Paintball odor attracts bears, shuts down course

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - 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.

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Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.