Mother Grizzly Bear Attacks Bow Hunters In Idaho

A mother grizzly bear attacked a pair of bow hunters after they suddenly encountered the animal who was with her cubs. The two men were in the backcountry in the Apache Ridge area of the Idaho panhandle Wednesday morning when the incident took place, according to Idaho Fish and Game.

The hunters said they did not realize the grizzly and her cubs were nearby until they came upon her suddenly. Wildlife officials said the pair used bear spray to defend themselves during the attack. Both were lucky to have escaped the attack with just minor injuries. One of them needed stitches for the wounds but was released from the hospital.

Conservation officers are investigating the incident. Idaho Fish and Game officials warned the public both black bears and grizzly bears live in the Selkirk Mountains and those who plan to hunt and recreate in the area must be cautious and prepared for encounters with bears.

Grizzly bears are federally protected in the state and are tracked by state biologists to study their reproduction, survival, and locations.

Recently in an incident at Glacier National Park, Montana, a grizzly bear charged a group of hikers with a toddler. A video of the incident was shared online and went viral.

Dulé Krivdich, who posted the video on Facebook, wrote that he and his wife were hiking back up after visiting Hidden Lake when he saw the bear "coming through a treeline, down a meadow and swiftly on to the trail itself to get to wherever he wanted to go."

"Now hikers just below on the same trail are totally unaware of what’s heading their way as we from above start yelling that there is a bear barreling down the same trail," he wrote.