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It never hurts to pack some protection when you decide to roam into areas of the wilderness that are home to animals that can turn a leisurely trek into a terrifying ordeal.
However, sometimes you also need to have some luck on your side—which was definitely the case with a hiker who had an encounter with a grizzly that prevented him from using a can of bear spray that still managed to get the job done.
Around three million people make the trek to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming each year, and visitors are advised to keep a close eye out for bears (specifically of the black and grizzly variety) and wolves that roam the federal preserve that covers approximately 310,000 acres.
According to Cowboy State Daily, a 35-year-old man from Massachusetts headed out for a hike near Grand Teton’s Signal Mountain on Sunday armed with a can of bear spray he was obviously hoping he wasn’t going to need. Unfortunately, he found himself reaching for the deterrent after encountering a grizzly bear cub right before he was blindsided by its mother.
The outlet reports the man was able to get the bear spray out of the holster but was unable to pull the trigger before he was knocked onto the ground. He attempted to play dead with the can in his hands behind his head and was bitten “several times” before the final chomp punctured the container and emitted a burst of the noxious substance that forced the grizzly to flee.
The victim was able to call for help and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment before being released. The National Park Service says it has no plans to attempt to track or euthanize the bear responsible for the attack, as it determined it was simply protecting its cub.