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State game wardens had to deal with a rare mountain lion attack and a grizzly bear relocation in northwest Montana last week.

A firewood cutter reported getting attacked by a mountain lion near Libby on Saturday. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 spokesman John Fraley said the man was placing a choker on a log when he was struck from the side and knocked into a tree.

“He said he swung at the animal with his arm, striking it, and it ran off,” Fraley said of the man. “He got up and ran to his truck and saw a mountain lion walking back towards the vehicle. He scared the lion off with his truck.”

The man was cutting wood near Boundary Mountain north of Libby when the incident happened. FWP game wardens and U.S. Forest Service law officers reported he received scratches on the side of his face and stomach but did not seek medical attention. Lion-tracking dogs picked up a scent of the mountain lion, but failed to catch it after several hours’ pursuit. A trail camera also failed to capture images of the lion.

“Mountain lion attacks are really rare,” Fraley said. “The last record in our region that I can find is from 2007 when a mountain lion attacked a hunter in the Swan Valley.”

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