Grizzly bear encounters draw concern

A pair of recent grizzly bear encounters has sparked concern among local wildlife officials. 

A pair of recent grizzly bear encounters in the Mission Valley has prompted calls from state and tribal wildlife officials to increase awareness efforts. 

“These were bears with no history of problems,” Tom McDonald, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s wildlife division manager, said during the Oct. 12 meeting of the Flathead Reservation Fish and Wildlife Board. “We might need to increase bear awareness to minimize conflicts.”

On Oct. 11, a man reported that he was injured by a mother grizzly bear while pheasant hunting in the Nine Pipes National Wildlife Refuge outside Ronan. A week before, on Oct. 5 tribal officials reported that a sow grizzly was euthanized after she was discovered near St. Ignatius starving to death due to a bullet wound. Her two female cubs were sent to a wildlife center in Helena. 

McDonald said the incidents should serve as a reminder that bears are frequenting the valley in search of protein before winter sets in. 

Tribal Game Warden Dan McClure said that the Oct. 11 mauling occurred when a hunter attempting to flush pheasants from thick brush startled a mother grizzly bear with two cubs. The hunter fired a round from his 20-guage shotgun as the bear charged but reportedly missed, McClure said. The bear then proceeded to bite the hunter’s foot, piercing the sole of his boot. McClure said the hunter was able to fight the bear by hitting it with the butt of his shotgun, and it retreated with its two cubs back into the thicket. 

Although the tribal hunting regulations include information about traveling in bear country, McDonald said additional outreach may be required. 

Officials at the meeting also noted that humans aren’t the only victims during encounters, as evident by bear that was found shot near St. Ignatius. 

Dean Vaughn, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that the bear was known for feeding in a particularly popular 160-acre cornfield near Post Creek. Vaughn said a total of 12 bears were spotted in the field in 2015. Vaughn said the installation of electric fences dropped that number to five this year, but nevertheless the annual search for food still resulted in tragedy. 

“Maybe we need to establish where they can go, as opposed to where they can’t go,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Amy Lisk said.  

McDonald echoed this concern, stating that said the pattern of encounters shows the need to establish corridors for wildlife to safely travel. He suggested working with local land trust organizations to create areas that allow animals to travel safely from habitat to habitat. 

“These incidents give us a chance to highlight these opportunities,” he said.