A man in his 20s was injured Wednesday morning when a bear scratched him through his sleeping bag in a dispersed camping area near Cherry Creek in Young, Arizona.
Bear spray was used and the animal retreated. The man was seen at a local hospital and released according to Arizona Game and Fish.
Based on the injuries and description, officers believe the bear was small and possibly young.
"If the offending bear is captured, it will be lethally removed because of the habituated behavior it demonstrated and the public safety threat it poses," says Arizona Game and Fish in a press release.