The bears are awake - contain attractants

The bears are awake! The Be Bear Aware Campaign has been notified by wildlife officials in Montana, Washington and Idaho that bears are coming out of hibernation. As bears awaken they may be irritable, making it imperative that those recreating carry bear spray, know how to use it and that attractants are secured. 

According to reports on Missoula Bears, signs of black bears have been seen in the Rattlesnake and Frenchtown. There have also been multiple reports of grizzly bear tracks in the Blackfoot. Bear tracks have also been seen in Condon and on the Double Arrow in Seeley Lake.

Males are often the first to emerge and will start to make forays into the valleys. Missoula Bears said now is the time to bring in bird feeders and secure garbage in a bear-resistant manner. Antler hunters and recreationists should carry bear spray and know how to use it.

Last year U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee that conflict with humans is the main cause of grizzly bear mortality. The FWS reported that 85 percent of known deaths in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and 91 percent in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem were caused by people.

Last year in the Blackfoot, three grizzly bears were euthanized. All three were sub-adult males. One was involved in a calf depredation and the other two were food conditioned to household garbage and chicken food.

“Bears are extremely smart. They go for the easy stuff,” said FWP Bear and Lion Management Specialist James Jonkel.

Jonkel recommends the public take the time to look at the landscape around their home like a bear or a lion would. Take note of attractants. Install an electric fence for livestock. And contain all garbage and feed in bear-resistant containers. FWP asks all attractants be secured by April 1 at the latest.

For more information about preventative steps homeowners can take to keep bears out of their garbage, bird feeders and other attractants visit BeBearAware.org. There is also information about how to use bear spray and a guide addressing four scenarios for deploying bear spray against a highly aggressive, charging bear.