x
Breaking News
More () »

Teen Survives Bear Attack

PORTER TOWNSHIP — A young hunter is recovering from injuries after she was attacked by a bear in Clinton County. Kyle Courter said Monday afternoon starte...

PORTER TOWNSHIP -- A young hunter is recovering from injuries after she was attacked by a bear in Clinton County.

Kyle Courter said Monday afternoon started off as a normal hunting day for his family. He, his dad, stepsister Camille and a friend hunted for deer at their family farm near Lock Haven. When the group saw three bear cubs run by, Courter said things got scary.

"I heard sister screaming and I went running. By time I got there I heard a couple of gunshots," Courter said.

The black bear charged at Camille and attacked her.

"Pretty good gash on her forehead from what I saw. Under her coat she had some pretty good bite wounds on her arms and chest," Courter said.

Courter says his dad fired a shot into the air, which seemed to scare the bear off. He believes the bear weighed between 200 and 300 pounds.

Camille's family says this is where the bear attack happened. Her brother believes she accidentally got in between the cubs and the momma bear, and that's when the bear attacked.

"The bear just, motherly instinct. It's always a chance when you walk out there," Colton Rager said.

Colton Rager is one of several neighbors who came to help after the bear attack.

"My buddy called me and he said that he needed help, his sister got attacked by a bear. We grabbed our guns and we went up after it," Rager said.

The group did not find the black bear and the Pennsylvania Game Commission called off the group's search. Courter credits his father with saving his stepsister's life.

"Yeah if he wouldn't have been there she wouldn't be with us," Courter said.

According to the state game commission, while this was a rare attack, this was normal behavior for a black bear if someone gets in between her and her cubs.

Tuesday afternoon, the game commission set up a bear trap at the family's farm. The family says the incident will not stop them from hunting.

Camille Bomboy is healing and listed in fair condition.

Before You Leave, Check This Out