The mountain lion attack noted in the previous Working the Trapline post hit close to the Frontier Partisans campfire. The young men involved are the nephews of Malcolm Brooks, an author whom I greatly respect and, more importantly, a man who has become a personal friend to myself and Rick Schwertfeger.
Frontier Partisans extends its condolences to the Brooks family. At Malcolm’s request, we’re posting an Official Statement from the Brooks/Welsh Family and Wyatt Brooks:
From the family:
We would like to express our sincere thanks for the outpouring of support and prayers from family, friends and the community. We are all devastated by the tragic loss of Taylen yet thankful Wyatt is still with us and are well- aware the outcome could have been even worse.
Taylen and Wyatt grew up in Southern El Dorado County where they enjoyed hunting and fishing together, almost daily. These two young men being as close as any two brothers could be, lived a full energetic life enjoying the outdoors.
Wyatt Jay Charles Brooks, age 18
Wyatt has been in the Mt. Adams Fire Academy since last September, he aspires to be hired with Cal Fire. He is an avid baseball player and an ardent bow hunting enthusiast.Taylen Robert Claude Brooks, age 21
Taylen worked with his father, Aaron painting houses and cutting firewood and loved being outdoors. He truly enjoyed fishing and was an extremely talented guitar player. He was a very kind and gentle soul and will be deeply missed by all who knew him.A brother is a friend given by nature. These two brothers were driven by nature.
For everyone that wants to know the “What” of this tragedy, the El Dorado
County Sheriff’s Office’s release of the facts accurately reflects the tragedy.We all are thankful for everyone respecting our privacy and space during this difficult time. Plans for a memorial for Taylen are being worked on and details will be released as soon as they are finalized.
Support:
To donate in memory of Taylen and support for Wyatt – please see the official site at El Dorado Community Foundation and donate to the Brooks Brothers Support Fund.
Donations are tax deductible. https://bit.ly/BrooksBrothersSupportFundWhat happened:
On Saturday, March 23 around 1:00 pm, Taylen and Wyatt were walking along Skid Road in the area of Kelcey, California which is near the town of Georgetown. They had gone to the area in search of deer antler sheds. A pastime they did together frequently this time of year before the spring grasses became too tall to see the shed antlers in the wild. Saturday was also opening day of junior turkey hunting season so they did not take any firearms with them so as not to draw any attention from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Wyatt carried a small backpack to carry the antlers they were hoping to find.
While walking along the dirt roadway, looking to the edges and woodlands along the roadway for shed antlers, they observed a mountain lion walk up to the road from the lower side. The lion saw and approached the two. Both Taylen and Wyatt did what they had always learned, they raised their hands in the air to appear larger, yelled at the lion and Wyatt even threw his backpack at the lion, all in an attempt to scare the lion away.
Instead of retreat, the lion immediately charged Wyatt, bit down on his face and took Wyatt to the ground. While Taylen beat on and yelled at the lion, Wyatt was able to wrestle the lion to the ground with him on top of the lion. The lion began clawing at Wyatts midsection causing Wyatt to release his grip. At that point, the lion released Wyatt, got up and charged Taylen, biting Taylen in the throat and taking Taylen to the ground.
Wyatt, with severe lacerations to his face, beat on and grabbed the lion in an attempt to get him to release Taylen. After some time trying to get the lion off Taylen, Wyatt tried to call 911 for help. With limited cell service in the area, Wyatt ran back toward where they had parked his vehicle where he eventually obtained cell service and called 911.
After calling 911, Wyatt quickly got into his vehicle and drove to where he had left Taylen and the lion in hopes the presence of his vehicle would scare the lion off but when he arrived, Taylen and the lion were gone.
Wyatt drove back to the intersection of Darling Ridge and Skid Road where he met with El Dorado County Deputies who rendered first aid until medics arrived. The medics then transported Wyatt to Marshall Medical Hospital in Placerville where he was evaluated and then transported to UC Davis Health in Sacramento for reconstructive surgery of the major lacerations to his face and neck.
Wyatt is home recuperating from the tragic ordeal.
After leaving Wyatt in the care of the medics, the Deputies responded to the area described by Wyatt where the attack took place and began searching the area. Nearby, away from the roadway, they observed a mountain lion crouching near the body of a male subject later determined to be Taylen. They did not know at that time if Taylen was still alive or not and due to the close proximity of the lion, could not fire their weapons directly at the lion so rather fired them in a safe direction in hopes of scaring the lion away so they could render medical aid to Taylen.
They lion did run away and upon reaching Taylen, found he had succumbed to the lions attack and was already deceased. Instead of tracking the lion at that point, knowing it could and probably would travel a great distance if chased, they stayed with Taylen until the investigation could be concluded and his body retrieved from the area.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with an El Dorado County Trapper, arrived in the area and tracked the lion for approximately 100 yards where it was found treed. It was there the lion was dispatched.
Quixotic Mainer says
Very sorry to hear of that tale. The relationship described between the two young men reminds me alot of mine with my own brother, I can only imagine that grief.
We are heading out Yosemite way later this spring. Tourist ridden or not, those mountains still look pretty wild.
Malcolm Brooks says
Many thanks to Jim for posting this in the immediate aftermath of the encounter–I didn’t have the bandwidth at the time to get much of a report out myself, and I was able to share the Frontier Partisans page on my own social media on behalf of the boys. Checking back in with an update.
I flew down from Montana last Friday to help as well as I could, and returned home last night. The bright spot in this whole ordeal regards Wyatt, who endured significant trauma to his face and neck during the encounter–thankfully, a genius of a surgeon worked on him throughout the night following the attack, and I’m relieved to report that Wyatt will not be significantly impaired either cosmetically or physically going forward, other than a bit of scarring.
Also, much to our shock, he actually rallied enough to accompany a couple of friends into the woods for the spring turkey opener, one week to the day after the attack itself. He obviously can’t fire a shotgun yet because of his injuries, but he was able to call for his buddies–he was taught by his dad, my brother Aaron Brooks, who is a multiple-time state calling champion and a well-known turkey guide in the area. Wyatt went out again on Monday, a testament to his bravery, dedication, and almost otherworldly resilience. Words can’t express how proud we are of him, for taking the first steps toward getting back on the horse.
At any rate, I plan to write a more complete account of this surreal situation in the near future, to provide additional context. But I felt that this particular community would appreciate knowing where things stand at this point. Many thanks for your consideration and support–MB
Margaret Fare says
My heart goes out to the family of this child who tragically lost his life. I am sending my deepest sympathies and prayers. I know the pain of losing a child as well. A parents worst nightmare. May the lord keep you safe and in his arms.