Griz shot dead after it grabs hunter by the arm

A hunter shot a sow grizzly that had his son’s arm in its mouth Sept. 24 up the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

During a radio interview with KDBR “The Bear” in Kalispell Wednesday morning, the victim, Rory Buckallew, said his father emptied his pistol on the grizzly as the bear grabbed his arm. He said the two were bear hunting and had spotted a black bear and were pursuing it before encountering the grizzly in thick brush near Dry Park.

Based on Buckallew’s account and a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks investigation, the men saw something moving about 25 yards away, but didn’t actually see the sow grizzly until it was 12 feet away.

It charged and Buckallew said he first whacked the bear with his rifle, fell down and put his arm up, and the bear bit his arm.

Buckallew’s father, in turn, shot the bear with a .44 magnum pistol as it bit Buckallew’s arm. The FWP investigation said the father, who was not named, shot the bear three times.

The bear let go and ran away.

Buckallew said the bear “got into his elbow” with two puncture wounds and pulled the meat from the bone, he told the radio station.

“It was pretty mild,” he said.

He told the radio station the whole thing was over in about 30 seconds.

Dry Park is about 10 miles north of Spotted Bear.

The men went to the hospital on their own for treatment.

FWP’s Wildlife Human Attack Response Team responded to the scene later Sunday. The team located the attack site, which was in thick dense brushy vegetation, and were assisted by Two Bear Air in trying to locate the bear.

On Sept. 25, the team returned to the attack site area to continue the investigation. According to FWP investigator and warden Brian Sommers, the team located the dead female grizzly bear in the area near the attack site. The bear was approximately 12 years old, 250 pounds and in good condition. The sow was an unmarked bear with no known management history.

Even though no young bears were visible, Sommers stated that the bear’s behavior prior to the attack was indicative of a defense of young attack and the bear was attempting to reduce the potential threat to her young. Based on the team’s examination, and her physical condition, she was not a lactating female and was likely accompanied by at least one yearling or possibly more, which would be weaned and capable of surviving on their own.

Warden Chris Crane, who was on the investigation team, said they did not actually see any cubs. Buckallew said they did not see any cubs either. He said there was also no indication of a carcass nearby. Grizzlies can be very aggressive near cubs and near kills.

Neither hunter was carrying bear spray and FWP reminds hunters and recreationists that carrying bear spray is another deterrent option. Bears this time of year are actively feeding in preparation for winter, which can lead to more encounters with bears, they caution.

This was the first bear attack with an injury so far this year in this region.

A grizzly reportedly pursued a teen near Lion Lake near Hungry Horse earlier this year, but he was unharmed.