Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear management specialists are located in Bozeman, Choteau, Missoula and Kalispell. They are responsible for the state's black and grizzly bear populations. Bear managers educate the public on how to live safely with bears and oversee the health and well being of Montana's grizzly and black bear populations. Their work includes population and habitat studies, radio collaring or otherwise marking bears, and trapping and relocating bears that come in conflict with humans.
Bear managers also must decide when to euthanize a bear that fails to avoid human sources of food and becomes a public-safety risk. A bear with no history of contact with humans can make a bear manager's day. A bear that stays away from humans and does not look to residences, city landfills or other locations as potential food sources is more likely to live out a natural life.
The following images of Montana's bears provide an inside look at bear management work underway in Montana, and some of Montana's bears.
This curious little black bear unsuspectingly ambled out of the bushes next to the road where FWP bear managers were loading their six Karelian bear dogs and equipment to go to work. The bear darted past them and climbed a nearby tree, later moving away on its own.
Image is Copyright © summer 2006. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 06, 2007)
This large old male grizzly was caught in a leg snare near Whitefish set by bear managers to capture female grizzlies for a population trend monitoring project. He was released after being fitted with a VHF radio collar to allow study of his home range. This bear was 20-25 years old with no history of being near or coming into conflict with people.
Image is Copyright © summer 2006. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 06, 2007)
This large male grizzly bear was sedated in the North Fork of the Flathead after being trapped May 2006 in a culvert trap originally set to capture a female grizzly. When first spotted by video monitoring the fall of 2005 he was wearing a radio collar, but FWP bear managers scanned all frequencies and couldn't identify the bear. Later he dropped the radio collar. Once sedated the bear's ear tag identified it as a bear involved in research being conducted in British Columbia. Bears travel long distances and large male grizzly bears may have ranges of 250 to 300 square miles. This bear was released and its location today is unknown.
Image is Copyright © may 2006. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 06, 2007)
A female grizzly bear is sedated and fitted with a radio tracking collar after capture for raiding garbage cans in northeastern Flathead Valley.While the bear is still sedated, Karelian bear dog "Usko" is introduced to her. Karelian bear dogs are sometimes used by FWP to assist in various aspects of grizzly conflict mangement and have proven to be a valuable tool to bear managers.
Image is Copyright © Derek Reich Zooprax Productions. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 08, 2008)
Bears that become accustomed to finding food near residences or businesses can become overly comfortable in the presence of humans and eventually present a safety threat. In 2006, Fish, Wildlife & Parks game warden Jon Obst, with the help of county landfill employees, converted a dumpster into a bear trap to trap and remove a Libby bear repeatedly feeding in a dumpster at the Halfway House Restaurant. Businesses and residences with garbage that repeatedly attract bears have the option of saving bears lives by installing bear resistant garbage containers. For more on bear resistant products, contact your local FWP bear manager or FWP regional office.
Image is Copyright © FWP. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 02, 2007)
In 2006, Fish, Wildlife & Parks game warden Jon Obst with the help of county landfill employees captured this black bear at the Halfway House restuarant on Bull Lake Road in Libby using a dumpster turned into a bear trap.
(Last Modified April 02, 2007)
In the Upper Yaak, the County Department of Environmental Health and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks opened a "green box site" where dumpsters are enclosed within chain link, barb wire and electric fencing. To further protect bears, the dumpsters are available only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the months of May to October. For more on using electric fences to create bear proof spaces, contact an FWP bear manager.
Image is Copyright © Montana FWP. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 03, 2007)
Another view of a "green box site" opened in the Upper Yaak by the County Department of Environmental Health and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Here dumpsters are enclosed within chainlink, barb wire and electric fences. To further protect bears, the dumpsters are only available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the months of May to October. For more on using electric fences to create bear proof spaces, contact an FWP bear manager.
Image is Copyright © FWP Montana. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 03, 2007)
A third view of the bear-proof "green box" site in the Upper Yaak created by the County Department of Environmental Health and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. For more on using electric fences to create bear proof spaces, contact an FWP bear manager.
(Last Modified April 03, 2007)
This black bear was trapped in the Flathead Valley after it began to get into garbage and other bear attractants. It was released in the Swan Valley for a fresh start. Immediately after exiting the trap the bear climbed this tree.
Image is Copyright © May 2006. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
(Last Modified April 06, 2007)
