A black bear sow with two cubs. She was caught in a live trap Tuesday morning after getting into horse feed on Double Arrow Road. She was released but Game Warden Bill Koppen tells people to pick up, or there is no chance for the bears.
This black bear sow was trapped Monday night, Sept. 10 by FWP Game Warden Bill Koppen. The trap was set because she entered a garage that was open and got into the horse feed. Her two cubs were outside the trap. She bit the bars of the live trap trying to get until they were bloody. Koppen said people can prevent this. Bears will not get in trouble if there is nothing for them to get into. Koppen asks the community to secure all attractants for the next two months - this will save bears' lives and keep people from getting hurt as well.
Bear activity continues in Seeley Lake and Swan Valley. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Game Warden Bill Koppen asks residents to "start using their head" and put all attractants away for the next two months. There are at least eight black bears roaming Seeley Lake, the young collared female grizzly bear was relocated and another grizzly was euthanized south of Condon this September.
The bears have moved down into the valley floors in search of food before denning season. Koppen said all attractants must be secured. This includes garbage, livestock feed, bird feeders, dog and cat food, chickens and other small livestock, freezers and dumpsters. He reminds residents to not leave doors open on buildings because then a bear can just walk right in and help themselves.
Koppen currently has five live traps available and finished setting three on Monday. Tuesday morning SEpt. 11, he caught a black bear sow that has two cubs. They have been finding and getting into attractants on the Double Arrow Ranch. If the attractants weren't available - a human problem, not a bear problem -
Koppen said a bear's sense of smell is 20 times stronger than a bloodhound which is 20 times stronger than a human's sense of smell. A bear can flip over a one ton truck if they want to so a few nails isn't going to keep them out of a shed. If a bear gets a reward, they will return for up to 15-20 days in hopes of another easy meal.
On Sept. 4, FWP officials captured the collared two-year-old female grizzly near Salmon Lake. She wandered through Seeley Lake Aug. 29 and was causing traffic jams along Montana Highway 83 at Salmon Lake because it was eating discarded fish from anglers and alder berries near the road.
She was relocated to a remote area near Marias Pass where she denned last year.
FWP captured a subadult male grizzly bear in the Swan Valley south of Condon and euthanized the animal because it was food conditioned and habituated to people. This was the second bear euthanized this year near Condon.
FWP personnel captured the bear Sept. 1 on private property off Montana Highway 83 near Barber Creek. The bear was estimated to be 2 years old and weighed 165 pounds.
The bear was originally captured earlier this summer near Olney after it repeatedly ate garbage and unsecured duck feed at residences. FWP staff captured and translocated the bear to a remote location on the east side of Hungry Horse Reservoir.
FWP recently received reports of the grizzly bear breaking into a shed to eat turkey feed. Efforts by the residents to haze the bear away from the property were unsuccessful. FWP personnel responded and determined that the animal was food conditioned and unafraid of people.
FWP made the decision to euthanize it on Sept. 2 in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and in accordance with Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee guidelines.
This incident demonstrates that wild animals may become habituated to people, posing a serious risk to public safety and the animal. When responding to a conflict involving bears, FWP follows guidelines associated with the incident that inform an appropriate action. These factors include the potential human safety threats, the intensity of the conflict and the bear's history of conflicts. Putting down a bear is always a last resort.
Koppen added that there was another large male grizzly in Seeley Lake that has since moved on but not before it got into two half full dumpsters and one freezer on someone's porch. Koppen fears it is just a matter of time before it returns.
"It is ridiculous how Seeley is treating these bears. It's not that hard – everything needs to be put away for the next two months. You can't make one mistake or the bear will be on it," said Koppen. "I'm trying to save a few bears and trying to keep someone from getting hurt."
More safety information is available on the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website, fwp.mt.gov. Residents can call FWP regional offices to learn more about bears or to report bear activity. In northwest Montana, call (406) 752-5501. Also follow Missoula Bears on Facebook and at missoulabears.org for updates.
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