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Authorities: Missing Montana hiker was killed by grizzly bear

Authorities in Montana confirmed late Friday that a hiker who had been reported missing was likely killed during an encounter with a grizzly bear.

Craig Clouatre of Livingston was reported overdue from his hike in the Six Mile Creek area on Thursday, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and Idaho Statesman.

A search-and-rescue team from the Park County Sheriff’s Office located his body Friday morning. The agency did not provide details but Sheriff Brad Bilcher posted the the following statement to Facebook:

“It is with a very heavy heart that I am writing this update. After an extensive search this morning we have located Craig. It appears he had an encounter with a grizzly and unfortunately did not survive.

“We will continue to work through the afternoon to bring Craig home. Please keep his family and all those involved in your thoughts and prayers.”

The post garnered nearly 200 comments from people expressing sympathy and offering condolences for Clouatre’s family.

Grizzly bears are emerging from hibernation and searching for food. People venturing into the wilderness are urged to carry bear spray and to hike in groups whenever possible.

–Grizzly bear image is generic

Trophy moose poacher receives lifetime hunting ban

A Montana hunter who illegally killed a trophy-size moose in 2019 has received a lifetime ban from hunting and trapping in the state.

Shiloh Berry, 41, pleaded guilty last fall to unlawfully possessing and waste of a game animal, and hunting without a valid license. He was sentenced Friday in Broadwater County Court District.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Berry also received a three-year fishing ban and was ordered to pay $12,100 in restitution. He also received a suspended five-year jail sentence.

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An investigation was launched in November 2019 after Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks received a tip on its anti-poaching hotline. Wardens found the decapitated moose 17 miles east of Townsend. Nearby were “distinctive” tire and boot prints.

In April 2020, wardens were tipped off that Berry was in possession of moose antlers said to have been found at the same location. An authorized search of Berry’s premises turned up the antlers, which were an impressive 56 inches wide.

His boots and truck tires were found to have made the prints discovered at the scene. Berry confessed to killing the moose during interviews with wardens.

–Moose image courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Hunter hit with fines, suspensions for poaching bighorn sheep

A Montana resident has been fined more than $5,000 for illegally killing a bighorn sheep and leaving the meat to waste.

Harold Horine, 45, shot the bighorn sheep ram on Nov. 22 in the Highland Mountains. A witness contacted Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks after discovering the abandoned carcass.

Horine later told FWP wardens that he mistook the sheep for an elk.

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In a news release issued Wednesday, FWP stated that Horine pleaded guilty in Madison County Justice Court on Dec. 7. Charges included hunting without a valid license, unlawful possession of a game animal, hunting on private land without permission, and waste of a game animal.

Horine, who is from Deer Lodge, was ordered to pay $5,245 in fines and restitution. Additionally, his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were suspended for two years.

–Bighorn sheep image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Large bear appears to ‘waltz’ with trees in comical video

Trail-cam footage showing a bear rubbing its massive body against trees, even standing and seeming to dance with their trunks, is being widely shared on the Internet.

Trail-cam footage showing a bear rubbing its massive body against trees, at times standing and seeming to dance, was shared Wednesday by NBC Montana with a “Caption this!” instruction.

“He could do a Charmin commercial,” one commenter joked.

“Just the Bear Necessities,” another chimed in, referring to a song in the Disney film, “The Jungle Book.”

Many commented on the bear’s masterful effort in relieving an itch. But bears typically rub against trees to mark territory, and male bears often mark several trees while searching for breeding mates.

A handful of NBC Montana followers suggested that someone put the bear’s actions to music. That’s when Don Redfoot, who captured the footage near Red Lodge, directed people to the Red Lodge Wildlife Sightings Facebook page, where the footage is put to music.

Click here to view Redfoot’s version and decide for yourselves whether his choice of “Waltzing with Bears” compliments or distracts from the bear’s tree-marking behavior.

With or without music, the footage is amusing and perhaps even enlightening.

–Image courtesy of Don Redfoot

Suspected pipe bomb found, detonated at Montana fishing site

A suspected pipe bomb was discovered Saturday night at a popular fishing access site on Montana’s Jefferson River.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated in a news release that the Williams’ Bridge Fishing Access Site and nearby Sappington Bridge Fishing Access Site were closed after the suspected explosive device was found by Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue personnel.

The team was training on the Jefferson River when its members found what they suspected to be a pipe bomb submerged at the Williams’ Bridge Fishing Access Site.

Experts from Malmstrom Air Force Base safely detonated the device Sunday morning. Both access sites were subsequently reopened.

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“We’re grateful to Gallatin County and Malmstrom Air Force Base personnel for their collaborative response in this situation,” Fish, Wildlife & Parks warden Adam Pankratz stated in the news release. “Thanks to these efforts, we were able to safely reopen these sites to the public.

“This is also a good reminder to use caution and carefully inspect items we would normally think of as litter before picking them up.”

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation and asks those with information that might be helpful to call (406) 482-2100.

–Jefferson River image is generic

Ominous warning for Montana hunters as fall season begins

Montana’s fall hunting season is about to begin and the state has cautioned those who plan on venturing afield: “Expect to see bears.”

Montana’s fall hunting season is set to begin and the state cautions those planning to venture afield: “Expect to see bears.”

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks explained in a news release that the grizzly bear population has grown significantly in the western two-thirds of the state (west of Billings).

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“Some areas with dense concentrations of grizzly bears are very accessible to hunters, especially during the archery season,” FWP stated.

Several big-game archery seasons open Saturday.

