Bear killed after stalking family

Glacier National Park rangers shot and killed an aggressive black bear Sunday after it had stalked a Wyoming family near the Avalanche campground area.

John Hayden of Gillette, Wyo., and his three young sons encountered the bear on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. after walking about 100 yards into the trees at a pullout roughly a half mile south of Avalanche, according to a park press release.

Hayden and his children tried to slowly back out of the area, but the bear followed them.

Hayden tried to distract the bear by throwing a shirt toward it, but the bear shredded the shirt.

Hayden then hit the bear repeatedly with another shirt as he continued to retreat.

Hayden's children ended up hiding under a parked vehicle just off Going-to-the-Sun Road, and the bear started swiping its paws under the vehicle.

Another visitor who witnessed the bear's behavior unleashed a burst of pepper spray at the bear, forcing it to retreat into the woods.

Rangers immediately closed the area. After consulting with a wildlife biologist and bear management specialists, rangers targeted the bear for removal.

Playing into that decision were rangers' recent unsuccessful efforts in trying to haze the bear from the roadside in the Avalanche area.

On Sunday, rangers shot and killed the bear, which turned out to be a 185-pound male.

Glacier's bear management guidelines state that black bears will be destroyed if they display habituated behavior toward people or if they cause property damage.

"Given this bear's conditioned, aggressive and predatory behavior, especially exhibited by swiping under a car, the bear had to be destroyed," Chief Ranger Steve Frye said.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com