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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Friday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. notified Choteau residents via a recorded telephone message that a 3-year-old male grizzly no known history of prior conflicts was trapped on a ranch south of Choteau, where it had killed several domestic turkeys in a pasture with cattle.

FWP grizzly management specialist Chad White of Choteau said in the call that a camera set up near a trap along Ninth Avenue Southwest in Choteau for the past several days has recorded no additional grizzly activity.

White said the young male grizzly trapped on the ranch was radio-collared and turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which under a new state law, is responsible for relocating bears in certain parts of Montana.

The USFWS is now responsible for relocating grizzly bears to prevent or mitigate conflicts in certain areas of Montana, including Teton County. The relocation of grizzly bears in Montana was previously been the responsibility of the state FWP, which had typically relocated 30 bears each year to mitigate conflicts. However, Montana Senate Bill 337 now prohibits FWP from conducting relocations in some areas of the state.

Under the new state law, FWP may only relocate grizzly bears in areas previously approved by the state’s wildlife commission. Outside of the state’s pre-approved areas, the USFWS is now taking the lead in relocating grizzly bears. The USFWS has worked with the U.S. Forest Service to identify remote areas in northwest and southwest Montana that would be conducive for grizzly bear relocations.

White said the USFWS has relocated the grizzly to the National Forest northeast of Rogers Pass. In a press release on Friday, the USFWS said it had notified people living or recreating in the vicinity of Rogers Pass that a grizzly bear was relocated in the area. “Each conflict situation is unique and requires input from staff on the ground, a thorough history of bear interactions and behavior, and close coordination with other federal, tribal, state and local agencies,” USFWS said in the press release.

“As grizzly bears recover in numbers and geographic regions, it is essential to remember that this area is within the historical range for grizzly bears as they naturally reoccupy this habitat. Relocating a bear from a more developed location to adjacent remote areas is mutually beneficial to both the bear and humans. This allows the bear to be removed from other potential conflicts while creating more space between them and human development,” USFWS said. “Relocation is not an eligible management tool for grizzly bears that are considered a threat to human safety; bears posing a threat to human safety would not be relocated. The public should continue to practice good bear-aware habits in bear country, including the carrying and knowledge of how to use bear spray.”

White said in the recorded telephone message that native food sources are scarce this year because of the unseasonably cold spring and drought through all of the growing season. Bears, which are preparing for hibernation, are biologically driven to find food sources to bulk up in what is called hyperphagia. Black bears and grizzly bears in this condition will seek out food sources in or on the edges of Choteau and Augusta drawn by the scent of fruit trees, garbage cans, poultry, pet food, bird feeders and grain.

White said he is asking people living in communities along the Rocky Mountain Front to minimize bear attractions by keeping trash cans inside garages until pick-up day, harvesting and disposing of any fruit from apple, pear and plum trees and berry bushes; securing grain bins and chicken coops; bringing in pet food; cleaning up any spilled grain; and removing bird feeders.

In its news release on Friday, UFWS said the same thing: “The community can help prevent the need for relocations and make a difference in a bear’s life by doing its part to ensure bears never obtain food rewards. Residents of local communities are encouraged to secure attractants around their homes and store all garbage within bear-resistant containers. Attractants include items with a scent, such as trash, livestock feed, compost, or beehives. Ensure bird feeders are at least 10 feet up and four feet out from any building. Avoid planting fruit trees. Help your neighbors create a bear-wise community to protect wildlife. It may be cliché; however, more often than not, ‘a fed bear is a dead bear.’”

White said it is likely that additional trapping will be done to prevent bears from coming into Choteau to get food rewards. Also, he said, the radio-collared grizzly released northeast of Rogers Pass will be monitored.

Anyone wanting to be added to the call multiplier data base to receive grizzly bear activity notifications should email White at Charles.white@mt.gov. Also, anyone whose phone number has changed since they originally signed up to receive notifications should email White with the new correct number.

To report a grizzly conflict or to seek help to secure a chicken coop or a grain bin, call White at 406-788-4755 or FWP wildlife technician Daniel McHugh at 406-240-2930.Bear 

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