September 20, 2010
Another bow hunter mauled south of Ennis
A bow hunter was mauled by a grizzly bear Friday just three and a half miles from where a similar attack occurred five days earlier.
The Kalispell hunter, whose name was not immediately available, was with a partner when the two surprised a female grizzly with two cubs in the Cascade Creek area of the southern Gravelly Mountains.
The bear knocked the man down, bit him once in the inner-thigh then left the area with her cubs, according to a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks incident report. The hunter was taken to the hospital in Dillon and treated for the bite wound.
FWP says there is “no direct evidence that leads us to believe that this is the same bear associated with the other mauling.”
Region 3 Chief Warden Sam Sheppard said in the report that FWP has taken several steps to warn people of the dangers of bow hunting in griz country. Signs have been posted in the area of the attacks and FWP, and Forest Service employees have contacted hunters personally, FWP says.
The report states that the additional human bear conflicts are predictable, given conditions in this and other grizzly bear areas.
The agency recommends hunters carry pepper spray and hunt with a friend.