Grizzly bear killed in encounter with hunters near West Yellowstone

The pursuing is simply a news merchandise from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. | Stock image

WEST YELLOWSTONE – A grizzly carnivore was killed Monday successful an brushwood pinch bowhunters successful Tepee Creek, northbound of West Yellowstone.

The 2 hunters reported being charged by a sow grizzly carnivore pinch 2 yearling cubs. Using handguns, nan hunters changeable and killed nan sow. The yearling bears besides charged astatine nan hunters, who changeable astatine and injured 1 of nan yearlings. The hunters were not injured.

Bear specialists, crippled wardens and a chopper aviator pinch Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, arsenic good arsenic rule enforcement unit pinch nan Custer Gallatin National Forest, visited nan tract connected Wednesday. They confirmed nan mortality of nan big bear, an older female. Officials recovered grounds of a yearling carnivore being injured, but they did not find nan yearling bears.

No further guidance action by FWP is planned. This incident is still nether investigation by nan U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, who besides provided assistance this week.

Be carnivore aware

Montana is carnivore country. Grizzly carnivore populations proceed to go denser and much wide successful Montana, expanding nan likelihood that residents and recreationists will brushwood them successful much places each year.

This clip of twelvemonth is erstwhile bears are progressive for longer periods arsenic they devour much nutrient successful mentation for hibernation. This play overlaps pinch hunting play and different autumn recreation activities.

Hunters person reported encounters pinch grizzly bears successful different areas since nan commencement of Montana’s archery play connected Sept. 7. No hunters person reported injuries, and nary different bears person been wounded aliases killed to date.

Avoiding conflicts pinch bears is acold amended than dealing pinch specified conflicts. Here are immoderate precautions to thief residents, recreationists and group who activity outdoors debar antagonistic carnivore encounters:

• Carry carnivore spray and beryllium prepared to usage it immediately.
• Make sound to alert bears to your beingness and recreation successful groups.
• Stay distant from animal carcasses, which often pull bears.
• Follow nutrient retention orders from nan applicable onshore guidance agency.
• Keep garbage, vertebrate feeders, pet nutrient and different attractants put distant successful a unafraid building. Keep garbage successful a unafraid building until nan time it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are disposable successful galore areas.
• Never provender wildlife. Bears that go nutrient conditioned suffer their earthy foraging behaviour and airs threats to quality safety. It is forbidden to provender bears successful Montana.

Some areas pinch dense concentrations of grizzly bears are very accessible to hunters, particularly during nan archery season. Keep these precautions successful mind erstwhile hunting successful grizzly country, which includes overmuch of nan occidental two-thirds of Montana:

• Carry carnivore spray and beryllium prepared to usage it immediately.
• Watch for and beryllium other cautious astir carnivore sign, creeks and areas pinch constricted visibility. Most attacks hap successful surprise, adjacent encounters.
• Hunt pinch a group of people. This tin thief you make localized sound to alert bears to your presence, and it whitethorn besides summation your chances of endurance successful nan arena of a carnivore attack.
• Be alert that elk calls and screen scents tin pull bears.
• Bring nan instrumentality and group needed to thief section dress crippled and region nan nutrient from nan termination tract arsenic soon arsenic possible.
• If you request to time off portion of nan nutrient successful nan section during retrieval, bent it astatine slightest 10 feet disconnected nan crushed and astatine slightest 150 yards from nan gut pile. Leave it wherever it tin beryllium observed from a region of astatine slightest 200 yards.

Upon your return, observe nan nutrient pinch binoculars. Make sound while approaching nan meat. If it has been disturbed aliases if a carnivore is successful nan area, time off and telephone FWP.

• Follow nutrient retention orders from nan applicable onshore guidance agency.

Grizzly bears successful nan little 48 states are listed arsenic threatened nether nan Endangered Species Act. Management authority for grizzlies rests pinch nan Fish & Wildlife Service, moving intimately successful Montana pinch FWP, nan Forest Service, nan National Park Service, nan Bureau of Land Management, nan U.S. Geological Survey, Wildlife Services, and Native American tribes. This collaboration happens done nan Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

September is Bear Aware period successful Montana. For accusation and acquisition events connected carnivore safety, click here.