A man was attacked by a bear on Sunday while he and his daughter were walking dogs on F.H. Stoltze land about 3.5 miles northeast of Whitefish.
According to Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, the man was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries to his wrist, shoulder, and head.
FWP responded to the Oct. 16 attack, and the investigation showed that a man and his daughter were hiking along a gated road on Stoltze property in the Haskill Basin area.
The daughter, who was walking two dogs on leashes on the side of the road, was charged by the bear. It pushed past her and attacked the man, during which he deployed pepper spray, causing the bear to run back off the road.
Officials say the investigation into the attack shows the man and daughter unknowingly walked between what FWP believes was an adult grizzly sow and her cubs. The two cubs crossed the road during the attack – the bears had been feeding on a deer carcass cached about 35 yards off the roadway.
When FWP returned to the site Monday morning, they removed the carcass and set up trail cameras to begin monitoring the area.
In the interest of public safety, FWP worked with F. H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Company and posted and closed the area where the attack occurred. The closure includes F. H. Stoltze land in the Haskill Basin area, west of Haskill Creek Road and Haskill Basin Road east to Wisconsin Avenue. The area will be closed until further notice.
FWP has consulted with the USFWS Grizzly Bear Coordinator to plan further actions. The monitoring results will determine any further FWP actions. FWP is currently not trapping for the bear(s).
