June 03–Officials have determined the bear that attacked a hunter in the CentennialValley Sunday was a grizzly.
A crew of wildlife authorities found the 10-year-old male grizzly dead of a gunshot wound near where the hunter was mauled, said Andrea Jones, information and education manager with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The hunter’s father reported hearing a gunshot just before finding his son, a 47-year-old Stevensville man, with serious injuries. An update on the hunter’s condition has not been released. He was taken to a hospital in Seattle for treatment.
An investigation into the incident remains active.
On Monday, the man’s father led a team of officials, including a bear specialist, game wardens and people with the Forest Service to the remote area where the attack occurred. The Stevensville man and his father were hunting black bear in the FishCreekLake area in extreme southwestern Montana when the attack happened. Jones said the mauling happened five miles from the campground in rugged terrain.
Once stabilized, the man was transported to Helena, where an airplane flew the man to Seattle, Beaverhead County Sheriff Jay Hansen said.
No further details were available Tuesday. Phone messages for Hansen were not returned.