GREAT FALLS — A grizzly bear wounded by an elk hunter southeast of Glacier National Park was found dead about 150 yards from where it was shot and about the same distance from the carcass of a moose that likely prompted the animal to attack, state wildlife officials said.
The bear was discovered Tuesday, a day after being shot about 2 miles east of Marias Pass in the Badger-Two Medicine area. The 15-year-old sow likely charged a pair of hunters Monday because she and her cubs were feeding on the moose carcass, Mike Madel, a grizzly bear management specialist with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told the Great Falls Tribune (http://gftrib.com/1wzeB53).
The shooting prompted the department to warn hunters in the area to keep their bear spray handy. One of the hunters who was charged Monday had the spray, but it was hanging on the back of his backpack and he could not get to it in time, Madel said.
“This situation could have been avoided with the use of bear spray,” Madel said. “This hunter had time to use bear spray. He shot very quickly, and he mortally wounded this bear.”
Madel said the same bear was likely involved in another encounter. A different hunter reported being charged by a grizzly in the same area Sunday, but he said the shot he fired did not hit the bear.
The animal was found in a pit she dug under a tree after being shot. Her cubs ran off when wildlife officials arrived.
The sow’s cubs were in good condition, and officials decided to allow them to try to survive on their own rather than capturing them, Madel said.
Madel is now seeking information on the deaths of the cow moose and a calf moose that was found nearby.