A man was attacked and injured by a grizzly bear on Tuesday afternoon while hiking in the Shoshone National Forest southwest of Cody.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department said the man was hiking alone on a game trail near Deer Creek Pass in the Washakie Wilderness “when he surprised a single grizzly bear in a day bed within 7 to 8 feet.”

Due to the suddenness of the encounter, the victim was not able to deploy his bear spray, the Game and Fish said.

“The bear immediately charged, knocked the victim to the ground, then left the area,” said a news release from the department. “The victim sustained injuries to his chest and arm, but was able to bandage his wounds and hike out.”

After reaching the Deer Creek trailhead — located about 42 miles outside of Cody on the South Fork — another hiker took the man to Cody Regional Health for treatment. Game and Fish personnel were contacted at about 3 p.m. and met the victim while he was en route to the hospital. They accompanied the man on the trip and later interviewed him.

In Wednesday’s news release, the department said the incident “resulted from a surprise encounter with a grizzly bear at close range.”

“Due to the remote location and low probability of locating the bear, no management action is planned at this time,” the release said.

In a statement, the Game and Fish’s Cody regional wildlife supervisor, Dan Smith, said the agency “always has the safety of outdoor recreationists at the forefront of our minds.”

“We will continue to make management decisions in the best interest of public safety,” Smith said.

The man is the third person to be attacked by a grizzly bear while recreating in the Greater Yellowstone Area this year; all have involved surprise encounters.

In early May, a Cody antler hunter similarly came upon a grizzly bear at close range and was attacked in the East Painter Creek drainage in the Sunlight area; the grizzly backed off after biting into the man’s can of bear spray, but only after inflicting “severe” injuries. Then in June, a woman was attacked on the Fairy Falls Trail in Yellowstone National Park after surprising a female grizzly and her cub; she suffered minor injuries.

Wildlife managers recommend staying vigilant while in bear country, carrying bear spray, hiking in groups of two or more and making noise.