Wildlife officers are scouring a wooden area near a western Alberta town after a grizzly bear attacked a hiker over the weekend.
The victim was just 600 metres from the town of Cadomin, Alta., Saturday morning when a bear attacked and launched onto his leg.
The man walked half an hour in excruciating pain to get to the closest store. Shop owner Chuck Jacoby says the victim talked about the encounter while waiting for emergency crews to arrive.
"He had blood all over his face, his nose his legs," he said. "(He) got into the bush and bang, the bear hit him. He was down, the bear came back and bit him in the leg right down to the bone."
The man remains in stable condition in hospital.
Since the attack, officials have set their sights on finding the grizzly responsible.
Signs have been posted near the townsite, along with yellow caution tape along the trails, as a provincial bear response team moves in.
"Out here it's bear country," bear response team leader Mike Ewald said.
The group has set up specialized traps - baited to the max - to lure the bears in.
Armed officers also scour the area for any signs.
Ewald says they hope to find the bear by finding a match to the DNA taken from the attack site.
This attack comes on the heels of several similar incidents in B.C. and one near Calgary.
Officials say more people are heading into the back country - where they have a greater chance of coming face to face with a dangerous bear.
Jacoby says he doesn't
"I'm kind of terrified of it, you say it can never happen, but now in my mind I know it can," he said.
Cadomin is about 335 kilometres west of Edmonton.
With a report from CTV Edmonton's Erin Isfeld
