Scott McMillion reads from "Mark of the Grizzly"

SEELEY LAKE - "On the day before Halloween 2001, Tim Hilston left his Great Falls, Montana home and drove around 100-miles to the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range, a stunning stretch of forest and meadow near Seeley Lake, Montana. It is grizzly country, but Hilston was there for elk. He found his elk first, then the bear found him", so writes Livingston author Scott McMillion. McMillion will be reading from "Mark of the Grizzly" on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Grizzly Claw Trading Company in a presentation by Alpine Artisans' Open Book Club.

Every year millions of people travel in grizzly country. They come to hunt and fish. They come to spend time in the wilderness hiking, running, biking and enjoying the natural world. And every year somebody is attacked.

"Mark of the Grizzly" is not just a compilation of "bear stories." Author Scott McMillion is a fine storyteller who provides vivid details of each attack but does so without glorifying the violence. He opens a window into the lives of the people attacked and sets up the events by describing the magnificent wilderness in which they occurred.

His stories describe grizzly habitat and behavior, the challenges surrounding man's intrusion in the grizzly environment, the bears unbelievable power and the danger of encountering sows with cubs. He leaves the reader better educated about venturing into bear country.

Woven in with the stories, he raises important issues related to bear management policies. When must a bear be killed or just left alone? How does relocating a bear affect its behavior, if at all? Are guns or bear spray or both better for safety precautions? Are mountain biking and trail running advisable activities in grizzly country?

This book is not only a must read for anyone entering into grizzly country but a fascinating read for those who appreciate the value and wonder of nature. It is said that if you spend time in the wilderness you have been watched by a mountain lion. Is this also true for the grizzly?

Scott McMillion has been an award-winning journalist and author for more than twenty years. He is senior editor of the critically acclaimed Montana Quarterly. He lives in Livingston. Mont.