Montana hiker Craig Clouatre was killed by grizzly bear in Montana

A Montana hiker who had been reported missing earlier this week is believed to have been killed by a grizzly bear, according to law enforcement officials.

Craig Clouatre, 40, of Livingston, was found dead on Thursday after he had gone out hiking with a friend the day before – possibly to hunt for antlers — and never showed up at a designated meeting spot.

Officials provided no details on where he was found or why they believe a grizzly bear was responsible for his death.

The search began Wednesday night with teams on the ground and in helicopters concentrating their efforts on the Six Mile Creek area of the Absaroka Mountains, north of Yellowstone National Park.

“They split up at some point later in the morning,” Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler told the Livingston Enterprise. “When the other man returned to their vehicle and his friend wasn’t there, he called us and we began searching.”

Clouatre moved from his native Massachusetts more than two decades ago to Montana, where he met his future wife, Jamie, and decided to make a home, his father told The Associated Press.

“He was a joy to have as a son all the way around,” David Clouatre said. “He was a good man, a good, hardworking family man.”

With Pose wires