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FWP Confirms Bear that Killed West Glacier Cyclist was a Male Grizzly

DNA results show the bear involved in the fatal mauling on June 29 was a male grizzly

By Dillon Tabish
Brad Treat. Courtesy Photo

State wildlife officials have confirmed the bear that killed a West Glacier man was a grizzly.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced Thursday that DNA results show the bear involved in the fatal mauling on June 29 was a male grizzly bear, approximately 20 years old.

Brad Treat, a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service, was killed after he collided with the bear while riding his mountain bike on the Green Gate/Half Moon trail system off U.S. Highway 2 south of West Glacier. Treat, 38, was found dead by officers at the scene of the attack.

The death is the first fatal grizzly attack in Northwest Montana since 2001, when an elk hunter was killed on the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range near Ovando.

Based on an investigation by the Wildlife Human Attack Response Team, Treat collided with the bear in a surprise encounter on a section of trail that contains limited sight distances, which lead to a very short reaction time before the collision, according to FWP. The bear reacted, which led to the attack, FWP said.

The team collected evidence samples that were submitted in an effort to determine animal species, sex and DNA profile.

The DNA results showed that the bear involved in the attack was a known male grizzly bear that was previously captured and released during a research study. The bear was captured and released in 2006 in Glacier National Park as part of an ongoing research project and at that time was aged at approximately 8 to 10 years. Due to the parameters of the research project, the bear was not fitted with a radio collar at that time. The bear was again identified through DNA from hair samples collected from rub trees in the region in 2009 and 2011.

“As far as we know, it’s never had any conflicts with humans as far as getting into garbage, killing chickens, or anything that would cause us to take a management action. We are not aware of any conflicts the bear has had with humans,” FWP Spokesman John Fraley said.

The investigation was unable to determine how fast Treat was riding when the collision occurred, according to Fraley.

Wildlife officials conducted a search for the bear following the attack but ended the effort after a few days. Adult male grizzlies have a large home range, often spanning 300-500 square miles.

“We would have no way to search for it,” Fraley said. “We have the profile of it. If it did turn up again we could profile it. We will cross that bridge if we come to it.”

At this time, FWP has concluded its investigation into the incident, Fraley said.

Treat, a Flathead Valley native, and another man were mountain biking on U.S. Forest Service land when the collision occurred. The second rider was able to escape uninjured and summon help.

Grizzly bear attacks are rare in the Glacier region but not unheard of. Since Glacier National Park was created in 1910, there have been 10 fatal grizzly attacks in the national park, the most recent in May 1998 when a 26-year-old man was killed hiking in the Two Medicine Valley.

Northwest Montana is home to the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states with approximately 1,000 bears living in the region.

There have been six fatal grizzly bear attacks since 2010 in the Yellowstone region of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.