Man attacked by 700lb grizzly bear in front of his wife as he was attacked and kicked

A MAN was attacked by a grizzly bear in Montana in front of his wife, officials with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said.

The 51-year-old Washington state hunter who was attacked by the 677-pound bear escaped with minor injuries.

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The hunter and his wife had their first encounter with the bear around 1 p.m. Tuesday while searching for upland birds in a creek bottom east of Choteau, Teton County.

As the bear charged “point-blank out of the thick bush” as the pair, the hunter fired a shot and pistol at the bear, stopping the attack.

The bear was wounded and the man sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The police were informed by the hunters about the attack.

The couple fled the area with their dogs.

FWP bear management specialists, game wardens and Teton County legislators responded to the scene to euthanize the bear later that day.

They had previously consulted with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The bear was identified as an adult male with no history of human conflict.

Officials believe the attack was the result of the “surprise encounter”.

Less than a month earlier, on September 20, a man and a small child were injured, the latter seriously, after a brown bear attacked the nine-year-old boy in Alaska.

The pair were also out hunting when the bear attacked.

The man was able to shoot and kill the bear to prevent another attack.

Officials told the Anchorage Daily News that they believe the bear is an older cub that they have not yet been able to locate.

“Unfortunately, bear cubs don’t do well in captivity after the first few weeks/months outside the den,” said Todd Rinaldi, a regional management coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

After the second attack, Montana officials warned to always carry bear spray, look for signs of activity, use caution near creeks and areas of low visibility, hunt in a group, and keep meat away from kill locations and off the ground.