Montana has some of the most diverse and awe-inspiring wildlife in the United States.

But one man got more than he ever bargained for while he was out in the wild.

And this Montana shed-antler hunter had an insane story after surviving this hellish encounter.

Montana shed-antler hunter is charged by a grizzly bear

Spring in Montana means that the bears are beginning to come out of the winter torpor in Big Sky Country.

The state has the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states.

One shed-antler hunter survived a charging grizzly due to some sharp shooting.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, a man was hunting for antlers on private property in Wolf Creek, Montana, outside of Great Falls, when he encountered a grizzly bear.

“The man was walking along a ridge covered with low trees and brush with his two dogs at his side and the wind at his back,” a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks official stated.

“After seeing a fresh grizzly bear track in a snow patch, he continued along his path, and a few minutes later, he saw the bear standing near the top of the ridge about 20 yards away.”

The man faced the nightmare scenario for anyone who encounters a grizzly bear in the wild.

Montana hunter drops a charging grizzly bear at short range with a handgun

Standing 20 yards away from him was a mother grizzly bear that had a young cub with her.

The bear’s motherly instincts kicked in to protect her young.

“The bear dropped to all four legs and charged the man, who drew his handgun and fired five shots from distance about 30 feet to 10 feet, grazing the bear with one shot and hitting and killing it with another,” Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a statement.

The man walked away from the scary encounter, shaken but unharmed.

State wildlife officials investigated the incident and estimated that the dead grizzly was about 12 years old and weighed roughly 300 pounds.

Female grizzlies can weigh up to 500 pounds, while males can reach nearly 900 pounds.

Wildlife officials found a single cub near the scene of the incident.

They took the cub to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Helena, where he will eventually be rehomed to a zoo.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear specialist Chad White told the Great Falls Tribune that the incident occurred about two miles from the closest residential property.

“We first started seeing lone adult males come out in March, but typically, females with cubs don’t come out until later,” White said. “It’s hard to say how long that female had been out on the ground.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials are investigating the incident because grizzly bears are protected federally under the Endangered Species Act.

Montana’s grizzly population is growing, and the area where the hunter’s deadly encounter is one of the six federal zones for their recovery.

Grizzlies rarely attack humans, but with their population growing and spreading throughout Montana, outdoorsmen need to be on their toes.

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