Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
A nosy and probably hungry bear leaves behind his signature on Char-Koosta News editor's car while also breaking the door handle. The editor wonders aloud if this particular bear knows how to get into vehicles to look for snacks.
A nosy and probably hungry bear leaves behind his signature on Char-Koosta News editor's car while also breaking the door handle. The editor wonders aloud if this particular bear knows how to get into vehicles to look for snacks.
FLATHEAD RESERVATION — As weather gets warmer and wildlife return to the valley, there has been a noticeable increase in preventable human-bear conflicts occurring within the Flathead Indian Reservation. The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribal Wildlife Management Program wants to remind residents that bears seek out easily available sources of food. Unsecured garbage is the #1 cause of black-bear conflicts, but some other, easily overlooked attractants that could be drawing bears into your yard or on your porch include pet food; bird feeders; livestock feed; grain; fruit trees; and uncleaned barbecue grills.
Bears can quickly become food-conditioned, which causes them to act too familiar near residential homes and human dwellings. It often leads to bears seeking out human sources of food, rather than eating natural foods, and ultimately being lethally removed from the population due to these interactions with unsecured human food/waste.
Bear resistant garbage cans are an easy way to prevent bears from getting a free meal. These cans can be leased through Republic Services for a small additional fee to your usual garbage hauling bill. If you haul your own garbage you can purchase a can through Ace Hardware or consider making an extra trip or two to the dump every week and not allowing your trash to pile up outside. If you can keep your garbage inside the house or garage until the morning of garbage pick-up, that is also helpful in reducing bear-garbage conflicts. Don’t put the garbage can at the road the night before, or bears can get to the garbage during the night.
Although they may seem safe, sheds do not serve as a secure place to store trash or feed, as bears can damage a shed if it smells food inside. Bringing bird feeders and pet food inside during the night and putting them out in the morning, or avoid feeding birds during the summer months in bear country. Store livestock feed in secure, enclosed structure or behind electrified fencing. Be sure to clean barbeque grills regularly and clean grease traps after use to reduce residual smells of cooked food.
It is also very important, as a resident in bear country, to discourage bears from becoming comfortable being in yards or near human dwellings. We love to see wildlife making their way through our property and often take pictures and videos of bears on our porches, however the proper response is to haze the bear as quickly as possible. Open a window and yell, bang pots and pans, blow an air horn, spray them with bear spray, or make some loud, audible noise to alert and scare the bear away as soon as possible.
Why can’t we just trap and move all problem bears?
On the surface this seems like a good solution, however, it is only a temporary solution to a deeper issue. Removing one bear that has learned this behavior may resolve the issue momentarily, but if the attractant is not removed or secured, new bears (sometimes even only hours later) will find that same food source and learn the same behavior. A long term-solution would be to prevent a bear’s first encounter with attractants and secure garbage, chickens and small livestock (sheep, goats, pigs).
Unprotected chicken coops are our #1 preventable reason for grizzly bear conflicts in the area. A study in the Mission Valley found that chicken coops and small livestock that were not protected by electrified fencing and night paddocks were 50% times more likely to have conflict with bears than coops and livestock protected with an electric fence.
The Tribal Wildlife Management Program is passionate about reducing the risk of conflict by reducing a bear’s access to attractants. When responding to bear conflict calls, it is our primary focus to help residents identify possible attractants around their homes and provide long-term solutions to preventing conflict. With limited staffing and resources, it is not possible to respond to every conflict by trapping and removing a bear. But we as residents can do our part to reduce the risk of conflict by slightly altering how we deal with garbage and other common attractants. With no positive food reward and hazing bears from being in yards, bears will move through the area quietly without conflict.
Unfortunately, if neighbors have unsecured trash or small livestock, the problem may just shift from your yard to a neighbors. These efforts take community involvement, our wildlife program has informational handouts that can be shared with neighbors and family on how to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Contact us by emailing Wildlife@cskt.org or visiting our office at 408 6th Ave East in Polson for information or brochures.
If you have attempted to identify and secure your attractants and are still experiencing issues, or if you would like consultation on electric fencing as a solution please call the wildlife conflict call line at 406-275-2774.
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