A hunter has said he fended off an attacking grizzly bear by shoving his arm into its throat to induce a gag reflex that would frighten it away.
American Chase Dellwo was hunting with a crossbow for elk with his brother in the rugged foothills of the Rocky Mountains in north western Montana on Saturday morning when he surprised a 180kg male grizzly lumbering along a creek, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Bruce Auchly.
"It was startled, he was startled - the bear engaged in a defensive attack," Mr Auchly explained.
26-year-old Dellwo later told wardens he rammed his arm crosswise into the back of the grizzly's jaws because he had read an article that said large animals have pronounced gag responses.
"I want everyone to know that it wasn’t the bear’s fault. He was as scared as I was,” Mr Dellwo said.
Wildlife managers were not acquainted with the literature or purportedly excessive gag reflexes among the massive, hump-shouldered bruins, but Mr Dellwo's action prompted the bear to break off its attack and lumber away, Mr Auchly said.
Wardens do not intend to capture the bear or kill it since it engaged in a defensive, rather than predatory, attack.
"If the grizzly wanted to kill him, it would have killed him," Mr Auchly added.
Mr Dellwo was driven by his brother to a nearby clinic before being taken to a hospital in Great Falls where he remained yesterday for treatment of injuries that include cuts to his head and face.
Wildlife managers advise carrying bear spray to ward off attacks.
Dellwo was not equipped with bear spray when he encountered a grizzly that is among the estimated 1,000 that roam along the northern Continental Divide in Montana.
