Hunters must expect to see bears

Hunting

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

With a spate of bear attacks recently in southwest Montana, it is important to remember that slow moving, quiet and camouflaged hunters are sharing the landscape with the state’s even stealthier bears, which may be stalking similar prey.
All hunters and recreationists must be prepared to encounter a grizzly bear and should consider all of western Montana grizzly bear country, not just the Rocky Mountain Front, Bob Marshall Wilderness complex and the Yellowstone ecosystem.
To safely hunt in bear country, hunters should:

• carry bear spray and know how to use it
• hunt with a partner and let someone else know your plans
• get harvested big game out of the woods quickly
• upon returning to a site where harvested game is left unattended, study the site at a distance for any movement or changes and signal your approach by making plenty of noise
• never attempt to frighten or haze a bear from a carcass
• contact FWP if a bear has consumed a carcass or covered it with debris rendering it unsalvageable.

For more on bears, visit FWP's website at fwp.mt.gov; then click Be Bear Aware. Bear resistant products are described on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's website at www.igbconline.org. A “How to Hunt Safely in Grizzly Country” brochure is also available at FWP regional offices.

Thank you to our friends at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for allowing us to post this article.