New grizzly sightings as bear season picks up

The grizzly bear that killed two chickens at a residence 20 miles west of Big Sandy was spotted again 10 miles south of Rudyard Friday of last week.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Bear Management Specialist Wesley Sarmento said the grizzly was not causing any trouble when the landowner scared it away.

“It was observed, and the landowner ran it off,” Sarmento said.

In an interview last week, he said the bear is likely food-conditioned, but appears to retain its fear of humans.

FWP also reported on its Facebook page that they captured an adult female grizzly and two yearlings that had been appearing at residences seven miles southwest of Shelby that will be relocated.

The post says the animals do not have any history of conflict and were looking for grain spills for food.

“We have been in on-going efforts to secure grain,” the post says, “yet there are thousands of spills across the Golden Triangle. Farmers have been working endlessly getting crops going to feed the world and thus cleaning up spills can’t always happen quickly.”

Bear sightings are likely to become increasingly common as the animals are coming out of hibernation.

Montana FWP’s Be Bear Aware web page says that bears that become food-conditioned rarely break the habit, and the department recommends preventing things like grain spills to avoid conditioning bears.

“Biologists so often say a fed bear is a dead bear,” the website says.

A linked page on bear encounters recommends people not attempting to haze or frighten bears, but instead to slowly retreat keeping 100 yards between themself and the bear if possible and to speak softly without making eye contact.

It also says to throw an object on the ground as you retreat to distract the bear and do not run or attempt to climb a tree.

Bear pepper spray can be used to deter a charging bear and is useful for protection if one enters a house. The website says firearms are legal to use in self-defense or the defense of others or a domestic animal, but wounding a bear can also make them more dangerous.

Curling up into a ball or lying flat on your stomach using your arms to cover your head and neck are also recommended if all else fails to deter a charging bear.

The website says bear encounters should be reported to FWP as soon as possible.