Why Hitchcock didn't shoot the "North by Northwest" crop duster scene in a Montana cornfield

Screengrab and headline:  Cowboy State Daily, 10/9/2026

Mark Heinz reports:

As many as seven grizzlies can be seen fleeing every which way as the noisy farm implement rumbles in, apparently disrupting their corn feast. 

One of the bears turns and starts running back toward the combine. But then it cuts back toward the corn, as if trying to run and hide, before changing its mind and turning tail again. 

While the video might seem completely crazy to outsiders, it depicts what’s increasingly looking like just another day in the area, local saddle maker Sparky Wallace told Cowboy State Daily. 

Asked if the incident in the video surprised him, Wallace’s response was instant. 

“Oh, heavens no. Heavens no,” he said.