Troy hunter shoots, kills charging grizzly

A hunter from Troy who recently was confronted by a sow grizzly bear with two older cubs in the Cabinet Mountains ended up shooting the larger bear as it charged.

The man was hunting mule deer on Dad Peak on Nov. 2 when he spotted two grizzly bears in the trees about 50 yards ahead. He started yelling and waving his gun to alert them of his presence.

But when the bears started moving in the direction of the noise, he realized there were actually three bears, one larger and two slightly smaller.

He kept yelling and the larger bear charged, closing within about 25 yards when the hunter fired at it.

He hiked out about six miles and reported the incident to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The next day, he escorted wardens Phil Kilbreath and Tom Chianelli, along with grizzly bear specialist Kim Annis, to the scene, where evidence confirmed the hunter's account of the incident, according to a Fish, Wildlife and Parks press release.

"The hunter was very disappointed he had to shoot the bear, but he feared for his life," the press release states. "FWP law enforcement is ruling this as a justifiable self-defense shooting."

However, Fish, Wildlife and Parks recommends that all hunters carry bear pepper spray, which has proven to be highly effective in deterring bears when used properly.

"I'm glad the hunter was not injured and I commend him for his quick response to inform us of the situation and assistance in returning to the site," Warden Captain Lee Anderson said.

A DNA analysis on the dead bear will be used determine if it had any management history. The other two bears are presumed to be yearlings, and they were no longer in the area of the encounter when the wardens investigated.