Overview
- An archery hunter was attacked on state land near Elk Creek and Haystack Butte and suffered significant but non-life-threatening injuries after a Monday encounter.
- The wounded man drove himself home and was taken by private vehicle to Benefis Hospital, and local officials have reported his age as about 20.
- FWP investigators collected bear hair and tracks at the scene and found a domestic cow carcass about 150 yards away that specialists say is consistent with grizzly behavior, though final species confirmation is pending.
- The attack area has been closed to public access and signed off while FWP coordinates with U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and continues the on-site inquiry.
- FWP urged hunters to retrieve and hang meat promptly, avoid cutting carcasses at dusk or night, and report lost game rather than trying to haze bears as officials warn that seasonal feeding has driven a rise in human-bear encounters this year.