The man, whose name was unavailable, was treated and released from the hospital.
It was the first documented lion attack resulting in injuries in northwest Montana in many years, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks official said.
FWP Warden Chuck Bartos is investigating the attack.
The hunter told officials he was several miles in on a trail when he heard what sounded like the scream of a mountain lion.
A short time later, he heard a growl and turned to see a lion about 10 to 15 feet away.
The man dropped his rifle and rushed to get behind a tree.
The lion pounced on his back and knocked him into the tree.
The collision made the lion lose its grip and the hunter reached his pistol and fired a shot.
The lion ran away and the hunter fired several more shots in the lion’s general direction.
The man picked up his rifle and walked back down the trail. He met several other hunters who helped him to reach his car.
The hunter began driving back to Kalispell and notified relatives, who met him with assistance.
At the Kalispell Regional Medical Center, the man received five stitches for cuts to his leg from the lion’s claws.
He also was treated for scratches on his back and shoulder and a few puncture wounds to the back of his head.
The hunter’s backpack, which was shredded, probably prevented the lion from causing more serious injuries, Bartos said.
Erik Wenum, a FWP wildlife specialist, said the chance of encountering a lion increases during hunting season because hunters use various ways to attract deer.
The techniques include rattling antlers and making grunt and doe-in-estrus calls.
Wenum said hunters using these techniques should be especially vigilant.
All mountain lion incidents should be reported to the FWP.
Incidents include a lion demonstrating unnatural behavior, such as showing no concern about people or acting aggressively toward people or pets.
“Given the number of people who recreate in the forests of northwest Montana and the number of lions, there’s always lots of potential for an encounter,” said Jim Williams, a FWP wildlife manager. “But even considering this potential, documented attacks are extremely rare.”
In 1989, a lion killed a 5-year-old boy in Evaro. In 1990, there was a rash of encounters between people and lions in western Montana.
In the 1990s, lions were sighted in Missoula proper, including one that stalked a small child and one that was captured in a basement, both in the lower Rattlesnake residential area.
In 1998, a lion attacked a small boy near Marshall Mountain Ski Area before it was fought off by a 16-year-old camp counselor.
Most of the reported encounters around Missoula have occurred in or near the Rattlesnake area.
In 1998, the FWP established a limited lion hunting season in the Rattlesnake National Recreation area.
For more information on living with wildlife, go to http://fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/livingwwildlife/mountainlions.
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