Grizzly Injures Father, Son Hunting North of Whitefish

KALISPELL – A grizzly bear attacked and injured a father and son hunting in northern Montana.

The bear charged out of a thickly wooded area and attacked the two on a road Saturday near Smith Lake north of Whitefish Lake in the Flathead Valley, according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks state agency.

The hunters shot and killed the bear and were later flown to a hospital. Authorities didn’t identify the two or say how seriously they were hurt.

Investigators found a deer carcass and concluded the nearly 20-year-old female was defending the food and offspring, the Helena Independent Record reported.

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