GREAT FALLS – Wildlife authorities say an elk hunter from Kalispell shot and killed a charging grizzly bear in the Badger-Two Medicine area on the Rocky Mountain Front.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear specialist Mike Madel says the man was hunting alone in the Hall Creek area Wednesday when he walked past a 20-year-old female grizzly with two juvenile offspring. The bears did not notice the hunter’s approach because a strong wind was blowing, and the hunter did not see the bears.
Madel says the bear charged, and the hunter shot it once in the shoulder area. Wildlife officials have determined that the grizzly’s and the hunter’s reactions were defensive.
The Great Falls Tribune (http://bit.ly/sml3Du ) reports that the latest incident was the third hunter-grizzly encounter on the Rocky Mountain Front this year.