An inspiring true-life survival story set in the remote backcountry of the Canadian Rockies.

In August 2017, 32-year-old Jeremy Evans endured multiple ferocious attacks by a protective female grizzly bear while hunting in the Alberta wilderness.

Jeremy’s injuries were massive, his scalp and face destroyed, an eye and his jaw dangling down. The tendons on one leg had been fully severed during the mauling. His hands were damaged where he had physically fought the bear. It was more than a dozen kilometres to where he had parked his truck in darkness early that morning and absolutely no one was near. Thoughts of his wife and their eight-month-old daughter consumed Jeremy as he stumbled and crawled for hours back to his truck, before driving himself several kilometres to a backcountry lodge for help. All the while, Jeremy thought of his young family and the upcoming sixth wedding anniversary that he feared he might never be able to celebrate.

Mauled carefully details what happened deep in an Alberta forest where few modern humans tread. Jeremy’s miraculous recovery and life lessons learned when so close to death show that human determination can defy the greatest of odds, and that setting small goals along the road to recovery can lead to remarkable achievements. Despite the traumatic stress the encounter produced, Jeremy holds no animosity toward the bear and still enjoys spending time in the backcountry. To him the grizzly was doing what the best parents do: protect their young.

Crosbie Cotton is an award-winning journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Calgary Herald in Alberta, Canada. His work has appeared in magazines such as Sports Illustrated and Time, along with some of the largest and most prestigious newspapers in North America. Crosbie lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Crosbie Cotton's profile page

Jeremy Evans is an avid fisherman and hunter and has been an outdoor enthusiast since a young age. Born and raised in Calgary, he has pursued outdoor adventure as far away as Africa and spends a great deal of his free time in the backcountry of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Jeremy lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his nature loving wife and a young daughter who skillfully handles a fishing rod like a veteran.

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