Washington State Hunter Injured by Grizzly Bear in Montana – Flathead Beacon

GREAT FALLS — A Washington state chicken hunter was knocked over and injured when he and his spouse stunned a grizzly bear southeast of Glacier Nationwide Park, the Montana Division of Fish, Wildlife and Parks stated Wednesday.

The 51-year-old man, whose title and hometown weren’t launched, suffered non-life-threatening accidents within the encounter on Tuesday afternoon on personal property in a creek backside east of the city of Choteau, officers stated.

The couple’s canine went on level and he went to flush a chicken when the 677-pound (370-kilogram) male bear charged out of thick brush, knocked the person over and stepped on him, stated Dave Hagengruber, spokesperson for the state wildlife division.

The person fired on the bear with a shotgun and a handgun, wounding the animal, which returned to the quilt of the thick brush, wildlife officers stated.

The couple and their canine left the realm and notified authorities.

The bear was euthanized later that afternoon after session with U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers as a result of grizzly bears are protected beneath the federal Endangered Species Act. A drone was used to find the bear, Hagengruber stated.

The person didn’t endure claw or chew marks, however did spend Tuesday night time within the hospital, Hagengruber stated.

The bear had no recognized earlier historical past of human battle and had by no means been dealt with by bear managers, officers stated. Proof on the website advised the assault was the results of a shock encounter.