FWP moves grizzlies from near town

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks have been busy with grizzly bear problems over the past two months, including removing a grizzly sow and cub that were in the Columbia Falls area.

On Oct. 21 FWP bear specialists captured an adult female grizzly bear and male cub of the year on private property off Columbia Falls Stage Road. The bears were reportedly tipping over garbage cans at residences near the Flathead River just south of town and eating domestic fruit that had fallen into residential yards. The bears were also pictured accessing unsecured garbage on a back porch of a residence. The adult female was previously captured for a research project and is 19 years old. It previously denned in Glacier National Park, and FWP moved the bears to the Logan Creek area in the park after consulting with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

According to locals, the sow also got into garbage at River’s Edge Park in Columbia Falls and bluffed charged some people near the Flathead River on lands owned by Glencore.

FWP also caught a male grizzly on Oct. 13 north of U.S. Highway 2 on private property next to the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company property. FWP was attempting to capture a female grizzly bear with a yearling that was feeding from domestic fruit trees and garbage near residences but captured the male grizzly bear, which was also believed to be eating from garbage in the area. The bears were not observed to be acting aggressively. FWP moved the bear to a remote section of the Flathead National Forest up Dead Horse Creek in the North Fork of the Flathead River after consulting with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

There were also reports of grizzlies near Whitefish — one ate a family a pig and another cub was killed in the road on Highway 40 east of town in September.

Off the Rocky Mountain Front near Pendroy, a grizzly was caught after getting into grain and garbage. It was moved to the Puzzle Creek drainage on the Flathead National Forest.

Folks are reminded once again to secure garbage, clean up fruit trees and put electric fencing up around chicken coops and other livestock to deter bears.