Montana
Man recovering in Utah hospital after grizzly bear attack in Montana
BIG SKY, Mont. — Officials in Montana have closed a portion of the Custer Gallatin National Forest after a hunter was mauled by a grizzly bear.
The man was identified by family members as Rudy Noorlander.
According to a GoFundMe, family members said Noorlander owns and operates Alpine Adventures in Big Sky and rented out some of his ATVs to other hunters. After hearing that the hunters killed but were unable to find a deer, Noorlander joined the hunters to help them search for it.
While tracking a deer, Noorlander saw one small adult grizzly bear in the area.
The GoFundMe states ” Instinctively, he pulled out his firearm getting ready just in case the grizzly he saw got closer, but before he could even have time to react, a different 10-foot tall and far more aggressive bear was on him. Rudy aimed his gun at the bear but his firearm misfired, making his best choice of defense his fists.”
The grizzly bear mauled Noorlander, giving him a large scratch down his chest, biting his arms and legs, and tearing off his lower jaw.
Fortunately, Noorlander was not alone and the other hunters were able to scare the bear away and call for help. However, since the bears were still in the general area, the first helicopter that arrived had to wait for a second helicopter to assist in keeping the bears away.
Noorlander waited for help for two hours until he was able to be picked up and was taken to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center where he had an emergency surgery before being flown to the University of Utah Hospital.
Noorlander is in stable condition.
Grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act within the contiguous United States. The Montana Department of Fish and Game said as bear populations continue to increase, people may encounter bears in places they haven’t been in decades, “creating a greater potential for conflicts.”
The attack on Noorlander happened just months after a woman was fatally mauled by a grizzly on a trail west of Yellowstone National Park in July.
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A GoFundMe for Noorlander can be found here.
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