Even in a predatory attack, the bear is usually searching for food. People have been searching for an explanation for the attack. But so far, no one can come up with any. The bear had not been recently collared, as rumor had it. That illustrates the point Makkonen wants to make, he says.
Bears are unpredictable.
You just don't know. Makkonen says one way to decrease the bear population is to hand out free bear tags to any hunter who purchases a moose tag. That gives a little bit of encouragement to kill a bear. That would bring moose numbers up and decrease the hazards of human contact, he says. He knows it's not going to be a very popular idea.