A Montana shed hunter escaped a harrowing bear attack thanks to quick thinking and good marksmanship. According to a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) press release, a man was shed hunting on private property near Wolf Creek, Montana, on April 25 when he encountered a grizzly. 

“The man was walking along a ridge covered with low trees and brush with his two dogs at his side and the wind at his back,” explained an FWP spokesperson. “After seeing a fresh grizzly bear track in a snow patch, he continued along his path and a few minutes later, he first saw the bear standing near the top of the ridge about 20 yards away.”

What happened next is the stuff of nightmares. The grizzly sow immediately dropped to all fours and charged. Thankfully, the man, whose identity has not been released, was carrying a handgun for self-defense. He fired five shots off at the bear, grazing it with one bullet and dropping and killing it with another. According to the FWP, the bear charged from 30 feet to 10 feet before it was killed. 

The man was uninjured in the incident. The female grizzly appeared to be in good health and weighed around 300 pounds. It was estimated to be 12 years old. FWP officials reported to the scene of the incident, where they located and captured a lone cub-of the-year. The cub was taken to a licensed wildlife rehab center and will likely be placed at an accredited zoo. Because grizzlies are still considered endangered in the Lower 48, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also investigating the incident. 

Grizzlies bears can grow up to 500 pounds. Today, Montana is home to the largest population of grizzlies in the Continental U.S.—and the state’s grizzly population is spreading into central Montana. Sows with cubs are known to be territorial and aggressive when defending young, which appears to be what spurred the recent incident. 

Read Next: How to Survive a Bear Attack

While grizzly attacks on humans are rare, they do occur. Last fall, Field & Stream reported on a bird hunter who shot and wounded a grizzly while hunting upland birds near Choteau, not far from where the recent attack took place. And in 2021, a grizzly mauled and killed a camper in Ovando. Montana, along with neighboring Wyoming, are petitioning the feds to remove grizzlies in the region from the Endangered Species Act as those populations have surpassed recovery goals.

In case you missed it, the cute town of Manhattan is putting the “F” in fun.

This July, Outta Bounds Golf is set to open for the community to enjoy. It’s similar to a Top Golf experience surrounded by beautiful mountains and a big sky. You will be able to play mini golf, work on your driving distance, all while enjoying food and drinks.

You can see the full article below and also register for the VIP Grand Opening which will take place July 4th, 5th, and 6th.

OUTTA BOUNDS GOLF: ALL YOUR INFO HERE

If you are looking for fun sooner than July, starting May 15th the Manhattan American Legion is hosting their first ever Music Bingo Night.

The fun starts at 7 PM and is going to happen every other Wednesday for the time being, but like the community always does, the more people that show up, the more often this fun event will take place. Hopes of having it every Wednesday are not out of the picture.

You think this is great…just wait until August when we have the Manhattan Potato Festival! Saturday, August 17th, round up the kiddos and get your spots early for the parade and a day full of super fun events put on by local businesses and more.

The town of Manhattan really knows how to have a good time. Follow their local social media pages for events happening every week for folks of all ages.

Nice work Manhattan! Keeping the community active and keeping Montana, Montanan.

The Montana Supreme Court has sided with the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in a dispute involving a 64-year-old water right that’s used to irrigate both private and public land.

In a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Beth Baker, the court ruled that the state retains an ownership interest in a water right first claimed in 1960 by John Schutter of Gallatin County. The water right is somewhat unique in that it’s supported by a well that was drilled on private land, but used to irrigate both private and public land. Debra and Sidney Schutter use that well to grow potatoes and other crops on three, square-mile sections of land they own, as well as a square-mile section of state trust land that’s managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The dispute that inspired the lawsuit began in 2019 when the Montana Land Board — composed of the state’s top five elected officials —  claimed ownership of the portion of the water right used to irrigate the state land. The Schutters objected to the state’s ownership claim and brought the matter before the Montana Water Court, which ruled in favor of the state.

In their ruling on April 30 upholding the Montana Water Court’s decision, the justices argued that the state must exercise some ownership over the water right to act in accordance with its directive to “secure the largest measure of legitimate advantage” for state trust land beneficiaries — Montana’s public schools.

The justices found that the use of the Schutters’ well water on state trust land plays a key role in the dispute because it demonstrates that the water is being put to “beneficial use” — one of the conditions that must be met before the state will authorize a water right. Had the state land been excluded from the water rights application, “the Schutters’ claim to a water right would have been different, perhaps smaller,” the justices wrote.

The justices further concluded that the water rights are intertwined with the state’s property rights because much of the state exists in a semi-arid zone where “control of water means control of the land itself.” To ensure that the state is maximizing its trust lands’ potential, it’s important that the state also exercise some control over the water rights used to irrigate state trust land, the justices suggested.

Carl Devries, who sits on the board of the Senior Ag Water Rights Alliance, described the state’s position as a “government bureaucracy gone insane” in a recent op-ed in the Billings Gazette about the lawsuit.

“This ruling significantly undermines private property rights and will have long-lasting and negative effects,” DeVries wrote in an email to Montana Free Press. “As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, water rights holders are now faced with a tough choice: protect their valuable water rights or fully use their state-leased land.”

DeVries said the holders of water rights might now be inclined not to use their water rights on state-owned land out of fear that the state will claim partial ownership over the right. That, he wrote, would be a loss for both the lease-holder — who could be limited to a less-productive use of the land — and Montana’s public schools. Since land with water access is generally more productive, a lessee’s decision not to apply their water right to state trust land could result in a decline in revenues for school system coffers.

DeVries called for the Land Board to exercise greater oversight over the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation “so it can no longer make these unilateral decisions.” More specifically, he urged the Land Board to take up the matter when they meet on May 20.

The DNRC did not respond to MTFP’s request for comment.

Amanda Eggert is an environmental reporter for the Montana Free Press, a Helena-based nonprofit newsroom, and can be contacted at aeggert@montanafreepress.org.