One person was killed and two people injured in separate bear attacks that occurred early Wednesday morning at Soda Butte Campground in Gallatin National Forest, east of Cooke City near the northeastern corner of Yellowstone National Park.

The gruesome attacks don’t seem to follow normal bear behavior and baffle investigating officials. Tents were ripped or damaged during the attacks, yet no food was found in the tent of the dead man or in the tents of the two injured victims. They followed bear safety recommendations.

“Everyone appeared to have followed all food storage regulations,” FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim said. “This is not typical bear behavior. It’s odd. It’s not normal.”

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) officials have set a number of traps in anticipation of the animal’s return tonight. And while officials sort this out, the Soda Butte Campground, the nearby Chief Joseph and Colter campgrounds, also in the Gallatin National Forest, are temporarily closed

Nighttime Bear Attack in Gallatin National Forest

According to a Park County Sheriff’s dispatch record, a Park County Sheriff’s deputy and a FWP game warden were dispatched to the Soda Butte Campground about 2:30 a.m. Investigators found a man dead at the campground at 4:30 a.m.

Two other people, a male and a female, were reportedly bitten and later treated at a hospital in Cody, Wyo. The identities of the victims have not been released.

Investigation at Soda Butte Campground

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials, in cooperation with the Gallatin National Forest, the National Park Service and the Park County Sherriff’s Office, are investigating the attacks at Soda Butte Campground in the Gallatin National Forest that are believed to have occurred about 2 a.m.

FWP officials have spent much of the day at the site collecting forensic evidence of the attacks.

“The camp sites are being combed for evidence,” said Aasheim “We’re not certain if it was one bear or more than one, and we haven’t determined if it was a grizzly or black bear. We’ve extracted DNA samples from evidence found on site. This will help us identify the bear or bears involved, once captured.”

Officials from all the agencies will hold a community meeting at the Cooke City Chamber of Commerce Thursday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the incident. 

More information on Gallatin National Forest