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Grizzly bear killed after attack near Yellowstone National Park

A grizzly bear that attacked a 40-year-old man Thursday outside Yellowstone National Park was shot and killed the next day as wildlife officials investigated the scene.

The attack occurred south of Baker’s Hole Campground, three miles north of the town of West Yellowstone and the park’s West Entrance.

The unidentified man, who was transferred to Idaho Falls for treatment, was in serious condition as of late Friday. He was in possession of bear spray but it remained unclear whether any spray was used against the bear.

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The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department explained in a news release that seven investigators, including bear specialists, visited the attack site Friday and were met by a charging bear.

“Despite multiple attempts by all seven people to haze away the bear, it continued its charge,” the agency stated. “Due to this immediate safety risk, the bear was shot and died about 20 yards from the group. The bear was an older-age male grizzly.”

A moose carcass was discovered nearby, indicating that the bear was trying to defend its food source.

A safety closure remained in effect in the area as of late Friday.

With grizzly bears emerging from hibernation, and with warmer weather inviting more tourists into bear country, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks used the incident to remind visitors to follow these guidelines while in the wilderness:

• Be aware of your surroundings and look for bear sign.
• Read signs at trailheads and stay on trails. Be especially careful around creeks and in areas with dense brush.
• Carry bear spray. Know how to use it and be prepared to deploy it immediately.
• Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence.
• Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears.
• Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency.
• If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Back away slowly and leave the area.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Yellowstone records first grizzly bear sighting of 2021

Yellowstone National Park has logged its first grizzly bear sighting of 2021, indicating that the end of the hibernation season is near.

Yellowstone National Park has logged its first grizzly bear sighting of 2021, indicating that the hibernation season is nearly over.

The bear, which was interacting with wolves at a large animal carcass, was spotted Saturday by a pilot conducting wildlife studies, according to a news release issued Tuesday.

Male grizzly bears typically begin to emerge from their dens in early March. Female grizzly bears with cubs emerge in April and early May.

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The bears will immediately try to fatten up on elk and bison that perished during the harsh winter.

“When bears first emerge from hibernation, they look for carcasses at lower elevations and spring vegetation in thermal meadows and south-facing slopes for nourishment,” said Kerry Gunther, a Yellowstone bear management biologist.

The park stated that bears “will react aggressively” toward intruders while feeding and urged visitors to stay at least 100 yards from the animals.

Visitors also should carry bear spray in case of surprise encounters.

–Grizzly bear image is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone grizzly bear tries napping outside in heartwarming video

Footage showing an exhausted Yellowstone National Park grizzly bear attempting to nap in the snow has captured the hearts of viewers.

Footage showing an exhausted Yellowstone National Park grizzly bear attempting to nap outside its den has captured the hearts of viewers.

“Are you having trouble losing those unwanted, extra holiday pounds? Then ask your doctor if hibernation is right for you,” The U.S. Department of the Interior, joked in a video Facebook post.

The agency added that while most bears in Wyoming are hibernating and will lose up to one-third of their body weight before spring, “It’s possible to see one any time of the year.”

The footage, captured by Trent Sizemore Photography, was shared by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday.

The most popular comment: “It’s videos like this that make me forget that fluffy guy could tear off my face.”

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A sampling of others:

–“This snow-loving bear is my kindred spirit. After being in the awful humid heat of Houston, I’ve long wished for a bed of snow.”

–“I could watch this cutie all day.”

From the Trent Sizemore Photography post:

–“He was making a snow angel.”

–“Wish I could sleep and rest for a few months and then wake up skinny, not losing any muscle.”

Visitors to Yellowstone can expect male grizzly bears to emerge from hibernation beginning in mid-March. Females with cubs typically emerge in April or early May.

Black bears, which den at lower elevations, can emerge as early as late February.

–Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior, via Trent Sizemore Photography

Hunters react as huge momma grizzly towers over truck

Two hunters were stopped on a road recently by a momma grizzly that approached their truck and towered over them as they watched in awe.

