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Hunters attacked by grizzly in Madison County

BOZEMAN- Two men were injured when a grizzly bear attacked them while they were hunting over the weekend in Madison County.

Three men were hunting in a wooded area of the north fork of the Bear Creek near Cameron in the Madison Range on Saturday when they surprised a sow grizzly and two cubs according to Madison County Undersheriff Roger Thompson.

The sow grabbed one of the men but dropped him when his hunting partner yelled. The sow then went to the second man, picked him up and dropped him, then she and the two cubs ran off Thompson reports.

Officials tried to get an Air Idaho airlift into the area, but there were no open places to do so in the heavily wooded area. The men had built a fire and rescuers were able to locate them from the air.

At around 6:30 p.m. Madison County Search and Rescue, Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Forest Service entered the area. It took rescuers about 3 ½ hours to get there, Thompson said.

One of the victims, a 16-year-old male from Helmville, suffered a bite to the leg and was unable to walk out. The second victim, a 41-year-old man from Manhattan, suffered a bite to the shoulder. A third man who was with them was not injured. Horses were used to get the injured men out of the area. They were taken to an Ennis hospital.

Thompson did not know if the men had bear spray. He also said there have not been any other reports of bear attacks in this area, but added it was a remote area with not a lot of access.

We have placed a call to Fish, Wildlife and Parks seeking information regarding the future of the bears. We will bring you more information as it becomes available.