Inspired by a real-life event in 2005 (read about it here)

You can read about it in this brief article:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/black-bear-kills-woman-camper-north-of-chapleau-ont-1.556281

Someone complained that in the real story ***SPOILERS*** the man survives and the woman dies after he carries her to their kayak and then to people with boats wherein she succumbed to her injuries on route. In the movie, of course, the man dies near the campsite and the woman makes it to their canoe and eventual help.

I was actually surprised (and impressed) that the real story is as close to the events of the film. People have to understand that, with movies based on real-life events, changes have to be made to make the story palatable to audiences. This is done with famous stories, like the Titanic or Pearl Harbor, how much more so obscure happenings like this one?

So why did the writer/director change the survivor from the man to the woman? Probably because it linked to the subplot of the man's understated incompetence, but also it ties into the popular 'final girl' motif, not to mention he likely thought audiences would prefer watching the comely female survive and escape to succor.