After a week of trudging through more than two feet of snow chasing down elk to no avail in the Teton Wilderness, James Moore was officially Over It. Moore, a 43-year-old hunter from Rock Springs, gruffly told his brother, Jake Peasley, and friend, Brent Bongers, that he was heading back to camp. With that, he set off by himself--without his pack, without his bear spray--a decision he would soon regret. He hopped across a little creek surrounded by bushes, heard a ‘whoof!’ and seconds later was being viciously mauled by a sow grizzly bear.
On that cold afternoon of September 25, 2017, the attack left Moore severely wounded, with life-threatening punctures and lacerations across his face, arms, and torso. Roughly six miles of extremely rugged terrain separated him from desperation and the Pacific Creek trailhead. He and his hunting partners knew that they would be racing against the clock to get him out alive.
TCSAR team member Lizzie Watson (left) with Betsy and James Moore. James shares his gripping story of surviving a brutal bear attack in the Teton Wilderness in the latest episode of The Fine Line.
The hunt, attack, and fight for survival is the subject of a new episode of The Fine Line, the monthly podcast about adventure, risk, and rescue in the Jackson Hole backcountry. The episode will be released in three chapters, one each Monday starting on April 13. The Fine Line can be heard every Monday at 6 p.m. on KHOL 89.1 FM, or via SoundCloud, Backcountry Zero, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Moore shares his story in gripping detail, and takes pains to admit the mistakes he made along the way. Joining him in the cautionary—at times humorous, gory, and emotional—tale is Moore’s wife, Betsy, who received the call no one ever wants to receive, Peasley, who led Moore out of the wilderness via horseback, and Lizzie Watson, an EMT who served as medical lead during the rapid response for Teton County Search and Rescue.
“Anyone who listens to the story would progressively go along the hunt and be like, ‘Oh, c’mon man,’ and then the next thing you say, ‘Ah, you know better than that,’” Moore tells show host Rebecca Huntington. “It’s important to the story to know there were mistakes made along the way. It’s not like if you just go to the mountains you’re going to get attacked by a grizzly bear. You just have to remember what you're supposed to do, and be diligent about following those steps every day. Not just day one or day three, but every day, every hour. You have to make the right decisions, you know?”