Two hunters were stopped on a road recently by a momma grizzly bear that approached their truck and towered over them as they watched in awe.

“We were about to go on a deer hunt, but then saw the grizzly,” Justin Giesbrecht, who was with his father Ray, told For The Win Outdoors.

Giesbrecht captured the footage Oct. 31 near Edson in west-central Alberta, Canada. (Warning: The footage contains a profane word.)

It shows the massive bear approaching with three cubs, and reveals the hunters’ reactions as the bear stands on her hind legs, seemingly doubling in size.

“Oh … my gosh!” Giesbrecht says, in apparent disbelief.

“Did you get a picture?” Ray asks, nonchalantly.

Finally, momma bear lowers her stance, turns, and leads her cubs into the woods.

The footage was uploaded to YouTube on Monday by Viral Hog, which quotes Giesbrecht as saying, “We left the area out of respect for the grizzly family.”

Clearly, any subsequent deer hunt would have proved anticlimactic.

–Image courtesy of Viral Hog via Justin Giesbrecht

Yellowstone tourists react as wolves gang up on grizzly bear

A tour group in Yellowstone National Park on Friday experienced a “once-in-a-lifetime” sighting of an adult grizzly bear being harassed by a pack of wolves.

A tour group in Yellowstone National Park on Friday experienced a “once-in-a-lifetime” sighting of a large grizzly bear being harassed by wolves.

The accompanying footage, captured by Adam Brubaker of the Tied to Nature guide service, shows the large bear wandering across a meadow and suddenly realizing other critters were in its midst.

The bear stands on its hind legs as two wolves of the Wapiti Lake Pack appear in the foreground. Rather than turn back, the bear runs in the wolves’ direction.

One of four tourists in Brubaker’s group asks if the bear, by running, is trying to clear the wolves out of its territory.

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The guide responds: “I think more than anything, he wants to know what it is, and what’s going on. That’s why he was standing up. It’s the same thing with people; they don’t want to be surprised by anything.”

Then more wolves emerge, and it becomes clear that they’re intent on clearing the bear out of their territory.

One of the tourists predicts the wolves will “attack him on both sides,” and several begin to harass the bear. At one point as many as 10 wolves can be seen chasing and nipping at the bear, as it fights back while reluctantly fleeing toward the trees.

“Y’all,” an astonished tourist remarks.

“Bear, why didn’t you move when you had the chance?” another tourist bemoans.

Once at the tree line the confrontation seems over, with Brubaker explaining that the wolves were simply escorting the bear from the meadow.

On Facebook he wrote, “I had the awesome opportunity to share this once-in-a-lifetime wolf and grizzly sighting while on tour in Yellowstone today.”

Brubaker told For The Win Outdoors that he was not sure if the wolves were acting in this manner to protect nearby cubs, or guarding a fresh carcass.

“From what I could see the pups were not with them,” he said. “The white wolf [seen in the video] has blood on her face and neck, so there could have been a carcass, but while I watched them they were not feeding on one.”

Brubaker captured the footage in Hayden Valley, one of Yellowstone’s premier wildlife viewing areas.

Yellowstone bear ferociously guards kill as tourists watch

A grizzly bear that killed a bull elk in a Yellowstone National Park river battle last Friday has become a major tourist attraction.

That’s because the male grizzly has partially buried the elk on the bank of the Yellowstone River, across from a paved road, and is taking his time consuming the carcass.

“Wolves tried to come in yesterday, but this bear won’t even allow ravens to share, which is unusual,” Deby Dixon of Deby’s Wild World Photography, told For The Win Outdoors.

“This bear is methodical and does not appear to be concerned about anything taking away his food. Most bears stuff themselves in a hurry, for fear of losing it to another.”

Dixon on Tuesday captured a remarkable image showing the bear in a ferocious defensive posture alongside the half-buried elk. (See full image below.)

