Several people spot black bear south of Kremlin

Bear sightings are increasing in the area, with the second bear seen in two weeks, this time on the plains 2 miles south of Kremlin.

Steve Dees reported to the Hill County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks that he spotted the bear about 8:30 a.m. Monday.

He told the Havre Daily News it appeared to be a brown bear, but FWP Game Warden Shane Reno said, after investigating and looking at its tracks, that it was an adult black bear with reddish-brown fur.

Reno and the other game warden who responded to the call were unable to locate the bear, although many residents in the area had taken pictures and spotted the bear throughout the day. Reno said that they were able to locate bear tracks and the bear may or may not still be in the area. He added it is possible that this was a one-time occurence and the bear has already moved on to a different location.

A black bear also was spotted in the south end of Beaver Creek Park June 7, leading the park to remove trash bins and implement a pack-in, pack-out policy south of Lions Campground.

At that time, Greg Limon, a representative of FWP, said that while bear sightings are not common in this area, bears will travel to new locations in search of food, shelter or security.

A press release issued by FWP after the Beaver Creek Park sighting said that many times bears are attracted to campgrounds and homes due to the available food and the garbage that is left out.

When bears are given access to garbage and other food sources they can become conditioned and potentially dangerous, and that once a bear is trained to look for food in a particular area it is often impossible to untrain them.

The release urged people to secure their garbage inside garages, secure sheds or vehicles; to bring pet food in at night; to clean up livestock food, and to bring in bird feeders and clean up spilled seeds. Doing these things will decrease the possibility of food-training bears and other wildlife.

The release encouraged outdoor enthusiasts and the communities on the Hi-Line to “Be Bear Aware.”

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Online: FWP Be Bear Aware pages: http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/livingWithWildlife/beBearAware/.