72-year-old fends off grizzly bear with handgun while picking huckleberries
A 72-year-old man is in a hospital after he shot and killed a grizzly bear that attacked him while he was picking huckleberries alone in a Montana forest.
The adult female grizzly charged the man, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agency said Friday, adding that it was a “surprise defensive encounter.”
The man suffered significant injuries before he killed the bear with a handgun, and he had to be hospitalized, the wildlife agency said in a statement. It did not immediately reply to questions about the man’s identity Sunday morning.
The incident occurred in the Flathead National Forest about two miles north of Columbia Falls, a city of 5,500 roughly four hours northwest of Helena, Montana’s capital.
Dillon Tabish, a spokesman for the agency, told the Associated Press that wildlife workers set out cameras in the area to look for the presence of cubs. If any are found, it’s not certain they would be captured, because it’s difficult to find facilities that will take in young grizzlies.
“Depending on the age, we might leave them in the wild because they have a better chance of survival, rather than have to euthanize them,” Tabish said.
Grizzly bears have protected status in the Lower 48 states as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, the Fish, Wildlife and Parks agency notes on its website.
They are the official animal of Montana and reside mostly in the western part of the state, FWP said, but are increasingly roaming into areas they have not occupied for decades.
The agency said it shot and killed a grizzly bear Thursday after a month and a half of reports that it was becoming conditioned to obtaining unsecured food and breaking into houses in and around Gardiner, Mont.
Authorities said residents and tourists should remember that “Montana is bear country” and that avoiding bears is better than dealing with them.
Attacks by bears are uncommon, but if one crosses your path, running away or climbing a tree is not recommended, the Washington Post has previously reported.
While traveling in groups and having bear spray at hand are good ways to avoid a confrontation, the National Park Service says that during a brown or grizzly bear attack, playing dead is the best strategy.
“Lay flat on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck,” the NPS said. “Spread your legs to make it harder for the bear to turn you over. Remain still until the bear leaves the area.”
Fighting back usually increases the intensity of an attack, the NPS said, but if the bear persists, “fight back vigorously. Use whatever you have at hand to hit the bear in the face.”
If you are attacked by a black bear, the NPS said, instead of playing dead, try to escape by moving slowly and sideways. If an escape is not possible, fight the bear by focusing on its face and muzzle.