A grizzly bear attacked an out-of-state archery hunter Thursday after he and his partner attempted to locate a bull elk they’d shot the evening before near Sheridan Creek west of Shotgun, in Clark County, according to an Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) report. The bear had claimed the elk as its own. The pair was following the elk’s blood trail when they saw grizzly bear tracks and the bear suddenly charged them. It bit one hunter on the shoulder and then apparently ran back to guard the elk carcass. The hunters were not carrying bear spray or firearms. They hiked four miles out of the backcountry and drove to the Ashton Medical Clinic, where the hunter was treated for minor injuries and released.
The Michigan archery hunter has hunted the area for elk since 2000, according to the report. IDFG mails out How to Hunt Safely in Grizzly Bear Country brochures to all hunters holding tags for elk hunts in areas frequented by grizzlies. IDFG, along with the United States Forest Service (USFS) is investigating the encounter. Read more….
