grizzly didn't stop. Knocked to the ground, he curled into a fetal position. That's when the bear "began chewing on me." The bear seemed to lose interest after a while, but then it returned and bit his head again."I swear to God, it felt like it was just crunched ... like a pop can being crushed," he said. "That's when I thought I was done."But the bear left after a few minutes, giving Smith a chance to grab and reload his rifle and then use a walkie-talkie to call Roy for help.With help from Roy, Smith was able to walk 1,000 feet down the hill and then stay alert on the 20-minute drive to the hospital. Park officials have confirmed that the bear was a grizzly by studying the tracks it left, Smith said. This is the second bear attack in the park this year.Smith, a plant production manager who is being laid off, is expected to make a full recovery. He plans to go hunting again -- just not in bear country anytime soon.-- Jill Burcum is at jburcum@startribune.com . http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/789050.html