Montanans split on hunting grizzlies; But most folks willing to live with bears, FWP survey found

Most Montanans, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks survey found, are willing to live with grizzly bears, though they split on hunting.

A survey done by University of Montana researchers was mailed to over 5,000 households randomly selected from across the state, and 1,783 adults responded between November 2019 and January 2020. The survey’s confidence interval is plus or minus 3.5 percent, though the interval was actually higher among rural residents.

Highlights of the survey include:

• Most Montanans agree or strongly agree (92%) that grizzly bears have a right to exist in Montana, and 86% find it acceptable for bears to live in primarily forested areas that are publicly owned. When asked if grizzly bears do not belong where people live, the responses are more evenly divided: 35% agreed or strongly agreed, and 43% disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement.

• 57% disagree or strongly disagree that grizzly bears limit their recreational opportunities; however, 23% agree or strongly agree with that statement.

When asked about their emotional response to seeing a grizzly bear from a distance while walking, more Montanans report they would be nervous, scared, and upset than those that report they would be relaxed, not scared, and pleased.

• 19% of Montanans agree or strongly agree that their personal safety is threatened by grizzly bears), or that grizzly bears pose a safety risk to people they care about (28%).

• 60% agree or strongly agree that people should learn to live with grizzly bears near their homes, whereas 20% disagree or strongly disagree with this notion. When asked about taking actions to reduce grizzly bear-human conflict on their own property, willingness was high for securing attractants but lower for actions related to livestock.

Almost all Montanans (94%) report they have or would be willing to carry bear spray while recreating or hunting.

• 49% support enough hunting to manage grizzly bear population size; 30% support a very limited season that does not affect the grizzly bear population size; and, 4% support as much grizzly bear hunting as possible. 17% believe grizzly bears should never be hunted in Montana.

Alex Metcalf, Assistant Professor in UM’s College of Forestry and Conservation, helped lead the survey design and analysis.

“As grizzly bear populations continue to expand across the state, Montanans will face choices about how to manage the overall population as well as individual animals,” Metcalf said. “So, at this important point in time for both bears and people, we’re excited to help inform these choices with hard numbers on residents’ attitudes, beliefs, and preferences toward grizzlies and their management.”

A summary of the results and the full survey is available to read online.  https://www.cfc.umt.edu/research/humandimensions/news/human-dimensions-grizzly-bear.php.

Overall, the survey results demonstrate the complex nature of grizzly bear–human relationships in Montana, FWP said in a release.

The agency will use the results from the study along with other public inputs to help inform grizzly bear management planning and decision-making processes going forward.