Man mauled by a grizzly a second time

A man mauled by a grizzly bear Wednesday in Yellowstone National Park had a similar encounter 15 years ago in Glacier National Park.

Yellowstone officials said Bozeman resident Jim Cole, 57, suffered severe injuries to his face when he was attacked by a grizzly sow with a cub in the Hayden Valley.

Cole is an author and photographer who has published several books on grizzly bears in Montana, Wyoming and Alaska.

According to a park press release, Cole was hiking alone off-trail in prime bear habitat, taking photographs. He was carrying pepper spray, but whether he had a chance to use it is unknown.

Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said Cole suffered severe wounds to his face.

"We really don't know what happened, but I don't think it was a bite," Nash said. "The type of injuries that were described to me were the type you would see with clawing."

Cole told rangers he walked from two to three miles for help. He was taken by ambulance to Pocatello, Idaho, and from there he was flown on a medical helicopter to Idaho Falls, where he was listed in fair condition Thursday at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

In September 1993, Cole and Tim Rubbert, a fellow avid bear watcher, were on a return hike from Glacier Park's Fifty Mountain when they had a surprise encounter with a lone grizzly bear.

The encounter is recalled in Kalispell author Ben Long's book, "Great Montana Bear Stories."

Rubbert said the bear took several swipes at Cole, who fell to the ground and was pinned by a paw, and then bitten on the scalp. Cole instinctively covered his head with his hands, and the bear bit into his left hand, breaking bones.

Rubbert distracted the grizzly and unleashed a blast of pepper spray, causing it to retreat. The two men hiked nearly 12 miles to their vehicle on Going-to-the-Sun Road, and then drove to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where Cole was treated for a severe scalp laceration and wounds to his hand.

Several years later, the Inter Lake featured Rubbert and Cole and their continuing avid efforts to locate and photograph grizzly bears in Glacier Park.

Yellowstone rangers ticketed Cole in 2004 on suspicion of willfully coming within 100 yards of a female grizzly bear with cubs, but a federal magistrate acquitted him of the charge.

Cole admitted that he had been within 20 yards of the three bears, but he insisted that he came upon them inadvertently.

Nash said it is too early to know whether similar charges might be filed in connection with Wednesday's encounter.

"We investigate all of these types of incidents," Nash said. "It will take some time for us to be able to put together a real clear picture of what happened."

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