Injured grizzly moved to Spotted Bear

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported last week that an adult female grizzly bear injured in an encounter with a bird hunter was captured near Ferndale and released Oct. 24 in the Spotted Bear area at the south end of the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

The bird hunter shot at the female grizzly in what was described as a surprise encounter about three weeks ago east of Bigfork. The hunter was unharmed and reported the incident immediately to FWP.

The sow grizzly had a cub, and both bears were later found alive by officials. The two had been captured earlier this year along the Rocky Front and moved to the east side of Hungry Horse Reservoir.

After the sow and its cub were seen eating a road-killed deer along Swan River Road near Ferndale, FWP bear managers decided to capture the bears and move them again.

Once captured, an examination revealed that the adult female’s left eye had been hit by bird shot. Kalispell veterinarian Dan Savage was contacted to provide medical care.

After fully anesthetizing the bear, Savage removed what was left of the grizzly’s eye tissue, applied stitches, cleaned the area that had become infected and administered antibiotics. Prognosis for the bear is positive.

The sow and cub were released by FWP grizzly bear specialist Tim Manley in the Spotted Bear area near the wilderness boundary with the hope that the bears would den in a remote area. Manley will continue to follow the bear’s movements.