Grizzly bear sightings have been confirmed in several new areas of Montana this year, prompting wildlife officials to urge residents and visitors to be aware of the potential for encounters.

The sightings have occurred in the North Hills and Grizzly Gulch areas near Helena, the Elkhorn Mountains near Clancy, near Ulm, in the Pryor Mountains southeast of Billings, the Shields Valley, Little Belt Mountains, near the Judith River east of Denton, and on the lower Dearborn River.

These areas are all within the grizzly bear’s historic range, and the animals are expanding their territory as they recover from decades of decline.

“Vigilance is important for those who live and recreate in the outdoors,” said Quentin Kujala, chief of conservation policy for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “This is a busy time of year for bears and our field staff are responding to calls in these particular areas and across the state.”

To help protect yourself and your property from bears, FWP recommends taking the following steps:

• Store garbage in an IGBC-certified bear resistant bin or other similarly resistant building or container at all times until the day of disposal.
• Avoid leaving food or smell attractants next to windows, doors or outside walls.
• Do not leave out pet food, bird feeders and bird seed or BBQ’s.
• Bears are attracted to fruit-bearing trees and bushes, gardens and compost piles. Electric fencing can be effective at deterring bears as well as routinely picking fallen and ripe fruit.
• Secure vulnerable livestock (chickens, goats, sheep) with an electric fence whenever possible.

If you are recreating in bear country, FWP recommends taking the following precautions:

• Carry bear spray close at hand and know how to use it.
• Travel in groups whenever possible and plan to be back to your vehicle in the daylight hours.
• Avoid carcass sites and concentrations of ravens and other scavengers.
• Watch for signs of bears such as bear scat (poop), diggings, torn-up logs and turned over rocks, and partly consumed animal carcasses.
• Make noise, especially near streams or in thick forest where hearing and visibility is limited. This can be the key to avoiding encounters. Most bears will avoid humans when they know humans are present.
• Don’t approach a bear.

For more information on living and recreating safely in bear country, visit the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.

How to Help Protect Grizzlies

In addition to taking steps to avoid attracting bears to your property and staying safe while recreating, there are other things you can do to help protect grizzly bears.

• Support organizations that are working to conserve grizzly bears.
• Learn about grizzly bear behavior and how to coexist with bears in the wild.
• Speak up in support of policies that protect grizzly bear habitat.

By taking these steps, you can help ensure that grizzly bears continue to thrive in Montana for generations to come.

©️ Rocky Mountain Dispatch 2023