Bozeman man survives double sow bear attack

A 50-year-old Bozeman man was scouting hunting locations about 3 miles up the North Fork Bear Creek outside of Cameron on Saturday morning when he spotted a sow grizzly bear with cubs. “He yelled to make his presence known to the bear and it charged him from about 80 yards away,” according to Madison County Sheriff Roger Thompson. “He deployed his bear spray as it got closer, but the bear did not stop.” According to Thompson, the bear mauled, bit and stomped on the man, who did not fight back. After the bear wandered away, the man started to hike out. “He got about 1/2 mile away when the bear attacked him again, biting and stomping on him again,” Thompson said. “He played dead and the bear left.” Bleeding and injured, the man hiked out to his car and drove himself to the Madison Valley Medical Center, 17 miles away. “He suffered lacerations to his head, neck, back and right shoulder, and has a broken left forearm,” Thompson said. “(The Forest Service) has posted the North Fork Bear Creek as closed until further notice so (Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks) can assess the situation.” This Bear Creek bear encounter is not the first this year. On Saturday, Sept. 24, an archery hunter in the Cabin Creek area north of Hebgen Lake received minor injuries after encountering a “presumed grizzly while calling for elk,” according to a press release from FWP. “Then, Sunday morning, another man hunting elk with his bow on the north side of the Tom Miner basin north of Gardiner was mauled by what his hunting party believes was a female grizzly with two cubs,” the release continued. “He suffered bite injuries.”...more