Grizzly bear attacks hunter tracking deer in Montana's national forest

Robert Besser
14 Sep 2023, 22:06 GMT+10

A Montana hunter was severely mauled by a grizzly bear in southwestern Montana, forcing officials to close part of the Custer Gallatin National Forest
The Gallatin County Sheriff's office said that the hunter was tracking a deer on September 8 when the bear attacked
The attack occurred south of the Big Sky resort area, some 55 miles north of Yellowstone National Park

BOZEMAN, Montana: A Montana hunter was severely mauled by a grizzly bear in southwestern Montana, forcing officials to close part of the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

The Gallatin County Sheriff's office said that the hunter was tracking a deer on September 8 when the bear attacked, and members of the hunting party called 911 at about 1:45 p.m. Emergency crews called a helicopter ambulance to transport the hunter to a nearby hospital.

The attack occurred south of the Big Sky resort area, some 55 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.

The U.S. Forest Service, which implemented an emergency closure in the area near the attack while rangers tracked the bear, said it could have been shot.

The attack came less than a week after authorities killed another grizzly bear, which broke into a house near West Yellowstone over the weekend.

The bear that was killed had fatally mauled a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park in July and attacked a person in Idaho in 2019.

In a statement, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said that on September 2, a bear and its cub reportedly broke through a kitchen window and took a container of dog food.

Later that day, agency workers captured the cub and shot the 10-year-old female bear after getting permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states.

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