On September 10 FWP Wardens responded to and investigated a report of a wounded black bear that injured a man near Thompson Falls. According to the reporting party an archery hunter was hunting elk in a drainage located off Prospect Creek when the hunter observed a black bear. The hunter was also licensed to hunt black bear and took a shot at the bear with his bow.
The hunter waited several hours after shooting the bear in an attempt to make sure it was dead before he started tracking the bear. The hunter located the wounded bear and it was still alive. The hunter shot the bear two more times with his bow. After the final shot, the bear ran several yards down the hill into the non-hunting companion of the archery hunter who had just arrived to assist. The bear grabbed and bit his arm and after a brief struggle the bear died. The incident occurred within 100 yards of the roadway. The hunter and his companion were able to quickly get back to their vehicles and drive to the Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains where the man was treated for his injuries and released.
FWP Wardens returned to the site of the incident that night and it was determined that the bear died as a result of multiple arrow wounds. The bear was located less than 100 yards from the main roadway on USFS property. It was a female black bear estimated to weigh approximately 140-150 lbs. There were no cubs present and the hunter legally tagged the bear.
(Report by Montana FWP; Cover photo: news.discovery.com)
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