JACKSON -- A sheep herder is expected to fully recover from serious injuries suffered when he was mauled by a grizzly bear in Sublette County, Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials said.

The man was attacked after going to check on his barking guard dogs early Monday while he was tending a flock in the Upper Green River Basin, said Zack Turnbull, bear management officer for the agency.

His name has not been released.

The shepherd was carrying a flashlight when he saw the grizzly protecting her young and a food source, the Jackson Hole News And Guide reported Thursday.

"It was a bear feeding with cubs and getting disturbed at close quarters," Turnbull said.

The shepherd was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

Turnbull said the attack resulted from a sequence of bad decisions. He encouraged people to make noise rather than try to run bears off of carcasses.

"This is fairly natural, what this bear did," he said. "I don't think this bear is any more of a human threat than any other bear on the landscape."

Nevertheless, wildlife managers are attempting to capture the grizzly.

The attack occurred within grizzly bear habitat and there are multiple bears in the area, which will make it difficult to determine which bear is responsible, officials said.