Montana Bowhunter Injured by Grizzly
9/17/2010
The Headline: Montana bowhunter injured by grizzly
The Summary: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that a bowhunter was attacked and severely injured by a grizzly bear as he was hunting in heavy timber near the west fork of the Madison River in Montana. Matt Menge survived the attack with a broken leg and copious lacerations about his head. Menge said the bear attacked so quickly and without warning that he didn’t have time to reach for his pepper spray.
Jeff’s Take: Lucky for us, it’s still a wild world in some parts of the West and that includes big, toothy carnivores. I’m glad Menge is alive to hunt another day, and I don’t blame Menge or the bear. But these attacks are happening with more frequency. Why? I don’t think it’s because bears are mad at us. Nope, it’s because there are more grizzly bears and they’re less afraid of humans because they haven’t been hunted. In 1975 there were only 136 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Distinct Population segment. But in 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that they had been restored and numbered over 500. Much like wolves, they are no longer endangered, yet authorities refuse to allow the limited, regulated hunting of them.
