GREAT FALLS — A Montana man was hospitalized Tuesday after being mauled by a grizzly bear in an abandoned barn, officials said.
Shannun Rammell, 50, of the Choteau area, was attacked Monday evening, Teton County Sheriff Keith Van Setten confirmed.
Family friend Julie Brantley told the Great Falls Tribune that Rammell was looking for a bear after a neighbor reported seeing grizzly tracks in the area.
The family drove to a nearby unoccupied farm and saw no signs of the animal until Rammell decided to check a barn, Brantley said.
Rammell startled the bear, which threw him up in the air, Brantley said. He suffered bites and scratch marks on his shoulder and arms that required stitches.
State wildlife managers set traps in the area, but Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Greg Lemon said Tuesday he did not know if any bears had been trapped.