This story courtesy of EastIdahoNews.com. It is used here with permission.
GARDINER, Montana — A Montana man was mauled by a grizzly bear while hunting over the weekend in the Tom Miner Basin.
Joe Kiedrowski told KTRV he shot a bull elk Saturday night, but it didn’t go down right away. He decided to return to camp and return the next day to find the elk.
As he hiked back to the area alone Sunday morning, Kiedrowski said he spooked the grizzly coming around a tree about thirty feet away.
“He really looked kind of cuddly, to be honest,” Kiedrowski said. “But then it was right on top of me, so that didn’t last very long.”
He said as the bear was on top of him, his instincts kicked in. He rolled onto his stomach and grabbed his bear spray.
Once he used the spray, the bear shied away and circled back again. As it came back a third time, Kiedrowski realized his can was empty so he threw it at the bear, causing it to back off into the brush, he said.
Kiedrowski readied his rifle and made his way up onto a ridge where he was able to call his brother for help.
Kiedrowski suffered injuries to his right arm, including deep cuts on his wrist and dislocated carpal bones in his hand. He also suffered a large bruise on the side of his head.
