A man who was picking huckleberries on Flathead National Forest land Thursday evening was charged and attacked by a grizzly sow. The 72-year-old, whose identity has not yet been made public, shot and killed the bear with his handgun, according to a statement from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Friday.
Few details have been released about the incident, though the victim’s injuries were serious enough that he was hospitalized. No details about the man’s condition or prognosis have been released, but he was apparently lucid enough to contact authorities and explain the encounter. The man told officials he was picking berries alone about 2 miles north of Columbia Falls off the North Fork Road when the sow charged.
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“FWP wardens and bear specialists responded to the incident and confirmed that an adult female grizzly bear was killed,” the agency wrote in its terse press release. “FWP is working to verify if any cubs are present. FWP determined it to be a surprise defensive encounter. No additional information is available at this time.”
MFWP spokesperson Dillion Tabish told the Associated Press that wildlife officials had set out trail cams to attempt to confirm the presence of cubs. Even if the cameras do document young grizzly cubs in the area, Tabish said he’s not sure if they would be captured because it’s difficult to find rehabilitation facilities that are qualified to accept them.
“Depending on the age [of any cubs we find,] we might leave them in the wild because they have a better chance of survival, rather than have to euthanize them,” Tabish told the AP.
Grizzlies have a slower reproductive rate than black bears, and it’s possible she did not have young cubs this season. Once grizzly sows reach breeding age (between three and eight years of age) they give birth every three to four years into their mid-20s, according to the University of Montana. A grizzly’s average litter size is two cubs, though individual litters can range from one to four cubs. Cubs usually stay with the sow for two to three years before dispersing.
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This is the second known grizzly attack in the Lower 48 this year. In May, a backcountry hiker in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park was attacked by a sow shortly after encountering a cub. He deployed bear spray, which he credits for saving his life, and was hospitalized for days with severe injuries to his leg, back, and hand. Last year there were at least two high-profile grizzly attacks in Montana, with a trail runner dying from a bear attack in West Yellowstone and a man losing part of his jaw to a griz in Big Sky.