Bird Hunters, Archers Watch Out for Grizzlies

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Hunters, whether bird hunters or bowhunters, along the Rocky Mountain Front should be aware that grizzly bears are out and active.

“It’s best to avoid riparian areas with dense cover,” says Mike Madel, Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management specialist in Choteau.

“Hunt the edges,” he says, “don’t get into the dense cover.”

Grizzlies have been found this fall along Dupuyer Creek east of Dupuyer and along the Sun River near Simms, east of Augusta. The bears are relying on the dense cover of the riparian areas to find food and avoid humans.

However, hunters moving through that thick brush could encounter a bear, which is why Madel recommends hunters, especially archers, carry bear spray instead of a sidearm.

“Statistically carrying bear spray is better than carrying a pistol for personal protection in bear country,” Madel says.

An April 2008 article in a scientific publication, the Journal of Wildlife Management, (http://www.wildlifejournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.2193%2F2006-452&ct=1) stated that a study of bear attacks in Alaska indicated that red pepper spray stopped 92 percent of grizzly attacks, and of all persons carrying sprays, 98 percent were uninjured.

In addition, FWP offers several tips for hunters in grizzly country:

·     Avoid hunting alone and avoid hunting in dense cover.

·     Learn to recognize signs of bear activity.

·     After killing a deer or elk, immediately separate the carcass from the gut pile.

·     If you have to leave the carcass hang it out of reach of a bear.

·     When returning to a carcass observe the area from a distance for bear activity. Signs of bear activity include a moved or partially buried carcass.

If a bear has claimed the carcass leave it alone and contact FWP immediately.