Two grizzly cubs killed; people were trying to take “selfies” with another bear before it was moved

Two yearling grizzly bears that broke into a yurt near Polebridge were killed by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks bear managers Oct. 21.

The mother of the bear, which had a radio collar and was part of a trend monitoring study, was moved out of the area. The two cubs had broken into a yurt, a cooler, got into garbage, tried to get into bear-resistant garbage containers, and attempted to break into cars and trailers. But the sow mostly stayed in the background. The yearlings were very food-conditioned and habituated to human presence, FWP Region 1 spokesman Dillon Tabish said.

The cubs’ deaths have brought a response from Polebridge Mercantile owner Will Hammerquist for more education of residents in the North Fork. He, too, had to deal with the young bears, and said part of the problem is guests at rental properties, who leave unsecured food in vehicles and the back of pickup trucks.

While most longtime homeowners know to be “bear aware,” renters from out-of-state don’t always get the message, he noted.

“People need to think about educating guests,” he said. Just because these two bears were killed, doesn’t mean more will follow in their footsteps, he said.

At the Mercantile, they bring garbage inside at night and take it to town on a daily basis, he said.

Over time, some bears have learned to associate rigs and garbage cans with food. He suggested that all landowners should bring their garbage and other attractants inside, especially in the fall.

“This is part of living in the North Fork in October,” he said.

Yurts are also problematic — they’re not much more secure than a tent against a grizzly.

The yearling that were killed were in good condition. The male yearling weighed 213 pounds and the female yearling was 198 pounds.

Additionally, another bear that was feeding on oats in a field outside Polebridge was trapped and moved to the Packer’s Roost area of Glacier National Park.

The subadult male grizzly bear weighing 224 pounds and had been in the area for at least one month feeding in a field of oats that was cut for oat hay.

Groups of people were frequently stopping to photograph the bear and it was becoming habituated. The bear was spending more time close to the road and people were seen climbing the fence and going through the gate to get closer for photographs. Some people were observed within 20 feet of the bear, trying to get a “selfie” noted Tabish.

Separately, a male grizzly bear weighing 346 pounds near Whitefish was moved to Coal Creek up the North Fork. FWP was attempting to capture a sow with two cubs but incidentally captured the male grizzly bear off KM Ranch Road. FWP attached a GPS radio collar onto the animal and released the bear Oct. 9.