Still, about ten years later, another mauling occurred, this time along Divide Creek near St. With time the problems were corrected, and a bear management plan was implemented. At the time, National Park managers said they were unaware of the situation, but that was not the case, as David Shea, another seasonal ranger, and I had hiked to the chalet a week prior to the mauling, watched the feeding and reported on our findings to park headquarters.
In fact, the dual maulings created a national outcry demanding an evaluation of backcountry conditions, and the implementation of a Bear Management Plan, previously lacking.Īt Granite Park Chalet, managers there had been intentionally luring bears to the chalet to entertain guests. Because of the conditions, these were tragedies just waiting to happen. In fact, virtually all backcountry campsites had become dump grounds. In fact, many trips were subsequently required to clean up this backcountry campsite. Much the same thing was happening at Granite Park Chalet, though more bears were shot there as more bears had become “conditioned” to the presence of people.Ībout a week after the incidents, Ruben Hart, the park’s chief ranger and I flew by helicopter back to Trout Lake, and found so much garbage that the huge Huey Helicopter didn’t have adequate space for just a single trip. Later evaluation also revealed the bear had glass embedded in its molars and that this was, in fact, a small emaciated 17-year-old sow, weighing less than 300 pounds. A later evaluation of the bear confirmed we had shot the right bear (we’d been told to shoot any bear we saw, believing that any bear that didn’t run was a suspect bear). I called for Leonard to bring out the rifles, and when the bear started moving toward us, we both fired. Early next morning (to make a long story short), I went outside to use the bathroom, and there, about 30 yards away, was a grizzly bear. We hiked back into the valley, then hiked up the Camas Creek drainage and spent the night in the park’s Arrow Lake Patrol Cabin. Several days later, Leonard and I were dispatched to find the bear. The engineer left his rifle with me, and Leonard and I searched the valley for other campers and then provided an armed escort to the one remaining couple that we had located miles up the drainage. We wrapped her in a body bag and Westover flew her out. Moments later, Leonard called out softly and announced that he had found the girl. We all fanned out and began a search–hoping for the best. With my arrival and that of a helicopter flown in by John Westover who brought in the park’s engineer, Max Edgar, we formed an adequate search party. He was the seasonal ranger at Lake McDonald, and was waiting for some support before beginning a search. Sadly, Norm told me the young lady at Granite Park had died hours earlier.ĭriving around lake McDonald to the trailhead I then rushed into Trout Lake and met Leonard Landa, who had left an hour or so prior to my departure. Not surprisingly, I was confused, for I could not believe that yet another mauling had occurred. Several hours later, about 6:30 a.m., Norm Hagen, another seasonal ranger, woke me and said that I was needed immediately, that a young lady had been mauled at Trout Lake, and that I was to hike the four miles into Trout Lake and the Camas Creek drainage and see what I could find. That night I returned to my apartment in West Glacier about 3 a.m. Hearing the voice, from my location high up near Logan Pass, I served as a relay to headquarters, explaining medical attention was needed at Granite Park Chalet-that a young lady had been critically mauled… Suddenly I heard a voice from Granite Park Chalet trying to reach headquarters, but failing because of poor transmission. On August 13, 1967, shortly after midnight I was piloting a huge truck over Logan Pass. As a result, I was one of the few rangers available when tragedy befell the two 19-year old girls. In 1967 I was a road patrol ranger and though I wanted to be out fighting fire-and had asked for such consideration-the powers to be felt road patrol work was critical to visitor safety, and so my request was denied. I was involved essentially because all permanent rangers were out fighting fires.
1967 Killer Bear, created by backcountry neglect
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