Grizzly Kills Hunter
In Western Montana

MISSOULA, Mont. —(AP)— A wildlife management area in the mountains of western Montana was closed last week after authorities discovered the body of a hunter apparently killed by a grizzly bear.

Bill Thomas, spokesman for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said last Thursday that the area will remain closed indefinitely while authorities attempt to locate and kill the bear believed responsible.

Timothy Hilston, 50, of Great Falls, was apparently attacked while gutting an elk he had killed in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area, about 38 miles northeast of Missoula.

Authorities began searching for Hilston when he didn't return from a hunt Tuesday evening as planned. His body was discovered Wednesday morning. The elk he killed was partially buried not far away. Authorities said injuries to Hilston's body indicated a grizzly attack.

In an apparently unrelated decision, Grizzly bears will not be added to the Big Horn Mountains despite a state survey indicating support for the idea, a Wyoming state wildlife administrator said.

Expanding the range of the bears would increase the cost of managing them, said Bill Wichers, deputy director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

The department spends about $800,000 a year on grizzly management, mostly with money from hunting and fishing licenses, Wichers said.

Also, he added, there is too much human activity in the mountains.

About 66 percent of respondents to a statewide telephone survey recently said they would support grizzly bears in the Big Horn Mountains. In the six surrounding counties the survey showed 59 percent support for the idea, the Buffalo Bulletin reported.