A Montana bowhunter was attacked by a grizzly bear on public land south of Augusta while hunting Monday morning, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The hunter sustained “significant but fortunately not life-threatening injuries,” according to state officials. The victim, who is only identified as male by MFWP, was able to drive himself home after he was mauled and was subsequently driven to Benefis Hospital, likely in nearby Great Falls.
The encounter occurred on Montana state land near Elk Creek and Haystack Butte in the west-central part of the state. Details of the encounter remain scarce as officials continued to investigate the area, but they did release a second statement identifying the bear as a grizzly.
“Investigators collected bear hair found on the victim and at the scene of the attack along with tracks. They also located the carcass of a domestic cow they suspect was killed by a bear about 150 yards from where the attack occurred,” reads a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “FWP specialists continue to investigate the attack in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services.”
The area where the attack took place was posted with signs and closed to public access on Tuesday and until further notice. MFWP says it cannot release the identity or health status of the bear attack victim.
The attack comes on the heels of another Montana bear attack, in which a sow grizzly mauled a dog walker on a trail system near Columbia Falls on Aug. 31. The bear had at least one young cub with her and a whitetail deer cached roughly 100 yards off the trail. A GoFundMe for the victim, identified as Aubrey Scott, notes that her injuries were life-changing and that she had to be flown to Seattle for treatment.
Related: Animal Advocates Ask Montana to Force Hunters and Trappers to Carry Bear Spray
Scott’s mauling was the third known grizzly bear attack in Montana in 2026. A hiker in Glacier National Park was fatally mauled in early May. Later that month a sow grizzly in the park attacked another hiker, who sustained injuries to his arm. This summer animal advocates petitioned the state to require hunters and trappers to carry bear spray.
This story was updated to include a second statement from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.