Montana hunter survives grizzly attack

BILLINGS, Mont. -- A bow hunter was attacked and injured by a female grizzly bear Friday morning west of Gardiner near Yellowstone National Park, state and federal officials said.

Dustin Flack of Belgrade was calling in elk when he encountered the bear and her cubs in an area known as Beattie Gulch.

He attempted to get to safety by climbing a small tree, but the bear pulled him down, injuring Flack's right foot and right calf, said Mel Frost with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

When Flack hit the ground, "he went into a fetal position and she sniffed around for a while and then she left," Frost said.

"He did the right thing by playing dead and it probably saved him. The bottom line is: You stay still. If you're still, you're not creating a threat."

Flack walked the two miles back to his vehicle and was taken to Livingston Memorial Hospital for treatment. A nurse at the hospital said Flack did not want to speak to a reporter and had asked that his condition not be released.

Frost said the grizzly may have been feeding on carcasses left in the area by other hunters.

Wildlife officials searched for the grizzly Friday but did not find it. There were no plans to resume the search and no action against the bear was planned.

"She was doing what sows do, which is protect their cubs," Frost said.

Portions of Yellowstone and the Gallatin forest near Friday's attack were closed as a precautionary measure. They will remain closed indefinitely, park and forest officials said.

The mauling in the Gallatin National Forest took place within three or four miles of another grizzly attack on Sept. 9. Authorities said descriptions of the bears in the two incidents differed: The first attack involved a blonde-colored bear with two cubs, and Friday's attack was by a brown bear with three cubs.

The incident was the fourth bear attack in the Yellowstone area this summer. On May 23, a grizzly severely mauled a photographer inside the park. In June, a man suffered moderate injuries during an attack in Grand Teton National Park, south of Yellowstone.

Authorities have continued to search for the grizzly involved in the Sept. 9 attack because it might be injured. The black bear hunter who was attacked said he managed to shoot the animal at least once. An injured bear is considered a greater danger.

"Safety is relative because that's grizzly bear country," Frost said. "Hunters should be aware of grizzly bears in the area, and perhaps ask around about other hunter success and whether they left carcasses, gut piles that sort of thing."