A hunter was mauled by a grizzly bear Tuesday in the same Montana wilderness where three hunters were injured in two separate incidents last week.
The unidentified male hunter, who is from Ohio, was treated for unspecified injuries and released from the hospital after being attacked in the Gravelly Mountains, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The encounter occurred between the Coal Creek Drainage and the Eureka Basin Road, eight miles south of where the three hunters were attacked during two encounters 11 hours apart on Sept. 16.
Those hunters, likewise, were hospitalized and released after receiving treatment for various injuries.
A helicopter and ground search for the bear or bears responsible for those attacks was cancelled Sept. 20 after no bears were located, according to the Billings Gazette.
The hunter who was mauled Tuesday told FWP wardens and Madison County Sheriff’s deputies that he was ambushed by the bear as he walked through fallen timber.
He said he fired his weapon at the bear until it fled, then located other members of his hunting party and sought medical attention.
The FWP and U.S. Forest Service launched an investigation and cautioned hunters, hikers, and campers to avoid the area until the investigation is complete.
The FWP stated in a news release issued Wednesday that a search for the bear will continue through the week.
Grizzly bears, a federally threatened species, are actively feeding in advance of winter hibernation at a time when various fall hunting seasons are underway.
Most grizzly bear attacks on humans, FWP stated, occur after a surprise encounter at close range.
–Gravelly Mountains image via Wikipedia; grizzly bear image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
