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Thirty five years ago ...

Thursday Sept. 7, 1989

Griz hunt closes before season even opens

The man-caused killings of six grizzly bears in northwestern Montana so far this year has prompted the closing of one grizzly bear hunting area, the Flathead Bear Management Area, before the season has had a chance to open.

Each year, the state opens an area known as the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) to a strictly controlled grizzly bear hunting season. Earlier this year, quotas for grizzly bears that could be killed or otherwise removed from the NCDE, were set at 14 grizzly bears, or six female grizzly bears.

Within the NCDE there are three Bear Management Areas (BMA) - the Flathead BMA, the Rocky Mountains East Front BMA and the Scapegoat BMA, that have individual female grizzly bear mortality sub quotas. A female sub quota is used to protect the reproductive segment of the NCDE grizzly population. The established quotas are set with the understanding that the NCDE grizzly bear population can sustain those man-caused losses and still continue to increase.

So far this year, three male grizzlies and two female grizzlies have been killed within the NCDE's Flathead BMA. An additional male grizzly was killed on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation. The incident is still being investigated by federal and tribal wildlife officials.

Because the Flathead BMA's female mortality sub quota was set at two female grizzly bears, the hunting season there will not open this year. Two of the six bears that died in the Flathead BMA were killed as a result of collisions with trains, one was killed illegally, one was killed by an individual who was being attacked by the bear and one was killed by a hunter who mistook the grizzly for a black bear.

The grizzly bear sub quota for the Scapegoat BMA is one female grizzly, the Rocky Mountain East Front BMA sub quota is three female grizzlies.

The overall remaining quotas for the entire NCDE currently stand at eight grizzlies or four females. The grizzly bear hunting season is scheduled to run from Oct. 1 through Nov. 26, but will close on 48 hours notice - either within individual BMAs or in the entire NCDE - when the quotas are met.

Complete regulations that outline season dates, areas open to hunting and laws regarding the hunt are available at all Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks offices. Sportsmen have until Aug. 31 to purchase a 1989 grizzly bear hunting license.

Read this and more at: https://www.seeleylake.com/home/customer_files/article_documents/ 1989-09-07.pdf

Twenty years ago ...

Thursday Sept. 9, 2004

Taking to the hills

The Seeley Lake Venturing Crew went rappelling at Double Arrow Lookout this past weekend.

Two new venturers have joined the crew, Nychole Richmond and Scott Akane, and under the direction of their fellow venturers, Ronnie and Ryand Richards and Kyle Darrow, they were taught the basic rappelling skills. Following, the new venturers took to the cliff under the direction of Mr. John Manz.

Through proper training all the venturers mastered this cliff and now want to find a more challenging one. Venturer Ryan Richards also demonstrated some rock climbing with his sister belaying from above. Unfortunately time ran out for the others to attempt it so they'll be seeking a rock face again soon.

Read this and more at: https://www.seeleylake.com/home/customer_files/article_documents/ 2004-09-09.pdf