Bear killed, man injured in hunting incident

A sow grizzly is dead and a Kalispell hunter has a leg injury following a human-bear encounter south of Marias Pass on Saturday, Oct. 22.

According to the Great Falls Tribune, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported that Kalispell hunters Anthony Willits, 31, and Greg Louden, 29, shot a bull elk near Trail 137 in the Two Medicine region of the Lewis and Clark National Forest below Elk Calf Mountain.

The two had packed out part of the elk and returned to get the rest when they encountered a sow grizzly with two cubs. The grizzly bluff charged the men and took over the carcass. When the bear charged Willits, he fired his rifle once, but the bear grabbed Willits by the left leg.

Louden grabbed Willits rifle and shot the sow at close range, killing the sow. The two cubs, estimated to be one or two years old, are still in the area, forcing a closure of Trail 137 from its junction with Trail 134 to the north to its junction with Trail 136 to the south.

The incident area is prime bear habitat. FWP officials urge hunters to carry bear spray, which is proven to be an effective and safe bear deterrent. They also urge hunters to hang meat to avoid conflicts with bears.

Earlier this year, two hunters from Winnemucca, Nev., mistook a grizzly bear for a black bear while hunting in Lincoln County. They wounded the grizzly and tracked it into the brush. The bear then attacked one of the hunters, Steve Stevenson.

Stevenson's hunting partner, Ty Bell, 20, accidentally shot and killed Stevenson while trying to shoot the bear. Stevenson died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. The bear also died.