Grizzlies Take Over NW Montana

Grizzly and black bears are thick in the Flathead, Swan and Tobacco valleys, biologists for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Friday.

And with the big bruins come conflicts and warnings, the managers said.

Both black and grizzly bears are at lower elevations now, looking for food that will provide them with the layer of fat they need in order to survive the winter in their dens, the biologists said.

Female grizzly bears with young are especially in need of additional food, because they have been nursing their cubs and need the extra calories.

FWP provided this accounting of recent grizzly bear management actions in the Flathead, Swan and Tobacco valleys.

Near Eureka, at least one young grizzly bear was seen feeding on apples and walking through yards. Traps were set for that bear, but it hasn’t been captured yet.

West of Fortine, landowners buried a dead horse and noticed something later dug it up. They put up a trail camera and three different grizzly bears were photographed at the site.

One of the grizzlies was wearing a radio collar that isn’t functioning properly. In an attempt to capture that bear and change the collar, two culvert traps were set.

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