“I don’t want to run into this guy in the forest!” Dixon wrote on Facebook.

(Graphic video showing the bear attacking the elk can be viewed here.)

Grizzly bears do not typically attack full-grown elk, but this elk appeared to have previously suffered a broken leg, which made the animal vulnerable.

“A healthy elk would have gotten across the water before the bear even got to the river,” said Dixon, who specializes in Yellowstone wildlife photography.

After drowning the elk, the bear carved a large section of bank and covered most of the carcass to keep it fresh and prevent its scent from attracting predators.

News of this incredible display spread across social media and wildlife enthusiasts are driving into the park daily to witness the feeding event. (The grizzly bear is known to the park, cataloged as 791.)

Dixon said park staff is doing a good job of keeping tourists from blocking the road, but people are parking farther away and walking back to watch or photograph the bear.

A park spokeswoman told For The Win Outdoors that rangers may not always be present and that tourists “have a responsibility to behave in a way that doesn’t put people, or the bear, at risk.”

–Images courtesy of Deby Dixon/Deby’s Wild World

Quick-thinking hunters survive grizzly bear attack

An Idaho hunter who was attacked by a grizzly bear Friday might have saved his own life – with help from his companion – by deploying bear spray as he was being knocked to the ground.

According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the unidentified victim was archery hunting for elk with a friend when the two encountered what they described as a grizzly bear at close range in dense foliage.

The bear charged as the victim began to deploy his spray. His companion also sprayed the bear, which fled after a few tense and harrowing seconds.

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The hunters walked out of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest backcountry and the victim was transported via ambulance to a hospital in Rexburg, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident near Two Top Mountain led to the posting of bear warning signs and prompted this statement from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game:

“Hunters and other forest users are reminded to always be prepared when in bear country by carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it.”

–Grizzly bear image courtesy of IDFG

Grizzly bear runs straight at hikers, who react in the worst way

A grizzly bear was heading directly for a group of unsuspecting hikers, who clearly were clueless on dealing with bear encounters, as video shows.

A grizzly bear on a trail in Glacier National Park on Sunday was heading directly for a small group of unsuspecting hikers, who clearly were clueless about how to deal with bear encounters in the wild.

Another group of hikers on a switchback above those ill-informed hikers saw what was transpiring and began warning them about the approaching bear and shouted “get off the trail,” and then the grizzly started running.

VIDEO: A grizzly bear running towards a group of hikers in Glacier National Park on Sunday afternoon. #glaciernationalpark #grizzly #bears #bebearaware pic.twitter.com/llZuX1AR8U

— NBC Montana (@NBCMontana) August 31, 2020

Once the grizzly started running, the shouts of warning became louder and more urgent. You can hear someone in the distance yelling to “back up, back up,” and a woman nearby says, “They shouldn’t run” before yelling to them, “Don’t run, don’t run!”

So what did they do? Dulé Krivdich, who sent the video to NBC Montana, picks up the story he told the station:

“Just then, the griz made a bluff charge and we saw people booking it like we’ve never ever seen before in our lives. But I think that it was a case of the bear not knowing the people were coming up, [and] the people had no idea. But once they did, [they] did the worse [sic] thing, they ran!”

Fortunately, after the bluff charge, the grizzly continued on its way, disinterested in the running hikers.

“Thank goodness that it all went well afterwards,” Krivdich told NBC Montana.

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Ironically, that same day, Glacier National Park posted on Facebook this warning to hikers:

“If you’re hitting the trails, there are a few other considerations to keep in mind. If you can’t see the trail ahead of you, it’s important to make your presence known by making human sounds like shouting or clapping loudly. Additionally, hiking in a group allows bears to see, hear, and smell you better, reducing your risk of a surprise encounter. If you do happen to see a bear on the trail, ensure you maintain at least 100 yards of distance and slowly back away from it. Carrying bear spray (and knowing how to use it!) is recommended on all trails in the park. You never know when you may see a bear!”

