On the morning of October 1, 2016, Todd Orr hiked into the Montana wilderness for a routine scouting trip. He was an experienced outdoorsman who knew the risks of the Madison Valley, but nothing could have prepared him for the horror waiting on the trail. In a span of forty-five minutes, Orr did not just survive a mauling by a protective sow grizzly; he was hunted down and attacked a second time by the same bear. His survival is a terrifying account of luck and physical endurance.
The Orange Cloud Failed
Orr was three miles from his truck when he spotted a sow grizzly with cubs. The bear spotted him instantly and charged. Orr yelled to identify himself as human and deployed his bear spray when the animal was thirty feet away. The sow did not stop.
She ran through the orange mist and slammed into him. Orr dropped to the ground, protecting his neck as the bear bit into his arms and shoulders. The attack lasted only seconds before the bear, irritated by the pepper spray, disappeared into the woods. Bleeding but mobile, Orr stood up and began the three-mile hike back to safety, believing the worst was over.
The Predator Returns
Ten minutes later, the nightmare restarted. Orr heard a noise behind him and turned to see the same grizzly charging again. He had no time to reach for his spray or pistol. The bear slammed him into the dirt for a second time. This attack was far more violent than the first. The bear bit deep into his left forearm, snapping the ulna bone with a sound Orr later described as the “crunch of a dry branch.” The force of the bites felt like a sledgehammer with teeth, severing tendons and shredding muscle.
Blinded by Blood
Orr remained motionless face-down in the dirt, knowing that any movement would provoke the animal further. The bear bit into his scalp, opening a five-inch gash above his right ear. Blood poured down his face and filled his eyes, leaving him completely blind.
He lay in darkness, listening to the bear’s breathing just inches from his spine. For thirty agonizing seconds, the bear stood on top of him, crushing his chest into the rocky trail. Then, the weight lifted. The bear was gone.
The 45-Minute Hike to Survival
Orr waited in silence before wiping the blood from his eyes. He found his pistol, which had been ripped from its holster during the frenzy, but the bear had vanished. With a broken arm and a scalp flapping open, he hiked the remaining miles to his truck.
He even paused to snap a photo and video of his injuries, documenting the damage before driving himself to the hospital. It took six hours of surgery to stitch him back together, but he survived a day that by all logic should have been his last.