The man was bitten on his arm and leg, but none of the wounds were punctures or required serious medical attention, said Brian DeBolt, large carnivore conflict coordinator for Game and Fish.
"Luckily, it was real minor injuries considering he was attacked by a bear," DeBolt said.
The man told Game and Fish officials that he was walking through a hilly, timbered area when he surprised the bear, which was likely on a day bed. The bear briefly attacked and then fled, DeBolt said.
The man walked to his vehicle and drove himself to a hospital.
Game and Fish officials will not look for the bear, as they do in some attacks, because the bear was acting naturally.
"Based on what we discovered and his story, it appears that it was just a simple defensive reaction by the bear and it was a natural form of aggression," DeBolt said. "There was nothing unusual that would lead us to believe there is any human safety risk."
Wyoming averages about two significant bear attacks on humans each year, he added. This would be considered significant since a person was injured.
Surprise attacks similar to this one are most common in Wyoming.
"They don't hear or see each other coming and all of a sudden a person and bear are in very close proximity to each other," DeBolt said. " A bear could act aggressively. They evolved on the plains in situations where any time they encountered danger their instinct is to fight. It's their evolutionary history. Anytime they sense danger for the most time they attack. A black bear on the other hand, are a little more timid and their reaction is to flee, typically up a tree, and that's why grizzlies are more dangerous than black bears."
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