Grizzly bear image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Since hunters often trek deep into the wilderness, chance encounters with grizzly bears, and potentially deadly attacks, are bound to occur.

FWP advises hunters to carry bear spray and “be prepared to use it immediately.”

Hunters are urged to “consider hunting elsewhere” if fresh signs of bear activity are present, and to travel in small groups.

“This can help you make casual noise to alert bears to your presence, and it may also increase your chances survival in the event of a bear attack,” FWP stated.

If a deer, elk, or other large animal is killed, hunters should “process [the] carcass and get it out of the field as quickly as possible.”

FWP is hoping that hunters will exercise extreme caution to avoid surprising grizzly bears at close range. Last September, four hunters were mauled in three separate incidents within a period of only eight days.

Grizzly bears, a federally threatened species that cannot be hunted, are actively feeding in advance of winter.

–Top image is courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Rare otter attack injures Montana boy floating on inner tube

A 12-year-old Montana boy was attacked by an otter as he and a friend floated down the Big Hole River on inner tubes.

A 12-year-old Montana boy was attacked by an otter Friday as he and a friend floated down the Big Hole River on inner tubes.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated in a news release issued Monday that the boy did not suffer life-threatening injuries during the rare attack.

The two boys were on a section of river west of Divide, upstream from the Powerhouse Fishing Access Site, when they spotted several otters in front of them.

One otter approached and attacked the boy before two adults who were camping nearby rushed to his rescue.

“Fortunately, the boy was able to receive prompt treatment for injuries that were not life threatening. The other boy was not injured,” Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated.

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Otter attacks on humans are rare, but the animals can be tenacious while defending their young or their territory against potential threats.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks explained that otters typically give birth in April and can stay with their young through the summer.

Low water level caused by drought might also have played a role in shrinking the otters’ territory and preventing the boys from maintaining a safer distance.

Signs have been posted along the river cautioning visitors about the incident.

–River otter image is generic

Jogger runs for help after bear attacks camper

A Montana camper injured during a bear attack Saturday was rescued after receiving help from a jogger.

The incident occurred two hours after dawn at Mystic Lake in the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

According to the Gallatin Sheriff’s Office, the unidentified victim was too injured to hike out but flagged down a jogger “who was quickly able to make it to cell service and call 911.”

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The victim, after being located by LifeFlight personnel, was treated on site before being airlifted to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.

The Associated Press reports that the person’s injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, improperly stored food probably attracted the bear to the camping area southwest of Bozeman. It was not immediately clear whether a black bear or grizzly bear bit the camper.

–Black bear image is generic

Details emerge after hunter’s standoff with snarling cougar

A hunter has revealed details about his stare-down with a snarling cougar last month in the Montana wilderness – an encounter his partner caught on video.

A hunter has revealed details about his standoff with a snarling cougar last month in the Montana wilderness – an encounter his partner caught on video.

Janis Putelis, during a Meat Eaters Podcast episode, revealed that the cougar was a kitten, perhaps a year old, weighing 40 pounds, and that Putelis was concerned enough for his safety that he raised his shotgun to scare off the critter.

“That movement was enough to spook it, and then its sibling spooked, and momma spooked off, too,” Putelis recalled. (See the video below.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsNiX9AHtR/

Putelis and Zach Sandau had ventured into dense brush during opening weekend of Montana’s turkey hunting season.

“Down in the gully off to my right, I hear… in my mind it registers [simply] as air coming out of an animal’s mouth,” Putelis says in the podcast. “[But there] might have been a touch more grrr or growl to it….

“Right after that I can hear footsteps. Soft pads, but a little bit of crunching of pine needles and detritus.”

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Putelis, who was sitting beneath a tree during a break from calling turkeys, asked Sandau to document the encounter with his phone. He figured a bear was approaching “because that’s what I’m expecting in this landscape.”

But then he saw tan hide and guessed it was a deer. But the long tails were a dead giveaway: The turkey calls had apparently attracted a “three pack” of mountain lions.

Momma kept her distance but the kittens “caught our movements” and approached, softly growling. The cougar shown in the video was bolder, approaching to within 15 yards.

It crouched and snarled, and that’s when Putelis clutched his shotgun.

“At that point I’m like, ‘Alright, that’s enough of that,’ ” he says. “I then took my shotgun from my lap and I pointed it at it, and that movement was enough to spook it.”

Almost immediately the distant turkeys that had been so vociferous went silent, realizing a threat was in their midst.

Said Putelis: “There was no more clucking, no yelping, no gobbling, and we hiked around that mountain for another 30 minutes and they were gone.”

Watch: Black bear chases mountain biker in downhill sprint

Black bears can reach a top speed of 35 mph and if that’s hard to believe check out the accompanying footage showing a bear chasing a mountain biker on a trail in Whitefish, Montana.

Black bears can reach top speeds of 35 mph and if that’s hard to believe check out the accompanying footage showing a bear sprinting after a mountain biker in Whitefish, Montana.

The widely shared footage, captured from a ski lift, shows the bear in a determined pursuit to catch or simply chase the mountain biker from its territory.

The bear even attempts to cut the biker off by charging through brush on the switchback trail. But the mountain biker outlasted the bear and rode to safety.

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“He was just fine,” Josh Smith, owner of the Montana Knife Co., told For The Win Outdoors.

Smith said the incident occurred a couple of years ago but his company’s footage was shared for the first time Monday.

“We posted it because we’re launching a new big veterans fundraiser [Wednesday] and wanted some eyes on our Facebook page.”

The introduction contains a pointed message: “A quick reminder that Montana is not Disneyland.”