Bear euthanized after reportedly attacking fisher in Jefferson County

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is investigating a reported bear attack in Jefferson County that left a man with leg injuries on Friday evening. Officials said the incident was reported around 8 p.m. near the confluence of the Platte rivers, when a man in his 60s was walking to the North Fork trail parking lot after fishing, without carrying any fish. Witnesses reported a subadult sow knocked him to the ground and bit his legs for “several minutes” until friends scared the bear away. The man was taken to hospital. CPW search efforts on Saturday morning involved U.S. Department of Agriculture dog teams. The bear was found and euthanized under CPW policy, with a necropsy planned. Officials noted it was the sixth reported bear attack of 2026 amid drought-related food scarcity.