Bear Managers Capture Ten Grizzlies In Northwest Montana Management Actions Over The Past Week

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This past week, bear managers took a number of actions to reduce conflicts with grizzly bears frequenting residences and orchards.  

 

Lake Blaine: An adult female grizzly and her two yearling females were targeting apple and plum trees north of Lake Blaine.   These bears were trapped and moved together to the Spotted Bear River area in the South Fork of the Flathead drainage.   The adult female was fitted with a radio collar so the bear’s movements could be followed. FWP Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley assisted landowners in erecting electric fences to protect fruit trees.   Also, many landowners harvested their fruit.

 

Condon Area: During the last week of August, a total of 9 unoccupied cabins were broken into by a grizzly bear.   Traps were set at two of the locations resulting in the capture of 2 black bears and one adult male grizzly bear. The black bears were released onsite. A DNA hair sample from the male grizzly did not match the DNA samples from the cabin break-ins and that grizzly was radio-collared and released in the upper Goat Creek area in the Swan Mountains.

 

Three male grizzlies were captured at a local business north of Condon after the bears had been attracted to restaurant grease behind the business.   Because the business is within two miles of the cabins that were broken into, DNA from hair samples from the captured bears was compared to the DNA from the cabin break-ins.   The first grizzly DNA did not match and that bear was radio-collared and released in the upper Goat Creek area. The second grizzly was a 2-year old male, too small for the cabin break-in.   That bear was radio-collared and released in the North Fork of Lost Creek in the Swan drainage. The third male is still being held awaiting DNA analysis.  

 

FWP and members of the Swan Ecosystem Center have been working with the business owner to remove the grease attractant.

 

Noxon: An adult female with a male and female cub was captured south of Noxon near Pilgrim Creek. These grizzlies were attracted close to residences by plum trees.

 

Yesterday all three grizzlies were moved back into the mountains near Marten Creek at

higher elevations and released.   The adult female is now radio-collared and will be closely monitored.   (For more information on bears in the Noxon and Libby areas, call FWP Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Kim Annis at 406-291-1320).   These bears were captured and released south of the Clark Fork River, outside the Cabinet-Yaak grizzly bear recovery area.   According to FWP Wildlife Manager Jim Williams, this is a reflection of FWP’s new grizzly bear management plan.

 

“We will manage grizzly bears where they occur now and in the future throughout western Montana, just like black bears and mountain lions,” said Williams.   “Even though these bears are outside the designated recovery areas, we will manage conflicts as they arise.”