A bad acorn season has made bears hungrier and more desperate, Maryland officials warn.

In late September, Renee Levow took her two German Shepherds on a walk near her home on Rum Springs Road in Myersville, Maryland. Levow recounts her terrifying run-in with a 150-lb. black bear:

"My female dog noticed something. She went to look. A black bear and her met. The black bear swiped at her twice and then he turned his attentions on me.

"He was super fast, and he was my height when he stood up in front of me. It was terrifying because all I saw was claws, nose, and eyes. I got two sharp bites in my left leg, above my knee. I felt like a rag doll because then I was in another direction." 

"He bit me once on this side and he came across on top to here," said Levow, pointing at her scalp."He sniffed me, gruffed or grumbled a little, and then I didn’t hear him anymore."

After the initial attack, Levow managed to push the bear off her and played dead. She laid motionless for 10 long minutes while bleeding profusely as the bear left. Levow then called 911. 

Levow was taken to Meritus Medical Center by Hagerstown and then flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The 53-year-old woman had been bit twice above the left knee, twice on the head and face, and trampled by bear claws on her chest.

Doctors performed four hours of surgery on her face and stitched up her wounds. 

"I have a good amount of damage, but I don’t know how it will turn out. It will be months until I know what I really look like," Levow said. "There may possibly be nerve surgery above my right eye. We don’t know yet, because of the swelling."

Renee Levow's recovery and condition can be followed and supported on a fundraiser website arranged on her behalf.

A Dangerous Season for Bear Attacks

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) warns that bears are a particular danger for those walking the woods this season, even near human homes. Bears are venturing farther into civilization than they typically do, because a spring cold snap was bad for acorns this year.

The MDNR recommends carrying bear pepper spray while walking the woods and lists precautions and advice for minimizing bear risks here.

"I just need people to know they need to be safe when they’re out in a wooded area," Levow said. "Clearly make more noise when you’re walking."

Have you seen bears out? What do you do to stay safe during bear season? Comment below!