Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire G-Bear attack

Well the first one of the year in Montana, West Yellowstone
Stay tuned for more.

It won't be the last, bear wrestling season is just getting started.

🤘🏻

Apr 16, 2021
A Yellowstone man mauled by what Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks suspects is a grizzly bear was hospitalized Thursday in Idaho to be treated for severe injuries. The incident has led to an emergency public safety closure for part of the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

The mauling happened near Bakers Hole Campground, north of West Yellowstone. A 911 call placed by the victim resulted in a multi-agency response, according to Morgan Jacobsen, FWP's Region 3 information officer.

The closure includes all forest lands on the east side of Highway 191 from the boundary with the town of West Yellowstone to Transfer Station Road #6794. The area closure is bounded on the east by Yellowstone National Park. The area is closed to all human entry and includes the popular Boundary Trail and Bakers Hole Campground. The campground opens for public use on May 1.

Details were still limited Thursday evening, though investigators with FWP had visited the scene. FWP did not have an estimated time for when the mauling occurred, but the agency was contacted about the incident at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jacobsen said.

As of Thursday night investigators believed a grizzly bear had mauled the man. A grizzly's involvement had not been visually confirmed and investigators had also not been able to interview the mauling victim, according to Jacobsen.

Important questions the investigation will seek to answer include how the encounter played out, what led to the mauling, and whether or not the bear is hanging around or passing through the area, Jacobsen said.

FWP will also be monitoring bear activity in the area, he said.

The injured West Yellowstone resident was taken to Idaho Falls for treatment.

The area closure will remain in effect until investigators determine it is safe to re-open.

Bears are awake and active. Male grizzly bears typically start emerging in early March, followed by females without newborn cubs in late March to mid-April. Females with newborn cubs tend to emerge in mid-April to early May, Jacobsen said.

"Bears are certainly active this time of year. Coming out of hibernation they're resuming their quest for calories," he said. "Carcasses of winter-killed animals are very, very popular food source for bears this time of year, and really they're just moving around to start consuming calories again."

As bears become more active this spring people are urged to remember to carry bear spray and have it readily accessible, hike or travel during daylight hours, travel in groups if possible, make lots of noise and stay alert for signs of bears in the area. Anyone who encounters a bear should not approach it.

This is not the earliest that a bear encounter has occurred in Montana. In 2019 a 17-year-old male who was antler hunting near Ennis was knocked down by what was believed to be a grizzly. The teen was able to use his bear spray to scare off the bear and suffered only minor injuries.

https://missoulian.com/outdoors/bea...234ea8c-67e6-553b-a302-4aa03a65f2f4.html

Azian touron trying to hug the bear for a photo-op??