Captured grizzly moved through T. River drainage

A grizzly bear that Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) staff believe traveled through the Thompson River area last month was captured recently near McGregor Lake and released near Lake Koocanusa.

FWP Warden Troy Hinck said the bear spent a couple of weeks in the Thompson River drainage, making it all the way to Weeksville. He confirmed that the grizzly had been up north, then traveled through Thompson River to where the pavement begins. Hinck said he saw the bear in early April.

"We didn't have major problems here" with the bear, Hinck said, noting that mushroom pickers and bear hunters should use caution as grizzlies have been seen in the area.

"Because the grizzly population is increasing, we're getting more bears," Hinck said. "As we get more bears, we will get more interaction with people. Hopefully we can avoid those becoming conflicts."

Hinck said that there have been grizzlies moving through the area in the last few years. "Though they tend to not stay for long periods of time, they are definitely traveling through." He said that FWP wants to make sure the bears aren't getting into trouble.

Hinck said that while they are waiting on DNA to confirm it is the same bear that was captured near McGregor Lake, it likely is based on photos of the bear. He said it was a young bear out looking for new territory, and we "probably won't see him here anymore."

FWP said the captured bear is approximately 3 years old and 246 pounds, and that it was frequenting residential areas and eating bird seed and garbage around McGregor Lake and Little Bitterroot Lake near Marion. Residents reported several sightings of the bear.

FWP Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley set a culvert trap in the area and captured the animal on the night of April 28. The bear was fitted with a GPS radio collar for future monitoring. FWP Director Martha Williams assisted Manley and Region 1 Wildlife Manager Neil Anderson with the immobilization and processing of the bear.

In consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service, FWP moved the bear on May 1 to the Big Creek drainage on the west side of Lake Koocanusa on the Rexford Ranger District.

When responding to a bear incident, FWP follows guidelines that inform an appropriate action. These factors include the potential human safety threats, the intensity of the conflict and the bear's history of conflicts.

Now that bears are active, residents are asked to remove or secure food attractants such as garbage and bird feeders to avoid conflicts.