A hunter bitten by a startled mother bear near Ronan on Tuesday afternoon is expected to recover, and despite two shots being fired, the three bears involved in the incident are also believed to have escaped unscathed.

“It was an unnecessary incident and I’m glad the hunter was OK,” said Tom McDonald, manager of the Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. 

Wildlife officials responded to a call on Tuesday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. in the area of Olsen Road, south of Ninepipe Reservoir. The area is a patchwork of state, federal and tribal lands that is popular with hunters, according to McDonald. 

Investigators determined that three hunters had been searching for pheasant when one hunter decided to enter a thicket area in hopes of flushing out some birds. 

“We always recommend not to do that in grizzly bear country,” McDonald said. 

Instead of finding pheasant, the man said he encountered a grizzly bear sow and two cubs that were bedded down. 

“The bear was surprised as he was,” McDonald said. 

The bear charged the man, who fell down. The hunter then fired a gun to scare the bear and the bear bit the man on the foot. The man then hit the bear with his gun and the animal ran out of the thicket where it encountered the two other hunters. One of the other hunters also fired a gun to scare the bear, which was being followed by the cubs. One of the cubs ran over the injured man in an attempt to follow its mother. 

McDonald said the hunter bitten by the bear made it out of the thicket and sought medical attention in Missoula. The bite victim is expected to recover. 

Authorities have not had any contact with the bears since the incident. Investigators were not able to find any sign that the shots had struck the bears, and the hunters believed that their shots had flown above the bears’ heads, McDonald said. The investigation is ongoing. 

McDonald does not anticipate there will be any need to relocate the bears, which live in an area specifically designated as a wildlife management area. 

“The bear was doing absolutely nothing wrong,” McDonald said. 

McDonald encouraged hunters in Mission Valley to carefully read the warnings about recreating in bear habitat that are attached to all regulation packets that come with a license to hunt within the boundaries of the Flathead Indian Reservation. 

“There are a lot things you can do to just be a little smarter in the outdoors,” McDonald said. 

It is recommended that all hunters and others recreating in bear country carry bear spray and familiarize themselves with how to deploy the spray in an emergency. 

Last week tribal biologists issued a warning that grizzly and black bears in Mission Valley have been extensively feeding in corn fields along U.S. 93, and following riparian areas as far west as the Lower Flathead River in an effort to fill up on dwindling food supplies before hibernation. 

People who are having issues with bears or who notice odd bear behavior are asked to call the Tribal Wildlife Management Program or Tribal Fish & Wildlife Conservation at (406) 675-2700 or after hours at (406) 675-4700.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.