Two Wyoming women survived a black bear attack on their tents during a camping trip

Two Wyoming women escaped unharmed after a black bear tore into their tents during a camping trip in the Big Horn Mountains, turning what began as a quiet night outdoors into a terrifying struggle to get away.

KTVQ News reporter Charlie Klepps reported that friends Maggie Bassett and Shonna Dehl were camping in the mountains when the bear approached their campsite while they were still inside their tents.

The women said the bear did not behave like an animal that was easily scared off. It ripped at the tents, circled the campsite, and kept coming back even after the women yelled, screamed, and fired gunshots in an effort to drive it away.

“It was so scary,” Bassett told Klepps.

A Peaceful Camping Trip Turned Frightening

Klepps reported from Billings that July is prime camping season, but for Bassett and Dehl, the trip took a sudden and frightening turn when the bear pounced on their tents.

The women were asleep when the encounter began, and the noise jolted them and their four dogs awake. Bassett said the bear started ripping her tent open while she was still inside it.

“It started ripping my tent open when I was still in it,” Bassett said.

Dehl said the bear seemed focused on getting into the tents.

“It wanted in the tents,” Dehl said. “That’s all it wanted. It didn’t matter what we did.”

That detail makes the encounter especially disturbing. This was not a bear simply passing through camp or knocking something over before leaving. According to the women, it kept targeting the shelters themselves, with people still inside.

The Bear Would Not Scare Away

Bassett and Dehl said they tried to scare the bear off by yelling, screaming, and firing gunshots in its direction.

Those efforts did not immediately work.

“It was not scared at all,” Bassett said. “It didn’t even blink. It just kind of circled around and came back at me from a different angle.”

Dehl described the same feeling, saying the bear seemed to be circling the campground.

The women eventually managed to get away from the tents and flee to their vehicle. According to Klepps’ report, they stayed there for at least an hour, scared and shaking, while honking the horn to try to keep the bear away.

The bear finally scattered after more gunshots were fired, and the women later drove to Dehl’s family cabin a few hours away.

For anyone who camps in bear country, the most unsettling part of the story is how little control the women seemed to have once the bear became interested in the tents. They were awake, they were making noise, and they used strong deterrent efforts, yet the bear remained nearby long enough for the situation to feel truly dangerous.

The Tents Were Destroyed

When Bassett and Dehl returned the next day, they found the campsite badly damaged.

Their tents had collapsed and were torn to shreds.

Klepps reported that Wyoming Game and Fish responded after the attack and told the women they planned to trap the bear and relocate it.

The women escaped without injuries, but the experience clearly stayed with them. Bassett said one sound from that night is something she will not forget.

“I will never forget that sound of my tent being ripped open,” Bassett said.

That image is what separates this from a normal wildlife sighting. Many campers expect to see animals from a distance, especially in mountain areas. Far fewer expect to hear a bear tearing open the thin wall of a tent while they are still inside.

Officials Say Food Conditioning Can Make Bears Dangerous

Klepps also spoke with Chrissy Webb of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, who was not involved in the investigation but explained why bears sometimes return to campsites or developed areas.

Webb said bears can remember places where they have previously found unnatural human-based food.

“You know, it’s not unreasonable for a bear to return to a site where they’ve gotten food in the past,” Webb said.

She added that when bears begin accessing human food, they can become conditioned by it and potentially dangerous.

“When bears start accessing those unnatural human-based foods is when we start to see bears that can become potentially dangerous,” Webb said.

Webb made clear there is no way to know from her perspective whether that is what happened in Bassett and Dehl’s case. Still, her explanation points to the broader problem wildlife managers often warn about: one unsecured cooler, trash bag, or food reward can change how a bear behaves around people.

That is why bear safety rules are not just about protecting campers. They are also about protecting bears from learning that human campsites are places to search for food.

The Women Say They Followed Bear-Aware Rules

Bassett and Dehl said the experience was even more shocking because they had followed bear-aware protocol, including using bear containers.

That matters because many people assume bear encounters happen only when campers make obvious mistakes, such as leaving food out or cooking beside their tent. This case is a reminder that risk can never be reduced to zero, even when people take the precautions they are supposed to take.

Bear-aware practices still matter. Proper food storage, clean campsites, distance between food and sleeping areas, and awareness of recent bear activity all reduce the chances of an encounter.

But the women’s account shows that nature does not always follow the script people expect. A campsite can be prepared, and a bear can still show up.

Webb said proper storage remains crucial for both people and animals.

“It’s safer for you to store things properly, and it’s better for the bear’s sake if they’re not able to access those human foods,” Webb said.

A Close Call With No Injuries

Bassett and Dehl were able to leave the campsite unharmed, which is the most important outcome.

They escaped to the vehicle, waited out the danger, and eventually made their way to Dehl’s family cabin. Their dogs also survived the ordeal.

Still, the emotional impact was obvious in Klepps’ report. Both women described fear, disbelief, and the lasting memory of being inside tents while a black bear tried to tear its way in.

The attack also raises practical questions for other campers. A tent offers almost no real protection from a determined bear, and once an animal begins making physical contact with a tent, every decision becomes urgent.

That does not mean people should stop camping in bear country. It does mean campers should think seriously about where they pitch tents, how they store food, what deterrents they carry, and what their escape plan would be if an animal enters camp.

The Experience Changed How They View Camping

For Bassett and Dehl, the encounter appears to have changed the way they plan to camp in the future.

Bassett said she does not see herself sleeping in a tent again anytime soon.

“Maybe never,” she said.

Dehl agreed, saying they are going to need “four walls” going forward.

That response is understandable. People often talk about close wildlife encounters as thrilling after they are over, but this was not a distant bear sighting from a trail or roadside. It was a direct attack on the place where the women were sleeping.

The Big Horn Mountains remain a beautiful camping destination, but the women’s story is a reminder that camping in wild places carries real risks, even for people who try to do things right.

Klepps’ report ends with the same practical message wildlife officials repeat every summer: stay bear aware, store food properly, and take every sign of bear activity seriously.

Bassett and Dehl survived without physical injury, but their tents were destroyed, their campsite was left in pieces, and their sense of safety in a tent may never be the same.

For them, the lesson was immediate and personal. In bear country, the wall between a peaceful night outdoors and a life-threatening encounter can be as thin as nylon.