On Saturday, two brothers who were shed hunting in El Dorado County, California, were victims of a mountain lion attack. Taylen Brooks, 21, succumbed to his injuries. Wyatt Brooks, 18, is recovering from reconstructive surgery for injuries on his face and neck.
Taylen and Wyatt bonded over their passion for hunting and fishing. They enjoyed the outdoors almost daily. On March, 23, 2024, around 1 p.m., the brothers headed down Skid Road in the area of Kelcey, California. Wyatt carried a backpack to store any shed antlers they might find. They did not bring firearms with them as it was opening day of junior turkey season, and they did not want to draw attention from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
As they were walking along the dirt roadway, looking at the edges and woodland for sheds, a mountain lion came up to the road from the lower side. The lion spotted the brothers and approached them. In an official statement from the Brooks/Welsh Family and Wyatt Brooks, “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.”
The mountain lion charged Wyatt and bit down on his face, taking him to the ground. Taylen began hitting and yelling at the lion trying to get him to release Wyatt, who was able to wrestle the lion to the ground and get on top of him. The lion clawed at Wyatt’s midsection which made him loosen his grip. At this point, the lion released Wyatt and charged Taylen, biting him in the neck and knocking him to the ground. Wyatt, who suffered severe lacerations to his face, began beating on the lion in an attempt to get it to release Taylen. After some time, the lion was not letting go of Taylen, and Wyatt tried to call 911. The area had poor cell service, so Wyatt ran to where he parked his truck and was able to get the call through. He drove his truck to where he left his brother hoping his vehicle might scare the lion off, but Taylen and the lion were gone.
Wyatt drove to the intersection of Darling Ridge and Skid Road where he met with El Dorado County Deputies who provided 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, according to the official statement. Wyatt is currently at home recovering.
Deputies left Wyatt in the care of medics, then went to the area described by Wyatt where the attack took place and began searching the area. Nearby, away from the roadway, they found a mountain lion crouching near the body of a male subject later determined to be Taylen. They could not tell whether or not Taylen was alive at the time. Due to the close proximity of the lion, they could not fire their weapons directly at it, so instead they fired into a safe area to scare the lion away. After the lion ran off, they found Taylen deceased. Rather than tracking the animal, which they knew 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 (CDFW), along with an El Dorado County Trapper, arrived in the area and tracked the lion for approximately 100 yards. It was there the lion was dispatched. CDFW confirmed on Sunday that the euthanized lion was the same animal involved in the fatal attack through DNA testing.
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.
