GALLATIN COUNTY, MONTANA: Rudy Noorlander, who runs and manages Alpine Adventures, which rents out snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, in Big Sky, sustained major injuries in a grizzly bear attack on Friday, September 8
According to a GoFundMe started by his daughter, Katelynn Davis, he is presently in stable condition at a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Rudy Noorlander's daughter recalls horrifying bear attack
Davis recalled the entire incident on the fundraiser. She wrote that Noorlander, an experienced outdoorsman, was exploring the woods after hunters informed him that they had lost a deer they had shot.
Whule tracking the deer, he encountered a smaller adult grizzly bear. When he used his gun to scare it away, another 10-foot tall adult bear appeared. He tried to shoot it but he missed.
He resorted to raising his fists, hoping to deter the aggressive bear with a punch to the nose. Unfortunately, the enraged grizzly continued its attack, ultimately pinning him to the ground and inflicting severe facial injuries.
"The Grizzly left a large scratch down his right chest, bit his arms, legs, and to top it all off, gave him as what Rudy describes as the most disgusting french kiss of his life before biting down and tearing off his lower jaw," Davis wrote.
The hunters were in close proximity and managed to frighten the bears away.
"Rudy was lying on the ground for an additional 2 hours (while still fully conscious) until he was able to be picked up by the flight crew," the GoFundMe read.
"An amazing feat of strength as he did not pass out from fear, pain, or blood loss," Davis wrote.
Noorlander was left with a huge scratch on his chest, collapsed lung and bites to his arms and thighs, according to KSLTV.
Davis told the outlet, "A 10-foot mega bear appeared out of nowhere. He had bear spray. He had a gun in his hand."
She continued, "The bear, he said, from the moment he saw it to when it was on him was one second. So he thought, ‘I’ll just fight.’ and that’s what he did."
At the time of writing, the fundraiser had raised $16,025 of its $25,000 goal to cover medical costs, including an extended hospital stay.
Authorities look for bear that attacked Rudy Noorlander
The incident occurred to the south of Big Sky, approximately 55 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.
In response to attack, the US Forest Service initiated an emergency closure in the area to help authorities to search for the bear.
As of Monday, September 11, the grizzly bear had not been located, and no bears had been discovered in the area, Montana wildlife spokesperson Morgan Jacobsen confirmed.
The agency is still conducting an investigation but suspects that the bear was guarding an animal carcass it had hidden nearby.
