Third grizzly killed in self-defense in one month outside Yellowstone, officials say

Brooke Baitinger
Fri, September 29, 2023 

Photo by Felicia Montenegro via Unsplash


A hunter shot and killed a charging grizzly bear that was defending its kill just outside Yellowstone National Park, officials said.

The hunter shot the bear at close range in the Tuesday, Sept. 27 encounter in Beattie Gulch north of Gardiner, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a news release.

The bear charged the hunter when they got close to an animal carcass the grizzly had stashed to feed on, spokesman Morgan Jacobsen said. It was the third grizzly killed in self-defense in Montana in just one month.

The hunter was not injured, officials said. Bear specialists with the wildlife agency and game wardens determined the bear was defending its food source.

In a similar incident on Aug. 30, a pair of fishermen were walking through thick vegetation along a creek in the nearby Tom Miner Basin when they stumbled into a male grizzly’s path and the bear charged, McClatchy News previously reported. One of the anglers shot and killed the bear.

Only four days prior and about 250 miles northwest, two hunters surprised a mama grizzly bear and her cub while they were out scouting for the upcoming hunting season in a dense section of the Flathead National Forest, McClatchy News reported.

They came within 15 feet of the mom and cub, and shot and killed the adult bear when she charged them.

“Montana is bear country,” officials said in the release. “Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year.”

Bears are more active in late summer and autumn as they eat as much as they can to prepare for their winter hibernation — which also overlaps with hunting season and other fall recreation activities, officials said.

Two killed in bear attack at Banff National Park, grizzly euthanized: Parks Canada

The Canadian Press
Sat, September 30, 2023 



A bear attack in Alberta's Banff National Park has left two people dead, Parks Canada announced late Saturday.

Natalie Fay, external relations manager for Parks Canada's Banff field unit, said the agency received an alert from a GPS device originating from the Red Deer River Valley at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday, indicating a bear attack.

In a statement, Fay said a team specially trained in wildlife attacks was immediately mobilized, but weather hindered their response time.

"Weather conditions at the time did not allow for helicopter use, and the response team travelled through the night to the location by the ground," she said.

"The response team arrived on-site at 1 a.m. and discovered two deceased individuals."

While in the area, the response team encountered a grizzly bear displaying aggressive behaviour, Fay said, leading Parks Canada staff to euthanize it on-site for public safety.

RCMP arrived at 5 a.m. to transport the victims to Sundre, Alta., she said.

"This is a tragic incident and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims," the statement read.

A closure is in place around the attack area — including the Red Deer and Panther valleys, from Snow Creek Summit east to the National Park boundary, and north to Shale Pass — until further notice as a safety precaution.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2023.

The Canadian Press