Hunters open fire on bears

The Daily Inter Lake

Two bowhunters from Columbia Falls fired pistols at a family group of bears early Sunday morning in the Great Bear Wilderness, but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials were unable to locate any dead bears.

The two hunters left the Grant Ridge trailhead west of Essex before dawn, hiking several miles up the trail in the dark. Just before dawn, they encountered three or four bears on the trail.

One of the hunters fired a warning shot from his handgun, but the bears charged. Both hunters fired their pistols multiple times, but in the low-light conditions they could not tell if the bears were grizzlies or black bears.

They hiked back to their vehicle and called the Flathead County Sheriff's Office. State game warden Perry Brown and Tim Manley, a state grizzly bear management specialist, responded and were on the trail with the two hunters by 10 a.m. to investigate.

Manley and Brown found drops of blood at the scene of the encounter. With the help of bear dogs, they followed tracks and searched the area but were unable to locate any bears or more blood.

Judging from tracks, Manley believes the bears were grizzlies. An analysis of blood samples collected at the scene should confirm the species.

Brown asks for anyone who sees injured bears in the Grant Ridge and Stanton Lake area to report the sighting to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 752-5501.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recommends that hunters carry pepper spray for self-defense. Bear sprays have proven effective for deterring bears in multiple encounters.