Bear Activity Picks Up, Sighting East Of Big Sandy

Much of Montana has both black and grizzly bears, with grizzlies showing up further and further east each year. Recently, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks confirmed a grizzly bear sighting in the Bear Paw Mountains east of Big Sandy.

“Though not common, grizzly bear sightings around central Montana have increased over the years,” said FWP Region 6 Supervisor Drew Henry. “This emphasizes the need to practice bear aware behavior.”

FWP has recently worked to increase grizzly bear awareness in northcentral Montana, including public presentations in both Havre and Big Sandy in the last few years. All hunter, bowhunter and trapper education students in the state are taught about bear safety and the effective use of bear spray, and great information can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/ bear-aware on how to live and recreate in bear country.

“Much of central and north central Montana is cattle country,” said Henry. “If producers are worried about bear conflicts or need help securing their property, please reach out to us. We’ve got a number of tools that can be useful in helping landowners avoid bear conflicts.”

Grizzly bears remain a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act, even though populations have biologically recovered in two of their recovery areas, including the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem.

Montana is bear country. Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year.

Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with conflicts. Here are some precautions to help residents, recreationists and people who work outdoors avoid negative bear encounters: Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately, travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence, stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears, follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency, if you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so.

Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants put away in a secure building. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas.

Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety. It is illegal to feed bears in Montana.

Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Management authority for grizzlies rests with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, working closely in Montana with FWP, the Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, Wildlife Services, and Native American tribes. This collaboration happens through the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

For more information and resources on bear safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/bear-aware.