BIG SKY, Montana — A man was mauled by a grizzly bear Saturday in Montana and is now being treated at a Salt Lake City hospital.
The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office said in a press release on Saturday that the grizzly attacked a hunter tracking a deer. Another member of the hunter's party placed a 911 call to Madison County Dispatch, saying the attacked person needed immediate medical attention.
The hunter was transported via Life Flight helicopter to Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center.
According to a GoFundMe set up by his daughter, the victim is Rudy Noorlander. He owns an ATV rental business in Big Sky.
Noorlander was helping some hunters track down a deer they had shot when he saw a smaller grizzly.
"Instinctively, he pulled out his firearm in hopes of scaring away the grizzly but before he could even have time to react, a different 10 foot tall and far more aggressive bear was on him," the page read.
The bear left him with a large scratch on his chest, bites on his arms and legs, and tore off his lower jaw. The others in the hunting party were eventually able to scare the bear off.
Noorlander's daughter said he had to wait about two hours before the medical helicopter crew could make a safe landing to pick him up.
After undergoing surgery to stabilize him at the hospital in Bozeman, he was flown to University of Utah Hospital. His daughter says he is currently in critical but stable condition.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) said investigators found a cached animal carcass near the attack site, indicating the attack was likely defensive in nature.
The Custer Gallatin National Forest has implemented an emergency closure in the Buck Ridge Yellow Mule area south of Big Sky after the attack.
Madison County requested aid from Gallatin County due to the location near Yellow Mule Trail. Volunteers with Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue responded, along with Montana Fish & Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers, US Forest Service Law Enforcement, Life Flight Helicopter Team, and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Deputies.
FWP has not yet located the bear and continues to investigate the incident.
According to the post from Cuter Gallatin, the closure encompasses the following areas:
The closure includes the area from the Forest boundary along Forest Service Road #2599 (Buck Creek Ridge Road) to its terminus at the Buck Ridge Trailhead. The closure continues westerly along Buck Ridge Trail #10 to where it meets the Custer Gallatin/Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest Boundary. It then follows the Forest boundary northwesterly and northerly to section 16 and continues easterly along the Forest boundary back to Buck Creek Ridge Road (FS Road #2599).
