Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ investigation into a bear attack northwest of Columbia Falls has confirmed that it was an adult grizzly bear.
FWP said in a press release that at about 9:20 a.m. on Sunday, November 11, a man was hunting with a partner on private timberland off Trumbull Canyon Road. The man was walking off-trail in forested timber when he reported turning around as a bear attacked him. The bear bit the man’s arms and pulled him by the leg about seven or eight feet before letting go and running away. The man’s hunting partner contacted authorities.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Wildlife Human Attack Response Team responded along with Two Bear Air Rescue, North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, and ALERT Air Ambulance.
A Two Bear Air helicopter hoisted and flew the victim to a location where an ALERT Air Ambulance picked him up and took him to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Authorities have not provided any other information about the man’s current condition.
FWP’s investigation included on-site visits, victim interviews, evidence collection, and analysis, and determined that it was a grizzly bear.
They concluded that a “surprise encounter” prompted the attack, according to FWP investigators. No action will be taken against the bear.
Visit the FWP website to learn about being “bear aware” when hunting.
(NOVEMBER 11, 2018) A Whitefish man is in stable condition after being attacked by a bear northwest of Columbia Falls Sunday.
At around 9:25 a.m., the Flathead 911 Center received a report of a bear attack just off Trumble Canyon Road northwest of Columbia Falls.
Two men had reportedly been hunting when one of the males was attacked.
Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office, North Valley Search and Rescue, and Two Bear Air Rescue and A.L.E.R.T. responded.
The victim, a 36-year-old Whitefish man, was hoisted from the scene by Two Bear Air and delivered to the A.L.E.R.T. helicopter.
He was flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where he is listed in stable condition.
The incident remains under investigation by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Human Attack Response Team.
They are on scene at this time and we hope to have more information when it becomes available.
There is no word yet on whether the bear was a grizzly or a black bear.
