Grizzly bear with her cubs attacks hunter using elk call in Canada, officials say

An elk hunter was seriously injured in a bear attack in British Columbia, according to Canadian authorities.

The Conservation Officer Service responded Oct. 2 to the Fort Steele area where the hunter was attacked by a grizzly sow with her cubs, according to a Facebook post from the organization.

Authorities said the hunter was using an elk call which may have attracted the bear. The hunter fired a single shot “in self defense,” but authorities said they were unsure if the bear was hit.

Despite drone and low level helicopter flights along with ground sweeps of the area, authorities were unable to find any signs of the bears or evidence that they remained in the area, according to the post.

The hunter was hospitalized with serious injuries, authorities said.

Many people who shared the Conservation Officer Service’s Facebook post called for the return of grizzly hunting, which was outlawed in British Columbia in 2017 due to the species’ threatened status in the province, and remains a “controversial topic,” according to experts.

“I know this is a sensitive topic,” Jonathan Gallo said in a Facebook post. “But there are more and more grizzlies in the Columbia valley. The hunt should be brought back in a responsible way.”

Fort Steele is about a 60-mile drive northwest from the Roosville Border Crossing on the U.S.-Canadian border in Montana.