What Are The Odds Of A Fatal Bear Attack In Montana?

One of the things that always makes headlines in Montana is a bear attack.

Here in Big Sky Country, we have been known to be home to a bear or two. According to data, Montana has roughly 2000 grizzly bears living in the state, which makes it the largest population of the breed outside of Alaska.

READ MORE: Montana Mountain Town named "Next Big Thing" in Real Estate

Montana is home to two types of bears, the American Black Bear and the Grizzly Bear, while both can be dangerous, one is more so.

Death by an American Black Bear is extremely rare, and has only happened a few times in the last century, however, death by Grizzly is more common. However, when you look at the numbers, only 2 to 3 people die a year from Grizzly attacks.

How many bears are in our National Parks?

Of course when they do, it's all over the news. Take the attack earlier this year in Glacier. It was the first Grizzly fatality to happen inside the park since 1998. Oh, and if you are curious about the bear population in our National Parks, according to statistics, Glacier is home to about 1000 bears with around 300 of them being Grizzlies.

So, what about Yellowstone National park? According to the data, around 200 Grizzlies call Yellowstone National Park home, however, there are several more around the area.

How likely are you to die by a bear attack?

In reality, the odds say your chances of being killed by a bear is about 1 in 2.1 million. What does that mean? Well, it means you have a better chance of being struck by lighting, or killed by a dog.

Get our free mobile app

Having said that, it's still important to be bear aware and you want to make sure that you have bear spray with you while you enjoy their natural habitat.