Washington state hunter injured by grizzly bear in Montana

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A Washington state bird hunter was knocked over and injured when he and his wife surprised a grizzly bear southeast of Glacier National Park, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Wednesday.

The 51-year-old man, whose name and hometown were not released, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the encounter on Tuesday afternoon on private property in a creek bottom east of the town of Choteau, officials said.

The couple’s dogs went on point and he went to flush a bird when the 677-pound (370-kilogram) male bear charged out of thick brush, knocked the man over and stepped on him, said Dave Hagengruber, spokesperson for the state wildlife department.

The man fired at the bear with a shotgun and a handgun, wounding the animal, which returned to the cover of the thick brush, wildlife officials said.

The couple and their dogs left the area and notified authorities.

The bear was euthanized later that afternoon after consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials because grizzly bears are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. A drone was used to locate the bear, Hagengruber said.

The man did not suffer claw or bite marks, but did spend Tuesday night in the hospital, Hagengruber said.

The bear had no known previous history of human conflict and had never been handled by bear managers, officials said. Evidence at the site suggested the attack was the result of a surprise encounter.