Grizzly bear killed in self-defense encounter in Whitefish Range

A pair of Whitefish men killed a grizzly bear in self-defense last weekend in the Whitefish Range north of Whitefish.

One of the individuals was injured in an accidental shooting during the encounter. The man was taken to the hospital and treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

The two men were scouting for hunting season near Smokey Range Trailhead off Canyon Creek Road on the Flathead National Forest on the afternoon of Aug. 26 when they encountered a female grizzly bear with a cub.

The men were walking through a thick section of forest when they surprised the bears at a distance of 15 feet. The adult bear charged the individuals and both men shot and killed the bear. One of the men was shot in the back shoulder during the incident.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens and members of the Wildlife Human Attack Response Team responded and investigated the incident. The bear’s behavior appeared to be defensive in the surprise, close encounter with the two men.

FWP shared the initial findings with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement and the USFWS concurred it was a self-defense situation.

The grizzly bear did not have a history of conflict and was previously tagged for population monitoring work in 2009. The bear was approximately 25 years old. FWP continues to monitor the site for the cub.

It's at least the third incident of grizzly bears attacking hunters in the region in the last five years.

In November 2020, a man and his son were hunting near Smith Lake, which is located north of Whitefish Lake, when a sow grizzly charged from the brush. The incident occurred in the King Creek drainage along Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation land and private timberland.

The two individuals sustained significant injuries before they were able to shoot and kill the bear. The Wildlife Human Attack Response Team conducted the investigation and found a deer carcass that was cached in the thick timber along the edge of the road adjacent to where the attack occurred.

“Based on the evidence gathered at the scene and interviews with the victims, we believe this was a surprise encounter involving an adult female grizzly bear defending a food source and her offspring,” FWP Regional Game Warden Captain Lee Anderson said then.

FWP inspected the dead bear and identified it as an adult female estimated to be nearly 20 years old. It did not have any history of conflict or other management actions. The bear was believed to have at least one offspring at the time of the incident.

In November 2018, a man was hunting with a friend on private timberland off Trumbull Canyon Road north of Columbia Falls when a grizzly attacked him after a surprise encounter in thick brush.

The bear ended the attack and wasn't found after the incident.

Be bear aware

Montana is bear country. Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with conflicts. Here are some precautions to help residents, recreationists and people who work outdoors avoid negative bear encounters:

Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.

Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence.

Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears.

Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency.

If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so.

Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants put away in a secure building. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas.

Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety. It is illegal to feed bears in Montana.

Hunting in places that have or may have grizzly bears — which includes northwest Montana — requires special precautions:

Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.

Look for bear sign and be cautious around creeks and areas with limited visibility and where any noises you might make do not carry well.

Hunt with a group of people. Making localized noise can alert bears to your presence.

Be aware that elk calls and cover scents can attract bears.

Bring the equipment and people needed to help field dress game and remove the meat from the kill site as soon as possible.

If you need to leave part of the meat in the field during processing, hang it at least 10 feet off the ground and at least 150 yards from the gut pile. Leave it where it can be observed from a distance of at least 200 yards.

Upon your return, observe the meat with binoculars. If it has been disturbed or if a bear is in the area, leave and call FWP.

Learn more at https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.