Two bow hunters from Columbia Falls fired their pistols at a group of bears that charged them on a trail west of Essex over the weekend, but it’s unclear what happened to the bears.
The state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department says hunters hiking on a trail in the Great Bear Wilderness before dawn on Sunday encountered three or four bears on the trail.
One hunter fired a warning shot, but the bears charged. The men reported firing their pistols at the bears several times. They then hiked back out and called authorities.
Tim Manley, grizzly bear management specialist for FWP, and others hiked back in with the hunters to search for the bears. Bear dogs were unable to find them.
Manley says the bears were likely grizzlies, judging from the tracks. He also collected a blood sample.
Warden Perry Brown asks that anyone who sees any injured bears in the Grant Ridge/Stanton Lake area report the sighting to FWP.