Montana paintball course closed after odor attracts unwanted guests: bears

Paintball course attracts unwanted guests: bears

BILLINGS, Mont. — A newly opened paintball course in Montana had to shut down after odor from disintegrated paintballs was luring possibly dangerous guests: bears.

Big Sky Marketing Director Dax Schieffer says the resort tried to find an environmentally friendly paintball. But it turned out that the one selected contains a vegetable oil that can attract grizzly and black bears that commonly roam the region.

A wildlife official says that some bears were even eating unexploded paintballs.

The resort is on the side of a ski hill, and opened earlier this summer. It shut down in mid-July after the bear problem arose.

Schieffer says workers are now trying to find a paintball that won’t attract bears.

Information from: Billings Gazette, www.billingsgazette.com