Alternate versions

The U.S. VHS version of the film is rated PG, as was its original theatrical release in 1976. The DVD version of it is rated R, but there is hardly any difference between it and the VHS version.

The original UK theatrical version of the film was cut by the BBFC for an "A" (PG) rating. The scene of an attack by the grizzly bear on a mother and her son was heavily edited and scenes of gore, including a dismembered arm and close-ups of bloody faces, were removed. The cuts were all restored to it in all later "15" rated releases.

The scrolling monologue that appears in the long-sought after Japanese Laserdisc version of the film does not appear anywhere in the special edition DVD released by Media Blasters / Shriek Show in the U.S.

The following scenes were cut from the original theatrical version of the film:

• a scene were Ranger Michael Kelly talks to Walter Corwin about shutting down his lodge,
• a scene of another victim being attacked,
• a scene where the hunters kill a bear, but it is actually an American black bear they have killed by mistake.

Some scenes in the film were cut to avoid an R rating:

• a scene where Don's death at the end was much more violent,
• a scene where Scotty's death was more violent than an off-screen cut.

The long-sought after Japanese Laserdisc of the film is the same version as the U.S. VHS version; however, it does feature one difference. Before it begins, there is a scrolling monologue that talks about the dangers of the grizzly bear and goes on to say that "the events in the film have become all too common". Also, the beginning and end credits are fully letterboxed. For the record, this version of the film was released by Columbia Pictures overseas and this may explain why this monologue does not appear in the U.S. version of it.