Hayden man’s bear attack to be featured on Animal Planet
HAYDEN, Idaho — A Hayden man will be featured on Animal Planet on Wednesday, as he re-lives the moment he came face-to-face with a grizzly bear in the Montana wilderness.
It was last October when Bob Legasa and his hunting partner surprised the sow grizzly bear and her cub.
He says they were elk hunting near the outskirts of Yellowstone when they happened to cross paths.
“Took three steps from where we were standing and boom,” said Legasa. “Cub grizzly stood up- it reared up and growled and took off and as soon as mom heard that she was b-lining straight for us.”
Legasa said he only had a few seconds to think, during which he decided to protect his head at all costs.
“She mowed me over and had my arm in her mouth. I’m on my butt and she’s just locked on right here, and she’s swatting at me and I’m blocking swings and kicking and yelling,” said Legasa.
While Legasa struggled with the massive bear, he says his friend grabbed some bear spray.
“I see Greg in the corner of my eye kind of in the pistol position with the bear spray, gives her a blast.”
That blast was enough to send the grizzly and her cub packing. Legasa says he now trusts the spray more than his own .45 caliber handgun.
After five days in the hospital, some stitches and surgery for his mangled arm, Legasa made a quick recovery. In fact, he went hunting in the same spot two weeks later.
He’s since partnered with the bear spray company and recently flew to New York to tape an episode for Animal Planet.
His episode of ‘I Was Prey’ will air Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Animal Planet.
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