Man fends off bear attack with his arm

A hunter tracking elk in the Montana mountains 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, according to state wildlife managers.

Chase Dellwo, 26, was hunting with a crossbow for elk with his brother in the rugged foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northwestern Montana 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,” he said.