Hunter kills grizzly in self defense near Thompson River

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says a man shot a grizzly in self defense Oct. 26 in the Thompson River drainage.

A deer hunter along the Little Thompson River heard a noise to his left and a large bear came running out of the brush toward him.  He shot the grizzly in the chest at a distance 11 yards with a .270 rifle.  The bear ran off into the brush. The hunter and a companion followed the tracks of the bear briefly until they realized it was a grizzly, at which time they left the area and reported it to FWP. 

 The bear was a collared male grizzly. In 2011 it was first captured in a research trap in Elder Creek, British Columbia; no radio collar was attached. On April 7, FWP captured the bear at a livestock kill site south of Eureka.  The bear was collared and released along the Camas Creek Road in Glacier National Park. The bear was being monitored monthly and shown to be in the North Fork area until late April, then located in the Middle Fork Flathead drainage. In September the bear’s last location was in the Star Meadows area west of Kalispell. 

Warden Captain Lee Anderson says it is not illegal to shoot an animal in defense of human life but the law does require these incidents be reported to FWP enforcement quickly.