FWP: Hunter kills grizzly bear in self-defense encounter in Madison Range

ENNIS (Daily Montanan) – A hunter killed a grizzly bear in self-defense last week in the Madison Range southeast of Ennis, according to a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The person was hunting black bears in a remote parcel of private land in the backcountry on June 5 when he was charged by a grizzly bear. The hunter shot and killed the bear with a pistol and was not injured.

The hunter notified Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks the same day. Officials from FWP, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest conducted a field investigation with help from the landowner and confirmed the bear mortality.

The investigation is ongoing.

The bear’s behavior appeared to be defensive in the surprise, close encounter with the hunter. The 15-year-old female grizzly had previously been captured for research purposes in 2013 and had no known history of conflict with people.

No cubs were seen with the bear. The bear died outside the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear recovery zone, and inside the demographic monitoring area.