One man was hospitalized after an apparent surprise encounter with a bear in northwestern Wyoming over the weekend.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says it was notified of the attack on Sunday afternoon by the Park County Sheriff's Office. The injured man was flown by helicopter to an area hospital, where is receiving treatment.

The department is investigating the incident. Personnel were at the scene gathering further details on Monday.

Based on the initial investigation, the department says the bear encounter was evidently a surprise run-in between the injured man and two bears.

The man was backpacking with three other people near Granite Lake on the Shoshone National Forest, and was hiking ahead of the group when he encountered two bears at close range. The encountered occurred too suddenly for the man to use his bear spray.

The species of bear is unknown as of Monday afternoon, but the department hopes to learn more through the investigation.

"We wish the individual a full and speedy recovery and area appreciative of his willingness to provide detailed information about the incident," Cody Regional Wildlife Supervisor Dan Smith said in a statement.

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