SEELEY LAKE - A large male black bear was captured by a culvert trap and euthanized by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) earlier this month. FWP Bear Specialist Jamie Jonkel said they were confident that this was the same bear that had broken into at least 10 trailers causing “severe damage” to at least two of them.
The bear broke into a couple of campers and garbage sheds around Elaine’s Way before he broke into a garage at the Seeley Lake Ranger Station. There, he was able to get some dog food. Jonkel said they knew the bear would return to get more dog food so they set a trap up near the Seeley Lake Ranger Station.
The trap was set up Aug. 17. He was captured and killed Aug. 18.
FWP compared contextual clues and physical traits like body size with previously caught footage to determine if this bear was the culprit. Unlike grizzly bears, Jonkel said FWP does not do DNA matching on black bears because it is too expensive.
The bear’s hide and skull were salvaged and will be used for informational purposes at the Seeley Lake Ranger Station.
The bear was seen as far north as the northern turnoff to Boy Scout Road and as far south as the town of Seeley Lake. Jonkel said other black bears in the area have also been seen doing similar activities as well as a female grizzly bear who had “investigated” a bear resistant dumpster by north Boy Scout Road but did not gain entry.
Jonkel said the usage of bear resistant structures is what prevents intrusive behaviors from further developing.
“If it’s a functioning bear resistant dumpster, the bear tests it, doesn’t get a food reward, moves on,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”
He said overall incidents have gone down, but bear activity has increased. This is due to the availability of berries like hawthorn and chokecherry as well as the migration of bears from higher elevations to valley floors.
Jonkel said bear activity will diminish around mid-November, but from mid-August through October activity increases as bears go into hyperphagia where they begin preparing their fat reserves for winter.
“It’s so important now in the fall months for people to be really, really kosher about … making sure they don’t have dog food on the porch, making sure their apples are picked,” he said. “Absolutely no bird feeders. We still got all these people with bird feeders up.”
Residents are encouraged to report other bear incidents to http://missoulabears.org.
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