At least they did one thing correctly: hiking in a group.

Photo of generic grizzly bear courtesy of the National Park Service.

Momma grizzly with cubs stands up to Yellowstone wolves

When a bison carcass is discovered by wolves and grizzly bears, competition can be fierce between the apex predators.

A lone adult grizzly typically has no problem bellying up to a carcass, and scattering wolves. But it’s more dangerous when the grizzly has cubs.

The accompanying footage, captured recently by a tour guide inside Yellowstone National Park, shows a momma grizzly bear and two cubs running from wolves after the bears tried to intrude on the carcass.

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Taylor Bland, a guide for Yellowstone Wolf Tracker, told For The Win Outdoors that her footage began as at least four members of the Junction Butte wolf pack began to chase the bears.

“A big, 2,000-pound bison was killed by another bison during the rut, and this was Day 2 of the carcass,” Bland said of the early August sighting. “The wolves were trying to keep the bears from feeding on it.”

She referred to the wolves’ behavior as “resource guarding” and said it did not appear that they intended to kill the cubs.

However, Bland said, “Wolves will occasionally kill grizzly cubs because the cubs will grow up to be competition. Same goes for bears and wolf pups.”

Viewers may note that the momma grizzly tried to stay between her cubs and the wolves during the brief pursuit, and ultimately stopped to square off with the wolves.

Her cubs, like momma, occasionally stood in what seemed a defensive posture.

Finally, the wolves gave up and ventured back toward the carcass.

Bland added that after the wolves had filled up on bison flesh, momma grizzly and both cubs returned and feasted on the carcass for two-plus hours.

“Most of the wolves bedded down about 100 yards off the carcass,” Bland said. “Two yearling cubs stuck around but [momma] bear chased them off multiple times and they were no match for her.”

The bison rut, or mating season, runs from mid-July through August. During this period, rival males are sometimes killed by more dominant bison. The carcasses provide sustenance to other species.

Bland said her group’s sighting – “one of the most epic bear-wolf interactions I’ve ever seen” – occurred in Lamar Valley.

Her footage was captured from a distance of a quarter-mile and she removed the sound, she said, because the excited chatter from her group “drew away from the events that were happening.”

–Top image courtesy of Taylor Bland; aerial shot of the Junction Butte wolf pack last winter is courtesy of NPS / Dan Stahler

Grizzly bear appears to perform CPR on trash can

Can grizzly bears perform CPR? No, but video has surfaced showing a large grizzly imitating the life-saving technique on a trash can.

Can grizzly bears perform CPR?

Not exactly, but video footage has surfaced showing a large grizzly superbly imitating the life-saving technique on a bear-proof trash can.

The footage, shared Saturday as part of the New York-Presbyterian’s Hands Only CPR campaign, was captured at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Comments in the TikTok post range from, “Best CPR training video I’ve ever seen” to “Will somebody feed the damn bear?”

https://www.tiktok.com/@hocpr/video/6827442450181770502

(TMZ posted the same video Sunday, and added the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ alive” soundtrack.)

The clip shows the bear first trying to remove the container’s lid, but ultimately favoring immense power and bulk to try access its contents. (It remains unclear whether the bear was successful.)

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Trent Redfield, lead naturalist at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, told FTW Outdoors said the center’s grizzly bears participate in its Bear Product Testing Program. The center works with state and federal agencies in the testing of garbage and food storing containers.

The containers are filled with treats that the bears can smell, and the animals are given an hour to break them open. If the bears cannot break into the containers, the products are certified as “bear resistant” by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

Product testing is considered to be enrichment for the bears.

Redfield could not recall when the accompanying footage was captured, but said this type of scene is fairly common during product testing.

Grizzly bears at the nonprofit educational facility are animals that were deemed nuisance bears habituated to humans, or orphaned cubs of nuisance bears.

At feeding time each morning, guests can watch them turn over large boulders and even climb trees to access treats stashed before the animals are released from their dens.